Walk 140 – Blairadam Forest N.E. Corner – 6.3 miles

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Blairadam Forest on the southern tip of Perth & Kinross is a bit of a maze! With so many tracks and footpaths to choose from it is hard to know where to start. This is a walk which shows off the variety possible within it, from way-marked gravel tracks to off-the-beaten-track passageways! Pass the impressive Blair Adam House and walled garden from which the forest takes it's name. Cross farmland, enjoying the views of Loch Leven and Benarty Hill (The Sleeping Giant). Venture off-the-beaten-track on muddier ground beneath Cowden Hill (option to avoid - see route). Meander along the Kelty Burn through beautiful woodland. Perfect!

Print  Dog-friendly walk (short section through some farmland where lead is required and one stile – most dogs will be able to fit under it – see photo below)

  Main car park of Blairadam Forest is just off B914 at Kelty. Well signposted from the road (KY4 0JW). No public transport to start point.

Blairadam NE Corner

WALK REVIEW: 2ND JUNE 2017

Generally speaking when it comes to forest walks I can manage 4 miles or so before I start to become bored of the same old. However this particular route through Blairadam was extremely varied and each time I showed any sign of losing interest we turned a corner and experienced something different; a new type of terrain, a feature of interest, open areas, pine forest, woodland, an unexpected view…..

Originally I had planned a route round 7 miles which zigzagged through the forest however due to time limitations we decided to cut it short. Modifying the route mid-walk turned out to be trickier than I would have expected and a couple of times I found that we were wandering in the completely wrong direction. I was so grateful for my mapping app on my mobile which showed my location using GPS and I was tracking my route so I knew when we were off-course. Without it I feel confident we might still wandering around looking for the car park. You see, Blairadam Forest is somewhat of a maze once inside!! Which explains the loooonnnng route description above… sorry: there are a lot of crossroads and forks to navigate!

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We did not expect to emerge out the trees to this view! Loch Leven in the distance with Benarty Hill (known locally as the sleeping giant) to the right.
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This is a short tricky section of the walk where the path isn’t very clear. There are two footbridges across the burn then you head uphill and left as shown.
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Blair Adam House as seen from the track. The road up to it is marked private so our route turns right at this point.
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The extensive land around Blair Adam House includes a sizeable walled garden, complete with a wooden door which has windows!! The key is also conveniently attached to the top of the door: very trusting!
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Stile where the farmland section re-enters Blairadam forest. We had a golden retriever with us who easily fitted underneath the fence on the right had side of the step.
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The Cowden Hill loop was pretty muddy and we hadn’t had a great deal of rainfall prior to today therefore I can only imagine that conditions could be worse. See route info for an option to avoid it. Bodhi our Golden Retriever friend had a ball splashing in the mud and getting as wet as possible. Even his face was soaking!

The photos below give an insight into the different types of terrain you can look forward to on the walk…..

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