(054) Crieff-The Hosh Circuit (Perthshire)

Route Summary
This walk overlooks Crieff, with a moderately taxing overall ascent of 161 m over a short distance, offering some wonderful views of the surrounding hills. The environment is mixed, with woodlands, fields, and tumbling burns. The route passes the famous Glenturret Distillery.

Duration: 1.75 hours.

Route Overview
Duration: 1.75 hours.
Transport/Parking: Regular Stagecoach bus services from Perth to Crieff. Check timetables. There is a small parking area at the start/end of the walk.
Length: 4.870 km / 3.04 mi
Height Gain: 161 meter
Height Loss: 161 meter
Max Height: 185 meter
Min Height: 74 meter
Surface: Moderate. A mix of tarred roads, rough roads and good paths.
Child Friendly: Yes, if used to walks of this distance and overall ascent.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium.
Dog Friendly: Yes, on lead on public roads and near farm animals.
Refreshments: Options in Crieff. We can recommend the Rhubarb Cafe.

Description
This is a fairly easy route on the outskirts of Crieff, in the wonderfully scenic countryside at the crossroads between the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland. Along the way, there are many open aspects and marvellous views, taking in the rural charm of the River Earn Valley, high surrounding hills, and distant mountains. The walk starts and ends near the Crieff Hydro Hotel which opened in 1868 as the Crieff Hydropathic, using the Caledonian Railway to bring a prosperous, abstemious clientele from the lowlands of Scotland to take “the water cure” in an upmarket environment with mountain views. With over 900 acres, more than 200 rooms, and over 50 self catering units, the hotel now supports over 60 leisure and sporting activities, including two golf courses and two swimming pools. The village of Crieff expanded into a town after the River Earn was bridged here in about 1690. The town’s growth and wealth stemmed directly from its excellent position as a link between the Highlands and the Lowlands. By 1700, very large numbers of “black cattle” from the north and west of Scotland were driven along the traditional drove roads to the trysts, or cattle markets, at Crieff. Each year up to 30,000 cattle arrived on foot for sale in the town, and Crieff gained a reputation as a wild border town, where horse thieves, bandits and drunken drovers caroused and fought with each other. The many killings were punished on the infamous Kind Gallows, allowing at least six persons to be despatched, and left to hang as a warning to others. Glenturret Distillery, passed on the walk, is the oldest working distillery in Scotland, dating back to 1775 when the Drummond family started distilling malt whisky using the clean and soft waters of the Turret Burn. In the 1950s, following hard times, the distillery was revitalised by whisky enthusiast James Fairlie. Building on this renaissance, three decades later it opened as a visitor attraction in 1980. In 2002, Glenturret became the home to The Famous Grouse Experience – an “interactive whisky experience”, attracting over 80,000 visitors each year. For more info about Crieff, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crieff