Riverside relics of a darker time

Methven Wood, Methven, Perth and Kinross

There is an air of mystery to Methven Woods, one dating back to the dark days of the Second World War when the plantation helped conceal a secret military storage base. Hidden away from the prying eyes of German reconnaissance pilots in the bottom of the steep-sided Almond valley, the Royal Naval Stores Depot at Almondbank opened alongside aircraft repair workshops in 1940 and expanded to cover seven sites.

While much of the complex now houses industrial and commercial concerns, some of the original wartime buildings remain strung out along the banks of the meandering river.

Woodland tracks link Almondbank with the nearby village of Methven and, setting out from the latter’s King George V Jubilee Park, I walked east along the road, past the local war memorial, to a much earlier historic building.

With signs for Castle Farm and Almondbank, a surfaced track climbs past restored 17th Century Methven Castle, now a luxury B&B, before continuing along the edge of the former walled gardens to Methven Castle Farm.

Beyond the old agricultural buildings, the waymarked trail enters Methven Woods, a junction offering two onward routes through the trees to Almondbank. I branched left here, the track dipping right earmarked for my return.

Passing felled land on the right and a ruined cottage up to the left, the way soon reaches a second signed junction where I turned north, leaving the beaten trail and wandering up through mixed woodland. The weaving track breaks cover from the trees briefly to avoid a ravine where I spotted a pair of deer and, a little further on, a high locked gate strung across the trail appears to bar onward travel. However, bear left along the adjacent fence and a path skirts the edge of the plantation, descending through the trees to meet a minor road.

Cross the bridge (taking care to avoid vehicles coming over the blind summit) and, below Craig House, the path to Almondbank branches right, heading up through a band of riverside woodland before dipping to meet the water by weirs slung across its flow.

Secreted in the depths of the valley, steep wooded slopes rising on either side, the trail crosses a footbridge spanning a mill lade below a sluice gate before following the channel downstream.

The sheltered lade originally served textile mills in the valley and now runs through a small hydro-electric power station, the parallel path passing this but not before it comes across the first of the wartime relics on the route.

Beyond a small boarded up brick hut, the concrete base of a much larger, but now demolished, shed lies to the right and, on from this, there are two smaller depot huts.

The trail leaves this part of the compound at a sturdy metal gate that still carries an original government land sign before following the access road above other hangars and sheds occupying bends in the river to meet the road linking Almondbank with the pretty hamlet of Pitcairngreen at Braehead.

Following this down through Almondbank, I picked up my route back to Methven just beyond the village post office leading up past Methven Loch, into mysterious Methven Wood.

ROUTE

1. Walk 850m east on A85 footpath.

2. Turn left (signed Castle Farm) and follow waymarked track to farm. Continue ahead to signed junction beyond high pedestrian gate.

3. Fork left and follow track 400m to next signed junction.

4. Turn left and follow forest track north-west.

5. Remain on track as it briefly leaves forest, curving right to re-enter trees below field gate. Continue north on forest track to meet road. Turn right to Dalcrue Bridge.

6. Cross Dalcrue Bridge, ascend road then branch right on woodland path. In 800m, descend path to cross footbridge and turn left, following mill lade east.

7. Bear right of brick shed then follow surfaced track then minor road to Almondbank.

8. Pass post office, turn right (signed Methven Wood), walk between squat block posts and follow track west past Methven Loch and gravel pit.

9. Where track forks beyond metal gate, go right, ascending to point 3. Turn left and retrace steps to Methven.