Walking the Darn Walk

At the end of June we did a lovely river and woodland walk from Bridge of Allan to Dunblane along the Allan Water. Its been on my list to do for a while and it was lovely to be in the shade of the trees with the dappled light filtering through. The path meanders above the river, dropping down into a rocky valley and across a bridge then along the river side past a cave that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson. The stand out part of the walk for me was the walled walk way heading up hill towards Dunblane. A sense of many centuries of cattle being driven, carts lurching over the rough paving, people trecking between the towns, a very atmospheric part of the walk. We reached Dunblane and had our picnic by the river before returning to Bridge of Allan the way we had come. 

Starting the walk in Bridge of Allan

There is parking in Bridge of Allan, so depending on where you park you want to start on Blairforkie Drive which runs alongside the river. We followed the road up the hill until we saw a sign on the left for The Darn Walk. The path heads along the edge of the woods with fields on the right and the river below on the left then it heads into the woods.Eventually the path drops down a set of steps between rocks into a gully and across a bridge and then back up into the woods again.

Down the rocky steps

and across the bridge

We followed the path through the trees until it drops down to the side of the river where we passed the cave that supposedly inspired Robert Louis Stevenson, he regularly used the Darn Walk on holidays in Bridge of Allan- it has been suggested that the cave part way along was the inspiration for Ben Gunn’s cave in Treasure Island.

The river was low

Ignore a path to the left over a concrete bridge and keep heading on the right hand path where there is another bridge across a tributary of the Allan water. This soon brought us to the walled walkway heading up hill.

The Darn Road was an ancient trackway that local tradition says was used by the Romans. If that is so then it must be one of the oldest routes in the area. The stretch that climbs between two walls certainly gives the feel of having been there for a very long time. Its very atmospheric with its mossy stones, uneven road surface and over hanging branches. 

Follow the path along the side of a tall wall with fields to the right which eventually emerges out onto the golf course. Keep to the left and edge of the course eventually following the bath that goes off to the left and brings you out to the main road. Cross the road with care, its busy, and head down into Dunblane. Here you can explore the town and if you don't fancy walking back you can get the train back to Bridge of Allan. We had out picnic in the park by the river and then headed back along the walk the way we had come.

Lunch for us all

This is aa easy walk of 5.5 miles if you walk there and back with lovely varied scenery that can be done one way or as an out and return. Either way its well worth doing.

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