Glen Isla to Kirriemuir

Quiet glens penetrating deeply into the mountains; hills and forests.

Kirriemuir is the birth place of James Barrie, creator of Peter Pan. Even if you've only seen the Disney version you should make an effort to see where he lived and the outside wash house that was his first theatre. On Barrie's death in 1937 there was a move to dismantle his house and re-erect it in the USA. Fortunately this came to nothing and it is now owned by the National Trust.

The town itself is full of stone built closes and narrow streets, it was once famous for its weavers.

Route Description

(To make this route circular see the related route: Kirriemuir to Glen Isla.) This route starts from Cray which is just west of Glen Isla. There's a hill to begin with, but from Kirkton of Glen Isla to Kirriemuir there is a lot of downhill.

Not many people seem to know about Glen Isla, which is nice if you want to go cycling. The area has a quiet charm. Collectively 'The Glens' (Isla, Prosen, Clova and Esk) are known as the Angus Glens. The upper reaches of the glens where they run deeply in to the Grampian Mountains are really beautiful. Lower down it's a mixture of farmland and woodland with the roads usually quite quiet. The route described here is of medium distance and fairly hilly however it would be quite easy to make it shorter and miss out a few hills.

There's an attractive stone bridge over the River Isla. Going further up the glen is an attractive excursion. The road stays by the river and doesn't climb much. After three miles it becomes a dirt road. Another three miles after that there is a one mile footpath leading to the 400 metre high crags of Caenlochan Glen.

Kirkton of Glenisla has two hotels, both providing accommodation and food. After Glen Isla there are no more hotels or tea rooms until Kirriemuir, but you could make a diversion to Peel Farm without too much trouble.