I’ve been doing a lot of walking recently, trying to spend my free time in the great outdoors. I’ve found that there is one huge positive to living in Perth, access to some of the best walks around. Whether you are out with your friends, walking with the family or taking a stroll on your own there is a walk or a hill in Perthshire for you – no matter how inexperienced. I’ve compiled a list of a few of my favourites, in hope that you will spend your next free day exploring somewhere you haven’t before.
- The Hermitage & Braan Walk
Perth’s ‘go-to’ walk and it’s not surprising. It’s extremely local and will only take you 15 minutes in the car to get there, it’s family and dog friendly, it won’t take much out of your day and you can stop by Dunkeld on the way home for a bag of chips.
The Hermitage oozes diversity, waterfalls, countryside, wooded areas, great views and a cave thrown in there too. It’s no wonder that it is a fan favourite. Doing The Hermitage & Braan Walk will take you around 2 hours, depending on how many children and small dogs you have, obviously. It’s also a great walk for the inexperienced who have’t quite built up that ‘Munro tolerance’ yet.
- Birks of Aberfeldy
The Birks of Aberfeldy has got to be one of my favourite walks I’ve done to date. The downside to the Birks is that it does take an hour to get there, but it’s worth the time and money spent on transport.
The Birks isn’t a long walk and will only take between 1 ½ to 2 hours to tackle. The Birks of Aberfeldy is beautiful and you will not be short of great views and waterfalls. The scenery is something else and you can even stop to get a great view of Ben Vrackie along the way. This one is for the nature lovers, a walk fine for the inexperienced, however you may want to watch the stone steps with smaller family members.
3. Falls of Bruar
Very similar to The Birks of Aberfeldy however if you are like me and you are using google maps to find these 
walks, don’t do it with Falls of Bruar. The first time I attempted it my very small car ended up stuck on a small dirt road.
Do your research and head to House of Bruar to start the walk. The Falls of Bruar will set you back almost an hour in travel and will take you about an hour and a half to walk. The Falls of Bruar can be quite steep at times however it is a very beautiful walk with several stone bridges and a bench area that have great views of the falls and gorge.
The Falls of Bruar is stunning and the views really are something else. Another one that you could tackle being an inexperienced walker however remember a bottle of water for your travels – especially for those steep bits.
- Kinnoull Hill
Kinnoull Hill has got to 
be one of Perth’s most underrated walks. I walk Kinnoull Hill at least once a month, the views from the top are fantastic.
There is a good amount of ascent on this walk but it’s doable for the inexperienced. This walk could take you around 2 hours to do properly however if you are looking for more of a light stroll you can park further up and amend the route to suit you. It can be muddy, also watch out for the cyclists, but getting to the top is definitely worth the welly boot washing.
I think my favourite thing about Kinnoull Hill is that because it is so popular, it’s a prime dog spotting walk. It’s also very local, so travel costs and time are low.
For a Perth local, Kinnoull Hill on a cold winter’s day is a must – just remember to wrap up!
5. Scone Circular
A good one for the active family, steep at times and there isn’t much to it until you get to the top, however it makes for a great Sunday afternoon.
I can’t comment on the views because when I went up it was foggy and I couldn’t see a thing, however this walk has made my list because it’s accessible to those without a car and it’s a refreshing change to the popular central walks in Perth. It boasts two hilltop monuments and I am told that it does have great views – I will definitely be going back when it is clearer.
Depending on where you start, this walk could take you over two hours and it’s a great walk for the dogs and you can definitely manage it as an inexperienced walker. Not to mention the fact that you can just jump on the number 7 and not have to worry about taking the car.
The great thing about walking is that it’s free and if you live in Perth, even without your own transport, there is a walking route accessible to you somewhere nearby. Wrap up warm, put on decent footwear, fill the water bottles up and spend your next weekend venturing somewhere you haven’t been before.
Special mention to Moncrieffe Hill, Birnam Hill, Loch Faskally and all the other Perthshire walks you should absolutely wander. [vc_message]Perth Gazette blogs is a place for opinions. These opinions belong to the author and are not necessarily shared by Perth Gazette. [/vc_message]
