There are no starting points for this route, so if you plan to travel by car I would suggest parking somewhere in Crook of Devon that would not cause any inconvenience to the locals.

Powmill Road.

Turning off the B9097 road, sign posted for Aldie, the road climbs gradually, passing a number of farms until the top of the climb near the radio mast. Shortly after starting the descent, turn left at a small wood, onto a farm track, which runs alongside a string of trees. The track surface varies from hard and well surfaced to soft and boggy.

Bull stone

Continue all the way down until just before an avenue of trees. At the start of this track to the right is a pile of stones known as the “Bull stone” This was a huge sandstone boulder and was probably an old boundary mark, or it may have some association with the sport of bull-baiting. It lies on its side, about 3 ½ ft above the ground, with a girth of about 13 ft at the base, the weather has broken the boulder down into smaller pieces.

Continue to the bottom of the avenue and turn left at the T-junction, follow this track up the slight incline and turn right, passing through a gate then follow the road around to the left.

Naemoor Road no more

Cross the A977 and go the right for a short distance before descending a flight of stairs to the banks of the River Devon. Continue along the path until you come to a wooden bridge, cross the bridge and lift your bike over the two styles onto the Naemoor Road. Please avoid the temptation to go straight on, rather than crossing the Devon, this fisherman's path is not really suited for cycling, the same advice goes for the path on the far bank of the Devon.

(A little farther downstream, the Devon flows through a deep gorge and is worth seeing if you have the time. After joining Naemoor Road, turn left and at the T-junction with the A823, turn left again and follow the road to the nursing home, where you can go through the grounds to see the gorge. I’ll bet that you will be surprised to see such an unusual bridge constriction over the gorge.)

Otherwide at Naemoor Road, turn left and follow this road up to the T-junction with the A823, turn left and then immediate right onto a farm track with a Public Footpath to Dollar sign. Continue on this farm track as it climbs, then levels out before descending steeply to a T-junction (watch out for the drainage culvert across the track beside the cottage.)

Turn right and follow this farm track until another farm track joins from the right. Turn right and follow this track up the hill and then down to meet the Golf Course Road. Turn left and then after passing the school turn right. Follow this track and well surfaced footpath along the side of the golf course into Muckhart.

Turn right outside the white painted Coronation Hall and then about half way down the hill, turn left onto a track and footpath to the right. Follow this footpath along the side of the deer fences to a gate, go through the gate and follow the track to the junction with the A823.

Cross the road and follow the road around to the left. The road becomes a path for a short stretch before reverting back to a road, turn next right and follow the road towards Naemoor Farm.

A path, avoiding the farm is on the right, follow the path between the fence and burn. The path goes around to the left before joining a farm road, turn right and follow for a short distance to the Y-junction.

Clean path

A choice of routes, going to the right will lead down to the Naemoor Road on a good farm road, at Naemoor Road turn left and follow this road all the way into The Crook, the alternative is more demanding and could be mucky.

Mucky path

Turn left and follow the track to the gate, at one point there was a lot of muddy water here. Go over the gate and continue along the track across the open field heading for the river. When you reach the river go around to the right and follow the river downstream. You will leave the banks of the Devon as you near the forest, then the path heads away from the Devon and between the fences to go through a gate onto Naemoor Road.

Turn left and follow the road over the bridge up to the T-junction with the A977, turn left and follow the road until on the bend turning right in font of the building with the war memorial in front.

Crook of Devon

Continue along this track to the T-junction, turn left at the kennels and continue along this track, which becomes rough and muddy before returning a firmer surface and the B9097, turn right and continue along until turning right back onto the Aldie Road, completing the circuit.

Drum diversion

An alternative is to continue out of The Crook and turn left at the Mill, going past the school to a T-junction, go right and follow this road to cross the A977. Continue through Drum following the road around to the right to come to a T-junction with the B9097, turn left and continue on the B9097 to the Powmill turning.