The small village of Cambus lies just off the A907. The walk beings at the end of Station Road. Turn right past the massive Diageo Cooperage and a tarmac path follows the River Devon upstream. An old cast iron bridge spans the river here and was formerly used to link two distillery sites. Notice how all the trees have black bark, caused by the whisky vapours emanating from the thousands of casks processed at the cooperage. We soon pass under the active Alloa to Stirling railway which was was reopened in 2008. This is the point where the branch line to Alva split off. We now follow a dead-straight section of old trackbed.
A ruined doo-cot is visible to the left and a stone bridge looms in the distance. This is where the old A907 crossed the tracks and the road has now been converted to a cycle path. It's worth making a 300-yard detour to the left in order to view Tullibody Old Bridge which spans the Devon and dates from the early 1500s. It was bypassed way back in 1915 and has now been fully restored as part of the new footpath. Return to the old railway, pass under the new A907 and continue towards Menstrie as the trackbed begins to curve. We cross the Devon and contour through a leafy cutting before the path runs out at Menstrie Road. Turn left and walk the short distance into the town centre.
Head along Main Street until you arrive at an area of parkland. The Foxboy statue (pictured above) stands among the flowers. Walk across the grass and bear left along Ochil Road, crossing the Menstrie Burn in the process. An information board informs you that the tumbling waters in the Ochil Glens were used to power mills during the early years of the industrial revolution. Continue along Ochil Road for a short distance and take the signed path uphill to the right. Height is rapidly gained and we are soon walking high above Menstrie Glen. The path eventually meets a stony access road at a metal gate. From this point we can see far and wide across the Forth Valley. Return to Cambus by the reverse route, where a lovely tea room awaits.
