River Devon circular (3 miles)
We begin this walk at Vicar's Bridge which has a rather macabre history. In 1865, a local butcher had been returning from a market with his horse and cart and was murdered for his takings. Joseph Bell was found guilty and became the last man in Scotland to be hanged in full view of the public, at Perth. The Vicar's Bridge road is clearly signposted from the A977 at the village of Blairingone and there is a lay-by next to the railed bridge which can accomodate half a dozen cars. The River Devon flows beneath.
Beside the bridge is a stone memorial dating from 1538 which is dedicated to Thomas Forrest, Vicar of Dollar. A flight of wooden steps leads down to the river but this is not the official start of the trail. You can descend here but the way is rather boggy for around 400 yards to the junction with the designated route, which begins a short distance uphill from the car park (towards Blairingone), the information board clearly visible from the road.
It's basically a case of following the riverside path which is reasonably well maintained although some sections are muddy and waterproof boots are strongly recommended. The trail passes through an area where the historic counties of Kinross, Perth and Clackmannan converge. After a while, you will see the prominent piers of the old Devon Viaduct in the distance. As we enter an area of woodland, Castle Campbell becomes visible across the water, sitting on the hillside above the town of Dollar.
When we reach the vidauct, it's time to leave the river. But take some time to marvel at the five massive stone piers which carried the Devon Valley Railway across the river to Dollar. The line itself ran from Kinross to Alloa but was closed in 1964. Now we have a choice. Those with the confidence to scale the embankment up to the top of the viaduct can make use of a handy rope set up by locals, as well as handholds on the stonework and adjacent trees. It's not as dangerous as it sounds, the trick is to keep your centre of gravity low and always try and hold on to something. However, I don't recommend this method unless you have experience of this type of scrambling.
Alternatively, head back upstream for 100 yards to the point where a stream joins the river. Head into the woods along a rough path which crosses the stream and heads gently uphill. Keep the gully on your right and you will join the railway trackbed, the old boundary fence having conveniently rotted away.
Pick up the course of the railway which is easy going. Once we exit the woods, the views along the Devon Valley open up and it is a very pleasant stroll back to Vicar's Bridge Road where we emerge at a higher point to where we started. Simply follow the road back down.
