Easter Glentarken Ruins Loop

This is a 6-mile (10 km) loop from St Fillans to the Easter Glentarken settlement and back, taking about 3 hours. It climbs through woodland to the hillside ruins, crosses open moorland, then returns on the old Loch Earn railway path. The route is graded moderate. Expect a proper half-day walk with a noticeable climb, narrow muddy ground and a stretch where the path is faint.

Start at the Village Information Point beside the River Earn footbridge and walk west along the main road to Four Seasons. A tarmac track passes a hydro station and two concrete railway arches before meeting the disused railway path. After about 300 m, take the signed narrow path uphill through Glentarken Wood. Cross Allt An Fhionn on its small wooden bridge, then climb to the forestry track and pass through a deer gate. Near the ruins, the track narrows to a single path. The surface changes from firm track to muddy, uneven ground as you gain height.

The broken stone walls sit above Loch Earn, with views across the water to Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’ Chroin. Easter Glentarken was a weaving settlement, with several families, two mills on the burn and a lime kiln. The Highland Clearances contributed to its decline, and fragments of the settlement remain on the slope. This is a good place to pause: the ruined walls and the loch view give the walk its distinctive payoff.

Beyond the ruins, follow the faint moorland path via a yellow marker, a cottage and Jerusalem, a ruined croft, then descend to a metal bridge over Glentarken Burn. The route joins Glentarken Track and zigzags down to the railway path. Turn left, east, and return to St Fillans, leaving the railway by the access used on the way out. The moorland section is the easiest place to lose the route, and the narrow paths can be muddy and uneven. Dogs are allowed under Scotland’s access rules; keep them close or on a short lead near livestock and ground-nesting birds, especially from April through July.