Alvtil one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

We walked this route in reverse from Tillicoultry to Alva in November 2023. I agree with the other reviewers that it is possibly not so easy in places for all bikes, but a gravel/hybrid style bike would be absolutely fine, and the sections which are narrow and/or a bit less smooth (see photos) are overall pretty short and there weren’t too many gates. I would definitely happily do it on my bike.
We loved this walk. It’s really pretty and very varied, with lots of beautiful views (the glorious weather helped!). There’s some short uphill and downhill bits, but not too steep and it was overall pleasant easy walking and would be a lovely running route. There were also benches along the way that make nice rest spots, and even though it’s not a long walk we stopped to admire the views in several places. Though a lot of the route was offroad, including on tracks through lovely woodland, some was on minor back roads with no pavement, but these roads were very quiet and noted to be cycle and walking friendly routes. We encountered few cars on a sunny Saturday, and those there were were moving slowly and making way for the considerably more numerous dog walkers. Footpaths and routes are well signposted and navigation was easy, other than at Burnside, where the route shown on Slow Ways does not exist. The straight line shown is through private property, so you need to do a bit of a loop to the south of the private houses (marked with a footpath marker) as shown in the photos.

Review of Slow Ways route Alvtil one (Alva to Tillicoultry)
I walked this route one early morning in October 2023. It is a straightforward and enjoyable route which begins with an uphill section into the lower reaches of Alva Glen. The route then turns right onto Ochill Road (with views up to the imposing Strude Mill) and continues along this road until it becomes Burnside Farm Road. There is then a well-signposted lane (not shown on the Slow Ways mapping) which takes the route through to an un-named road leading up to Woodhill Woods. The tarmac eventually runs out just after the car park for the Ochill Hills Woodland Park but there is then a very good, packed earth track which continues along the hillside (with lovely views to the south). As the first houses in Tillicoultry come into view, the route drops down to reach the A91. There is then a short walk to the town centre and the end of the route. This is a great route, perfect for the walker but slightly more challenging for the cyclist (there are some muddy sections and a couple of gates to negotiate). I would heartily recommend it.

This is a good route for walkers, but unsuitable for wheelers as the path between the woodland and fields, near The Roundal, is narrow. There is an alternative route for wheelers between Alva and Tillicoultry as a new cycleway has been built in fields beside the A91.
It appears to be correctly mapped, although I cannot vouch for the link between the access road to the Woodland Park and the minor road round the back of the village (Burnside Farm Road). There is likely to be traffic, with no footway, on the Woodland Park road, and on Burnside Farm Road.
A very pleasant route, rising gently above the valley floor to give views south.

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