Down the Den

October 2022 

The Den of Alyth or Den o' Alyth is a beautiful wooded area surrounding the Alyth Burn or small river cutting through a narrow gorge, before passing through the town of Alyth itself, eventually joining the River Isla.

The colours in Autumn or Fall are just wonderful and the burn pretty full made for great sounds and scenes to sit and enjoy.

There are parts of the den that look and feel primeval, like an ancient, undiscovered area. There are not that many people using the Den, which is perfect.

The fallen Beech leaves mixed in with the lush green ferns look fantastic, it's a very tranquil, peaceful place to walk or just sit and enjoy, there are several seats and benches scattered throughout.

The burn meanders through the area, driven by the rocks which rise up on each side.

There are birds aplenty in the right conditions, plenty of fungus in various locations, lots of dead wood for it to populate.

The main loop from Alyth outskirts to the upper Den car park and back again is 1.5 miles approximately, with well maintained paths but, rugged underfoot and can get very wet, muddy and slippery so decent footwear is needed in the Autumn / Winter months.

The return leg, if starting from Alyth, rises up above the gorge  and there are a couple of choices of route to follow.

There are birds aplenty as I've said, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Tree Creepers, Wood Pigeons, Crows, Buzzards, Woodpeckers and Dippers, which are fairly easy going and easy to spot if you know what to look for. A lifer for me was a Spotted Flycatcher.

Dipper with a mouthful

Spotted Flycatcher

Take a break, take your time, watch the river and the trees. Listen to the sounds of the water and the birds. Who knows what you might see?

Remember - Take only photographs, leave only footprints. Enjoy.