The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Kindrogan Forest

Good to shelter if necessary in the rain. Not quite a bothy though as the shed isn't fully sealed so lots of bird debris inside

A useful waypoint. Northwards it's a steep dirt path climb over to Spittal of Glenshee - aka hike-a-bike. Southwards, a nice track down to Enochdhu.

The Lunch Hut, built around 1950 for driven grouse shooting, originally had two compartments—one for the guns and one for the beaters. Today, it serves as a welcome shelter for walkers on the Cateran Trail. On October 13, 1865, Queen Victoria passed this way on her journey from Dunkeld to Balmoral, riding her Highland pony with John Brown. At the Lairig gate overlooking the Spittal, the party stopped for tea, only to discover the kettle had been forgotten, causing a delay while one was fetched. This story is recounted in Queen Victoria’s Highland Journals, edited by David Duff.

The garden around the house combines traditional design with ongoing restoration, featuring lawns, shrubbery, and a historic walled garden. The tour begins at the Museum in the old laundry building, showcasing vintage garden tools. Nearby, the Potager includes a decorative greenhouse, and the front lawn is shaded by a grand Wellingtonia tree with a rare Edwardian revolving summerhouse. The walled garden has a herbaceous border and a 1970s-style rockery, with a mysterious 1667 stone marked with the initials EK. Beyond the wall are a vegetable garden and orchard. The Burn Walk follows a stream with waterfalls, and a red footbridge leads to a summerhouse overlooking the largest waterfall. A hydro-electric scheme, built in 2014, blends into the landscape. The garden is open daily from June to August for a small fee, with proceeds supporting its upkeep. Parts of it can also be seen from the nearby Cateran Trail.

The Giant's Grave, also known as Ardle's Grave, is a standing stone and burial mound located in a garden at Enochdhu, Perth and Kinross. It is believed to be the resting place of a tall Pictish leader named Ardle, after whom the surrounding valley, Strath Ardle, is named. The site has long captured local interest, with the burial mound now repurposed as a flower bed. Historical records, including observations from the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland in the 1960s, noted a faint trace of an incised cross on one of the stones. Although this feature is no longer visible, it hints that the stone may have served as an ancient marker.

Alexander Duff, born in Moulin in 1806, was educated in the Kirkmichael Session House before attending Perth Grammar School and St. Andrews University, where he studied theology. He became the Church of Scotland's first missionary to India, playing a crucial role in modernizing India's education system and helping establish the University of Calcutta. In his honor, the Duff Memorial Free Church was built in 1890 by L & J G Falconer, though it now stands disused and in disrepair.

In 1715, the Earl of Mar raised the Jacobite standard at Kirkmichael to rally support for the exiled Stuart King James, the Old Pretender, in an attempt to restore the Catholic Stuart dynasty after its overthrow in 1688-89. Mar’s army of over 7,000 men advanced into Perth but faced a smaller, well-led government force under the Duke of Argyll. The Battle of Sheriffmuir on 13 November ended inconclusively, while English Jacobites suffered defeat at Preston. With dwindling support, James Francis arrived too late to salvage the rebellion, and by February 1716, he and Mar had fled to France. The uprising collapsed, leading to imprisonment, transportation, or execution for many captured Jacobites.

Kirkmichael, the largest community in Strathardle Glen, has been inhabited since the Iron Age, with ancient huts, standing stones, and battle sites marking its long history. Named after Prince Ardle, who died in 903 AD fighting Danish invaders, the glen features his burial mound, the "Giant’s Grave," as a local landmark. The village’s first church was built in 1184 on land granted by Coupar Angus Abbey, and today an 18th-century Kirk stands in an ancient graveyard containing a mass burial plot for Black Death victims. Once a royal hunting ground, Kirkmichael became a key cattle market and witnessed historic events like the 1715 Jacobite uprising. Queen Victoria’s visit later helped establish the area as a holiday destination. Today, Strathardle remains known for its natural beauty, wildlife, and a balance of agriculture, tourism, and small businesses along the River Ardle.