Walking - and running - in Camperdown
Practical information - parking, refreshment etc
CIRCULAR ROUTE ROUND CAMPERDOWN, BIRKHILL WOODS, TEMPLETON AND CLATTO
!st section - Main drive and lower nature trail, to duck pond
2nd section - up to Coupar Angus Road at Birkhill
3rd section - Birkhill Woods
4th section - Templeton Woods
5th section - Clatto Country Park
short cut from Clatto back to Templeton and Camperdown
6th Section - a quiet trail through the woods
7th Section - back through Templeton to Camperdown
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Walking - and running - in Camperdown
Over the years, we've made countless visits to Camperdown and Templeton, enjoying the woodland walks in every season, going to the Flower and Food Festival in late summer and sledging at Christmas time.
Many of the visits have been whilst out running - it has been a place to go in its own right, for an off-road run, and also a welcome detour on training routes mostly along local roads. There are endless variations you can enjoy along tracks cutting through the woodland, with minimal impact on the old leg joints. The famous "Templeton 10" autumn road race organised by Dundee Roadrunners starts and finishes at Templeton Woods, taking in a hilly route out to Auchterhouse village and back. And we have been closely involved in the organisation of another race, the Running Sisters' 5km run around Camperdown. It was originally set up by my wife Maggie and held every March, with an additional 10km race organised in the Millennium year of 2000.
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Practical information - parking, refreshment etc
Of course, you don't need to be a keen runner to make the most of Camperdown and Templeton. Together with neighbouring Birkhill Woods and Clatto Country Park they make up a superb recreational area on Dundee's doorstep, whether you want a gentle stroll, a more strenuous hike lasting an hour or two, or to indulge in other pursuits such as golf and horse-riding. The kids can occupy themselves for ages at one of the play areas - either down at the lower end of Camperdown, or up at Clatto.
There are several parking areas if you come by car - the main ones are:
- at the end of the main drive reached from main gate just off the second roundabout from the Kingsway (A923 exit)
- the golfers' car park, reached down the drive from the next gate on the left along the A923 (Coupar Angus Road)
- the large car park down at the main play area and wildlife park, reached by continuing through the park from the main drive, then following the road down to the left just before reaching Camperdown House
- Clatto Car Park, reached via Dalmahoy Drive or Laird Street which form a loop curving round the top of Ardler and St Marys districts of Dundee (see section 5 below).
Buses also serve Camperdown and the neighbouring leisure park with its multi-screen cinema, ice arena and choice of restaurants. You may decide to split the group, with some of you going to the cinema whilst others enjoy the woodland walks. Another option for lunch or refreshment after the walk is the Birkhill Inn, further along the A923 at the edge of Camperdown Park and close to Birkhill Woods.
Camperdown House also has a cafeteria in the ground floor, re-opened to the public in 2003. It contains displays of Dundee's maritime history, particularly the Battle of Camperdown in 1797 when Admiral Duncan from nearby Lundie defeated the French. His son was made 1st Earl of Camperdown and the neo-classical house was built for him in 1828, designed by William Burn,
The information panels situated at the car parks in Camperdown, such as the one shown here, indicate the nature trails and other paths extending as far as Birkhill Woods and Clatto. Therefore the following description provides just one, long circuit, from the car park at the end of the main driveway.
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CIRCULAR ROUTE AROUND CAMPERDOWN, BIRKHILL WOODS, TEMPLETON AND CLATTO
About 6 miles / 10km, 2-3 hours' walk
!st section - Main drive and lower stretch of nature trail, to duck pond
You may start from the main gateway, if you've parked at the nearby leisure park or been dropped off by bus. This provides a gently rising walk on a path under mature trees close to the driveway, leading towards the main area of Camperdown Park. It's generally peaceful, with speed restrictions for traffic.
From No 1 car park at the end of the drive, there are toilet facilities and an information board with a map. One option is to take the nature trail leading up behind the car park, which extends along the northern edge of Camperdown, allowing links across to Templeton (rejoining route on the 2nd section below). However, to take in the full nature trail, cross over the main drive from the car park, into the belt of trees that runs down to the left of the main area of parkland. A broad track runs downhill through the line of trees, and you have to take a little care in places.
Towards the corner at the bottom of the track, other tracks come in from the right - these lead to the main Camperdown play area. The nature trail continues to the right, around the corner, and then runs close to the lower wall of Camperdown. This is the one section of the circuit where there is often quite a lot of noise from vehicles outside the park. However, the route through the trees is pleasant, and after a while the path passes a nursery for young trees on the right. Then it crosses a tarmac drive from the southern gate of the park (you can turn up here to get to the wildlife park and main play area, if you have parked there).
Continuing across this park road, the nature trail passes through tall conifers, which separate it from the golf course up to the right. Then the path turns sharp right at the western corner of the park, and starts to climb - this is the steepest part of the walk, but the path winds this way and that to ease the gradient, and there are glimpses of golfers from time to time.
At the top of this slope, the path leads behind one of the golf tees (the one shown in the photo), and then onto the main east-west driveway near the west gate. There is a small parking area just along to the right, at the duck pond.
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2nd section - up to Coupar Angus Road at Birkhill
The nature trail continues on the other side of the park road, to the left of the golf course, and winds up through the trees again. This is a wide path with a couple of barred gates to walk around. Once again it runs close to the perimeter wall, and if you are quiet you may be lucky enough to see deer grazing in the woods to your right.
This is also quite a steep climb, but you can take it gradually and enjoy the light playing on the leaves around you. The road on the other side of the wall is known as the Gourdie Brae.
Finally you reach the top, and soon the nature trail bends round to the right - you can continue along it if you want the shorter circuit restricted to Camperdown, and this is the upper part of the nature trail leading back to the car park at the end of the main driveway where the walk started from.
For the longer walk, when you reach the sharp bend at the top corner you should leave the nature trail and go straight ahead, through the great stand of beech trees that is my favourite part of these woods. It seems to catch the subtleties of the light at different times of the day, and the year, and the tall grey trunks rise up like the pillars of some massive natural cathedral. When running around the park, I often put in an extra couple of loops under these trees, just to make the most of the experience.
The track through these trees leads down to the northern perimeter wall, where a gateway leads out onto the pavement alongside the A923. Turn left here, and you will see the Birkhill Inn ahead on the right. It stands at a cross-roads, with the Gourdie Brae coming up from the left, and a narrow road to the right, past the side of the Inn. It makes a good place to stop off for some refreshment, an hour or so after starting the walk.
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3rd section - Birkhill Woods
Then continue down this narrow road, and just after passing the Inn car park, an informal opening in the hedge on the right allows you to pass through onto a narrow track leading into Birkhill Woods. Follow this track through the woods, with grassland over to the right (and the cemetery in the distance).
The track winds through open woodland, then passes another track (which leads out to the road on the left). Our route continues ahead then bends to the right at the northern edge of the woods. This is another highlight - with superb views between the tall pine trees of the fields stretching down to Strathmartine and the Sidlaw Hills beyond. From here you can see the trees on the top of Auchterhouse Hill, described in another walking story. Detours lead up through the trees on the right - some cleared a few years ago, and now regenerating.
The main track keeps close to the fence and the view on the left, before arriving at Templeton Road just where the road dips down towards Templeton Farm in the valley.
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4th section - Templeton Woods
Emerging from the woods, ahead across the road is a farm track which leads straight on past farm buildings. This is the direct route to Clatto Country Park, coming in at the north-west corner, and can be used to shorten the route slightly.
However the more enjoyable route through Templeton Woods begins through the gateway ahead and just to the right of the farm road. Go through here, and follow the track. It's unclear in places but the general route is fairly obvious, cutting diagonally to the right under mature trees, before entering a thicker belt of conifers. This section can be muddy at times.
Continue on the main track, which then joins a forest road. Turn left along this forest road, which heads straight ahead and then upwards towards the highest point on the route. It passes two tracks on the right - the first is another wide roadway, which provides a short-cut through Templeton directly back to Camperdown. The second, a bit further up, is a narrower and steeper track which runs down to join the first, near the Templeton ponds. Both form part of the 7th section of the route.
Continuing to the top of the forest road, the Gallowhill water tower stands among the trees on the left, providing a landmark if returning direct from the playpark at Clatto.
The forest road levels off then slopes gently downhill, with thick forest on either side, for another couple of hundred metres. Just where it bends sharply left, there are two tracks joining it from among the birch trees on the right - these provide the 6th section.
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5th section - Clatto Country Park
The forest road leaves Templeton turning left through an open gateway, beside new housing to the right. It runs down to the road which leads into Clatto, and an area of car parking (car park 4 above).
From here you can simply walk to the pathway that runs along the raised embankment built around the rectangular Clatto Reservoir, and follow the circuit, which is about a mile (1.6 km). It may sound a little tedious, but there are swans and geese on the water, and views of the hills to the north (see photo). There are also alternative routes on 3 sides of the reservoir.
On the south side (the one you arrive at from the car park) there is a boat shed with changing and toilet facilities. Between the car park and the boat shed a line of tall conifers runs west, and an attractive alternative path lies in a hollow between them, above the embankment path.
Follow this to the south-west corner, then descend through the trees and head right, below the embankment. You should find a track which leads among the trees (it can be muddy in places), past an old play area, then joining the embankment path at the north-west corner. This is where the farm road from Birkhill Woods reaches the reservoir (if followed along the outside of the northen wall of the reservoir, this unsurfaced road eventually leads on to Strathmartine Road, providing a pleasant but longer alternative walk back to Dundee).
Turning right along the northern side of the reservoir, the embankment is wider with picnic tables and a separate grassy pathway running behind a line of bushes and trees, where kids can enjoy playing hide and seek.
At the next corner, there is a steep slope down the back of the embankment, but the embankment path is wide and safe. This final stretch along the east side and back to the entrance gate is the only one where you need to follow the embankment.
If you have children with you, they will enjoy the play area just beyond the car park (see photo).
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From here you can take a short cut back to Templeton and Camperdown, across grassland now planted with lines of trees, up to the Gallowhill water tower mentioned in Section 4. Turn right onto the main forest road on the other side of the water tower, and take either of the tracks to the left which lead through the woods, past the ponds, to the A923 and a gateway into Camperdown on the other side. Through the gateway, turn left onto the nature trail to walk back to the car park (about half an hour's walk from Clatto play area). (Fuller description in 7th section below).
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6th Section - a quiet circular trail through the woods
For the longer route back, head back up to Templeton by the route you came, up the track to the right of the new houses. Just after the houses and the gateway into Templeton, a track leads to the left into the birchwoods (referred to at the end of the 4th section). Turn left along here, into a secluded part of the woods that relatively few people seem to visit. It's one of the most attractive woodland paths, especially when the sunlight shines through the young trees (see "secluded path" photo). The trail curves round as it approaches houses, and heads gradually back up hill. It was poorly maintained until recently, but has been tidied up, and is just great for running along. Magic!
Towards the end of this gradual climb, the trail bends right and rejoins the main forest road. This is a better route if you have light footwear, returning via the water tower as by the "short cut" above.
For a more enjoyable route, just as the trail bends right, take another track to the left, and this winds its way gradually downhill among the trees. This is a real treat. There's a slightly slippery bit just before you turn right along a wide grassy stretch between thicker areas of conifers.
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7th Section - back through Templeton to Camperdown
This leads on to the first of the two tracks which run down from the main forest road. The first leaves the forest road near the water tower, and is relatively steep and muddy in places, so you need reasonable footwear. It joins the second (main) track near the ponds.
Alternatively, as you reach this downhill track coming along the grassy stretch, you will see another track entering the woods on the other side. This is an attractive route winding this way and that through the trees (take care not to trip) before it straightens out and joins the 2nd track.
The 2nd track is the easier one to walk along, if you are taking the short cut back from Clatto - go further down the forest road from the water tower, and it's the wide roadway off to the left.
This 2nd track runs across another forest road with stacks of timber on the left, then between ponds, before bending right and left then arriving at the A923. Cross over the road with care, entering Camperdown through the gateway on the other side.
This brings you onto the nature trail once again. Turn left along it, and it leads round the edge of the golf course, then down to the golfers' road (which leads to Car Park no 2). On the other side of the road, you will pick up the nature trail again, and it leads back to Car Park no 1. Alternatively you might just want to walk back across the grassy parkland.
This has been a lengthy description of the walk, but it's easy enough to follow on the ground - if there are any suggestions for improving it, please let us know.
Contributed by: Andrew Llanwarne
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