The atmospheric and unspoilt Angus Glens offer superb walking amongst the beautiful moorland colours and the scents of heather and grasses.

The Angus Glens include ten ‘Munros’ (mountains over 3,000 feet), and miles of narrow twisting roads, great for cyclists, drivers, hill walkers and nature lovers alike.

Arguably the most beautiful of the Angus Glens is Glen Clova (north of Kirriemuir). Cortachy Castle once guarded the entrance to the glen, and near its head is the hamlet of Clova, close to which are the ruins of another castle, the 16th century Clova Castle. Glen Clova once formed a main routeway from Angus over the Grampians to Aberdeenshire.

At the head of Glen Clova is Glen Doll, a spectacular glen carved by glaciers. Corrie Fee is only a few miles along the forest tracks, and more adventurous walkers may wish to tackle Jock’s Road, the famous drover’s way to Braemar. Also at Glen Doll car park you will find the visitor centre, full of fascinating information about the glens, and home to the rangers who run a series of events.

Hidden away behind a maze of country roads northwest of Brechin, lies Glen Lethnot, where the local stream was used by illicit distillers. The track is known today as ‘the Whisky Trail’. Glen Lethnot is the smallest and perhaps the least well known of the Angus Glens, providing ample scope for those looking for absolute peace and quiet. The glen, which seems to have lost its name on the majority of modern maps, contains the Water of Saughs, which becomes the West Water in its lower reaches.

Another hidden gem is Glen Prosen where the narrow, twisty road on the western side is a real driver’s road – sweeping from bend to bend. At the start of the 20st century, Captain Scott spent months in a cottage in Glen Prosen, planning his 1910 expedition to the South Pole, pulling his team together and carrying out training exercises in the sometimes harsh climate of this Angus glen. To honour and remember Captain Scott’s links to Glen Prosen, a striking statue stands at one of the glen’s viewpoints.

One of the more significant and the most westerly of the Angus Glens, Glen Isla is a wide valley in the southern Grampians, between Glen Shee and Glen Prosen. Part of the glen was once the property of the Abbey at Coupar Angus, but passed to the Campbells of Argyll after the Reformation. Other parts were the property of the Ogilvies of Airlie, and the two families feuded from the late 16th century, reaching a climax in 1640 with the burning of Forter Castle in the Glen.

At almost 15 miles long, Glen Esk is the longest of the Angus Glens and is still a thriving community, with inhabited houses all the way up the glen. The magnificent ruins of Invermark Castle guard the way to Loch Lee, the beautiful stretch of water at the head of the glen. The village of Edzell lies at the mouth of the glen.