Bridgend Of Lintrathen: Nature, Routes and History

Loch of Lintrathen lies immediately beside Bridgend of Lintrathen, seven miles west of Kirriemuir in Angus and directly on the B951. This places the destination in context through the close relationship between the settlement and the water; Kirriemuir provides the western point of reference. Check local directions and access before travelling.

Nature at Loch of Lintrathen

In winter, internationally significant numbers of greylag geese use Loch of Lintrathen as a roosting site. This makes its connection with nature clearly seasonal, linking a specific species with the lake’s role during the wintering period. This focus adds a distinct perspective on the destination alongside its historic themes and waterside routes.

Building and church history

Kirkton of Lintrathen Old Cornmill is an early and rare surviving example of its building type. It has an iron and wooden waterwheel housed in a separate wheelhouse. Two different perspectives help put it in context: its early, rare form relates to the architecture, while the waterwheel in its own wheelhouse is a specific technical feature. A wheelhouse is a separate building that houses the waterwheel. This helps distinguish the building form from the mill’s machinery as different points of interest.

At Lintrathen Parish Church, the cemetery walls and gravestones are designated as Listed Building LB11432. The former hearse house in the cemetery was built around 1875 and is now disused. In the church’s west wall is a fragment decorated with interlace ornament, which may have been part of a cross-slab dating from the 9th century. Interlace ornament is a pattern of interwoven bands; it describes the decoration, not the fragment’s date. The time references also differ: the hearse house dates from around 1875, while the fragment’s possible connection with a 9th-century cross-slab is not certain. The Listed Building designation of the walls and gravestones, in turn, indicates a status, not a construction date.

Circular walk and named route

A circular walk runs around the loch. The “Kirriemuir to Loch of Lintrathen” route returns to Bridgend of Lintrathen after circling the loch and then crosses the bridge to the B951. The descriptions highlight different things: the circular walk describes the route around the water, while the named route also includes the return to Bridgend and the onward journey to the road. Although its name mentions Kirriemuir, the described section returns to Bridgend after circling the loch. This helps distinguish the route’s name from its actual course. Together with its winter roosting role for greylag geese, the circular walk offers a second perspective on the same loch: seasonal importance for nature and movement around the water. Conditions on the circular walk may change; check them before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Edzell, Tannadice, Arbroath, Westmuir, Monifieth, Carnoustie, Dykehead, Blairgowrie.

For the broader travel overview: Angus.