Background

The area of Madderty, defined by parish boundaries, is a most attractive area of Perthshire. St David’s village is the largest concentration of residential properties and there are quite a number of scattered hamlets. A significant number of rural farms cover most of the area. Farming is the dominant economic activity and the environment is appealing as an area of particular interest to all residents wishing to interact and engage in activities promoting exercise to sustain physical and
mental health, wildlife interaction etc. A key point relevant to the following paragraphs is that
opportunities for residents to explore the local environment are very limited, particularly
compared to other communities in the Strathearn area and beyond. There are few paths to allow
access and many residents drive elsewhere (not very environmentally friendly) to pursue outdoor
active and leisure activities. This reduces the attractiveness of Madderty as an area in which to
live. The adaptation of disused railway sections is increasingly used throughout Scotland to
enhance local communities' access to the countryside and provide healthy means of slow travel. A rare opportunity has arisen to develop a similar access opportunity within Madderty. If it goes ahead, it would provide a legacy not just for the current generation, but for generations to come.

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The Constitution of MCA provides for MCA to acquire land of this nature provided it is for the
good of the community. MCA would hope to acquire the necessary funding through the Hay
Mclaggan Trust.

Pow Railway Path Section

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The area of land involved is a section of the old railway which ran close to the Pow (see map) .
This land was owned by a company formed by a local resident, but who left the area and has since
died. The company was wound down; the land became ownerless and reverted to the Crown. The
Crown body that looks after ownerless land is the King’s and Lords Treasurer’s Remembrancer
(KLTR). The KLTR has been charged with disposing of ownerless land and property, with an
emphasis of transferring ownership to communities. As a result, the section of the Pow Railway
Path is available for the community to acquire for the nominal sum of £1, plus legal etc. costs. This
opportunity is time limited , and should the community not acquire it is likely that it will be put up
for sale on the open market.

Looking at the attached map of the Pow Railway path section it can be seen that it passes close to
the Pow and adjacent to a large area of wetland on the other side. This is a most attractive and
quite unique area (see photographs), particularly suited for leisure walking and wildlife
observation from the path. For example, a large number of bird species use the wetland area (the
area is monitored by RSPB) and beavers are present in the Pow. The railway track bed section is
for the most part easily traversed, with a small part at the western end requiring some basic
clearing maintenance to bring it in to use as an easily used path. The Madderty Paths Group,
which consists of a group of local volunteers, could take this on. Another advantage of opening up
this route is that it would provide access between Madderty and Balgowan, avoiding the road
which is dangerous for pedestrians.

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How might this opportunity be utilised to the benefit of our community as a whole, with
appropriate consideration given to the wants and needs of all interested parties?

 

A first step in informing the Madderty Community about this opportunity was presented at the MCA AGM on 19 February 2026, where a brief presentation was made outlining the land area involved. Returning to the map it can be seen that there are sections of other land to the west and to the east of the Pow Railway Path section, before a road is reached. To the east there is a continuation of the old railway which passes through land owned by Redhills Farm. Importantly in the relevant title deeds there is a right of access from the Pow Railway Path Section along the continuation
of the old railway to the road at Balgowan. Since Madderty Community Association (MCA) has
expressed possible interest in acquiring the Pow Railway Path Section, it has already initiated
discussions with the owners of Redhills Farm as to how this access would best be achieved, with
the aim of minimising disruption to farming activities, while ensuring easy access to the Pow
Railway Path Section, and for maintenance purposes.

 

It should be noted that this access is relatively narrow with no easy alternatives on either side so it may be necessary to limit access for safety reasons at certain times, e.g. when it is being used to move animals. To the west there is a short section of land adjacent to the Pow which is used primarily for access by a vehicle to dredge this section of the Pow. This short section can be traversed by pedestrians already and this would continue under the Outdoor Access Code. The owner of this section was identified at the recent MCA AGM and will be consulted on any issues raised as a result.

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It needs to be emphasised that the prime objective of MCA acquiring this land is to give access to
an outstanding local amenity for local residents. There is no parking available on the roads
immediately to the east or west beyond the track section so access will be restricted to those who
are happy to access by road or who get dropped off at the access points. We do not anticipate
much interest in access from others outside the Madderty community.

Members of Madderty Community Association are asked to submit comments on the proposal to
trustees_pow@madderty.org.uk which will be confidential to the Trustees and will
assist MCA in deciding whether or not this opportunity should be pursued. In line with the
Constitution of Madderty Community Association there will be an opportunity for all residents to
be involved in making a final decision on whether or not to go ahead, and the MCA Trustees will
inform members about the mechanism for this.

Mrs Betty Bott
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Madderty Community Association
16.03.26