The trouble and I take a circuitous route (7)
I believe the answer is:
meander
'circuitous route' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'the trouble and i take a' is the wordplay.
'the trouble' becomes 'der' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'and' says to put letters next to each other.
'i' becomes 'me'.
'take' says to put letters next to each other.
'a' becomes 'an'.
'me'+'an'='mean'
'der' after 'mean' is 'MEANDER'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for meander that I've seen before include "Roam aimlessly around" , "Take a winding course" , "Aimless course" , "Wind about or wander here and there" , "Wander in leisurely way, like stream" .)