Perthshire
Scenic
Attractions
A few area attractions easily reached from Dunkeld
The
Hermitage, Dunkeld, Perthshire. The Hermitage at Dunkeld
was a gift to the 2nd Duke of Atholl from his nephew in the
18th century and it is now owned by the National Trust for
Scotland. There is a mile-long walk along the River Braan
which runs through ancient woodland to a folly built in 1758
called Ossian’s Hall, which is close to Ossian’s
Cave. There is a waterfall, gorge and little bridge, all of
which superbly reflects the late 18th century taste for the
picturesque. Visit any time, all year round. Car park charge.
Easy and moderate-going walks from 1 mile / 1.5 km to 3.75
miles / 6 km.
Queen's
View. Like Loch Rannoch, Loch
Tummel has a road on each side, the northern much the
faster to traverse, and more scenic in that it rises higher
and gives wider vistas, especially of Schiehallion
to the south-west. The famed Queen's View, which Victoria
made famous in 1866, tops a pine-crowned bluff high above
the water. But the quieter southern road has many pleasing
scenic vistas also. At its eastern end, where it threads the
wooded gorge of the lower River Tummel, it becomes quite impressive
indeed.
Killiecrankie
is one of the famous names of Scotland, renowned both for
its history and its scenery. The Pass of Killiecrankie lies
fifteen miles north of Dunkeld, and for a mile threads the
deep, steep, thickly-wooded gorge of the Garry, between a
spur of Ben Vrackie (2757 feet) and Tenandry Hill, with the
village at the north end. Visit any time, all year round.
Visitor centre open daily spring to autumn. Moderate-going
walk of 2 miles / 3 km.
Falls
of Bruar, Atholl Estates. At Bruar, 10 miles north of
Pitlochry, off the A9. The woodland surrounding the Bruar
gorge is a living memorial to the poet Robert Burns, who came
here in 1787 to admire the waterfalls. At that time the steep
slopes were bare, so Burns wrote 'The Humble Petition of Bruar
Water' in which he urged the Duke of Atholl to plant its bleak
banks with trees. When the poet died in 1796, the duke created
a 'wild garden' in his memory, planting the riverbanks and
establishing paths and bridges. Visit any time, all year round.
Moderate walk of 1 mile. The paths can be slippy, children
should be closely supervised at all times near the steep slopes.
Meikleour
Beech Hedge. 10 miles east of Dunkeld, on the A93 You can't
miss the great hedge of Meikleour! It forms an incredable
living wall of beech trees, 30 metres high and 530 metres
long. The trees were planted in 1745.
Neil
Gow's Oak. Forestry Commission. Walk from the Hermitage, near
Dunkeld. According to local folklore, many of Scotland's best
loved strathspeys and reels were played or even composed under
this tree. Famous fiddle player, Neil Gow (1727 - 1807), lived
at nearby Inver, and liked to sit at this quiet spot and let
his music drift across the River Tay.
Visit any time, all year round.
See the tree as part of the Inver Walk of 5 miles.
Birnam
Oak. Walk from the centre of Birnam. This ancient tree
is believed to be the last survivor of Birnam Wood, the great
oak forest made famous in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', The gnarled
and ancient oak certainly looks medieval - its lower branches
rest wearily on crutches and the first 3 metres (10 ft) of
its trunk are hollow!
The
district around Aberfeldy
is rich in natural heritage and folklore, typified by the
thatched cottages of Fortingall. Look out for the 3,000 year
old yew tree in the Fortingall churchyard.
The
Birks of Aberfeldy, a wooded den surrounding the Falls of
Moness, has been maintained as a scenic walk for almost 200
years, first by the Moness Estate, and now by local government.
It was visited by Robert Burns on August 30th, 1787, inspring
him to write the " The Birks of Aberfeldy " describing
the beauty of the area.
Simply
called "The Glen " by locals, Glen
Lyon ( Glen of Polished Water ) is often proudly proclaimed
as the most beautiful glen in the whole of Scotland.
Perthshire
Big Tree Country.
Forestry
Commission.
Scottish
Natural Heritage.
Perthshire
Tourist Board.
