Blair Atholl
Blair
Atholl, in Perthshire, is situated at the confluence of the
Tilt and the Garry. The oldest part of Blair Castle, a seat
of the duke of Atholl, dates from 1269; as restored and enlarged
in 1869-1872 from the plans of David Bryce, R.S.A., it is
a magnificent example of the Scottish baronial style. It was
occupied by the marquess of Montrose prior to the battle of
Tippermuir in 1644, stormed by the Cromwellians in 1653, and
garrisoned on behalf of James II. in 1689. The Young Pretender
stayed in it in 1744, and the duke of Cumberland in 1746.
The body of Viscount Dundee, conveyed hither from the battlefield
of Killiecrankie, was buried in the church of Old Blair, in
which a monument was erected to his memory in 1889 by the
7th duke of Atholl.
The
grounds surrounding the castle are among the most beautiful
in the Highlands. A golf course has been laid down south-east
of the village, between the railway and the Garry, and every
September a great display of Highland games is held. Ben-y-gloe
(3671 ft. high), the scene of the hunt given in 1529 by the
earl of Atholl in honor of James V. and the queen dowager,
may be climbed by way of Fender Burn, a left-hand tributary
of the Tilt. The falls of Fender, near the old bridge of Tilt,
are eclipsed by the falls of Bruar, 4 miles west of Blair
Atholl, formed by the Bruar, which, rising in Ben Dearg (3304
ft.), flows into the Garry after a winding course of 10 miles.
