Strath Braan

The district of Strath Braan extends from Amulree to Dunkeld. Around Amulree and Kinloch it is very much an upland strath. In spring and early summer the heather clad Slopes and moorlands of this area are alive with the fascinating calls of the lapwing and curlew. The name of Amulree is commemorative of St. Maolrubha and in earlier days a chapel stood here which was dedicated to him.

The road follows the north bank of the Braan as far as the old bridge near Trochrie, said to be one of the
oldest in Perthshire, thereafter following the south bank
to where the Braan joins the Tay at Inver and in a short
distance from there the road unites with the main Perth-
Inverness highway at Dunkeld.

The ruin of Trochrie Castle was the seat of the Gowrie family but in 1600 passed to William Stewart of Banchrie.

Further along the strath at Inver the famous musician Neil Gow was born in 1727, he also died there in 1805 and was buried at Little Dunkeld where a marble slab marks his grave. He excelled in composing Highland airs as well as playing them on the fiddle, his bow hand having great skill and power as also did his shout which often accompanied his playing in the reels and jigs. His home at Inver can still be seen although only the walls of it are of the original building. Outside it is a large stone upon which Neil used to sit on summer evenings whilst playing the Highland tunes. Nearby is the cottage of Charles MacIntosh who was a famous Perthshire naturalist. The eastern portion of the strath is well wooded, a contrast to the other end of it.

The trees around Inver are especially fine and include some Douglas firs which are amongst the tallest trees in Scotland. Beneath them the river Braan tumbles along between its steep and rocky banks and near here in 1758 was built “The Hermitage” by the son-in-law of the second Duke of Atholl. He eventually became the third Duke, having married his own cousin, Lady Charlotte Murray, in October, 1753, and himself was the eldest son of Lord George Murray of ‘45 fame. He built the Hermitage as a small retreat for the warm summer days. In 1952 the property was restored by the National Trust for Scotland to whom it had been presented in 1943 together with fifty acres including a pleasant woodland walk by the banks of the river. The Hermitage affords a splendid view of the river below.

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