Dunkeld & Birnam

Strathbraan

Perthshire's secret storybook strath and glens... Amulree, Strathbraan and Glen Quaich lie within a golden triangle, between Dunkeld, Aberfeldy and the Sma Glen. Peaceful, secluded, and off the beaten path, but minutes from the A9, the main Scottish arterial route and the mainline railway station of Dunkeld and Birnam.

Established more than two centuries past as one of Scotland's first tourist routes, the charms, secrets, lively characters and stunning landscapes have been little known, slumbering in the half light of history. The area brims with characters, from centuries past to the present day residents. Their combined vitality and creative talents keep this area very much alive.

Swashbuckling legends such as Rob Roy and Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through here. The road building colossus General George Wade constructed his many miles of Military routes here. Poet William Wordsworth penned an ode to 'The Lonely Inn' at Amulree. Visit Loch Freuchie in Glen Quaich, enjoy a pitcure-postcard setting with an abundance of wildlife and idyllic walks. Make sure you take a minute to visit Amulree & Strathbraan Church, pop inside to view the information display on the history of the area.

An artist who relished this quiet area was Pre Raphaelite painter Sir John Everrett Millais. He loved painting away his summer holidays over 20 years, renting Rumbling Bridge cottage, which became a hotbed of scandal as he eloped with Ruskin's wife, Perth born Effie Gray. The cottage still stands, as do the scenes of his painting. Later, European Royalty fanned out over the moors from a nearby turreted shooting lodge.

Musical legends lived and loved here, such as famous fiddle player Niel Gow; while legendary modern musicians such as Pete Clark keep his genius alive. Beatrix Potter's inspiration figure for Mrs Tiggywinkle spent her early childhood on a remote farm here.

This is fungi foraging country; hares race across the fields, ospreys, red kites and buzzards fly overhead. The very tallest of 'Big Trees' grow here, from the highest Douglas Fir at the Hermitage to an impressive half mile avenue of ancient oaks.

Walks span well marked riverside routes, and little known tracks. Explore hidden places such as one of the highest hill passes in Scotland, the mystical deserted fairy village in Ballinloan, the Hermitage Routes, drove roads, heritage paths, Wade Roads, wild swimming and quad biking.

View an magical map of Strathbraan by clicking here... seeing really is believing!

Waterfall on the Inchewan Burn

If you are walking through Birnam Glen, it's well worth a little diversion to find this delightful waterfall. From the bridge that crosses the burn before entering the Ladywell Plantation, you can simply follow the burn for a few hundred yards until you reach the falls - but be aware there is no path and the walking is rough, with steep scramble at the end.

UPDATE! The easiest way to reach the falls is just to carry on on the path towards Balhomish (ie left at the fork with the sign post) and after a few hundred yards you will come to a bend in the path, with a deer fence heading downhill to the right. There's a signpost thoughtfully put up by we don't know who, but even if it's disappeared, just follow the fence downhill then round to the left and very soon you'll be at the top of the falls.

This lovely video was done by Phil Brammer, and you can read about his adventure finding the falls by clicking here.

Rumbling Bridge, Dunkeld

This old stone bridge spans the gorge high above the deep, rocky narrows and takes its name from the ferocious rumbling of the River Braan below. The eminent Victorian English painter, Sir John Everett Millais , one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, stayed at Rumbling Bridge Cottage in the 1870’s when he visited Perthshire on a hunting/fishing trip and two of his landscape pictures "The Sound of Many Waters" (1876) and "St Martin's Summer" (1877) were inspire by the River Braan. Queen Victoria had also been enthused when she visited the bridge in 1865 and wrote in her that the flow was `most splendid` and that `swollen by rain, it came down with an immense volume of water, with a deafening noise`.

The video below of the River Braan at Rumbling Bridge was created by Phil Brammer of Ivy Cottage Industries.

Picture copyright Trish Steel and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence

Rohallion Castle

Perhaps the smallest castle in Scotland, this curious little ruin occupies a high position above the Pass of Birnam, the traditional entry into the Highlands.

Best visited out of high summer due to the bracken, you can find this on a short spur off the main Birnam Hill path, starting from the quarry car park just off the Bankfoot Road.

This is a tiny 16th century Z plan castle, which until the 1970s was only two or three feet high, until a local resident took it upon himself to partially rebuild the walls!

Hill Fort Above Glen Garr, Near Dunkeld

This hill fort on Craig Obney above Glen Garr has tremendous 360 degree views. You can reach it by following the Glen Garr path from Balhomish above Birnam, then branching off left as you walk towards Upper Obney.