Day 25: Smeaton Bridge to Pitlochry, Perthshire
Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021
29th January 2021: 90.24km walked today taking the total to 2512.44/8854km. 7% of 177 entries submitting 1289.18km.
Leaving Perth behind we wind our way northwards visiting Scone Palace, Stanley Mills and Kinclaven Woods, before arriving on the outskirts of Pitlochry.
After crossing Smeaton Bridge, we walk north and soon pass Quarrymill Woodland Park. Historically, this is where stone was quarried to provide building material for local houses. There used to be watermills here using the running water of the Annaty Burn. There are lovely walks here with a millpond that is home to mallards, moorhens, and tufted ducks, whilst the burn is home to many dippers. The Quarrymill Tearoom, which is run by volunteers, donates all profits to the Cornhill Macmillan Centre at the Perth Royal Infirmary.
After leaving Quarrymill we turn left along Queen’s Drive to soon reach Scone Palace. Fifteen hundred years ago it was the capital of the Picts and since then has been the seat of parliaments as well as the ancient crowning place of the King of Scots on the Stone of Scone, also called the Stone of Destiny. The place where coronations were held was called Caislean Credi, now called Moot Hill, where a replica of the Stone of Destiny is situated marking the site of the original. Kings including Macbeth and Robert the Bruce were crowned here, the last being Charles II as King of Scots, 9 years before he was restored to the English throne. When Charles II was crowned there was no Stone of Destiny as it was captured in 1296 by Edward I as spoils of war and taken to Westminster Abbey where it was fitted into a wooden chair, known as King Edward’s Chair on which most subsequent English sovereigns were crowned. After being stolen in 1950 by a group of students it was returned to Westminster and was eventually returned to Scotland in 1996 where it now sits in Edinburgh Castle.
In the 12th century there was an Augustinian Abbey here, but this was severely damaged at the time of the Scottish Reformation in 1559. Scone Palace was built on the site in 1580 and remodelled in the 19th century in the Gothic Revival style. Although the original was built by the Ruthvens, it has been the family home of the Earls of Mansfield for the last 400 years. As well as visiting the Palace and its state rooms, the gardens are a must visit as well. Within the grounds there is a maze and a pinetum containing Douglas Firs, named after David Douglas, who was born in Scone village, and was a gardener at Scone before he went on his travels around the world.
Leaving Scone Palace, we make our way to the banks of the River Tay and walk northwards on the east bank until we are opposite Stanley Mills where the path stops so we re-join the A93. We continue along this road until we get to the Meikleour Beech Hedge. This is the longest hedge in Britain and is recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as being the tallest hedge in the world. It was planted in 1745 and is 530m long and 30m high. It is thought the men who planted it were called to fight in the Jacobite Rebellion and as none returned alive, the trees were allowed to grow as a tribute to them.
We retrace our steps to the previous junction and take the road which heads over the Kinclaven Bridge, which spans the River Tay, to Kinclaven Wood. We walk through Kinclaven Wood which is famous for its carpet of bluebells in May and it is here we also see the 2 large beech trees, the ‘Witness Trees’, which were used in ‘Outlander’ in Season 4.
After leaving the wood we head towards Ballathie before finding a path which goes southwest parallel to the minor road. From here we head to Stanley Mills which is built on a loop of the River Tay, where a strong current made it ideal for powering the mill. This is one of the oldest factory complexes in Scotland, built originally in the 1780s, producing textiles for over 200 years. It was altered many times over the years to keep pace with changes in the industry but finally closed in 1989. A village was also built in the 1780s which, with its stone and brick cottages, gave the workers a superior quality of living compared to other rural settlements. In its early years working conditions were tough with a normal working day of 13 hours from 5.30am to 7pm with breaks for meals. It is now open as an interactive museum which helps us to experience what their working life was like.
Leaving Stanley, we follow paths via Bankfoot to Birnam avoiding the very busy main road north, the A9. At the start of Birnam we head onto the Birnam Riverside Path which is lined with some impressive beech trees. Leaving the riverside path for a short time we walk to the Birnam Institute where there is an exhibition about Beatrix Potter and next to it the Beatrix Potter Garden. Beatrix Potter, an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist, is often associated with the Lake District, however, she spent her childhood summers at Dalguise House just 8 kilometres from Birnam. In 1880 Beatrix Potter’s parents subscribed to a fund which allowed the building of a community centre for ‘education and entertainment’ resulting in the Birnam Institute which opened in 1883. Beatrix Potter spent 11 summers in Perthshire and the local postman, Charles MacIntosh, introduced her to the flora and fauna of the area, sparking in her a lifelong passion. In the Beatrix Potter Garden are some of the characters created by Beatrix Potter, such as Peter Rabbit and his friends, Mr Jeremy Fisher, Mr Tod the Fox and Mrs Tiggy Winkle.
Returning to the Birnam Riverside Path we soon come across a giant sycamore tree before we reach the Birnam Oak which is reputed to be 600 years old. This is an iconic tree which is mentioned in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The sycamore and the oak are supposed to be all that remains of the great forest which once surrounded the River Tay.
We turn left at the road before turning onto the Inver Path, which leads us up the River Braan until we reach The Hermitage (used in Outlander season 5) where we leave the Inver Path to take the Braan Path. The Hermitage is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and was originally designed as a pleasure ground for the Duke of Atholl in the 18th century. Tall Douglas Firs line the walk which leads to the Black Linn Falls where the River Brann tumbles over rocks. The best views of the falls can be seen from a folly built in the 18th century called Ossian’s Hall. Leaving Ossian’s Hall, we continue up the river, past Ossian’s Cave, another folly, before reaching Rumbling Bridge where there is another waterfall.
We go past Tomgarrow as we head into a wood of birch and pine before heading through a forestry plantation and then descend back to Inver. Heading into Dunkeld we cross the Tay over a bridge designed by Thomas Telford, which opened in 1809 and was originally a toll bridge. Turning left we head down to Dunkeld Cathedral. The present cathedral dates to 1318 and, although partially destroyed in the Scottish Reformation, the choir is roofed and is still used as the parish church.
From the Cathedral we take the path which leads us to Loch of the Lowes. This path meanders through woodlands, both deciduous and coniferous, before reaching the Loch of the Lowes which is a wildlife reserve run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. It is famous for being home to ospreys but is also home to many other animals such as beavers, otters and red squirrels.
Skirting the Loch of the Lowes we head for Loch of Craiglush where we walk round the north shore before taking a path which takes us through forest to reach the Lunan Burn. We follow this burn passed Mill Dam, and Rotmell and Dowally Lochs, all good for fishing, before heading towards Pitlochry. As we reach Pitlochry, we head uphill past the Black Spout Waterfall to reach the Edradour Distillery. This distillery is world renowned as being the smallest traditional distillery in Scotland. It dates to 1825 when it was founded as a co-operative of local farmers and is the last original farm distillery still in production.
A nice walk to come back to do in the future is up Ben Vrackie, a Corbett, from Moulin in Pitlochry. It takes you to the top of Ben Vrackie with views to the Cairngorms, as well as taking you through woodland, open moorland and past the pretty Loch a' Choire.
From Edradour we head back through Black Spout Wood to approach Pitlochry along Atholl Road, passing the Blair Athol Distillery which was founded in 1798 making it one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries.
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