Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust have brought together 18 of the best tree and woodland sights from across Perthshire Big Tree County and grouped them together around seven locations. Have fun exploring ours!
The Hermitage was created by the Dukes of Atholl 250 years ago as an extension of the gardens of Dunkeld House. An impressive stand of Douglas firs creates a cathedral-like atmosphere as you walk alongside the waterfalls, rapids and swirling pools of the River Braan towards Ossian’s Hall and Bridge. In spring, carpets of snowdrops give way to bluebells, and in autumn you can witness the amazing sight of the salmon jumping up the falls on their way to spawn – quite a sight to behold!
The sole survivor of the Birnam Wood that played a significant part in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the Birnam Oak is believed to be part of the wood from which Malcolm’s soldiers cut branches to disguise their attack on Macbeth at Dunsinane Hill. Today, the gnarled and ancient oak certainly looks medieval – its lower branches rest wearily on crutches and the majority of its trunk is hollow. It can be found on the Birnam Riverside Path, which runs along the banks of the River Tay.
Dunkeld House Tree Trail invites you to come and travel through time, marvel at the vision of the Dukes, and to learn how these woods are taking on a new role for the future.
Craigvinean – Gaelic for ‘crag of the goats’ – is one of Scotland’s oldest managed forests. Created by the 3rd Duke of Atholl in the 18th century with larch seed brought from the Alps, the Duke allegedly used a canon to scatter the seeds onto inaccessible cliffs. The views from Pine Cone Point across the Tay to Dunkeld and to the mountains in the north are quite spectacular.
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