Sunday 29 July 2007

The Hermitage, Dunkeld

We had a fantastic day out yesterday when we went to The Hermitage at Dunkeld. There is a lovely forest walk up to Ossian's Hall - a folly apparently dedicated to the 'semi-mythical' poet Ossian (who is supposed to have lived around the 3rd century). The walk follows the River Braan and there are several rapids andwaterfalls, the most amazing of which is the Black Linn Fall - which is overlooked by the folly. Further on past the folly is Ossian's Cave where a hermit was supposed to have lived - I am not sure if there is any truth in that or not - there seem to be varying accounts! You can walk further again to another waterfall that drops 70ft but we didn't go quite that far. I wish we had now that I have read more about it - I can imagine it would have been spectacular with all the rain we have had.
We came across a lovely little cottage that looked uninhabited and everyone thought it would be the ideal place to stay (well, apart from me - it was lovely but a bit far off the beaten track for me!).
It was just magical being in the forest - the trees, the birdsong, the rushing river - quite amazing and invigorating. These natural places always make you feel more alive don't you think? We also came across Blaeberry bushes everywhere, loads of interesting fungi and lichen, wild raspberries and even redcurrants!
I've made a slideshow of photos from the day that you can see on the right hand side of the blog (I tried but couldn't get it actually in the blog itself!). I would definitely recommend the Hermitage as a place to go and just enjoy nature at it's best, but bearing in mind that it was pretty busy when we were there - I guess due to it being the weekend and the holiday season.

8 comments:

Sarah Nopp said...

Those are beuatiful pictures. I think you would feel right at home here in the Pacific Northwest- those forests look like those all around us here. The bracken fern, the mosses, everything.

Anonymous said...

This is one of my memories from when my children were small, and picnics at Dunkeld Cathedral right next to the Tay. In fact the daughter who is due her baby soon climbed Birnham Hill when she was 7 years old and went to Dunkeld for her 'honeymoon'. Love the slideshow.

Everything Stops for Tea said...

I'm jealous, I really liked Dunkeld when I was there!!! Glad you had fun!!!

AC said...

Great pictures.
Alison x

Alis Clair said...

Sounds a fabulous place and a fabulous day out.
I love your photographs.

campbellgirl said...

This looks like a place I would enjoy visiting. Beautiful pics, my dear, & like the other commenters, I loved the slideshow, too. xxx D

Dianne said...

What a beautiful place to visit!! I loved your slide show.

Shrink Wrapped Scream said...

What a beautiful part of the country, the slide show is amazing papoosue - you have taken some wonderful shots.