Perthshire
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”
Jeff & Madi
While we went to bed for our final night in Stirling, Jeff and Madi returned to SFO (they had just flown in from Curaçao days earlier) for their long journey to join us in Scotland.
In an act of self-destructive behavior, I stayed up until just past 2 am to watch Aer Lingus “Shamrock” 60, an Airbus A333 with Jeff and Madi on board, depart from SFO for Dublin.
Shortly after departure, Jeff and Madi climbing through 8,800 feet directly over the Golden Gate Bridge.
After a partial night’s sleep, we packed up our apartment and headed for Edinburgh. Along the way we stopped to see the Kelpies.
The Kelpies
The kelpie twins live in Falkirk, Scotland, between Stirling and Edinburgh.
Each kelpie towers 100 feet above the surface.
A kelpie is a shape-changing aquatic spirit of Scottish legend that you can read more about here.
Benny’s Back
After leaving Edinburgh on January 2, many a time have I allowed my mind to drift back fondly to the first time I ordered the Vegan Benny at Seeds For The Soul. Today I need ponder no more; we were back in Edinburgh and—after a 7-month hiatus—looks like Benny is back on the menu boys!
NOT!
They nailed the hollandaise sauce again—So Good!
Birdies Back in the Nest!
It’s been over three months since Debbie and Nathan left and we were ecstatic to finally have someone else join us in our travels! 😂
Jeff and Madi landed in Dublin around 11:30 am our time. Their second flight then landed at Edinburgh Airport around 3:30 pm and we were thrilled to see them again!
After they picked up their rental car, we drove north about an hour and had dinner at Pizza Express in Perth. We then walked back to the car park and…
There it was…of course!!
Wild!
The Hermitage
The Dukes of Atholl have their main house in Dunkeld. (Atholl is an ancient historical division in the Scottish Highlands.) Their estate includes the beautiful wooded gorge on the River Braan, wherein they built the “Hermitage” as an extended garden. It’s now open anytime for visitors.
Intensive tree planting during the second half of the 18th century transformed the once open glen. Indigenous species such as Scots pine, oak, and rowan were mixed with larch, sycamore, and Douglas firs from North America.
The Hermitage site expands along the River Braan as it glides through the woodland.
The stone bridge spanning the narrow gorge just below Black Linn Falls was built by the 3rd Duke of Atholl in 1774, partly to give access to a viewing station across the river and partly as a pleasing addition to the scene.
The footbridge of the River Braan gorge.
Black Linn Falls from the footbridge.
The original entrance had a gate controlling access to the Hermitage.
The gateway
The previous building here was a summerhouse built in 1757 as a retreat from the pressures of daily life—a “hermitage,” which gave the place its name.
Ossian’s Hall was built in 1782–3 to replace the summerhouse. The exterior was transformed to look like a small circular temple, while inside a luxurious drawing room was decorated with plasterwork, paintings, and mirrors.
At the far end of Ossian’s Hall is a balcony overlooking the roaring Black Linn Falls.
Black Linn Falls
Ossian’s Cave was created as a more “suitable” bothy for a hermit.
Hey! There’s the hermit now!
Birnam and Dunkeld
Our wonderful little apartment was in the pretty village of Birnam, 15 miles north of the city of Perth.
The hamlet of Little Dunkeld is next to Birnam and Birnam’s twin town of Dunkeld sits across the River Tay.
Check out our place called the Towerview Apartment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIDPSYZKj7U
For two small towns, Birnam and Dunkeld pack quite a punch.
First, the Inchewan Burn running in between Birnam and Little Dunkeld is said to separate the Gaelic speaking Highlands from the Lowland Scots.
Then, the Battle of Dunkeld, fought here in 1689, ended in the Jacobites' first in a long string of tragic defeats.
The area also inspired Beatrix Potter, who spent her childhood holidays here. She is celebrated in the Birnam Institute’s Beatrix Potter Exhibition & Garden.
Last but not least, Birnam is well known for featuring in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This ancient Birnam Oak stands as the sole survivor of an attack by Malcolm III on Macbeth.
Although this tree looks as if it has been here since the 11th century, the period in which Macbeth was set, it's unlikely to be quite that old.
Still, it is one of the last trees of Birnam Wood, which played a crucial role in Shakespeare's play. Macbeth, a general in the king of Scotland's army, murders his way to the throne, believing that he is safe from defeat because of a prophecy made by three witches:
“Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.”
Another ancient tree.
Inside the ancient forest.
Dunkeld
The seven-arched Dunkeld Bridge connects Birnam on the south (right) to Dunkeld on the north (left) of the River Tay.
A jail was incorporated into the northern base of the bridge. It was only used, of course, as a short term holding cell.
Walking over the bridge into Dunkeld.
In Dunkeld, just outside the Atholl Arms Hotel, we were surprised to learn our son owned a furniture shop.
We had lunch at the hotel’s riverside garden terrace pavilion.
After lunch we stopped by Dunkeld Cathedral on the picturesque banks of the River Tay (the bell tower is just visible through the trees).
Just outside the cathedral.
Evening Dip in the Tay
Watch Jeff and Madi take the plunge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxKWboNCfFw
May the peaceful tranquility of this image be adequate compensation for the video. ✌️
Day Two. Dime Two.
Amanda brought a bouquet of wildflowers back for the apartment.
And some lavender.
We had a great first full day together in Birnam and Dunkeld. Tomorrow we’re off to the Speyside region, home of many famous distilleries such as Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, and Macallan. See you soon!
