Fiddlers and fir trees, Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross

Portrait of Niel Gow by Henry Raeburn
An eighteenth-century portrait of the Scottish violinist and composer Niel Gow by his contemporary Henry Raeburn.

Walk in a nutshell
A path alongside Scotland's longest river, the Tay, passes Niel Gow's Oak, where a famous local fiddler composed many tunes. The path then climbs steeply into Craig Vinean Forest, a forest of enormous Douglas firs. A track leads back along the hillside, passing a "fairy castle" folly built at a viewpoint over the Tay Valley then descending to the Hermitage, an ornamental woodland garden dating from the 1750s, where you will find the Hermit's Cave and Ossian's Hall, providing a viewpoint over the Falls of Braan. A stone bridge leads over the Braan and past Britain's tallest tree, a 65-metre Douglas fir planted in the 1860s and said to be growing still.

Why it's special
Niel Gow (1727-1807) was widely considered the best fiddle player in Perthshire, an area renowned for its musicians, and was possibly the most famous Scottish fiddler of the 18th century. Many of his tunes are still played today at ceilidhs and country dances. Something of a musical prodigy, Gow, legend has it, at age 17 won a competition that was being judged by a blind musician. Upon presenting the prize, the blind musician claimed that he "would ken his bow hand [recognise Niel's style] among a hunder players". The annual Niel Gow Fiddle Festival, established in 2004, takes place in Dunkeld and Birnam each March.

Keep your eyes peeled for
Red and grey squirrels. Craig Vinean Forest is one of the few corners of the country where they live in harmony. They nest in each other's territory and share the same feeding grounds. Look out for salmon jumping in the river at Ossian's Hall during September and October. You may also see roe and fallow deer, stoats, buzzards, woodpeckers, flycatchers, wild orchids and bluebells.

But bear in mind
The path is sheltered by trees for most of the way, so bad weather shouldn't be a problem. There are no toilets at the car park where the route begins, but there are some in Dunkeld at the north car park, and beside the tourist information centre.

Recover afterwards
The Taybank on the north bank of the Tay serves hearty Scottish food, including "stovies", a potato dish of meat and vegetables. There is live music nightly and if you're lucky local singer songwriter Dougie MacLean, who composed the music for Last of the Mohicans, might perform.

If it's tipping down
Beatrix Potter's books were inspired by childhood summers spent in Dunkeld and her Tale of Peter Rabbit was written there. Her work is celebrated at the Beatrix Potter Exhibition and Garden at the Birnam Arts Centre in Birnam, which gives children the chance to dress up as characters from the books.

How to get there

By car
From Edinburgh, take the A90, which turns into the M90, up to Perth. At junction 10, take the west branch around Perth for the A9. Take the A9 north and 200m north of the turn-off to Dunkeld turn west on the A822 and then immediately branch right and follow a minor road uphill for almost 1km, to a well-made car park on the right of the road.

By public transport
The nearest train station is Dunkeld and Birnam, 4km away.

Step by step

1. Leave the car park by the entrance road and walk downhill on the minor road, to reach a junction after 400m.

2. At the junction, turn right and follow the pavement for 500m, looking for a blue signpost on your left indicating Birnam and Dunkeld via the underpass.

3. At the sign, turn left and follow narrow path down towards the river Braan.

4. At the bottom of the path do not go through underpass, but turn sharp left and cross wooden footbridge over the Braan.

5. Across the bridge, turn right and take the path leading beneath the A9. Follow the path for 200m until the Braan reaches the river Tay.

6. As the path reaches the banks of the Tay, turn left and follow the wide path along the riverbank. Dunkeld Cathedral is directly across the river. Enjoy the views across the river to the superb woodland including some exceptionally tall trees; you may also spot herons fishing.

7. In 1km you reach a field on the left of the path, where sheep and horses graze. Between the path and the river, look out for Niel Gow's Oak and a carved wooden seat. This is a good spot for a tea break, as the path becomes very shaded beyond here. Continue along the riverside path and in about 1km pass some ruins on the left in a really dark part of the wood. About 1km beyond the ruins, the path turns left to reach a gap in a wire fence.

8. Go through the gap and keep right, ignoring a stile leading to the left. The path curves left and leads under a concrete bridge carrying the A9 over the Tay.

9. Immediately beyond the road bridge is a narrow tunnel leading below the railway line. Go through tunnel and follow path leading up to the edge of a minor road.

10. This is a quiet road but you are very close to its junction with the A9, so beware of fast traffic. Cross the road and follow a Forestry Commission road into Craig Vinean Forest. In a few metres, pass a car park on your right. Just beyond car park as the road curves to the right, look out for a "brown man" waymarker on the left of the path.

11. At the waymarker follow the narrow path as it climbs quite steeply into the forest. As the path flattens out, it winds through the trees to meet a forest road.

12. At the junction with forest road, turn right and follow road as it rises for 100m.

13. Follow main track as it curves sharply to the left, ignoring a track leading off the bend to the right. The path levels off quickly and passes by some huge Douglas firs. About 1.5km from the bend, the path rises slightly, passing a small layby on the left and a narrow mountain bike track rising steeply into the trees on the right. Just beyond here and before the path levels out, look carefully for a very unclear path leading up to a grassy mound on the left. It is unmarked and easy to miss.

14. Follow narrow path up the mound and you find a surprising folly at the viewpoint. It is a large rock embellished with turrets and a stainless steel staircase. This is a good spot for lunch, with soft grass and views over the Tay Valley. Ignore yellow markerposts - they indicate another walking route. Return to main forest track and continue as it descends for about 400m, to a junction with wide forest road.

15. Go straight across the junction and take the footpath leading to the right of a large beech tree. In 150m you reach a Y-junction.

16. At the Y-junction, take the right-hand path and follow it for about 300m down towards the river Braan.

17. As you near the river you reach the Hermit's Cave; go in and explore. Turn left at cave and take path following the Braan downstream. When water levels are high, there are waterfalls. In about 400m you reach a circular building on the riverbank.

18. This is Ossian's Hall, a folly built for the 2nd Duke of Atholl in 1758. It's on a rocky outcrop overlooking Black Linn Fall with views of the Braan tumbling over the falls where salmon can be seen in September and October. The inside of the hall was originally lined with mirrors. Beside the hall is a stone bridge leading across the river. Before crossing, take time to explore the immediate area and look across the river to the tallest tree in Britain.

19. Cross bridge and turn left along path. In a short distance you reach a plaque with information about the tree. Continue past the plaque for about 400m to a junction with another path joining from the left.

20. Continue on the main path to reach the car park in 200m.


Dunkeld map
