Greetings Travellers
In this post and video, I'm going to take you guys on a little tour of an area known as The Hermitage which is in Perthshire in the heart of Scotland's big tree country.
The footage and photographs I took for this were taken back in late October when this magical stretch of Scottish countryside really shines as one of Scotland's most beautiful nature spots.
The area was created as a pleasure ground by John Murry the Third Duke of Atholl in the 18th century. Drawing inspiration from the legends and poems associated with the blind bard Ossian, John Murray created a place that almost resembles something out of a fairytale.
We begin our walk at the car park near this beautiful stone bridge which crosses the River Brann.
This path under the bridge leads towards some impressive waterfalls.
The woodland walks in this area all follow along the banks of The River Brann. As we walk through these ancient woodlands the earthy smell of leaves and pine needles is incredibly refreshing and uplifting. At almost every part of the woodlands, we can hear the crashing and rolling sounds of this river.
Walking here in Autumn we see many pine cones and decaying fallen leaves which give the area the most wonderful autumnal aromas.
The air quality here is so fresh and pure from the densely populated surrounding woodlands that almost every tree has a thick layer of moss and lichen.
The bark of this tree seems to have some type of fungus growing on it. I have never seen this before, maybe some of you know exactly what this growth is?
In most of this area if you look up this is what you will see, rows of Douglas fir trees many of which are over 200 years old. This area is home to some of Britain's largest trees. Until January 2017 the area was home to the first tree in Britain to grow to over 200 feet. It was known as The Hermitage Douglas Fir, it was blown down by strong winds on Jan 13th, 2017, and was thought to have been planted in the 1750s, it survived 267 Scottish Winters, not a bad record!
I'm not 100% certain but I think this may be what's left of "Big Douglas" the 267-year-old resident of this valley. This is the uprooted trunk of a large fallen tree which visitors have stuck coins into for good luck.I haven't visited this area since the tree fell in 2017.I don't recall this coin-filled tree being here before that time.
Another fallen tree,I don't think this was the big one but just take a look at that 200+-year-old root mass.
I took a shot of this bench to remind myself to find out who this John Carrick character was.It seems he was a notable figure from this area who was Chancellor of Scotland and the Bishop-elect of Dunkeld in the mid-1300s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_de_Carrick
I think of all the mystical-looking areas this spot is known for the area that most makes me feel like I'm walking in a fairytale is this bridge near Black Linn Falls.
Legend has it that this mysterious little door can only be opened by the local fairies on a full moon during the Winter Solstice...Since 1793, when the Almanac began tracking heavenly events and seasonal changes, the Moon has been full on the December solstice just ten times. Locals say it's a portal to the realm of the Fae folk.....Nah I'm pulling your leg, I made all of that up, that's just what this place does to one's imagination! :D
Right next to our fairytale bridge we have this structure named Ossians Hall. The original structure that stood here was built in 1757. In 1783 the hall was redecorated and titled "Ossians Hall Of Mirrors". The room from where views of the waterfall were taken was lined with mirrors which made the spectator imagine that the water was appearing from all angles. In 1869 a large part of the hall was damaged by vandals and it was left to decay. The structure we see today was restored in 2007.
Sadly the hall is no longer adorned with mirrors instead we have these pictures which I believe depict scenes from Ossian's poems.
This is the shot I am most proud of from this trip. Taken from the viewing platform inside Ossians hall we can see the Black Linn Falls below surrounded by the beautiful autumn colors. The roar of the falls is almost deafening as it echoes through the stone structure surrounding the viewer.
I managed to get some good footage of these falls which you can see in the video above.
The surrounding area with its rockpool reflections and stunning natural beauty makes for some genuinely magical photography.
A little baby Christmas tree growing in a rockpool, I'm almost tempted to take some tinsel and Christmas decorations here and add a little more magic to it.If enough of you say go for it,I will do it and make it a yearly tradition!
One needs to be careful when clambering over these rocks in the pursuit of photographs, one wrong slip and your in the falls!
Among the many magical sights I saw on this visit, this one was perhaps the most surprising.A falling leaf is caught in a thread of spider web. It was floating and spinning in the air as if by magic.I guess in a way this is nature's magic.
I managed to get some wonderful footage of this rare phenomenon for the video intro above.
As we wander further along this woodland walk we eventually come to a small woodland dwelling that looks like something straight out of Middle Earth...
Ossians Cave is a feature that was added to the original pleasure grounds sometime around 1760. The third Earl of Breadalbane tried to employ a full-time hermit to live in this cave and tend to the surrounding grounds but this was unsuccessful. I don't think anyone in their right mind would try to survive a Scottish Winter here.
However, in 1868 the tour guide Donald Anderson was known for dressing in animal skins, wearing a long beard covered in moss and lichen, and claiming this was his residence. I am sure the tourists of that era would have loved that. It's a pity they don't have a tour guide that plays this wild hermit role anymore.
This shot shows the interior of the cave where a fireplace is intended. This and some burning wood is all that would separate the inhabitant from the harshness of a Scottish Winter.
A small window lets light pour into what would be your bedroom/living room...
At least the opposite window has a stunning view...
So what do you think? Would you spend a night here in this little hobbit house? My main curiosity when looking at this shot is how on earth did they move those boulders up here?!
This eagle totem was carved by members of First Nation Canadians from The Squamish Nation from the trunk of a Douglas fir. I can't find too much information as to how this came about. It has some Salmon images at the bottom representing Scotland's Pictish Heritage.
However it came to be here it looks like an Eagle guardian is protecting the landscape, very tribal, very fitting, and very cool!
Ah the sights of the flora and fauna of the woodland realm, so uplifting to behold...
I caught some very brief footage of this little guy darting around the forest floor hunting for food..
As the Christmas season is fast approaching maybe this is a good shot to end this Autumnal adventure on. Robins in the woodland are a sure sign that winter is here. Perhaps we will revisit this area in the heart of Winter where snow lies on the ground and icicles hang from the falls!
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