Birnam
and Dunkeld
5½
miles
Ten and a half miles from the Inveralmond roundabout in Perth turn
right onto the A923 which was the Old A9 and into Birnam. The village
itself dates back to Victorian times although Birnam Wood is mentioned
in Shakespeare’s Scottish play- MacBeth. Here we find the Beatrix
Potter Exhibition and Garden. The author spent many holidays in the
area and her tales of Peter Rabbit and Mr Jeremy Fisher the frog were
written while she was staying at the house called Eastwood across
the Tay from Birnam’s riverbank Terrace Walk.
Before we cross the River Tay the Royal School of Dunkeld stands on
our right. Behind the school is the kirk of Little Dunkeld and in
the churchyard is the grave of Niel Gow, the famous fiddler who was
born at nearby Inver.
We then enter Dunkeld, with its dramatic riverside setting linked
to Birnam by Telford’s bridge over the River Tay, which was
opened in 1809. Above the river stands the ruined medieval cathedral,
sacked by the Reformers in 1560 but partly restored. In 1689 most
of the tower was burned to the ground during the Battle of Dunkeld.
Many of the replacement houses of that period have now been restored
by the National Trust for Scotland.
Proceeding through Dunkeld we reach a junction signposted A923 to
Blairgowrie and the Loch of the Lowes RSPB nature reserve. Here we
bear left and travel on a delightful road with lovely views through
the trees over Strath Tay before again joining the new road.