The Hermitage and Rumbling Bridge

Thursday 6th June 2024

After a week in the far north of Scotland I finally headed south feeling disappointed that the weather had spoilt my plans with strong winds that had prevented me from climbing any hills, but instead prompted me to do many low-level walks that were surprisingly enjoyable. I appreciate having a good path underfoot and I don’t like walking along a rough, difficult path that is a struggle to do, so these walks greatly appealed to me. The weather didn’t show any sign of improving as I set off from the town of Ullapool and was soon driving through rain which stayed with me until I reached Inverness. At one point I saw a sign for Ben Wyvis which is a mountain that I climbed on my first walking holiday in Scotland, twenty years ago, and the memories of that walk came flooding back so when I saw a sign for Silver Bridge soon afterwards I stopped to take a picture of Black Water Falls. However, since it was raining I didn’t want to stay long and when I later passed a sign for Rogie Falls I didn’t stop. After Inverness the weather was much better as I continued to head south passing Aviemore, where I had stayed during the first week of my holiday, and over the Drumochter Pass. I was booked to stay in Pitlochry so I had considered doing a walk there, but I have already done loads of walks in the area and I couldn’t find anything interesting to do. Then I remembered that there are some walks around Birnam Woods I have wanted to do so I ignored the turning to Pitlochry and eventually came off the A9 trunk road at the turning for Dunkeld and Birnam.

After lunch I set off on a walk and it immediately felt surprisingly warm, especially after the cold winds of the North Highlands. A wonderfully relaxing walk took me slowly up beside the Inchewan Burn and soothed my troubled mind after the long drive out of the Highlands. At a junction I crossed the stream and soon after that at another junction I turned right, later turning left to follow green arrows that mark the Braan Path. There is an impressive network of paths throughout the woodlands that surround Dunkeld and Birnam and I appreciated these good paths as I made my way between the conifers. Eventually I emerged from the trees just as a few drops of rain prompted me to put on my waterproofs, but it was soon sunny again, which felt very warm and welcoming. The Braan Path eventually brought me over a road and into natural woodland with a deep valley visible through the trees to my right, but I was frustrated that there was no view even where lookout points have been built as these were heavily overgrown. Eventually I reached a road that crosses the River Braan on Rumbling Bridge and I took the opportunity to drop down to the river where I took many pictures of the cascading waters that fall precipitously into a deep and narrow ravine under the bridge. I was again frustrated at not being able to get a good view of the falls and so I had to be contented with the small cascades upstream.

Eventually I crossed Rumbling Bridge and followed the road which moves away from the river before branching onto a track that finally brought me into the Hermitage, a wood filled with tall conifers. In time the path led me back down to the River Braan where there were several opportunities for me to descend onto the rock-filled riverbank and take some pictures. Eventually I reached Ossian’s Hall, a curious building erected on the edge of the river with a balcony that looks out towards the river and down to a waterfall below, which reminded me of viewing stations I have seen in the Lake District designed to frame picturesque views. Eventually I continued past tall conifers to reach the car park for the Hermitage and under the railway line to reach the A9 where I followed quiet roads between the river and the main road past a caravan park and onto a path that, even though it was on my prescribed route, was actually a dead-end for me as a bridge has been washed away. Therefore, I had to retrace my steps to Inver Bridge and continue to follow the road beside the River Braan until I reached the junction with the River Tay and follow that along a path lined with beautiful tall trees until I reached the most famous: the Birnam Oak. However, this did not look as impressive as the enormous sycamore trees that I had just seen even though the Birnam Oak is considerably older.

Soon after this I turned away from the river to pass through Jubilee Park and return to my car. This was a wonderfully relaxing walk through Big Tree Country in warm weather that was a welcome change after the cold winds of the North Highlands. The weather on this afternoon felt almost tropical in comparison. I had wanted to visit Birnam Wood for a while so I was glad to have had the opportunity and since there are many more paths in the area I have every excuse to return and further explore these fabulous woods.