Scotland Day Two: Dunkeld, Birnam, and The Hermitage!

 (I wrote this post in my journal earlier this evening)

I write these words on a lined page, with a pen, in the evening sunlight beside the River Tay. I arrived in Dunkeld / Birnam earlier this afternoon and so far, I love it. The two small towns are connected by a bridge across this river. It is such a lovely area, historic buildings, nature, and Scottish culture is plentiful. When planning this part of my trip, I had a feeling that I would want to stay here longer and I was right! Unfortunately I only have one night here, then I’m headed off to Stirling tomorrow.

Entrance to the Hermitage

 The first thing I did once I got to my room at the guest house was change into my walking shoes and make my way to the Hermitage! Home to the tallest tree in Britain (a doug fir) and an awesome old stone bridge, the Hermitage was a pleasure to walk through. The trail was probably a couple miles long, leading through some really tall trees beside a rushing river. It reminded me a lot of the Pacific NW! It was a really pretty place though, I found it very relaxing and serene. Apparently many creatives have walked through those woods, including Mendelssohn and Wordsworth.

The River Tay

 Instead of wandering back to town, I headed up the hill a ways until I came to a high meadow. It was starting to look like the typical Scottish highland scene, with a lot of wind, rocky cliffs and a herd of sheep in the distance. I sat on a big boulder for a while to take it all in. So it was another lovely day here in Scotland, I thoroughly enjoyed today’s wanderings and I can’t wait to return to this place again someday.

Now that's a PINT!