A landscape to take your breath away

Published on Saturday 9 August 2008 12:26

THIS week's walk starts by optionally visiting the famous dam and fish ladder at Pitlochry.

Following the bank of Loch Faskally, through pleasant mixed woodland and past a small loch, it skirts Faskally House, detouring again by Loch Faskally. The path climbs into the dramatic Pass of Killiecrankie, passing Garry Bridge, an old roadbridge.

The Pass of Killiecrankie near Pitlochry is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This spectacular deep river gorge is cloaked in ancient woodland, has unique flora and fauna, and has many associations with the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689 (the first Jacobite rebellion). The narrow, mile-long property is bounded to the west by the River Garry.

The route goes right through the gorge, to Soldier's Leap – a spectacular viewpoint where Donald McBean fighting on the side of the Red Coats made an amazing 18-foot leap across the gorge to escape marauding Scots at the Battle of Killiecrankie. It then visits Killiecrankie Visitor Centre, run by the National Trust for Scotland, which includes an excellent exhibition.

The route then heads down into Killiecrankie Village itself, crosses the River Garry and climbs a steep, small road, to the parish church at Tenandry, a beautiful location.

It drops to the Garry road bridge, perched dizzyingly above the gorge, and into Linn of Tummel, offering wonderful views towards the Ben a Ghlo range of hills, eventually reaching the Coronation Bridge over the River Tummel.

The way back follows a small, winding country road for several kilometres, crossing Loch Faskally by Clunie Bridge, in the shadow of the dramatic A9 bridge. The last kilometre of the walk returns along the outward route.

The Pass of Killiecrankie is renowned for its outstanding beauty and natural history. It has been gouged into the landscape by successive ice ages and meltwaters. The River Garry flows at the bottom of the pass, while ancient mixed woodlands dominate the sides. Located three miles north of Pitlochry, the site is owned and managed by The National Trust for Scotland.

Killiecrankie is a remnant of semi-natural ancient woodland ( there has been woodland on this site continually for almost 8000 years.) Less than one per cent of Scotland's woodlands are considered ancient and semi-natural. This wood is an example of what most of Perthshire would have looked like several thousand years ago had man not cleared the woodlands (for timber and agricultural land). The woodland at Killiecrankie is predominantly sessile oak with birch, hazel, ash, alder and wych elm present.

The woodland supports a diverse range of native wildlife including a wealth of birdlife. Notable summer migrants include the pied and spotted flycatchers and wood warbler. Look out also for resident species such as buzzard, great-spotted woodpecker and treecreeper. Red squirrels can be seen here too.

Distance: 19km

Time: 5 1/2 hours

OS Map: Explorer 386: Pitlochry & Loch Tummel

By car: Pitlochry is just off the A9 Perth-Inverness road, which bypasses the town. Once in the town follow signs to the Pitlochry Dam and Fish Ladder. The start is at a large public car park just before a railway bridge.

For more information, visit the VisitScotland website at www. visitscotland.com/walking