Scotland's finest hidden gems

Published on Friday 3 September 2010 20:19

SCOTLAND is a land of contrasts from the grand architecture found in its cities to the quiet, wild land stretching across its length and breadth.

Poets, singers and artists have all heaped praise and guidebooks cover every nook and cranny – almost.

Despite the popularity among tourists from home and abroad, there are still a great number of hidden gems on our doorstep, waiting to be discovered.

Tomorrow evening, BBC1's Secret Britain series will conclude in Scotland, covering places such as the Lost Valley in Glencoe and Cape Wrath.

Today, The Scotsman has chosen its own list of some of the best undiscovered or forgotten spots which lie only a little off the beaten track.

These places are vital, according to Pete Irvine, author of the Scotland the Best travel guide.

He says: "We live in a populous world and we want to find quiet places. There are still pristine landscapes, real wild landscapes. It is interesting that Edinburgh has a relatively quiet wild landscape right in the middle of it, namely Arthur's Seat, and a backdrop of wild bare hills that you can easily have to yourself."

However, Irvine, who publishes updated editions of his book every couple of years, says telling people about hidden gems can have its pitfalls.

"The odd thing is that as soon as people like you and me divulge the whereabouts of quiet, interesting places, then other people find them and it may be that they are no longer quite as interesting.

"I have to deal with this as I am adding to my book. I have found lots of places that I have put in and drawn to wider attention and some people might think that I have spoiled them.

"There is an argument, of course, that there are always lots of other places – you have pointed out some which I don't know – and I think we have to hope that Scotland is wide enough and big enough to maintain its quietude and its purity."

John Lister-Kaye, the writer and naturalist, covers the importance of wildness in his latest book At The Water's Edge.

He believes some people need guides and signs to direct them to the countryside, but that others are ready to go and explore for themselves.

He said: "In the crazy world we live in I think it is absolutely essential that people can regenerate their spiritual well-being and themselves physically and mentally by enjoying our natural heritage."

Dick Balharry, the interim chairman of the National Trust for Scotland, backs this idea that it is good for people to explore the country on their own, adding that the knowledge of hidden gems is often guarded as precious by individuals.

"Not many people share their own secret hidden gem for fear of leading too many people to it.

"However, the scale and diversity of National Trust for Scotland properties provides great scope for everyone to find a place that has special significance and appeal to them."

The Scotsman's ten hidden gems are listed in no particular order – it is up to you to decide which is your favourite.

• Rock pinnacle near Kylesku, Sutherland

Hidden away from the roadside in Sutherland is a wonderful work of nature passed by motorists oblivious to its existence.

At the bottom of a deep gorge a rock pinnacle, unmarked on maps, stands tall above a bubbling mountain burn. Some of the main principles of geology were discovered in the area and its rock formations are part of a designated geopark, but this one is relatively unknown, except by a few local residents.

It is only a stone's throw away from a main road but is a haven of peace and quiet, perfect for a picnic.

To get there drive three and a quarter miles south of Kylesku on the A894 and park in an unmarked lay-by on the east (left) side of the road. Follow a rough path starting from a small quarry along the north side of a burn – Allt Chranaidh – until you see the pinnacle in front of you.

A couple of hundred yards further on is a spectacular waterfall plunging down into the burn.

• John Lennon memorial garden, Durness

Standing right next to Cape Wrath, Durness is the most north-westerly place on the Scottish mainland – next stop, Iceland.

But it is here, below trackless mountains and next to white sandy beaches and a craggy coastline, that a memorial to John Lennon has been lovingly built and cared for.

In front of the village hall are a series of standing stones with the lyrics to In My Life inscribed on them. These refer to the childhood holidays the Beatle enjoyed in the area: "There are places I remember."

He stayed on a nearby croft with his cousins and there are still people today who remember playing with the future superstar.

The garden was completed in 2002 with help from the Beechgrove Garden team.

• Dunbar's Close Garden, Edinburgh

The Royal Mile is one of the busiest streets in the country, thronged with tourists, workers, buses and taxis. Sometimes it is good to find an escape from the hustle and bustle, a haven of peace in the city centre.

Just down from Canongate Kirk (on the same side, opposite Starbucks) is the entrance to Dunbar's Close Garden.

This place was laid out in 1978 by Seamus Filor, a landscape architect commissioned by the Mushroom Trust, an organisation which promotes the regeneration of urban gardens.

The design replicates that of a 17th century Edinburgh garden. Low hedges, flowers, herbs, fruit trees and patches of grass provide a backdrop in which to unwind. Take your lunch and sit on a bench, it is one of the best chill-out places in the capital, and it costs nothing.

The name Dunbar originates from David Dunbar, the 18th century writer, who owned tenements on either side of the garden

• Railway view of the Forth Bridge

North Queensferry railway station gets very busy with commuters at the start and finish of the working day. The minds of these workers are often filled with hopes of getting a seat on the train, office politics to come or what's for dinner. But they are actually standing at the edge of one the great engineering feats of Scotland, the Forth Bridge.

And from the end of platform 1 you can look down the length of the superb structure, getting the same view as train drivers have for the past 120 years.

It was finally completed in 1890, the first major steel bridge built anywhere in the world, to carry passengers 150ft above the water.

Looking along it you can appreciate the work which went in to putting together the 54,000 tonnes of metal girders.

It goes without saying that you are standing next to a railway line so caution is essential – 200 trains pass this way every day.

• Watch dolphins at Chanonry Point, Moray Firth

Every year thousands of people pay to travel on small boats in the hope of seeing dolphins around the coast of Scotland.

Although the boat trips are pleasant ways to gain a different, and often beautiful, view of the coast, there is a much easier way to see these animals in the wild.

Chanonry Point, near Fortrose, is a spit of land jutting out into the Moray Firth and on the rushing tides that swirl dangerously just off shore you can catch sight of bottlenose dolphins as they feed. When they jump into the air you might be forgiven for thinking you are in an aquarium, not standing on a small beach.

Of course, you are not guaranteed to see them – the best time to try is during the warmer months. If they prove elusive you can gaze across the firth to Fort George, an impressive stronghold built after the nearby battle of Culloden and currently used as a base for the Black Watch.

• St Ninian's Cave, Galloway

ST NINIAN'S Cave is a little alcove above a pebble beach with history seeping through its walls.

This is the place where Christianity is believed to have first arrived in Scotland when St Ninian landed in 397AD and founded a church at Whithorn.

Nowadays, it is probably just as well known by devotees of cult film The Wicker Man. It was this cave that Sergeant Howie, played by Edward Woodward, entered before being caught by the islanders and then burned inside a giant effigy.

The beach was where Lord Summerisle, played by Christopher Lee, threw a barrel of beer to the god of the sea.

To reach the cave, go south from Whithorn and after just less than a mile turn right. A little further on you go over a crossroads. A car park, at Kidsdale, is about another mile and a half, on the left. A path leads past farm buildings and down a wooded glen to the beach and cave.

• Picnic with parachutists in Perthshire

Rural Perthshire is well known for its natural beauty and attracts visitors all year round. Among the rolling fields close to Auchterarder there is a little country airfield which is the base for a parachute club – to watch them gently glide down to Earth is fascinating for young and old.

The Strathallan club don't mind you parking up and watching from the sidelines, as long as you keep well out of the way and keep any pets under control. Enjoy a family day out in the countryside while watching aerial manoeuvres.

To get there, drive three miles down the B8062 from Auchterarder and turn left immediately before Kinkell Bridge. The airfield entrance is a mile down the road on the left. To find out if parachutists are jumping, contact Skydive Strathallan on 07774 686161 (0176 466 2572 at weekends) or go to www.skydivestrathallan.co.uk

• Fermtoun trail, South Lanarkshire

A MOTORWAY journey does not have to be a mad dash from A to B, stopping only at a soulless service station.

Instead, you could find a place you've never been to before, very near a motorway junction, and spend a restorative half an hour or more.

Once the urban sprawl of Glasgow has been left behind, the M74 heads south through some fairly remote countryside and it is among the sweeping hills that a perfect place to explore exists.

The little-used Fermtoun Trail leads to the ruins of Glenochar Bastle-House. It was here, and in other fortified buildings like it, that residents and their animals would shelter during the raids of the Border Reivers during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Now it is a place of sheep, meadows, grassy slopes and endless views – no humans and no cars.

To get there, stop in a small parking area on the A702, about 2 miles south of Elvanfoot, near Junction 14 of the M74.

• The Meikleour beech hedge

Autumn is nearly here and by the side of a busy A road there is a magnificent tapestry of colour on show.

The Meikleour Beech Hedge in Perthshire is a living wall of trees, 100ft high and a third of a mile long. It was planted in 1745 and is the highest hedge in the world.

However, it was not nosey neighbours which prompted such a creation, but an act of love.

It is said Jean Mercer of Meikleour allowed the hedge to grow to such a fantastic height in memory of her late husband, Robert Murray Nairne, who was killed at the battle of Culloden. The hedge had originally been planted by the couple to mark a boundary.

In autumn, the green leaves turn a wonderful bronze colour and make for a most unusual sight.

You can park by the side of the A93 Blairgowrie road, 11 miles north of Perth.

• Fast Castle, the Borders

There is no tearoom, no guidebook and no entrance fee, and you have to walk along a cliff top path to reach it. But Fast Castle is as dramatic as castles go.

Perched on a rocky precipice, the ruins of this fortification are about as out of the way as it gets.

A path leads you along the top of cliffs and down to the great lump of rock on which the castle was built.

A small walkway with a metal chain fence on either side leads you to the ruins themselves, giving the feeling of crossing a drawbridge to a Tolkien-esque stronghold.

To write the full history of this little place would take a whole book. It has seen a few famous faces in its time, including Margaret Tudor on her way to marry James IV and Mary, Queen of Scots after her "Rough Wooing" by Henry VIII of England had ceased.

Because of its position near the border, ownership passed between England and Scotland many times. Now, it is there for all to enjoy.

To get there leave the A1 just over nine miles south of Dunbar. Take the A1107 towards Coldingham for just over three miles and turn left, sign for Dowlaw. Park at end of the single-track road, two miles away.

The cliff top path starts at the end of the road, on the left, before a house. (Note: you will need a pair of walking boots to tackle the route.)