Walking in a Highland Forest - The Hermitage
Down the road from the sleepy highland village Dunkeld there is a Douglas fir tree forest, with the river Braan flowing through it. Its a lovely (and popular) place to go for a walk, and a modest two hour drive from Edinburgh.
The start of the path is marked by a short tunnel that goes under a railway line that services the area.
The douglas firs are huge and its almost reminiscent of the redwoods in america.. almost.. like dwarf cousins, those redwoods are insane.
The Hermitage is home to a small building called Ossian's hall of mirrors. It was build by the Dukes of Atholl to honour the blind bard Ossian. The mirrors are gone but the back of the hall sports a balcony that hangs over the waterfall behind it.
Here is the view of the waterfall that you get from Ossian's Hall. I spent quite a while there taking pictures of the falls but this one was my favourite.
The view of the back of Ossian's Hall where you can see the balcony and where I stood for the previous shot.
It's somewhat reminiscent of Lord of the Rings I thought. You almost expect to see some forest elves standing there.
The tallest douglas fir in the forest stands at 200ft .. or rather I should say it stood. In January of 2017 a rather strong storm blew it over.
Though there are many candidates to replace that one, given time I am sure they will reach well beyond 200ft.
There is also this strange structure which is known as Ossian's Cave. It looks a bit like a Hobbit hole. It was built around 1760 for the third Earl of Breadalbane, who unsuccessfully advertised for a permanent eremite.
An eremite is a hermit or recluse. I am not sure what the Earl's motivation was for actually paying a hermit to live in this cave..
..I guess he saw it as a cheap way to hire a keeper for the forest.. I don't know.
Shortly after encountering Ossian's cave we made our way back to the car, there are miles and miles of paths to wander and you can easily loose yourself in the forest. Its wonderful. I wanted to return in the autumn when the leaves have all changed colour but I missed my opportunity this year. I will have to pencil in a weekend next year.
Thanks for Looking.
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Thanks @pixresteemer :)
Wonderful photos, I love that waterfall! I discovered your post on the page of my good friend @dswigle. Followed, voted, resteemed! :)
Thanks @keithboone :)
This was an absolutely breathtaking set of photos @fiftysixnorth! Wow doesn't begin to cover it. Well, it never does with your shots. The one of the Douglas Firs as they are standing tall at over 200 feet is glorious in its dramatic setting.
The cascading water is beautiful, eroding a path down the piece of forest. This is truly a magical post that I am taking home with me.
Stunning views! Thank you!
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Thanks @dswigle :) Those trees are wonderous.. and one of the few places in scotland where you will see trees this tall. I think the trees were mainly imported by some lord of the manor many years ago.
I am so glad you enjoyed this post, I am very tempted to return in the autumn sometime when the leaves change colour :) That would be a sight to behold!
I hope you do! I really look forward to seeing it then!
:)
Hehe OMG! You are going to get the last word in, aren't you? ;))
i don't know what you mean ;) lol
Hi there! This great picture caught my attention, I visited Your profile and I still don't know why I didn't Follow Your works earlier :).
Scotland is a great place! I visited and explored Highlands many times already, have family there, in Inverness.
Keep up posting and have a great day!
Thanks @photovisions :) I really appreciate the kind words. Scotland is a magical and beautiful place. I need to explore the highlands more myself :)
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Simply stunning this cycle it on. Never realise Scotland had so much beauty wow 💯🐒
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WOW Delightful lush greens waterfalls and beautiful paths thanks for taking us to this beautiful area with this post of a foggy damp cold day I needed to see a post like this tonight
You are most welcome! Its a wonderful place, i found it very restful, and so many great photo opportunities! :)
I bet it must have been Paradis efr photo opportunities
it totally was!
What a beautiful place to go for a walk and your photos capture it perfectly! You make me feel like I was there. There are days when I would love to be a Hermit and live in that cave!
Thank you so much :)
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