Adventures.....The Hermitage, Dunkeld

Off for a walk at the Hermitage in Dunkeld under the bridge, Peedie the cairn terrier is waiting for us to start!

We like to go off on adventures, often in wellies - the whole family do - when we were away last week we feasted on many special places we enjoy - one of them in on the A9 which heads northwards - The Hermitage, Dunkeld it's special to both me and my partner and my children - all for different reasons. What a glorious place for a walk with my partner and with the other good friend in my life 'Peedie' the cairn terrier when the children were away visiting their Dad, who does live with us anymore.

On the way into the woodland - Peedie the cairn terrier leads the walk into the hermitage dunkeld

Getting out of the car park and off through the bridge.....first stop its to scuff our way through the leaves - it's glorious in autumn here - and in the spring time - this area, just through the bridge is a riot of snowdrops. Peeide leads the way to keep us on our toes.



Going through into the forest, The Hermitage Dunkeld

When I was younger my Granpa and I would go here on one of our adventures with Grannie and her dog; Toyah. It was always a treat to go into the forest, look at the giant trees and Granpa would talk about the walk upto the waterfall with the goblins and trolls which lived under the bridge, wondering if we would see them. If you were lucky and they were around the left you a sweetie -  but first we needed to go through the wood of the giant trees......... 

A beautiful place to have a sit and a think, The Hermitage Dunkeld

When I go here - I remember so many fun times - too many all muddled into one - here's the bench I put my bike against last time I went with my partner and the dog and the bikes. It's where Hazel threw her first snowball, Jamie made is first sword, we've walked with many friends in the wood and Peedie who's from Orkney, where there are not many trees, had one of his first ever walks in the forest. It's a special place to us all even though these days it's 200 miles away.

Autumn colour in The Hermitage, Dunkeld from the beech tree wood, mixed in with the douglas fir trees

One of my favourite times of year is the autumn - I love the colours, the swishing of the leaves on the ground and walking through them crunching away - I love the way the leaves fall like snow all colourful and bright.

Bridge by the waterfall, The Hermitage Dunkeld

Here's the very bridge the trolls would leave sweets when I was little (Granpa told me!) - to tempt you to stay, so they could fatten you up to keep you on there longer and feed you up ready to eat you when you toppled over the bridge looking into the waterfall - they never ate us - we were always too quick - maybe it was Granpas way of keeping us going on our walk, keeping it interesting!

Looking from the bridge, The Hermitage, Dunkeld

The waterfall is amazing - there is a 'folly' built just up from the bridge where you can stand and hear the full noise of the waterfall when you are up above it - truly amazing - well worth a visit - especially in the autumn for the colour - but at any time of year it's beautiful - it's a small walk - 1/4 of a mile maybe - but magical all the way.

The waterfall end at The Hermitage, Dunkeld

You can't imagine the beauty of the place - the smell and the sounds - a favourite adventure of ours when on the mainland to recharge the soul and of course to collect a pile of cones for the fire! After a big adventure of course the pup needs a big drink!  

A lovely drink later in the car park for Peede the cairn terrier, The Hermitage, Dunkeld

We'll go back again at Xmas - we always call in, it connects me to my Grandparents and my partner to his family - lucky we've this special place in common together and from before we met. My children love it too and when they were little - the sweets magically arrived on the bridge for them too! But, we were always too fast for the trolls to get us when we looked over the bridge to the waterfall..................