Dunkeld

I’d had too many trips to the highlands get stuck in the group chat. Last weekend, I put that right.

Advice on accessible winter hiking was to stay low and south. Brief research brought me to our destination: Dunkeld, a historic village in Perthshire.

Credit : Taybank Press Images 

The problem? St Andrews’s inevitably rammed social calendar meant finding a weekend which worked for all five of us would be a challenge.

That weekend there was some university ball scheduled. We had each chosen to give it a miss— a combination of event-fatigue and its exorbitant £85 price tag. For me as trip planner, there was my goal. Could we spend two days hiking for less than a Hotel du Vin dinner? Spoiler, absolutely.

Pandering to the sleepier of the group, we took a mid-morning bus to Dundee, then onwards train to Perth. There is a museum of the Blackrock regiment and Scone Palace, but as we only had an hour or two before our connecting train to Dunkeld, we opted to wander through the city, then enjoy a lunchtime pint at the Silvery Tay. Friendly pub, but this city-exploring part of our trip could be omitted for those on a tighter schedule.

Onwards to Dunkeld and Birnam and a mid-afternoon start to our first hike.

Birnam Hill offered a three-hour circular walk starting from the station.

Almost immediately we met a local in his front garden, he kindly filled our bottles with water and told us a few things about the area. Notably, that Beatrix Potter used to stay in a house a few doors down on her holidays. With that and Birnam’s references in Macbeth, we had unknowingly stumbled on a literary oasis.

The route became patchy with lingering snow, whilst the incline rewarded us with impressive views across the moorland— only improved in the dipping sun’s light.

The descent was shorter, and soon we were across the bridge in one of Dunkeld’s riverside pubs, the Taybank. Candlelit with simple wooden furniture and folk instruments hanging on the wall, the pub was the perfect refuge for our well-deserved refreshment.

However, I couldn’t let the troops get too comfortable, as I promptly had to explain my inclusion of ‘swimming trunks’ on the packing list.

At the end of the pub garden, right by the river, is a sauna and cold plunge. We were all going in, no excuses. The smart facilities include a changing room, seating area and outside showers. It had gone dark, but the moonlight permitted a view of the river and historic bridge through the sauna’s window.

We shared stories of times we’d been scared, you know, the usual conversation when you’re in a secluded wooden hut at night.

Now properly recovered from our hike, we headed to our Airbnb, a converted barn just outside the town.

We cooked an enormous meal and played card games into the night.

The next morning, fellow Stand writer Geordie Coles was on breakfast duty, and after only setting off the fire alarm once, we headed for another hike.

This time we opted for a more tranquil walk, choosing the Fiddler’s Path, which started in Dunkeld and followed the river. Along the way we explored Dunkeld Cathedral, the ruins of several small house, and stopped under Fiddler’s Tree. Here, legendary fiddler Neil Gow is said to have written much of his famous repertoire.

As ecclesiastical capital of Scotland in the mid-nineth century until that title transferred to St Andrews in the mid tenth century, Dunkeld had not only provided us with natural beauty, but a full serving of Scottish history too.

We were back in St Andrews by Saturday evening. The trains came to £25— though this could be significantly reduced by doing longer sections by bus, Young Scot Card in hand. The Airbnb was £28 per person. A fiver each for the meal, and an extra £20 for a few pints (optional though highly recommended), and the trip came to £78.

Whilst the Welly Balls may all drift into a muddied memory soup, I won’t forget last weekend’s adventure, not a bit of it.

So next time you’re staring at a calendar speckled with Kinkell Byre events or Whey Pat wedge-ins, consider a trip to the natural beauty on Scotland’s doorstep— though, dear reader, you may have to be the one that makes it actually happen.