Photos: The Hermitage Forest and River Braan

While on my three-week trip to Edinburgh, I escaped north from the city for a weekend in pretty, little Dunkeld. I’ve written about how much I love Dunkeld in the past: it’s a Scottish folk music mecca, it’s gorgeously situated on the River Tay, and it’s sited among some of Scotland’s most beautiful forests.

I hadn’t done the surrounding landscape justice on my previous visits so I decided to work my dogs out on a seven-mile hike through the nearby Hermitage forest and around the River Braan. The hike was one of my favorite activities on the whole trip. Rather than write 14,000 words describing the beauty of this walk, I present a 14-photo essay of this incredible journey.

The forests of Perthshire mark the edge of Scotland’s Highland line. Rushing rivers cold with the meltwater of the highland peaks descend into this lush landscape before joining with the River Tay. These photos document a seven-mile hike I undertook in The Hermitage forest outside Dunkeld and around the River Braan.

The circuit took me past the wild river, through an ancient forest with Britain’s oldest trees, up onto barren ridge lines, and through a dense pine forest. Enjoy the photos.