Hermitage Braan

Hermitage Braan loop (4 miles)

The Hermitage is a National Trust site just off the A9 close to Dunkeld. It was envisaged as a pleasure park for the Duke of Atholl's family in the mid-19th century and now offers a pleasant environment for the public to enjoy. Entry is free although drivers are asked to pay a parking charge of £3. How strictly this is enforced is anyone's guess. An information board shows the various walking routes on offer. The walk described here will follow the green markers. Pass through the railway arch to begin and follow the banks of the tumbling Baan.

The path forks and both options lead to Ossian's Hall, the right-hand turn offering the easier route. Enter the folly which has a viewing platform looking down on a boiling waterfall. Press on to Ossian's Cave and at this point many people return to the car park. We shall continue along the signed Braan path, paralleling the river before entering more open countryside. The path merges on to a minor road for a short stretch which takes us high above the Braan on Rumbling Bridge. We proceed downstream, a viewpoint offering glances back at the waterfalls.

We then leave the river, crossing the A822 and heading up a farm track which leads into native woodland. Keep following the green signs through a forestry operation, back over the A822 and through the tiny village of Inver. We walk alongside the A9 for a short section which brings us back to the car park where we started.

The Royal Dunkeld Hotel offers ales from the local Strathbraan Brewery and there are several other eating and drinking options in this lovely small Perthshire town.

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