The small town of Errol lies in Perthshire on the north side of the River Tay. Our only previous visit was back in 2008 when we picked up a consignment of fruit wines for our wedding ceremony. Cairn o' Mohr have been producing their core range of strawberry, raspberry, bramble, elderberry and oak leaf since 1987 and have now branched into cider. I must admit it took me a few years to cotton on to the clever Gaelicised pun behind the winery's title but their wares (including non-alcoholic varieties) are worth seeking out. I was googling around for river walks and I noticed a path alongside the Tay from Errol to Port Allen. It seemed like a potentially nice stroll and we headed up the M90 and over the Friarton Bridge on a pleasant Saturday afternoon. Nicole enquired as to whether we would be anywhere near the reed beds, a hotspot for serious birders. The answer would soon reveal itself.
Errol has a couple of thousand inhabitants and the streets are very narrow. We thought it wise to park at the primary school near the edge of town, make our way down a core path to the river from there and pass along the High Street on our return leg. A handy circular route was clearly indicated on Google Maps. The path took us by a farmstead then angled gradually towards the shore to meet a right of way running straight down from the town centre. Across a field on a ridge of land stands Errol Park Mansion - rebuilt in 1875 following a major fire and now available to hire for weddings and hospitality events. Panoramic views of the Tay, walled gardens, extensive woodland walks, manicured lawns, tennis courts and deer park can all be enjoyed exclusively. The bedrooms and bathrooms have been kept in the style in which they were designed and each room is adorned with unique furniture and artwork. Fine dining is of course part of the experience. The grounds were originally planted with avenues of oak and yew. After construction of the new house, rhododendrons were added along with cedar and beech. A highlight of the woodland today is a line of 30 Californian redwoods. The mansion is now a category-A listed building and numerous external structures are listed separately. Perthshire lost hundreds of grand country houses to the wrecking ball during the 20th century but this one survives as a link to a very different age. We posed for photos against the trunk of an enormous tree then continued along the public path which was now running very close to the river. A clearing exposed a swathe of gold as we caught out first unobstructed sighting of the reed beds - the largest continuous stretch of this habitat in the UK. We were able to wander down for a look at ground level and the sheer expanse of the vegetation was breathtaking. Believed to have been planted by monks in the 16th Century as a guard against erosion, the reed beds were expanded a couple of hundred years later by work parties of captured Napoleonic troops on day release from Perth Prison. The present territory stretches some 10 miles along the northern bank. The reeds are now home to a wide variety of wildlife and the area has been managed by the RSPB since commercial thatch gathering ceased in 2005. A programme of cutting ensures the needs of different species are met. Birds to look out for are water rail, marsh harriers and bearded tits.
A disastrous fire broke out among the reeds in 2020 and a total of nine appliances - including a helicopter - battled the flames which reached heights of 40 feet. The smoke clouds could apparently be seen from as far away as Portobello! Two miles of habitat were destroyed - no doubt wiping out nests and breeding territory - but at least the emergency services were able to bring the blaze under control within a matter of hours. Things could certainly have been a lot worse! Thankfully, the reeds have been able to regenerate and the bird population is still present. We saw the marsh harrier fly overhead and watched a black cap through binoculars as it poked around. The latter was observed from an elevated viewpoint further along the path. The trail extends to a 7km loop known as the Taybank Circular. We had cut one corner on the way in but we were more than satisfied with the views we experienced. A pleasant wooded section brought us to the hamlet of Port Allen where a few rowing boats floated in the harbour. The pier was used to load grain from nearby mills and is clearly shown on the first edition of the OS map from 1861. It is reckoned the population was as high as 200 in those days but there are now just a handful of private houses. We lingered here for a while before heading back downstream to the giant redwood tree. This time we took the direct route up to Errol and we paused at a community garden on the way. A wander through the streets brought us back to the car. We passed by the Cairn o' Mohr winery before joining the A90. It is actually located in Errol Station - a separate tiny village. The Perth to Dundee railway (opened in 1847) wasn't routed through Errol and the halt was positioned over a mile to the north. In the days when stations required a team of staff, a cluster of housing would have sprung up by the railway.
Errol Station was closed to passengers in 1985 although the platforms and buildings remain intact, the latter now sold off as a private dwelling. Curiously, the lattice footbridge has been preserved as a listed structure but the rotting timber steps have been removed. It is almost political anathema to shut a railway station these days and had Errol clung on a while longer, it may well have still been in use today. I'm not aware of any re-opening campaign but I assume there is no real demand to warrant the expenditure. The vast majority of Errol residents probably already own a car and there is a regular bus service to Dundee and Peth throughout the day. Not every station or line closure can be realistically reversed (and I say that as a strong proponent of train travel). We zipped back down the M90 and reflected upon an enjoyable day out. The bearded tits had remained presumably hidden within the reeds and it wasn't like the time in Germany when we basically walked straight into a flock of them on terrain similar to today's. Nature sightings are never guaranteed, which is part of the appeal.
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