The Hermitage

Georgian pleasure ground on the River Braan, with giant Douglas firs and a folly above the Black Linn falls.

The Hermitage is an 18th-century wild garden created by the Dukes of Atholl in Craigvinean Forest, just west of the A9 and a mile or so from Dunkeld. It's now looked after by the National Trust for Scotland. The most popular walk is the kilometre from the car park along the River Braan to Ossian's Hall. The folly was built in 1757 and stands on a rock right above the Black Linn falls, which you hear long before you see them. The path was laid out on purpose to swing away from the river so the falls would surprise you.

The Douglas firs here are among the tallest trees in Britain. One self-sown giant reached 63 metres before a storm brought it down in January 2017. Further along is Ossian's Cave, another folly. Longer paths link on to the rest of Dunkeld's footpath network, and you can walk here from Birnam along the river.

things to do sight walking waterfall garden
A story
When it was redecorated in 1783, Ossian's Hall was built as a trick. Visitors were shown into a small room with a painting of the bard Ossian. The guide then pulled the painting back into the wall to reveal a hall lined with mirrors, where the waterfall outside seemed to pour from every direction. Dorothy Wordsworth described the room in 1803 as "almost dizzy and alive with waterfalls".