The Hermitage

The Hermitage is a pleasure ground beside the River Braan in Craigvinean Forest, near Dunkeld. It was created in the 18th century by John Murray, the third Duke of Atholl, to honour the blind bard Ossian. The site includes Georgian follies such as Ossian’s Hall of Mirrors and Ossian’s Cave, built around 1760 for the third Earl of Breadalbane. The grounds contain several Douglas-fir trees, one of which was the second in Britain to reach 200 feet. Known as the Hermitage Douglas-fir, it grew to 63 metres before falling in a storm in 2017. A Cedar of Lebanon near Hermitage Bridge is believed to be the oldest tree on the site. Visitors follow a 1-kilometre path to Ossian’s Hall, with a wider route thought to have been used by horse-drawn carriages. The route once deliberately diverted from the river to build anticipation for the Black Linn Falls. Beyond the site, paths link to a 30-mile network of footpaths across Dunkeld.