Glen Shee

Glen Shee is a wide valley in eastern Perthshire, Scotland, where the Shee Water flows south-east from its head near the Spittal of Glenshee to join Strathardle at Bridge of Cally. The glen’s name comes from the Gaelic for ‘fairy’, recalling its old identity as the glen of the fairies. At the standing stone behind the present church stands Dun Shith, the Hill of the Fairies. The valley opens into rolling hills and heather moorland, with the Cairnwell Pass rising high above. Farming began here in the Pictish period, when barley, oats and rye were grown on open pasture. By the 10th century settlement shifted, woodland returned and the dabhach land system reorganised how people used the land. The Spittal of Glenshee grew around a 10th-century refuge run by monks from Coupar Angus Abbey, later rebuilt in Scandinavian style after fires. Old bridges, churches and lodges mark the glen’s long history of travel and trade. Today the glen holds Scotland’s largest ski centre at the head of the Cairnwell Pass, with lifts across four mountains and winter sports for visitors. The A93 military road climbs to the UK’s highest public road, passing the Devil’s Elbow’s former hairpin bends. At Dalnaglar stands a 16th-century castle rebuilt in the 19th century, now a wedding and sporting retreat. Craft shops, cafes and clan meeting stones add to the valley’s quiet charm.