Glen Lyon

Glen Lyon is a long, straight valley in Perth and Kinross, running for 55 kilometres from Loch Lyon to Fortingall. It is the longest enclosed glen in Scotland, with steep sides and a narrow floor. The glen was once called An Crom Ghleann, meaning ‘the bent glen’. It lies within the Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area, one of forty such areas protected for their scenery. Apart from Fortingall and Bridge of Balgie, most of the glen has only scattered farms and cottages. A small primary school teaches Gaelic each week. The glen has been home to many clans, including MacGregor, Lyon, Menzies and Campbell. In the 11th century the de Leons came north with Prince Edgar and were given land that became Glen Lyon. Robert Campbell of Glenlyon led troops at Glencoe in 1691. A 16th-century brooch belonging to the Campbell lairds is now in the British Museum. Early Christian monks lived here, including Adomnán, biographer of St Columba. Meggernie Castle still stands, while Carnbane Castle is in ruins. Visitors walk the quiet road that follows the River Lyon through the glen. They pass old cottages and farm steadings set against the hills. The landscape is wide and open, with heather moorland and patches of woodland. At Fortingall, one of Scotland’s oldest churches stands beside the river. The glen’s history is visible in standing stones, burial cairns and the remains of old castles. The air is still and the views stretch far along the valley.