The Falls of Bruar are a series of waterfalls on the Bruar Water in Scotland, about from Pitlochry in the council area of

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...

. They have been a tourist attraction since the 18th century and were immortalized in a poem by Robert Burns, ''The Humble Petition of Bruar Water to the Noble Duke of Atholl'', supposedly from the river itself entreating the Duke to plant some trees in the then barren landscape.

Description

The falls were probably formed some time in the last 10,000 years, after the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age. The waters slowly cut through the rock which had been pushed up by the geological forces which formed the Scottish Highlands some 500 million years ago. The layering of the rocks means that the water has cut a meandering path through the softer rock and left the harder rock untouched. This has led to the creation of deep pools, outcrops and, in one place, a natural arch. The falls consist of two large falls and a number of smaller drops. The water is often coloured brown from the peat through which it flows. Nowadays, the A9 Perth to

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

road passes near the foot of the falls in Glen Garry, and there is a shopping centre and car park from where visitors may access the falls. A circular footpath leads up to the Lower Bridge, close to the natural arch, and continues on to the Upper Bridge, about from the car park, before returning down the opposite bank. The total drop of the falls is about 60 metres. The narrowness of the gorge means that the falls are most impressive after heavy rain, but since the construction of a hydroelectric power scheme in the late 1940s, water is extracted farther up the river and the falls no longer reach the volumes they once did.

History

The falls first became popular as a tourist attraction at the end of the 18th century. At that time, the Bruar Water flowed through a treeless, barren landscape, and the falls were said to be a somewhat disappointing sight for those forced to make their way over the slippery rocks and steep banks to view them. William Gilpin, who visited the falls in 1776, thought them: Robert Burns, although taken with the falls themselves, was unimpressed by the lack of vegetation. After his visit in 1787, he wrote the poem,''The Humble Petition of Bruar Water to the Noble Duke of Atholl''. It entreated John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, the owner of the land, to plant some trees and bushes around the falls: Almost ten years later, after Burn's death in 1796, Murray began an ambitious scheme of planting that would eventually include 120,000 Larch and Scots Pine. The Duke was of the opinion that the planting should be both pleasing to the eye and profitable. He was eventually to become known as "Planter John", planting over 15 million trees throughout his estates during his lifetime. At the Falls of Bruar he also laid out the path that is still in use today, constructed the two bridges as viewpoints over the falls, and built a large number of huts and shelters. The huts were disliked by some visitors, and eventually fell into disrepair: only the partial remains of one stone hut can still be seen. William Wordsworth objected to the neatness of the paths when he visited in 1815, but the harsh lines of these have mellowed over the years. During the

Victorian period In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian ...

many

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

were planted to enhance the landscape. Most of the trees were cut down during World War II. Once hostilities ended, the trees were replanted, again with Scots Pine but this time mixed with Hybrid Larch,

Fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

and

Spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

. Native species were also allowed to colonize the banks: nowadays, the conifers are mixed with

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also * Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf Mountai ...

, Willow, Aspen and Birch.

References

* * *{{cite web, url=http://www.perthshire.com/NR/rdonlyres/026AA12D-E486-4D9D-B04E-056B17539A77/0/FallsofBruar.pdf , title=Local Walks , date= , author= , publisher=Perth and Kinross Council , access-date=24 November 2006 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195928/http://www.perthshire.com/NR/rdonlyres/026AA12D-E486-4D9D-B04E-056B17539A77/0/FallsofBruar.pdf , archive-date=27 September 2007 , df= Waterfalls of Perth and Kinross Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Protected areas of Perth and Kinross