Dulnain Bridge ( gd, Drochaid Thulnain) is a village in
Strathspey Strathspey may refer to one of the following:
* Strathspey, Scotland, an area in the Highlands of Scotland
* Strathspey Camanachd
Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club based in Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey, Scotland, currently competing in the ...
, next to the meeting of the
River Dulnain
The River Dulnain (Gaelic: ''Tuilnean / Abhainn Tuilnein'') is a major left bank tributary of the River Spey in northeast Scotland. It rises in the eastern part of the Monadhliath Mountains () and flows in a generally northeastward direction throu ...
and the
River Spey
The River Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishi ...
, three miles south-west of
Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey ( gd, Baile nan Granndach) is a town in the Highland Council Area, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about ...
, in the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...
and the
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act. ...
.
History
The bridge was swept away in a flood in 1829, but was re-built. The population is estimated at less than two hundred, and the surrounding area is popular with tourists, as it is surrounded by mountains. The traditional counties of
Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in popula ...
and
Morayshire
Moray; ( gd, Moireibh ) or Morayshire, called Elginshire until 1919, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It ...
are separated by the bridge, which has existed for centuries.
The village lies near to the A95, in the Cairngorms National park. The village comprises two communities. Dulnain Bridge itself is centred to the north of the bridge, and this particular part of the village lies in Morayshire.
The crofting community of Skye-of-Curr stretches for a mile to the south, and this is in Inverness-shire.
Attractions
There are two hotels: Tigh-na-Sgaith and the Muckrach Country House Hotel and Restaurant.
www.muckrach.com. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
The village hall and church are located on the main road in Dulnain Bridge, next to the village shop and garage. On the other side of the main road is the river, with Dulnain Bridge over it. On the other side of the bridge is a park and children's playground.
There are several golf courses in the area around Dulnain Bridge, including the
Boat of Garten
Boat of Garten ( gd, Coit a' Ghartain; originally: Garten) is a small village and post town in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland. In 1951, the population was less than 400; in 1971, it was almost 500; in 1981, it was almost 700, and the ...
course.
Archie is a
highland cow who resides in the front field at Muckrach Country House Hotel.
[ He has made a picture-postcard setting for nearly ten years.
]
Antiquated Farm Machinery Project
In the north of the village and next to the roches moutonnees (see above), is the display of farm machinery, This was the conception of George Rae Manager of Ballintomb Farm, Muckrach Estate. It was designed to enhance the road into the village from the east as a task set by his employer for the Year 2000. Working along with Tom Goss, the then Community Council Chairman, the land, dykestone and some of the antiquated machinery was acquired from Muckrach estate. The project was adopted by the Dulnain Bridge & Vicinity Community Council. It features farming machinery that has been used for decades in the fields around the Dulnain Bridge area.
The council describe it as a 'collection of implements from a bygone age' and the machinery is donated by local residents. Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise assisted the creation of the project.
Strathspey Railway
Dulnain Bridge is the current terminus of the famous Strathspey Railway, a steam train that runs to Broomhill (Dulnain Bridge) through part of the Highlands from Aviemore
Aviemore (; gd, An Aghaidh Mhòr ) is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is po ...
and a whole trip takes around an hour and a half, and is run primarily by volunteers. The society has plans to extend the railway beyond Broomhill to Grantown on Spey, another 4 miles north, and so to provide a service for locals as well as tourists.
Historical attractions
There are Pict
The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ear ...
ish carved stones nearby and two Stone Age coffins were found in the 1880s in a burial cairn in Curr Wood.
At the north end of the village sit a display of glaciated rock
A glaciated rock is a rock that shows evidence of having been exposed to a glacier. Generally it has striations or deep scratches, caused more by the debris being carried by the glacier than by the ice itself. Glaciated rocks may also be err ...
s called the '' roche moutonnées''. Around 18,000 years ago Dulnain Bridge was covered by a sheet of glacier ice. As the ice moved along it ground down and shaped the rock. As the ice melted, it left smooth, exposed rock in some places and a mixture of boulder and clay in other areas.
2007 Protest
In 2007, nearly two hundred people from Dulnain Bridge and more from the surrounding area gathered to watch or take part in a protest march from the Dulnain Bridge village hall, across the bridge and through much of the village, before returning to the village hall. The protest took place on 5 July 2007.
The march was the result of a number of villagers' concerns about Dulnain Bridge's absence on official tourist literature and maps. The village was compared to fictional village Brigadoon
''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, ...
, a story about a village that appears just once every one hundred years. Organisers of the march spoke of how they thought Dulnain Bridge disappears from people's minds. The march was to raise awareness of the village.
The march was the start of a campaign to get Dulnain Bridge 'on the map'. "The problem for residents is that, like the mythical village of Brigadoon, Dulnain Bridge keeps disappearing from the map," opined one resident. Villagers were disappointed by the village's absence from the map of the Outsider Festival that took place in the Highlands.
Notable personalities
The village has had a few well known residents including Charlie Whelan
Charles Alexander James Whelan (born 3 February 1954, north-east Surrey) is former political director of the British trade union Unite. He rose to prominence as spokesman for Labour politician Gordon Brown from 1992 to 1999. He has also worked ...
, who worked as an assistant to Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
for several years, before opting to move north."Scottish property in brief: Charlie Whelan; Adrian Pocock"
(23 March 2008) London. ''The Sunday Times''. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
Wildlife
![216 The village hall (l) and church (r)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/216_The_village_hall_%28l%29_and_church_%28r%29.jpg)
The surrounding forests of Caledonian pines contain many rare species, including birds such as the endangered
capercaillie and the main population of twinflower - ''
Linnaea borealis
''Linnaea borealis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae (the honeysuckle family). Until 2013, it was the only species in the genus '' Linnaea''. It is a boreal to subarctic woodland subshrub, commonly known as twinflowe ...
'' is found in Curr Wood on the southern side of the village. There are
Scottish crossbill
The Scottish crossbill (''Loxia scotica'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, and is the only terrestrial vertebrate species endemic to the United Kingdom. The Scottish ...
s,
crested tit
The crested tit or European crested tit (''Lophophanes cristatus'') (formerly ''Parus cristatus''), is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and north ...
s,
buzzards
Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey.
''Buteo'' species
* Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'')
* Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'')
* Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'')
* Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'')
* Eastern ...
,
golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...
s and, most famously in the Dulnain Bridge area,
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
s.
Red squirrels also reside in the woods.
References
External links
{{Wikivoyage-inline
Dulnain Bridge WebsiteAuchendean Lodge B&B and Self Catering FlatMuckrach Lodge Hotel and Restaurant websiteVisit Scotland
Populated places in Badenoch and Strathspey