__NOTOC__ The Hermitage (officially The Hermitage pleasure ground) is a

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organ ...

-protected site in

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

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 ...

. Located just to the west of the A9, it sits on the banks of the

River Braan The River Braan ( gd, Breamhainn) is a tributary of the River Tay in Scotland. Within the county of Perth and Kinross, it flows 11 miles (17 km) eastwards from Loch Freuchie, near Amulree, and joins the River Tay near Dunkeld. Etymolog ...

Craigvinean Forest Craigvinean Forest is located one mile west of Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, on the A9. It is accessed through a track at the foot of Deuchary Hill. The River Braan bisects the forest, which forms part of the Tay Forest Park, o ...

. It was created by John Murray, the third

Duke of Atholl Duke of Atholl, named for Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male of h ...

, who lived in nearby Dunkeld House (demolished in the early 19th century),Trust Walks: "Dunkeld and The Hermitage
," a

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

by the National Trust for Scotland; 27 June 2009 in the 18th century to honour the blind bard

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined under t ...

. It is home to the Georgian follies

Ossian's Hall of Mirrors Ossian's Hall of Mirrors is a Georgian structure located at The Hermitage in Dunkeld, Scotland. History of the site The original view-house The Hermitage and Ossian's Hall of Mirrors was originally an unremarkable view-house in a position ...

and Ossian's Cave. The hermit's cave was built around 1760 for the third Earl of Breadalbane, who unsuccessfully advertised for a permanent eremite. The guide in 1869, Donald Anderson, dressed up with a long beard of lichens and clothes of animal skins.Holder, Geoff (2007). The Guide to Mysterious Perthshire. Stroud : Tempus. . p. 113. Also in its grounds are several

Douglas-fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...

trees — one of which was the first tree in Britain to reach in height. Known as the Hermitage Douglas-fir, it eventually reached a height of ."Britain's tallest tree is 209ft Douglas fir"
- ''The Telegraph'', 25 February 2009 The tree was blown over due to high winds in the early hours of 13 January 2017. Thought to have been planted in the 1750s, it was, therefore, around 267 years old at the time it fell. Visitors to the site can undertake various walks. The most popular walk is the -long journey to Ossian's Hall. Wheelchairs are accommodated via a pass-for-all route. There is also a link to a thirty-mile network of footpaths beyond The Hermitage to various parts of Dunkeld. These paths date back to the 18th century. Originally, the popular riverside path purposely deviated away from the river at about a half-mile from the

car park A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surfac ...

. This was to build up the visitors' anticipation for the

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

(the Black Linn Falls) that is to be found a short distance ahead. Another path, running parallel to the riverside path, is wider, the purpose for which, it is believed, was to accommodate

horse and carriage ] A horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English and American English) refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two h ...

s. Hermitage Bridge (Dunkeld, Scotland), Hermitage Bridge, dating from 1770, is located nearby. Standing next to it, and appearing to be growing ''out'' of it, is a

Cedar of Lebanon ''Cedrus libani'', the cedar of Lebanon or Lebanese cedar (), is a species of tree in the genus cedrus, a part of the pine family, native to the mountains of the Eastern Mediterranean basin. It is a large evergreen conifer that has great religi ...

, which is believed to be the oldest tree at The Hermitage.

Hermitage Bridge

File:Ossians Hall and Hermitage Bridge (geograph 2800072).jpg, Hermitage Bridge (Dunkeld, Scotland), Hermitage Bridge, with

on the left, in 2012

Views of Ossian's Cave and Craigvinean Forest

File:Ossian's Cave front, The Hermitage.JPG, The entrance to Ossian's Cave Image:Hermitage, Dunkeld2.jpg, The rear of Ossian's Cave

Ossian's Hall

File:Ossian's Hall, Perthshire.JPG, thumbnail, Ossian's Hall File:Ossian's Hall, The Hermitage, Perth.JPG, The path up to Ossian's Hall File:Ossian in Ossian's Hall, The Hermitage.JPG, An image of Ossian on an internal door

References

External links

OutdoorScotland.co.uk''Walking in Perthshire Big Tree Country''
- Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust {{DEFAULTSORT:Hermitage, The National Trust for Scotland properties Forests and woodlands of Scotland Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Protected areas of Perth and Kinross