Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

Scone Palace, Perth, Scotland

 This evening, I am focusing on Scone and Scone Palace near Perth in central Scotland. ( Note the Scone is pronounced ‘Scoon’.)

The Palace (above) is the home of the Earls of Mansfield and dates from around 1805. This property is open to the public where a wide range of objects comprising furniture, paintings, porcelain and other objects d’art can be viewed. Facilities available to visitors also include a Pinetum with 186 year old Douglas Fir, gardens, woodland, a maze and even a few peacocks.

Apart from the Palace, the surrounding grounds are of great historical interest for the following reasons:

• There was a power base here which, allegedly, formed the capital of Pictavia around the 9th century. ( The Picts were native people who controlled large areas prior to consolidation of the country under the Scots.)
• It is the site of a 12th century Abbey, since destroyed.
• Here can be found Mote (or Moot)  Hill which was the crowning place of Scottish kings from the 9th to 13th centuries. Coronations entailed the new king sitting on a sandstone block known at the Stone of Destiny which was stolen by invading English and for some 700 years held in Westminster Abbey but now resides in Edinburgh Castle.
• The last king to be crowned here was Charles II in 1651.

Here is a replica in situ of the Stone of Destiny.

Stone of Destiny, Scone Palace, Perth

 Here is the Mercat Cross from the old village of Scone. The old village was removed to make way for the Palace. In the Middle Ages such crosses were common in Scottish towns and cities as focal meeting points for public announcements and trade and business.

Mercat Cross, Scone, Scotland

Overall, an interesting visitor attraction.

Ossian's Hall, River Braan, Scotland

This evening, I am focusing on the Falls of Braan at Ossian’s Hall near Dunkeld in Central Scotland.

This site attracts about 200,000 visitors each year no doubt influenced by scenic attraction and proximity to the A9 main north-south tourist route.

Key facts:

• Site is known as the Hermitage but most visitors rarely get beyond Ossian’s Hall and the Falls of Braan
• Was part of an 18th century designed landscape under ownership of the Duke of Atholl who owned (and whose descendants still own) vast tracts of central Scotland.
• To access the site entails a pleasant walk of about half a mile along the wooded banks of the River Braan, one of Scotland’s shortest rivers with a length of about 80 miles. The path navigates through the tallest grove of Douglas Firs in the U.K. These were planted in 1920 and may well last for another 300-400 years.
• One of the trees near the Falls has a height of about 200ft and ranks as one of the tallest trees in the U.K.
• During the season salmon can be be viewed trying to jump the falls, an endeavour which always ends in failure.
• Ossian’s Hall ( see image above) was built as a summer house in 1758. Nearby, a stone bridge was built over the river in 1770, ostensibly to enhance the natural attractions of the site.
• Ossian is a character from Irish mythology. In 1760 one James McPherson, a local tutor, gathered local legends and dedicated (attributed?) same to Ossian. The Duke of Atholl duly dedicated the building next to the falls to Ossian.
• The Hall has recently been re-built to incorporate the original series of experiences which mirrors and skylights would have afforded visitors in the 18th century. However, the hall is essentially a viewing platform for the spectacular falls.

Here is a clip  of the falls in full spate.

Falls of Braan, Ossian's Hall, Scotland

Whenever possible  include a visit to the falls in my tours  of the area.

Carving Detail, Pictish Carved Stone, Meigle

 This evening, I am reverting to a Pictish theme and in particular the collection of 33 carved stones at Meigle in Perthshire, Central Scotland.

The Picts were one of the earliest peoples of Scotland living to the north of Forth and Clyde estuaries. They were first recorded by the Romans in AD 297  as Picti or ‘Painted People’. Our knowledge of the Picts is scant because they appear not to have used a written language but they have left a stunning legacy in the form of carved stone monuments a feature of which is the high level of artistic skills which have produced a combination of distinctive abstract symbols ( known variously today as crescent and V-rod, double disc and Z-rod) with more recognisable carved images representing animals, fish and birds. The earliest stones date from around the 6th century AD with Christian iconography becoming prominent from the 8th and 9th centuries.

Presumably, Meigle must have been an important power base and/or religious centre for the Picts due to te high concentration of carved stones found there, all of which were found in the churchyard or fabric of the church.

Here is a rare carving of a cat. The county of Caithness is derived from the feline.

Feline Carving at Meigle Carved Stones, Scotland

 Impressive carved Christian cross.

Pictish Carved Stone, Meigle, Scotland

 Early Christian era cross.

Pictish Carved Stone, Meigle, Scotland

Pictish Carved Stone, Meigle, Scotland

 Z-rod and disk symbols.

Pictish Carved Stone, Meigle, Scotland

I find the Picts to be a fascinating people and endeavour to introduce tour guests to suitable sites in order to ‘connect’ with this distant era in Scotland’s past.