Scottish Towns - Amulree

Scottish

Towns

Amulree - History

From Gilmerton on the A85, take the A822 to Aberfeldy. After about a mile, past the summit of the hill on the right is the Foulford Inn, originally a hostelry for drovers and then a coaching inn detailed on maps as far back as 1754.
Just over a mile past the Foulford Inn is the junction with the B8063, a strategic site chosen by the Romans for Fendoch Fort. That and the Roman watchtower on a hilltop west of the layby, guarded the Romans' tenuous occupation of southern Scotland from the marauding northern tribes. Very little evidence is left of the fort - just a flattened field-top about 700 yards to the east of the road junction.

A very worthwhile diversion can be made down the B8063 to the first T-junction ( 1.5 miles). A narrow track leads from the edge of the car park down to the rocky bed of the River Almond and the site of the famous salmon leap, Buchanty Spout. If you can't manage to get there in September/October to witness the awe-inspiring sight of the salmon fighting their way up through the gushing torrents, the Spout is still well worth a visit. Don't miss looking over the bridge itself, but beware if you suffer from vertigo!
Back on the A822 again the road dips down into the Sma' Glen and you are following in some very famous footsteps indeed. Through this narrow defile marched Malcolm III of Scotland (1058-93) to recover his kingdom from the usurper Macbeth. Shakespeare's account owes very little to history but the Famous Birnam Wood lies close to Dunkeld, some 15 miles further on.

After holding his war council in Crieff the ill-fated Bonnie Prince Charlie also marched through the glen on his way to the infamous massacre at Culloden (1746). It is one of history's many ironies that the Prince used this road that was built in 1730 by the English General Wade for the express purpose of crushing the rebellious Scottish clans.
The grandeur of the pass is breathtaking and in September the vivid purple of the heather completes the picture of the ideal Scottish glen.

At the northern end of the glen, keep an eye out for Clach Ossian or Ossian's Stone. This is an 8 feet high monolithic stone on the right of the road sited where the river and road almost touch and which is reputed to be the burial place in about 300AD of the legendary Gaelic bard Ossian. He was the father of Fingal (immortalised in Mendelssohn's "Fingal's Cave" overture) and the grandfather of Comhal.
Whilst numerous place-names in the area refer to these early tribal chieftains, history and legend are so intertwined that the truth will doubtless remain forever shrouded in the winter mists of the glen. The introductory quote from Sir Walter Scott's poem on Ossian shows that at least HE believed the legends!
Half a mile from Clach Ossian lies a picturesque lay-by with picnic tables, an information point and toilet facilities. Right on the edge of the River Almond this is an ideal spot to rest and explore. The water is shallow, crystal clear and icy cold - indicative of its source high up in Creag nan Eun.

Upriver from nearby Newton Bridge lies Wester Glenalmond which stretches almost through to Loch Tay. In the mid 1750's the whole of this glen was one continuous mixed forest whose seclusion and cover made it ideal for caterans (Highland marauders), outlaws and, at a later date, smugglers.
A private road runs up the glen (walkers only!) and half way along, opposite the farm steading of Conichan lies Thieves Cave at the head of Altt Coire Chultrain. It is thought that this was the site of Caterans' Cave, a favourite hiding place for up to "three score rievers." Its last known occupant was one Alistair (Sandy) Bane, a one-time cattle drover turned cateran who was eventually hanged at Perth for sheep stealing. His last known foray at the head of a sixty-strong gang was in the Buchanty area.
Not far from Thieves Cave there was a church called Kirk on the Green where 120 of the glen's young men took the sacrament before setting out for Culloden. A mile past Conichan is the remains of Clach Na Tiompan, a chambered cairn dating back to 2000-3000BC.

Crossing Newton Bridge the main road climbs out of the Sma' Glen. 200 yards on, look to the left for the remnants of General Wade's road and Bonnie Prince Charlie's route - a tiny bridge over a burn at the roadside and the track delineated by boulders leading up over the moor.
Even though moorland and field are fenced, beware of stray sheep! In Scotland they have legal right of way and have a nasty habit of hiding round corners!

A few miles further on you will see on the left of the road a large clump of Scots Pine shielding Corriemuckloch Farm which was an inn in the mid- 1700's much frequented by cattle drovers and excisemen. The field before the farm is called Tollpark Field and was where the cattle drovers rested their herds whilst on their way to the trysts (cattle markets) at Crieff or Falkirk.
Corriemuckloch is now home to a large herd of Highland Cattle, many of which are reared for overseas export. Look left after you have passed the farm and you should see some fine examples.

The next sign of habitation on this lonely road is the clachan (hamlet) of Amulree itself, set almost 1000 feet above sea level. The name derives from the Gaelic Ath Maolruibhe - Ford of Maolrubha; Maolrubha being one of St. Columba's monks who came to Scotland circa 650AD.
Amulree is very close to the geographical centre of Scotland and as one of the oldest cattle trysts in the country was no stranger to the mournful lowing of thousands of black Highland cattle, the barking of dogs and the Gaelic curses of drovers as they marshalled their huge herds ready for the sales.
When the Crieff Tryst replaced that at Amulree the cattle would be driven down through the Sma' Glen and at times up to 30,000 beasts were grazed in the fields around Crieff. Herds were brought in from as far afield as the Western Isles, travelling about 12 miles a day. With the advent of hard-surfaced roads periodic shedding of the cattle was necessary to prevent their hooves being worn down.
Food for the drovers was spartan - oatmeal being the staple diet. En route, cattle would frequently be relieved of a small amount of blood which was caught in a bowl of oatmeal, mixed and cooked over a camp fire - probably the forerunner of the black pudding that makes a Scottish breakfast Scottish!

On your journey through this most scenic area, rest where, in all probability, Prince Charlie rested - the Amulree Hotel. This oasis of the moors has been a haven for travellers since it started life in 1714 as a drovers' inn. It became a "King's House" on the Wade road and then evolved as a small coaching inn before being extended in the 1930's to its present size. The old photographs in the bar are of particular interest.

If you have a head for heights and hairpin bends then the 10 mile journey to Kenmore on Loch Tay via the spectacular Glen Quaich is a must! Backtrack to the beginning of Amulree and turn right. Immediately after turning look up to the left you will see the remnants of General Wade's road descending from the moor into the village.
The Glen Quaich road is single track with frequent passing places and quite a few blind summits, so careful driving is called for.
Isolated as it is (and frequently impassable in winter), this beautiful area was a favourite hunting ground of Scottish Kings - in 1372 Robert II signed a charter here.

It is difficult to believe but in 1746 there were no fewer than 1200 churchgoers in the glen and as in Wester Glenalmond one can see the evocative remains of many crofts. In the early 1800's about 300 crofters left the glen to resettle in Canada. After a three month voyage they colonised the Easthope area of Ontario and named their settlements Amulree and Glenquaich.
Two miles on you will catch your first glimpse of Loch Freuchie or Fraochie and half-way down the loch is a small crannog. Crannogs are man-made islands, many of which can be seen on Scottish lochs and which frequently are of prehistoric origin.
Associated with this crannog is the legend of a young man Fraoch who, at the request of the lady Maidh, went to the dragon-inhabited island to gather rowan berries. He successfully completed this task having evaded the dragon but the lady insisted that nothing would please her except that he return to her with the uprooted tree. On his second visit to the island he uprooted the tree but awoke the dragon. In mortal combat Fraoch's legs and arms were gnawed off by the dragon but he did manage to slay it. Maidh found them both lying dead, side by side on the shore. Seemingly true love never did run smooth!

The many crofters in the glen supplemented their meagre income with weaving, cattle droving and, of course, illicit whisky stifling. One famous tale relates how a party of crofters on its way south to sell whisky was confronted by the excisemen staying at the Corriemuckloch Inn. A pitched battle ensued and the crofters sank the whisky jars in a bog to the west of the inn and retreated to the safety of the glen. The jars may still be there!
At the end of the glen the road narrows even more and starts climbing and periodic stops may have to be made to open (and CLOSE) gates. Once you have negotiated the startling double hairpin bend (1st and 2nd gear!) the run to the summit is trouble-free. At the top, park in one of the small lay-bys and enjoy the magnificent view back down the glen.
Virtually all the hillsides around are grouse moors. The patchy effect is caused by the controlled burning of old heather to make way for the new growth and the young shoots on which the grouse feed. In the quietness you may hear the unearthly sound of the grouse - a deep-throated chuckle and gurgle whose volume is quite out of proportion to the size of the bird.