After two days in the Scottish Highlands, we spent our final two days heading south back towards Edinburgh to finish off our trip. But before leaving the Ballater area, we stopped at a location where we could go on
two short hikes along two intersecting rivers. We then made more stops at
Devil’s Elbow, Alyth Burn and the village of
Meigle before reaching
Blairgowrie where we would stay that night. Finally, on the last day of our trip, we toured
Scone Castle and grounds and the sculpture trail in
Perth before staying our last night near the Edinburgh airport in preparation for flying home the next morning.
It was a very pretty drive where we saw some gorgeous vistas and a few ornate bridges including the cast-iron 1905 Edward VII bridge which is painted bright white. We passed by but did not have time to stop at the Mar Lodge Estate which is now one of the UK’s largest national nature reserves with the Mar Lodge, a former late 19th century hunting lodge, now serving as a heritage centre.
Our first hike was on the
Linn of Dee trail which is a short scenic walk through forested pine woods towards and then along the
River Dee where dramatic river views can be found. The full trail is 3.5km while a shorter loop is 1.5km. Since we were pressed for time before we had to head to our next destination, we took the shorter route so that we could also go on the second hike.
Once we reached the River Dee, we stood on large rocks as we watched the rush of the cascading water flowing towards a swirling pool where the water hit a dead end and then flowed outwards again. There were also small waterfalls, caverns, and caves. At one end of an old stone bridge, we found a gravestone that marked the spot where two people accidentally drowned in 1927. This caused us to step back a bit as we were taking our photos. Rather than going through more forest to create a longer loop, we doubled back to the starting point which also led to the start of the second hike.
Glen Lui Hike is a short 2.8km loop through more beautiful pinewoods, this time along the
Lui Water (a smaller river that intersects with the larger River Dee). This hike involved following a gently rising path into the forest while peering through the trees to see the river below. We did not catch sight of it but there is supposed to be a manmade salmon ladder somewhere on the river. We did spot of at least one waterfall and mountain views as we neared the end of the route.
Devil’s Elbow is a famous double-hairpin bend on an old section of the A93 highway, located just south of Braemar above the Cairnwell Pass. It is the highest main road in the United Kingdom. Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth II drove on this road enroute to Balmoral in the 1960s, as documented by a commercial postcard. In 1971, the A93 was upgraded to bypass this notorious turn but the original route is still available for people to walk or cycle on. A viewing point with curved benches and informational signs describing the history were added in 2016. We saw several sheep calmly grazing by the viewing point, turning what was once a dangerous and thrilling drive into a pastoral scene.
We made a quick stop at the village of
Alyth to take some photos of a small, picturesque stream called the
Alyth Burn which runs through the middle the town. Colourful buildings on both sides that reflect in the water give the scene a canal-like feel. The burn starts from the Forest of Alyth northwest of the town and flows into the River Isla a couple of miles downstream for a total distance of about 13km. Four bridges cross the burn within the village including old stone bridges and a smaller metal bridge.
Trees, Benches and street art line the burn at the heart of the town where shops, restaurants and a hotel can be found. On a side street, we found a shop that offered
restoration of classic cars and found a garage full of very cool vehicles including a vintage Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, a classic Volkswagen Beetle, and more.
The
Meigle Sculpted Stone Museum contains 27 carved
Pictish stones created mostly between the 9th and 10th centuries with a few dating as far back as 700AD. The Picts were ancient people who inhabited northern and eastern Scotland and consisted of various groups that might have been descendants of native tribes from the Iron Age. Meigle was a religious centre with an important Pictish church and also associated with the ruling aristocracy. Many of the stones are thought be tombs created after the Picts became Christianized. Monumental stone slabs were carved with Pictish motifs including geometric symbols such as “V-rod with crescent” which might represent lunar cycles, and double disc with Z-rod which might have been used for timekeeping.
There were also representations of
warriors in battle or hunting scenes, some on horseback, and
animals including an adder, salmon, wolf, stag, cat, and an eagle.
Mythical beasts included sea monsters, dancing seahorses, coiled serpents, dragons, griffins and more. The later stones marking the Christian period of Pictish sculpture start to include images of Celtic crosses and other Christian imagery including lion-like creatures that might be references to Daniel and the Lion. Some carvings show humanoid figures with animal-like characteristics. The most iconic image is the “
Pictish Beast”, described as a hybrid creature with a dolphin-like snout, a crest or mane rising from its head, and spiraled feet and curly tail.
The style of the stones seemed to change in the later centuries, veering away from the upright, vertical tombs towards
recumbent tombs that were meant to lie flat or rest horizontally. Intricate carvings can be found along the long sides. One stone seems to depict images of cattle, maybe pointing to farming. There is at least one example of a “
hogback” tomb, which is a specialized type of recumbent tomb with a humped, curved ridge resembling a hog’s back. It is thought that these tombs were influenced by the Vikings and made to mimic Viking-era houses.
One of the most interesting and detailed stones in the collection has several interpretations. The initial academic reading interpreted this as a biblical scene of Daniel in the lion’s den. However, from the 16th century, local folklore and now some current historians claim that it is King Arthur’s consort
Guinevere that is being torn apart by lions. Legend has it that Guinevere was kidnapped and raped by Arthur’s nephew Mordred, which was considered shameful. To save his honour, Arthur had Guinevere killed. The claims are that this stone marked her final resting spot and proves the existence of Arthur and Guinevere is perhaps more than just a myth. This was a fascinating museum and it was amazing to see such a vast number of stones that are still so intact with the original carvings still so clearly visible.
Leaving Meigle, we headed to the town of
Blairgowrie which we chose as a location to stay overnight before our last full day in Scotland. But we arrived so late that there was not enough time to go on the small hike that we had planned. Instead, we checked into our accommodations at the
Old Cross Inn, then wandered to the main street to look for a place to eat dinner. We spotted
Jahangir Indian Restaurant and decided to try that. This turned out to be a really good meal that was highlighted by
haggis pakoras, the perfect blend of Indian and Scottish flavours. Throughout our Scotland trip, we ate haggis often and in many forms including pan-fried and in Balmoral Chicken, but this was a new spin! We also ordered a kebab sampler plate consisting of chicken&lamb tikka, seekh kabab (spiced minced meat) and a King prawn kebab. For mains, we shared chicken korma and tandoori salmon on pilaf rice with a side of okra. For starch, we tried another speciality, which was
naan stuffed with minced lamb. For our last meal on the road before returning to Edinburgh, we at like kings and queens.
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