Perthshire in the Scottish Highlands: The world's most unlikely place for a safari

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This was published 6 years ago

Perthshire in the Scottish Highlands: The world's most unlikely place for a safari

By Steve McKenna
Updated
The landscapes of the Perthshire high country.

The landscapes of the Perthshire high country.Credit: Visit Scotland

At the crack of dawn on a midsummer's Sunday, in the gorgeous, mountainous green countryside of Perthshire, I pull into the tiny, ever-so-sleepy hamlet of Dull. Paired with the town of Boring, Oregon, US and the shire of Bland in NSW, Australia, Dull is a proud member of what has been dubbed the League of Extraordinary Communities (or, say some wits, the Axis of Banality or the Triumvirate of Tedium).

Waiting for me is George Macdonald, a kilted Scotsman sporting a red-and-silver beard, piercing blue eyes and the keys for a hardy-looking Land Rover. A wildlife ranger for 30 years, George is taking me on a mountain safari that promises to show off the far-from-yawnsome nature and scenery of this often-overlooked region of Scotland's Southern Highlands, a half-hour drive west of Pitlochry (and 90 minutes from Glasgow).

"Oh, it must be rush hour," jokes George, as we pull onto the B846 to find two cars whizzing past us, on the opposite side of this winding country road. The road is edged by farms and lush grassy meadows where cows and horses are grazing (incidentally, it's thought that, while Boring and Bland were named after early residents, William Boring and William Bland, Dull got its name from the old Gaelic word for meadow).

The ptcture book perfect town of Kenmore reflected on Loch Tay.

The ptcture book perfect town of Kenmore reflected on Loch Tay.Credit: Alamy

We're soon meandering through Kenmore, a cute village of stone cottages and alpine-chic lodges by the banks of Loch Tay, a brooding slither of water that snakes 23 kilometres towards Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park (a favourite weekend getaway for Glaswegians, immortalised in the poetry of Sir Walter Scott). I peer down at Loch Tay, through knots of birch, oak and elder trees, as we zigzag up a vertiginous one-lane road, and wonder out loud if there's a Nessie-like monster lurking in there? "Oh, no," says George says. "But there's said to be kelpies (shape-shifting sea horses)."

It doesn't take long for real, living, breathing creatures to catch our eye. A mountain hare, fast and sleek, dashes beside our vehicle as we veer onto an unpaved track over rugged, windswept, drizzled-on moorland strewn with thickets of thistle and heather (which won't be at its blooming bonnie – beautiful – purple best until August; we're here in July). A buzzard flashes past, other birds begin to trill sweetly ("Curlews," George says). Common sandpipers, crows, pheasants and oystercatchers appear, as do a family of grouse (I can't help wondering how they'll fare on the so-called Glorious Twelfth, the first day of the grouse-shooting season, which runs from August until December).

While a pair of rabbits do a merry dance close by, George parks, hands me his binoculars and pointsto a cluster of larch trees. Hovering there, her calf tucked behind her, is a mother roe deer, her glare fixed on us, curiosity seemingly piqued. We admire her for a few minutes, then leave her in peace, and venture deeper into the moors, with the panoramas – and the weather – changing every few minutes. George waxes lyrical about everything from animals' breeding habits and conservation to the region's myths, legends and cinematic prowess. Scenes from Outlander, the hit TV period drama, set during the 18th-century Jacobite Risings, were shot in Perthshire, including around Glen Lyon, often touted as Scotland's "longest, loneliest and loveliest" glen (steep-sided valley).

Red deer are the largest indigenous mammals on the British Isles.

Red deer are the largest indigenous mammals on the British Isles.Credit: Paul Tomkins / Visit Scotland

We glimpse the glen, Loch Tay and Kenmore, resembling a tiny model village, from one captivating vantage point (about 700 metres in altitude), where George stops the vehicle. Apart from the occasional gust of wind, and chirping birds, there is just silence. It starts to brighten up, too. Having been largely dreich (a popular Scottish word to describe wet, cold or gloomy weather), shafts of sunlight beam onto the forested hillsides in the distance and a double rainbow arches dreamily above. "On a clear day, the views from up here are spectacular," George says. "You can see so much of Scotland; the highlands, the hills outside Edinburgh, even Ben Nevis (Britain's highest mountain, almost 100 kilometres away as the crow flies)."

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I'm jolted out of my reverie when George spots some red deer – the largest indigenous land mammal on the British Isles since the demise of brown bears and woolly mammoths. Dozens of these majestic creatures – stags, hinds and their baby calves – glide gracefully across a mountain slope about a hundred metres away. Scanning the skies, George ratchets up the drama by revealing there's a golden eagle in our midst. Even without the binoculars, I can see it, soaring above, wings stretched perhaps two metres wide, maybe angling for its breakfast. George says deer calves (as well as rabbits, hares, lambs and the like) can fall victim to eagles' ferocious talons – apparently, 10 times more powerful than the average adult human hand. I'm relieved when the eagle swoops away in the opposite direction of the deer herd, though I do wonder about this bird of prey's own prospects of survival. It's heading towards a flurry of modern wind farms, and George had told me earlier that many birds are shredded by the whirring turbines of these controversial power-generators.

George announces it's time for a brew. He whips out a flask, and makes us both a soothing cup of tea, which I enjoy with some scrumptious shortbread from Kenmore's baker, followed by a wee, body-warming dram of the local Dewar's whisky. Then we return to civilisation, and smooth, paved roads, passing a couple of sheep farmers riding quad bikes (the first humans we've waved at today).

Arriving back in Dull, at the neat wooden headquarters and cafe of Highland Safaris, I tuck into a hearty Scottish breakfast – eggs, Ayrshire bacon, Perthshire sliced sausage, black pudding and baked beans – along with a flat white made with beans sourced from Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters, a company based in the neighbouring market town of Aberfeldy. Refreshed, and eager to see more of the Perthshire countryside, I hire a mountain bike and George's colleague, Sandy, another affable kilted Scotsman, transports me, and my wheels, into the hills above Dull for some self-guided downhill cycling.

Tackling a mix of off and on-road trails, I breeze past rolling green landscapes scattered with pine and fir forests, frigid lochs and snug, cottage-blessed hamlets. Everything looks idyllic, especially when the sun appears. Unfortunately, it soon disappears behind a cloud and I think I feel drizzle in the air. I'm not too despondent, however. I'm reminded of something George told me. "Don't like the Scottish weather, laddie? Don't worry – wait five minutes and it'll change."

Steve McKenna was a guest of Visit Scotland and Highland Safaris

Emirates flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Glasgow via Dubai.

TOUR

Highland Safaris runs a variety of tours in the forests and mountains of Perthshire, as well as cruises on Loch Tay. Prices are £40 ($66) for adults, and £25 ($42) for children, the Land Rover mountain safari departs daily at 9.30am and 1.30pm, though private tours can be booked earlier. The company also has a Red Deer Centre (where you can see the deer up close ) at its Dull base. See highlandsafaris.net

STAY

The five-star Fonab Castle Hotel, just outside Pitlochry, is a 30-minute drive from Dull. Bed and breakfast is from £189 ($314). See fonabcastlehotel.com

Situated by the historic Kenwood Hotel, Kenwood Luxury Lodges has accommodation from £132 ($220). See kenmoreluxurylodges.co.uk

FIVE MORE THINGS TO DO IN PERTHSHIRE

PITLOCHRY

With its distilleries and tearooms, craft stores and acclaimed waterfront theatre, and abundance of pretty stone Victorian architecture, this is a contender for Perthshire's most charming town. See pitlochry.org

BLAIR CASTLE

Visitors can nose around this 700-year-old country pile – the seat of Clan Murray – and also explore the sprawling castle estate, where you'll find an enchanted forest, deer park and a Georgian walled garden with landscaped ponds, a Chinese bridge and fruit orchard. See blair-castle.co.uk

HOUSE OF BRUAR

At arguably Scotland's most esteemed department store, you can shop for classic souvenirs and keepsakes (think: the finest Scotch whiskies and cheeses, cashmere scarves and tweed jackets). It's just off the main A9 road, 10 kilometres north of Pitlochry. See houseofbruar.com

MUNRO-BAGGING

Scale a Scottish mountain of more than 914 metres and you can boast you've bagged a munro. One of Perthshire's most enticing peaks is Schiehallion (1083 metres), a conical landmark that looms over Loch Tay. It usually takes four to six hours to walk up and down. See walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire

GLENEAGLES

Scotland bills itself as the home of golf, and Perthshire has its fair share of illustrious courses on which to play a round. There are three championship courses open to the public at Gleneagles – as well as the lure of luxury accommodation, Michelin-starred dining and other country pursuits such as shooting and fishing. See gleneagles.com

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