Mountains and big tree country - Ben Lawers, The Hermitage and Killiecrankie, Perthshire

Grade of trips and walks - easy

We explore the beautiful mountain plants and elusive mountain birds of the Ben Lawers NNR. David Mardon, the property manager, also gives us a talk on mountain plants at Ben Lawers visitor centre plus slide presentation. A habitat restoration project on Ben Lawers is at the forefront of conservation work to restore the high altitude communities of flowering plants and montane scrub. We explore the achievements of the trust and look at these practical projects on Ben Lawers which has been described as one of the most outstanding botanical sites in Europe. David Mardon, as Ben Lawers developed monitoring of the tiny populations of some of the rarest species in the early 1980’s such as alpine forget-me-not and alpine gentian.

We take a trip down the Tummel valley with its dramatic gorges and whirlpools, with old oak and ash trees, followed by a botanical foray at Killiecrankie with its rich pastures The Hermitage, supports the tallest trees in the country and is a dramatic backdrop for the many pools and waterfalls with the old follies and bridges. The River Tay is a significant salmon river and it supports a wide range of wildlife with otters, wildfowl and natural habitats which support the famous MacBeth’s oak, a huge straggling oak some 3m in girth in Birnam.

We also visit the Scottish Wildlife Trust osprey’s at the Loch of the Lowes near Dunkeld. We are also able to see great crested grebes, little grebes and teal, mallard, tufted duck and Canada Geese here. The surrounding woodland and grassland habitats are beautiful at any time of year but early spring is best to see the migrants arriving and the frequently heard chiff chaff and cuckoo.

The area behind Loch of the Lowes is a mixture of woodland and moorland and is important for its merlin and hen harrier which breed on the open hillsides and moorland. There are extensive day walks from Dunkeld into this area which is a mosaic of small lochans, hills and heathland which adds to its biodiversity. This part of Perthshire is also blessed with small outcrops of limestone with some areas of limestone pavement, a true hidden gem.

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