Duchally Lodge, Gleneagles

Exclusive 3 Bedroom Cottage on a Quiet 5* Country Estate -  Swimming Pool - Sauna - Spa - Gym - Bar - Restaurant

                                                                            Prices from only £600 / week

Perthshire offers many wonderful places to walk relax and watch local wildlife; red squirrel and roe deer are always easy to spot. Perthshire is known as “Big Tree Country” and is renowned for unique woodland heritage and a magnificent landscape of high mountains, tranquil lochs and glens and clear rushing burns.

Perthshire is packed with High and Mighty Trees including the following:

•Tallest Hedge in the World (Meikleour beech hedge, H 30m, L 530m)

•Oldest Living Thing in Europe (Fortingall Yew, estimated 3000 to 9000 years old!)

•Largest Yew in Europe (Fortingall Yew Girth 17m!)

•One of the 5 tallest trees in Britain (a Douglas Fir near the Hermitage, H 64.5m!)

Wherever you venture in Perthshire, you will feel close to the richness of the natural world. Mountain, glen, river, loch and wood - each has it’s own magic and is home to an astonishing variety of species.

There is plenty of drama away from the woodlands too. The mighty river Tay runs through Perthshire from its source to the sea and together with its tributaries, is home to significant populations of salmon and otter. Many lochs attract breeding pairs of osprey, including Loch of the Lowes, near Dunkeld. To the south, Loch Leven National Nature reserve is a wildlife hotspot of global importance form ducks and other wildfowl.

The action continues in the uplands. In October the haunting roar of stags echoes throughout the hills and glens as the red deer rut gets into full swing. Golden eagle and other birds of prey soar and hunt over vast tracts of high country. On the moorland, wild flowers flourish and red grouse and ptarmigan make their home.

Red Squirrel

Perthshire woodlands are a stronghold for this handsome mammal, now endangered in most of Britain. In Autumn the reds can be seen busily storing seeds nuts and fungi for the harsh winter ahead, to later retrieve these snacks. They move through the finest branches with grace and range in colour from  blonde red through to deep dusky red, depending on the season. They are also fantastic swimmers!

Where to watch: Cluny House Gardens, by Aberfeldy; Atholl Estates (Red Squirrel Trail), Blair Atholl; Loch of the Lowes Nature Reserve, by Dunkeld; Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park, Perth, and Moncrieff Hill, by Perth.

Wild Atlantic Salmon

Leaping salmon provide one of Scotland’s most imnspiring wildlife dramas. These magnificent fish can swim for weeks against the current, tackling challenging waterfalls en route. Perthshire boasts several fine salmon leaps, all of which are easily accessible. October and November are the prime times for salmon leaping, but they can be seen any time from April onwards. The fish are active after heavy rain, especially straight after a dry spell.

Where to watch: Buchanty Spout, on B8063, Glen Almond nr Crieff; Linn of Tummel, nr Pitlochry; Falls of Braan at the Hermitage by Dunkeld and the River Ericht, Blairgowrie; Pitlochry Dam and power station has a built in fish ladder with viewing panel - an average of 5000 wild salmon pass through each year!

Deer

Red deer are Britain’s largest native land mammal and herds roam wild in the hills and glens of Perthshire. Autumn brings the rutting season with stags competing for the hinds. Roe deer are smaller, less gregarious and are present in large numbers in woods throughout Perthshire. Fallow deer, distinguished by having a tail and antlers, can sometimes be seen around Dunkeld.

Where to watch: Reed deer can sometimes be seen by hill walkers on the main Perthshire ranges from Spring to Autumn. Glen Lyon and Atholl Estates are good places to hear the rut. In winter, herds move lower and are often spotted foraging for food besides the A9 north of Blair Atholl or near the A93 in upper Glen Shee. Roe deer are visible throughout the year . Pitlochry and Dunkeld waymarked walks and Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park offer a good chance of a sighting.