Introduction
This evening I am connecting with my post of 20/02/08 relating to the village of Dunkeld in central Scotland. This action is taken in recognition of Dunkeld recently being voted the ‘best place to live in Scotland’ by the Sunday Times newspaper.
Rationale for top ranking.
Criteria include:
- Rural setting and quaint layout.
- Proximity to nature and top-notch food scene.
- Good connections (rail and road) to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth.
- Easy access to nature with countless walks, including those in and around Hermitage Forest.
More information on Dunkeld
Combined with adjacent Birnam, the population is about 1200.
The name is derived from ‘Fort of the Caledonians’ which, together with archaeology, indicates a history dating back around 2000 years.
Dunkeld is a functioning country town with an ancient cathedral. Superimposed on the town are a wide variety of facilities for tourists including hotels and accommodation, specialist shops and restaurants.
The key attraction for the tourist is the town’s central location. Dunkeld provides access to Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews (golf), Perth, Loch Tay, Fort William and Loch Ness.
Adjacent to Dunkeld is the village of Birnam where further hotels and accommodation are available plus an arts and conference centre together with a Beatrix Potter exhibition. (Beatrix Potter took holidays in the region during her early life and obtained inspiration in the locality for her children’s books.)
An important visitor site is that of Dunkeld Cathedral. This was built on an early Christian site dating from around AD 570 and subsequently evolved into an important site by the 9th century. Further enlargement occurred but the building suffered serious damage during the Reformation in 1560 when the roof was removed. Now partly roofed and open to visitors.
For golfers there is an 18 hole course at the Dunkeld & Birnam Golf Club.
More information for the visitor
For more information on Scotland please refer Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4. This publication is also available via Kindle.