"Dunkeld - great history in a small town" Dunkeld by ettiewyn

Dunkeld Travel Guide: 13 reviews and 41 photos

Dunkeld was my first stop on my first tour in Scotland, so it was the first place I saw out of Edinburgh. And I think it is really suitable for a stop, I liked it very much and despite being so small, it has some interesting and beautiful thing to offer. We only spent about an hour in Dunkeld and its surroundings, so I am sure there are things we missed, but it still was a pleasant stop and enough time to take in the main sights and the calm atmosphere of the town.

I wondered why such a small town as Dunkeld had such an important status in the past, and reading about it I understood why. It is located right between the highlands and the lowlands, and so it was a perfect meeting place for highlanders and lowlanders, and the markets here were among the most important in Scotland, as they were the place of transit for goods from the highlands that were brought to the harbours of the lowlands.
Dunkeld was founded by Celtic monks who established a monastery here and later built the cathedral which in the middle ages was the most important cathedral after Glasgow and St Andrews. It was destroyed during the reformation, but still retains an impressive atmosphere.

Even apart from its history, Dunkeld is a nice place to visit. The cathedral is just beautiful to look at, idyllically located among green lawns and trees, on the banks of the River Tay. The town itself is very pretty with houses from the 17th and 18th century that have been preserved and restored. Close by is the Hermitage, a wonderful walk to the pretty Black Linn Falls - this romantic setting was one of the favourite haunts of some Romantic writers and painters.

As I said, I went to Dunkeld on a guided tour, but it is served by trains and busses from Perth and Inverness and thus is accessible by public transport.

Dunkeld was the first stop of a guided tour I did from Edinburgh, called "Highland Lochs, Glens and Whisky". If you would like to continue on the tour with me, visit the next stop, my Pitlochry page.

Pros and Cons

Pros:A very pretty town with a great cathedral and nice walks
Cons:Too many cars parking on the streets
In a nutshell:Well worth a short visit and a fantastic stop on the way to the highlands!

Last visit to Dunkeld: Feb 2012
Intro Updated Jul 8, 2012
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Reviews (5)

Dunkeld Cathedral Things to Do (4)

The cathedral is Dunkeld's main highlight, although most of it is only in ruins today. It is hard to believe that such a... more travel advice

The Hermitage Off The Beaten Path (1)

The Hermitage is an area close to Dunkeld, and if you are visiting this region, you really should not miss it! There is... more travel advice

Stroll around Dunkeld town Things to Do (4)

A stroll around Dunkeld is really worth it, there are many nice buildings. Dunkeld is popular because of its... more travel advice

The market square Things to Do (4)

Dunkeld has a small and pretty market square with a traditional market cross made of stone. This was one of the first... more travel advice

Travelogues (1)

Written Jul 7, 2012

8 photos

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Comments (3)

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Trekki Sep 4, 2012 at 3:54 AM

I smiled when I read the name: in German it sounds almost fitting: Dunkel, the forest around the cathedral :-) Lovely village and I also like its history :-))
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  ettiewyn Sep 4, 2012 at 11:43 AM
  
  I never thought about this, but it's right! :-) Thank you for visiting this page, and more of my small Scotland pages :-)
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HORSCHECK Jul 29, 2012 at 3:06 AM

Awesome little page about a town between the highlands and the lowlands. :-)
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globetrott Jul 7, 2012 at 7:40 PM

Dunkeld is one of the places I also enjoyed very much in Scotland !