With the first significant snowfalls of the season blanketing the hills of Highland Perthshire, I sought refuge from this early cold snap in the still autumnal arms of Laggan Wood.
Spreading a golden hue over Glen Lednock, to the north of Comrie, the forest’s sheltered tracks and trails rise to Lord Melville’s Monument before descending below falling leaves and larch needles to the Deil’s Caldron waterfall and, further downstream, the equally enchanting Wee Caldron.
Heading out of Comrie in bright but bitterly cold conditions, I followed the main road east to a cluster of cottages at The Milton where a track strikes north, ascending by a monument in the field on the left into Laggan Wood.
My time in the trees was, for now, brief for the track soon left the plantation, at a cattle grid, continuing over open ground, pushing up through a shallow valley flanked by slopes of heather and bracken.
While I would return to Laggan Wood in due course, further up the glen I encountered a less traditional, perhaps more personal form of foresting.
Part of Teaghlach Wood known as Whispering Wood is home to native trees, such as oak, birch, ash and rowan, a leafy legacy planted by individuals or families as memorials to loved ones or to mark special occasions.
Passing through Balmuick Farm beyond, I continued along the track to the next steading where I branched left through a wooden gate, a grassy path descending over grazing land to the River Lednock.
Slender Shaky Bridge offered just a hint of wobble as I spanned the water and a path on the far bank led me up to Monument Road.
Briefly tramping tarmac, a stile on the left lifted me over the roadside fence, a path beyond climbing through swathes of dying bracken on to Dunmore, a wee hill atop which stands one of the area’s most prominent landmarks
Lord Melville’s Monument, a 20-metre high obelisk, was erected in 1812 by friends to commemorate the life and works of advocate and Tory politician Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, who died the previous year. His country home was at Dunira, a couple of miles from this elevated spot.
Below the granite needle, a viewpoint indicator guides the eye to peaks as distant and as diverse as East and West Lomond, in Fife, Ben Cleuch, the highest of the Ochil hills, and, to the west, the snow-capped Munros of Ben More and Stob Binnein.
A zig-zagging trail descends steeply through larch and pine to Monument Road and, a little way to the south, a trail with intermittent steps drops to a wooden platform overlooking the Deil’s Caldron.
Cascading down through a narrow cleft in the rock, the waterfall enters earshot well before it is seen, at which point it does its utmost to assault both senses with an awesome display of natural power.
Legend has it that the inky pools are home to a water elf said to lure unwary visitors to a turbulent death. Thankfully both path and viewing area are well fenced in here.
Down the valley, a loop on the left offers an optional detour to the Wee Caldron, a succession of smaller falls, before the trail drops through the trees to Comrie and, at the end of School Road, a path leading back to the car park.
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ROUTE
1. Exit car park on to A85 and walk 500m east along pavement.
2. Turn left at The Milton and ascend track (signed for Monument Road), going left where track forks.
3. Bear right and follow track north to Balmuick then continue for 500m to cottage.
4. Go left through gate opposite cottage and, staying left of fence, descend to river. Cross Shaky Bridge and ascend path to road.
5. Turn right and, in 200m, go left over stile, ascending path to track bend. Bear left and continue up path to meet track again. Turn left.
6. Go left on woodland path (signed Melville’s Monument) to monument.
7. Descending from monument, go right on path descending to road then turn right and walk 150m south.
8. Turn left (signed Deil’s Caldron), descend steps and follow woodland path south.
9. Turn left into Comrie. Go left along School Road and then path, following signs for Laggan Wood, to car park.
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INFORMATION
Distance: 8km/5 miles
Ascent: 300m/990ft
Time: 3 hours
Grading: Moderate route, primarily through woodland, following tracks and paths with good signage. There are some strenuous ascents and steep descents along the way
Start/finish: Laggan Car Park (signed for golf club and recycling point) accessed from A85 at eastern end of Comrie (Grid ref: NN 776223).
Map: Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger sheet 51 or 52; Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer sheet OL47
Tourist Information: Crieff iCentre, Old Town Hall, High Street, Crieff PH7 3HU (Tel 01764 652578)
Public transport: Stagecoach bus service 15 runs from Perth to Comrie
