Falls of Bruar and Cuilltemhuc, Perth and Kinross
The circuit of the Falls of Bruar is a popular but all too brief circuit enjoyed by thousands every year, often as a time-out from the retail attractions of the House of Bruar.
For those looking for a longer walk, however, there are plenty of options using the falls as a starting point and following one of the many trails through the woods.
The three waterfalls were a mere trickle during our recent excursion, but the onset of the change from summer to autumn colours in the trees was a consolation, and the relatively dry underfoot conditions on the wood and moorland paths most welcome.
An information board at the Lower Falls details a visit by Robert Burns in 1787, after which he wrote a verse in the character of the river asking the Duke of Atholl to consider providing tree cover along the then bare banks. That wish was granted, but only some ten years after the bard’s death.
The Duke planted more than 100,000 trees and created a wild garden in Burns’ memory, including the stone bridges and a number of wooden viewing houses, which no longer remain, along the path. It’s intriguing to think what the view would be like today had it not been for Burns’ heartfelt appeal.
We ignored the bridge crossing at the Lower Falls and stuck with the path heading up the left-hand side to the Higher Falls before crossing the bridge there. The path then went briefly uphill before swinging south to reach a junction where we took the track heading left into Baluain Wood.
A short distance further on, at another junction, we went left, rising on a stonier track section through the trees until arriving at a high metal gate. The track continued, softer and muddier now, but this marked the switch to Glen Banvie Wood.
As the trees started to thin at the northern edge of the wood, we picked up a track heading north-east across open moorland. The old boundary walls of field systems and shielings dotted the landscape along the Water of Bruar, including the remains of a settlement at Ruichlachrie.
The track led down to the water, the stone stumps of a former bridge standing like sentinels guarding the old house of Cuilltemhuc on the other side. There was no need of a bridge though: the water was so low it was more like a boulder field and we walked straight over without wetting our boots.
The single storey building stands intact although it is boarded and locked. Cuilltemhuc translates as the pig’s nook, and it’s not hard to imagine wild boar roaming this windswept corner.
One of the former residents was known as the ‘laughing man of Cuilltemhuc’ due to the fact he was said to have been spotted sitting naked in a water trough laughing uncontrollably. No reason was ever given for this curious behaviour although it is suspected an illicit still may have been involved.
The view from the house stretches all the way up Glen Bruar to the Munro summit of Beinn Dearg, the blue sky and white cotton-wool clouds accommodating a rather benign profile on this approach.
We turned south on the Bruar track, the sunshine and dark, gathering clouds to the west delivering a spectacular contrast in tone. There was a little bit of uphill at first but then the track meandered along the edge of the wood, eventually dropping towards Calvine where we could see and hear the distant traffic buzzing up and down the A9.
There’s a Wade road here which can be followed back, but we cut east sooner on another track along the treeline which shrank to a path into the trees before rejoining the Falls path we had set out on.
The only thing left to do was join the throng for some light refreshments. It would have been rude not to.
ROUTE
- Exit House of Bruar car park at north end and take signed path for Falls of Bruar.
2. Don’t cross stone bridge after Lower Falls but stay left on rougher path to Higher Falls.
3. Cross stone bridge and follow track as it turns south, then go left on track into Baluain Wood.
4. At track junction go left heading through trees. As it rises, the track changes from stony to grassy and passes through high metal gate into Glen Banvie Wood.
5. After emerging from wood, follow track north-west down to Water of Bruar and cross to reach the old house of Cuilltemhuc.
6. To return, take estate track running south for 5.5km, over open ground at first then by edge of wood.
7. When track starts heading down towards A9 and just before a small building, go left through a high metal gate and follow rough track along treeline.
8. After another gate, stay right and descend to path entering wood for short distance before linking with Falls of Bruar path and follow back to parking.
