Tag Archives: Myths and Legends

Faskally’s Enchanted Forest

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Faskally's Enchanted Forest

You’re probably wondering where the hell Faskally is, and to be fair it would have probably been regarded as just another Scottish Forestry woodland before the millennium, but since 2002 it has become quite an attraction – and in this post I’m going to explain why.

Located about a mile north-west of Pitlochry in Perthshire, Faskally Wood is part of the Tay Forest Park and managed by the Forestry and Land Scotland (formerly the Forestry Commission). Like many of Scotland’s forests, Faskally includes a number of fast growing non-native conifers such as fir, larch and spruce which were planted to replenish stocks decimated by two world wars, but there are also a variety of native trees such as Scots pine, oak, beech and wild cherry.

With many specimen trees and more than 200,000 acres of woodlands, Perthshire is known as Big Tree Country, and as you can imagine, the county becomes a riot of colour in the Autumn – and it was mainly for this reason that we chose to spend my birthday here back in 2009.

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Originally posted 2024-11-15 10:52:04.

Wistman’s Wood

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Wistman's Wood

Nowhere conjures up the spooky mood of Dartmoor more than Wistman’s Wood.

Legends abound about how this small remote wood of dwarf, stunted oak trees hanging with beards of lichen and moss have attracted ‘Wisht Hounds’ – a “pack of huge black dogs with blood red eyes, huge yellow fangs and an insatiable hunger for human flesh and souls” according to Legendary Dartmoor.

On a more down to earth level Wistman’s Wood is one of the highest oakwoods in Britain and is pretty difficult to walk through due to the clitter (granite boulders) that is scattered amongst the trees.

Although the wood is in a remote location it can be easily reached from Two Bridges via a well designated footpath which shouldn’t take any longer than half an hour.

On a summer’s day it’s a pleasant walk alongside the West Dart River, but even at this time of the year you need to keep your eyes open for adders (Britain’s only poisonous snake).

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Originally posted 2019-10-17 15:54:01.

Kitty Jay’s Grave

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Kitty Jay's Grave

Dartmoor abounds with tales and legends, and none more so than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s book, The Hound of the Baskervilles. It is said that the inspiration for the book was his spooky experience of the area around Hound Tor, and anybody who has been on Dartmoor on a dark foggy night will understand exactly how he felt.

Less than a mile away from the tor is Kitty Jay’s Grave which has a tale of its own, and although it has been embellished by some over the years, this is not a fictional story, but one that still evokes the spirit of Dartmoor in a way that is every bit as mysterious as Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous book.

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Originally posted 2021-04-25 10:05:39.