Monday 27 April 2026 - Branklyn Gardens and Kinnoull Hill

We've visited Branklyn Gardens in Perth before. They are a special place. Many of the plants originated in the Himalaya and the Alps, and were introduced here by the Renton family from the 1920s to their death in the 1960s. Now successfully managed by the National Trust, the gardens are thriving. Here are just a few of the photos from my camera. More will follow in due course. 

After an hour in the sunny garden, coffee and scones outside the café were most welcome. 

Just outside the garden, a sign advertising 'Kinnoull Hill 2.5km' couldn't be resisted, so we set off on a well maintained trail through sunlit woodland.

A tower came into view at the top of a cliff. We would reach that later.

Far below, the River Tay and the M90 motorway flowed side by side.

The summit of Kinnoull Hill tops out at a modest 222 metres, but is in such a position that many of the Scottish mountains can be seen.

The onward path to the tower passes through more woodland, fresh foliage glinting in the sunshine.

There are more good views from the tower. If you visit this page later you may discover some history...

The 'Red Trail' led us in a circuit back down to the gardens, via an unexpected swarm of Leopardsbane. 

Here's our route - 6.2 km with nearly 300 metres ascent, taking us 2¼ hours.

I had the Merlin bird calls App turned on today. Here's what it heard. (I wish I could actually see just a fraction of the birds on this list!)

Jackdaw

Carrion Crow 

Magpie

Willow Warbler

Garden Warbler

Chiffchaff

Bullfinch

Greenfinch

Goldfinch

Chaffinch

Blue Tit 

Coal Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit 

Treecreeper

Goldcrest 

Song Thrush

Blackbird 

Blackcap

Dunnock

House Sparrow

Gadwall

Stock Dove

Collared Dove 

Wood Pigeon

Siskin

Wren

Robin

I also saw the following, as well as some of those above, in Glen Uig yesterday:

Oystercatchers

Pheasants

Partridge 

Grey Wagtail

Pied Wagtails (on the lawn outside)

Mallards

Others in our party have also heard cuckoos

Buzzards

Osprey

I wonder whether the latter two had a hand in the dead carcases I passed in the Glen?