Meikleour – The World's Tallest Hedge and Lunch in an Old Mill
A few hours.
The route
The Meikleour Beech Hedge is a wall of beech beside the A93 north of Perth, planted in 1745 and recognised as the tallest hedge in the world.
It's a sight to pull over for, and it goes well with lunch at the Tickled Trout, in an old whitewashed mill by the River Almond.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Murrayshall in Scone, 6 miles away.
The day
Meikleour
A late morning beside the great hedge at Meikleour, then a drive over the Tay to a warm lunch on the edge of Perth.
Meikleour Beech Hedge
An attraction
The hedge lines the A93 between Perth and Blairgowrie by the village of Meikleour, with a layby at its southern end reached from the northbound side. It runs about 530 metres and stands about 30 metres high, rising to 36 metres at the northern end, and it has held the record since 1966. Robert Murray Nairne and his wife Jean Mercer planted it in the autumn, but Robert did not see it grow: he was among the Jacobites at Culloden the next spring, and Jean left Meikleour for Edinburgh. Trimming it is about six weeks' work for a team of four. In winter the leaves turn brown and thin enough to see through, until it greens again in spring. It's a busy road with fairly narrow verges, so take care. Meikleour village is half a mile on, up the minor road from the northern end.
About 20 min by car
Tickled Trout Café
Lunch
The Tickled Trout fills a long whitewashed mill by the River Almond at College Mill Trout Farm, Almondbank, with parking at the mill. Inside are scrubbed tables, leather sofas and a stove, and a water channel runs right through the building. Have soup and a sandwich, then home baking and coffee. Dogs are welcome.
If it rains
The hedge is seen from the layby in any weather.
The Pitcairngreen Inn, a restaurant in Pitcairngreen.
