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A stream flows over mossy rocks through dense green woodland in Perthshire.
Perthshire

The Birks of Aberfeldy

The wooded glen of the Moness Burn above Aberfeldy, its birches and waterfalls made famous by the song Robert Burns wrote after his visit in August 1787.

Welcome

At the southern edge of Aberfeldy, the Moness Burn comes tumbling down a steep, narrow glen hung with birch, oak and hazel, falling from pool to pool over mossy rocks.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

In August 1787 Robert Burns walked up here on his Highland tour, and the song he wrote afterwards, The Birks of Aberfeldy, made the glen famous: birks is the Scots word for birches.

He is said to have found his inspiration resting on a natural ledge of rock on the east side of the glen, still known as Burns' Seat, and visitors can sit there today. Near the start of the walk, a statue of the poet sits on a bench.

The path climbs one side of the glen through the trees, with wooden bridges over the side burns, to a footbridge high above the Falls of Moness, where the water drops in a long white ribbon into the gorge, then comes back down the other side to the car park.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Before you go

Free, at any time.

A circular path climbs one side of the Moness glen to a bridge over the falls and comes down the other; it has steps and steep sections.

Where
Crieff Road, Aberfeldy, PH15 2BJ; the car park is at the foot of the glen.

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Did you know

A wooden staircase descends through ferns and dense woodland beside a gorge in Perthshire.
Did you know

Birks are birches.

Birks is the Scots word for birch trees, which fill the glen.

Water rushes over dark rock ledges in a wooded gorge in Perthshire.
Did you know

Burns' Seat.

Burns is said to have written his song resting on a natural rock ledge on the east side of the glen.

A waterfall cascades through a narrow wooded gorge framed by pine and birch trees.
Did you know

August 1787.

Burns came to the Den of Moness in August 1787, on his tour of the Highlands.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Perthshire

“Now Simmer blinks on flowery braes,/ And o'er the chrystal streamlets plays;/ Come let us spend the lightsome days/ In the birks of Aberfeldy.” So wrote Robert Burns, in his poem of the same name, and the birks (or birch trees) can still be visited on a winding circular walk through mature woodland.

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Where it is

On the southern edge of Aberfeldy, up the glen of the Moness Burn.

Close byAberfeldy.
  1. Aberfeldy Gallery shopfront with framed paintings displayed in the windowAberfeldy GalleryA gallery of Scottish art in the middle of Aberfeldy.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Aberfeldy Watermill Bookshop & Cafe, AberfeldyAberfeldy Watermill Bookshop & CafeUnder a mile 2 min by road
  3. The Tay Cafe & Takeaway shopfront with framed pictures and a chalkboard menu outsideThe TayA friendly cafe and takeaway on Dunkeld Street in Aberfeldy, with home cooking, Cullen skink, fish and chips, cakes and scones.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. Timber-clad Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters building with picnic benches outsideGlen Lyon Coffee Roastery and CafeA B Corp speciality coffee roaster on the edge of Aberfeldy, with a cafe at the roastery where the beans are roasted, brewed and sold.Under a mile 3 min by road
  5. Dewar's AberfeldyDewar's AberfeldyThe distillery built by John Dewar's sons in 1898.1 mile 4 min by road
  6. Castle MenziesCastle MenziesThe sixteenth-century seat of the Clan Menzies by Weem.2 miles 6 min by road
Directions
A red sandstone and grey stone Victorian house stands wreathed in morning mist, a shrub with orange autumn leaves in the foreground.AberfeldyThe House at Dun AluinnSleeps 18 · 0.9 miles
Moss-covered rock face carved into a profile among woodland foliageAttractionsSt David's Well1.4 miles
Red squirrel eating a nut among fallen autumn leaves on woodland grassAttractionsCluny House Gardens3.6 miles
The long whitewashed church of St Mary's, Grandtully, beyond a carved gravestone in the grass.AttractionsSt Mary’s Grandtully3.7 miles
Stone building with striped awnings and dormer windows under grey skiesRestaurantsGrandtully Hotel5.3 miles
The Grandtully, PerthshireRestaurantsThe Grandtully5.3 miles
Iain Burnett shopfront with Gifts & Chocolate Tastings signage and red postbox outsideCafeIain Burnett Highland Chocolatier5.3 miles
Kenmore Post Office and General Merchants behind a white picket fenceAttractionsKenmore6.5 miles
Sauna on a boat, PerthshireActivityHotBoat Sauna, Taymouth Marina6.5 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the Birks, and when each is next free.

A red sandstone and grey stone Victorian house stands wreathed in morning mist, a shrub with orange autumn leaves in the foreground.The House at Dun Aluinn
  • Sleeps 18
  • In Aberfeldy
  • Under a mile from the Birks
Check datesAn aerial view shows a stone and timber cottage with a round hot tub in the garden, hills rising behind a dry stone wall.Pheasant Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Kincraigie
  • 8 miles from the Birks
Check datesLittle Pheasant, PerthshireLittle Pheasant
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Perthshire
  • 8 miles from the Birks
Check datesA stone cottage with a gabled dormer window catches evening light among autumn trees, a bench and picnic table on the gravel outside.Charlottefield
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Tulliemet
  • 9 miles from the Birks
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in PerthshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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Read on

What we have written about it and more in Perthshire.

From the magazineA Family Stay in Rural PerthshireArticleAn autumn family break in rural Perthshire
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .