Craigvinean pine cone shelter overlooking Dunkeld (Copyright: Ronald Weir)
Every year, thousands of tourists make their way to New England, in the northeast corner of the United States of America, to witness one of nature’s most beautiful spectacles: New England in the fall. This part of the US is famed for its breath-taking autumn scenery, with the season’s turning leaves providing a vivid display that’s admired the world over. Often described in terms of ‘pyrotechnics’ and ‘fireworks’, this annual phenomenon is striking enough, and reliable enough, to draw tourists from all over the globe – often repeatedly. Visitor numbers peak from mid-September to early November, with tourists even planning their holiday around real-time foliage maps, or following the ‘turn’ as it spreads from the northern regions of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire down into Massachusetts, Rhode Island and along the coast. New England in the fall is definitely on most travellers’ to-do lists, and rightly so, but what if you’re looking for something comparable closer to home?
Kinnoull Hill, Perthshire (Copyright: Mike Bell)
In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of the word ‘staycation’, coined to describe the decision to stay on your own patch for a holiday, whether because you’re trying to save a bit of cash, have a young family who can’t yet endure long-haul without meltdown, or because you simply feel you don’t know your own country. For those looking for an autumn foliage staycation, there are few better places to make your temporary home than Scotland. Surprised? Take another look at these photos – they’re not taken in New England, but in some of Scotland’s most ancient and striking woodlands.
Admittedly, you won’t find the sheer acreage of deciduous woodland that you may witness in the US, but what you may lose in size, you gain in accessibility, beauty, biological diversity, and perhaps most importantly, ecological importance. For ancient oakwoods, incorporating oak, birch, holly, rowan and hazel, head to Taynish, to Loch Lomond, and to the woods of Glen Nant and Glasdrum, all within driving distance of Stirling. For birchwoods, explore Craigellachie – minutes from Aviemore – as well as Muir of Dinnet in Grampian. Our rarer, ancient ashwoods can be found in Glasdrum, the Clyde Valley Woods, and in Argyll’s Ballachuan Hazel Wood, which also offers the (often misunderstood) Atlantic Hazel. And you won’t just see trees either – ornithologists will be rewarded with rare bird sightings, while lepidopterists (moth and butterfly fans to the layman) have the chance to see some interesting species too – and that’s not even mentioning the rare and ancient ferns, lichens, mosses and liverworts for those with eyes downward. If you want to find out more about these locations and a little bit of habitat science too, Scottish Natural Heritage can tell you everything you need right here: www.snh.gov.uk/about-scotlands-nature/habitats-and-ecosystems/woodland/
Loch Faskally, Pitlochry (Copyright: Perthshire Picture Agency)
For those who are just plain giddy about the sheer spectacle of ‘leaf peeping’, there is enough going on in Scotland to make your foliage staycation an annual event. And if Stirlingshire is your base, you needn’t stray far. Perthshire has even earned itself the title ‘Big Tree Country’, where you can find Europe’s oldest tree, the world’s highest hedge, and Shakespeare’s Birnam Wood in present day. You may even want to take part in the Tree Hugging World Record attempt on 1 December this year. Whatever your focus, if you’re planning the ultimate autumn holiday for next year, you probably want to prioritise the stunning and easily accessible sites recommended for leaf peeping by www.perthshirebigtreecountry.co.uk, as well as the new and interesting ways they suggest to view them too. Hot air balloon, anyone? Genius.
So, isn’t it time we saw our own country’s autumn in a new light? Instead of boarding a cramped and expensive flight to add some much-needed colour to the shortening days, why not plan the holiday of a lifetime right here in Scotland, and pay attention, for once, to the burnished tapestry of our very own beautiful, wild and ancient landscape.
Thanks to www.perthshirebigtreecountry.co.uk for permission to use images from their library.