Fungarth Hill

Overview

The track leading out from Dunkeld to Fungarth Hill was once part of an old public highway and is now an easy going and popular walk.

In May the woodland floor is covered in bluebells. The lower slopes of Fungarth Hill are home to an area of juniper trees, one of the three native Scottish conifers and now relatively uncommon in Scotland. Juniper is naturally slow growing and does not regenerate easily, being under constant grazing attack from nibblers such as rabbits, deer and sheep. Juniper berries are used to produce gin and, in days gone by, juniper was renowned for its wonderful medicinal properties. In the north of Scotland the berries were added to hot whisky and used to treat snakebite victims.
Further on, the walk skirts the scenic and hilly Dunkeld Golf Course, before arriving at the nature reserve of Loch of the Lowes. Fringed by vegetation and woodland, this tranquil loch is not readily accessible from the roadside however there is an excellent Scottish Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre with observation hides close by. The centre is well signposted off the walking route. Loch of the Lowes is home to breeding osprey and a vast array of wildfowl and woodland birds.
Fungarth Hill Walk is part of the Dunkeld and Birnam Waymarked Walks network. An informative leaflet is available from Dunkeld Tourist Information Centre.