Quarrymill Woodland Park

Overview

The wooded valley at Quarrymill has three excellent waymarked walks, a wealth of natural attractions and many wheelchair accessible facilities.

In days gone by this spot was a busier, noisier and more industrious place. As the name suggests, stone was quarried here to provide building material for local houses. Watermills were erected to harness the force of the running water from the Annaty Burn and so grind bone meal, spin cotton and extract starch from potatoes.
Today, the millpond is home to mallards, moorhen and tufted ducks feasting on the ample supply of Canadian pondweed available all year round. Dippers live along the edge of the burn, so called because of their characteristic bobbing motion as they bounce in search of water insects that live under the stones. Bluebells carpet the woodland floor beneath the old beech trees and red squirrels make good use of the cones from the Scots pines. These trees were planted in the 1930s by eminent local businessman and philanthropist Arthur Kinmond Bell of Bells Whisky fame.
Two of the walks within the park have been specially laid out for wheelchair users and there are also viewing platforms and picnic areas.
For those wishing a slightly longer walk, the path through Quarrymill leads to the suburb of Scone and Scone Old Parish Church. In the churchyard stands a monument to botanist David Douglas (1799 -1834). Douglas was born in Scone and became one of the greatest plant hunters and explorers of Americas northwest. He introduced more than 200 new plants to Britain, including some of the most important trees in our countryside and many commonly grown garden plants. Tragically he died young, gored to death by a wild bull in Hawaii.
Staff at Perth Tourist Information Centre can provide further details of the Quarrymill walks.