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Hazel
Song History
Birks O
Aberfeldie
A simple brief
thought on Scottish
Independance.

Were the outdated
union not of some very
high value to England and
the English, why would
they fight so to try to
keep it?

There are only so many
slices to a pie, for one to
have more, another must
have less.

Lastly - to those Scottish
"Loyalists" - to whom are
you loyal?
Scots royalty died in the
1700's so it can be no
Scots crown - And
certainly not it appears to
those who came before,
that bled for Scotland
and her freedom !  
In the words
of Burns, as he
wrote from the heart.

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victorie.

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power,
Chains and slaverie.

Wha would be a traitor-knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a Slave?
Let him turn and flie:

Wha for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Free-man stand, or free-man fa',
Let him follow me.

By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your Sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!

Lay the proud Usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us Do - or Die!!!

Choose your destiny.
The braes ascend like lofty wa's.
The foaming stream deep-roaring fa's
O'erhung wi' fragrant spreading shaws
The Birks of Aberfeldy
from The Birks o’ Aberfeldie by Robert Burns










The valley in which the Birks lies was shaped during the ice
age, with the river Tay running through its centre. It contains
one of the tributaries of the Tay – the Moness Burn – and the
site has been a scenic walk for more than two centuries.
Originally known as the Den of Moness, the Birks aquired
the recent name thanks to the song penned by Scotland’s
national bard, Robert Burns in August 1787.

The Birks owes its popularity, at least in part, to Burns who
is said to have found inspiration whilst resting in a small,
naturally formed seat in the rock at the side of the gorge.

Much of the gorge is designated as a Site of Specific
Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its botanical interest and it is
likely that there has been continual woodland cover for up
to 8000 years. In common with The Hermitage and the Falls
of Bruar, the site was managed as a woodland garden with
viewpoints and summerhouses from the 18th Century
onwards.
The site was gifted to the Town Council in 1914, and later
came into the care of Perth and Kinross Council.
Follow in the footsteps of the bard through the Birks – Scots
for birch trees (Betula pendula) – which still cloak the steep
slopes of the Moness gorge, along with oak (Quercus robur),
ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and elm (Ulmus).
Divided into two sections, the first walk through the Lower
Birks begins just off the town square, on the road to
Kenmore and follows a tree trail, as planted by Bobby
Masterton, Cluny House Gardens, in the early 1960s,
containing a wide range of exotic specimen trees.

The longer Upper Birks walk begins on the other side of the
A826 road to Crieff, from the carpark. The narrow path
climbs to a bridge directly above the Falls of Moness, one of
the most accessible waterfalls in Big Tree Country,
providing spectacular views into the gorge.

Thanks to natural shelter, the Birks offers a rewarding place
to visit even in poor weather, when heavy rainfall makes the
falls especially impressive. The area is arguably at its finest
either on a spring morning as sunlight filters through the
trees or wrapped in its cloak of autumn colours.

Considerable measures to conserve and protect the trees,
improve access and upgrade way marking and
interpretation will be carried out in as part of the Heritage &
Access Project. This will include a freshly laid out and
planted Tree Collection, designed to complement the other
interesting collections of trees at Cluny House Gardens and
Weem Wood.
Visit any time of year.
Moderate-going walk of 2.5 miles/ 4 km.