The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Black Castle When a plague ravaged the land
Location: Perthshire Grade:
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PITLOCHRY has a great network of paths, and on the excellent local Pitlochry Walks Network leaflet you can see how they radiate out from the town, enabling you to get into attractive countryside very easily.
This route heads north to the village of Moulin, passing an ancient castle, before returning by a different route and including a riverside walk to finish.
The route out of Pitlochry passes behind the imposing
Atholl Palace Hotel, which with its towers and turrets is often mistaken by visitors for a castle.
The walk takes in a path known as Lovers’ Lane which passes the hotel’s herb garden – worth a look if you are interested in herbs.
At the end of Lovers’ Lane, look for the sign pointing left to ‘Moulin via Caisteal Dubh’. This path gives great views of
Ben Vrackie, the ever-popular Corbett which rises north-east of Pitlochry.
Follow the path to another junction with a footbridge and go straight on along the field edge, diverting to walk across to the ruin of Caisteal Dubh, the Black Castle.
It dates back to the 14th century but in about 1500 a terrible plague swept across the area.
A rumour spread that the plague had reached the castle and it was burned down by locals in an attempt to keep the plague at bay.
Moulin is a very attractive wee village. It was originally a more important place than Pitlochry, at a time when glen floors were avoided as through routes, being generally heavily wooded, often wet and a hiding place for wild beasts and felons.
Main roads went across the hill slopes, and the road north passed through Moulin (which means ‘the place of the mill’).
This being the case, a defensive stronghold was naturally needed, hence Caisteal Dubh.
The Moulin Inn is very welcoming and offers refreshments all day (depending on Covid restrictions) and across the road from it the former church is now a heritage centre.
The route out of Moulin passes a small brewery, one of the first to be set up in Scotland (there are now over 100).
If it is open you can take a tour and maybe pick up one of their craft beers to take home with you.
The minor road which you now follow gives excellent views down across the town and also looking north towards Killiecrankie, with the wooded Craigower (another fine walk) to the right.
The walk passes an attractive pond called The Cuilc and