Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Almond

Almond, a river of Perthshire, rising in the SE corner of Killin parish, within 3 miles of Loch Tay, at an altitude of 2750 feet, and running eastward and east-south-eastward over a distance of 30 miles. It either traverses or bounds the parishes of Monzie, Crieff, Fowlis-Wester, Methven, Redgorton, and Tibbermore, and finally falls into the Tay 2¼ miles above Perth, and nearly opposite Scone. Its vale, Glenalmond, is for a long way strictly a glen, narrow and stern, overhung by lofty heights. Part of it, indeed, is a chasm or romantic pass, with breadth of bottom sufficient only for the river and a road, and with flanks of bare rocky cliffs rising to the height of from 1000 to 3000 feet above the level of the sea: here is the ancient stonefaced excavation, believed by some-Wordsworth among their number-to be the resting-place of Ossian. The lower half of the river's vale is flanked only by hills, braes, and undulations, and presents a cultivated aspect. That part immediately below the pass contains two ancient Caledonian stone circles, several ruined ancient fortalices, and the Scottish Episcopal College. A spot further down, 2¼ miles NNE of Methven, is said to be the grave of ' Bessie Bell and Mary Gray, ' famed in pathetic ballad. Lynedoch House, ½ mile lower down, was the seat of General Graham, Lord Lynedoch (1750-1843), the hero of Barossa. The river abounds in small trout.—Ord. Sur., shs. 47,48,1869-68. See pp. 213,214 of Dorothy Wordsworth's Tour in Scotland. (ed. by Princ. Shairp, 1874).


(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a river"   (ADL Feature Type: "rivers")
Administrative units: Killin ScoP       Perthshire ScoCnty

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