Scottish places of Interest. The Monument and the Deil’s Cauldron.

A granite obelisk atop Dùn Mòr (English: Great Hill) to the north commemorates Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. It was designed by James Gillespie Graham in 1812. This monument is reached via a woodland trail through wooded Glen Lednock (Gaelic: Gleann Leathad Cnoc) in which is found the Slocha’n Donish or De’ils Cauldron (also known as the Falls of Lednock).

The trail begins in the village, at Laggan Park (Gaelic: An Làgan Mòr – The Great Basin) and ascends through a native forest of pines, oak, elm, ash rowan, alder and beech to Glen Lednock. Via The Shaky Bridge (although the original shaky bridge was replaced with a decidedly less shaky successor), hikers are treated to a splendid view of the glen, a truly Highland landscape, where a single-lane road leads up to Glen Lednock Reservoir and the Munro, Ben Chonzie. From there Dùn Mòr and the Monument are easily reached, offering unparalleled views across Strathearn and further west to the central Highlands.

A swift descent (or ascent depending on the route chosen) leads through a long, steep, wooded gorge containing the impressive De’il’s Cauldron. Here the river has cut a high, cascading waterfall in the surrounding rock, with pools below resembling a boiling cauldron. It is said that a water-elf, Uris-chidh, lives here and tries to lure victims into the treacherous waters. The path down leads to a lesser companion to the great falls, The Wee Cauldron, with a calmer view of the river. The path through the forest eventually returns to the village.