Dunkeld

Dunkeld (, Scots: Dunkell, from Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundary Fault, and is frequently described as the "Gateway to the Highlands" due to its position on the main road and rail lines north. Dunkeld has a railway station, Dunkeld & Birnam, on the Highland Main Line, and is about 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of Perth on what is now the A9 road. The main road formerly ran through the town, however following the modernisation of this road it now passes to the west of Dunkeld. Dunkeld is the location of Dunkeld Cathedral, and is considered to be a remarkably well-preserved example of a Scottish burgh of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Around twenty of the houses within Dunkeld have been restored by the National Trust for Scotland. The Hermitage, on the western side of the A9, is a countryside property that is also a National Trust for Scotland site. Over the centuries there have been several bridges linking Dunkeld with neighbouring Birnam, and the current bridge, designed by Thomas Telford and financed by the 4th Duke of Atholl, was completed in 1809.