Kinnoul Hill Explore Point

The steep slopes of Kinnoull Hill and its cliff-top tower are unmistakeable landmarks to the east of Perth and are the most prominent aspects of Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park. Though only 222m high, from the summit of the hill there are magnificent views - east along the Tay estuary towards Dundee, and north to the Cairngorms and Grampians. Closer to home to the west are outstanding views over the Tay to the city of Perth. This woodland right on Perth's doorstep is an ideal location for a wide range of outdoor learning.

The Park includes not only Kinnoull Hill, but also the slightly higher Deuchny Hill. Kinnoull Hill has forest paths and open areas of mature woodland where group activities can take place. On the south side of the hill lie steep cliffs dropping down to the Tay. On top of these cliffs is the Kinnoull Tower, a romantic folly. There is an arboretum, where a collection of unusual conifers grow. Deuchny Hill is also the site of a Bronze Age fort.

Our approach to this topic is rather different from that for other topics. There are many excellent existing resources to help teachers plan teaching and learning activities in a woodland setting. Rather than reproduce these, we provide a list of relevant resources to allow teachers to make their own choices and select the most appropriate resources for their class when visiting Kinnoull Hill.

Practical information and facilities at Kinnoull Hill

• You can download a useful and up to date leaflet with a map of Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park here: http://www.kinnoull.org.uk/index.htm
• General information about the Park can be found here:

http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/visit/kinnoull-hill and http://www.kinnoull.org.uk/index.html

• There are numerous images of the view from the summit of Kinnoull Hill, including a photosphere, available on Google maps.

General background information

• On Kinnoull Hill you can find a range of different habitats: coniferous woodland, broadleaf woodland, rocky cliffs and open moor. This variety provides environments for a diverse range of wildlife: roe deer, red squirrels, jays, greater spotted woodpecker, peregrines, ravens.
• In the 1920s a collection of exotic conifers was planted on Kinnoull Hill. This collection, known as an arboretum, was restored recently thanks to money left by Perth naturalist Jim Aitken.
• On the south side of Kinnoull Hill there are steep cliffs. In the early 1800s the cliffs reminded local landowners of crags topped by castles on the German river Rhine. They decided that Kinnoull Hill needed its own romantic folly, and built the Kinnoull Towers as well as towers on Binn Hill to the east. They also built a stone table for picnics.
• Also on the cliffs is a small, inaccessible cave known as the Dragon Hole. St Serf is said to have killed a dragon here in the 6 ^th century. Later on it was the location for religious processions, and is said to have contained an enchanted stone which made its owner invisible.
• There is a path over Deuchny hill known as the Coronation Road. This is the route said to have been taken by kings and queens travelling from Falkland to Scone, the traditional coronation place for Scottish monarchs.
• At Corsiehill Quarry by the car park you can see interesting geological features which include lava flows, mineral crystals and polygonal cooling columns.