Dulnain Bridge
Encyclopedia
Dulnain Bridge is a village in Strathspey
, next to the meeting of the River Dulnain and the River Spey
, three miles south-west of Grantown-on-Spey
, in the Scottish Highlands
and the Highland
council area.
and Morayshire are separated by the bridge, which has existed for centuries.
The village lies near to the A95, in the Cairngorms National park. The village comprises two communities. Dulnain Bridge itself is centred to the north of the bridge, and this particular part of the village lies in Morayshire.
The crofting community of Skye-of-Curr stretches for a mile to the south, and this is in Inverness-shire.
The village hall and church are located on the main road in Dulnain Bridge, next to the village shop and garage. On the other side of the main road is the river, with Dulnain Bridge over it. On the other side of the bridge is a park and children's playground.
There are several golf courses in the area around Dulnain Bridge, including the Boat of Garten
course, which has been rated as the 39th best in Britain.
Archie is a highland cow
who resides in the front field at Muckrach Lodge Hotel. He has made a picture-postcard setting for nearly ten years.
The council describe it as a 'collection of implements from a bygone age' and the machinery is donated by local residents. Moray, Badenoch and Straphypey Enterprise assisted the creation of the project.
, a steam train that runs to Broomhill (Dulnain Bridge) through part of the Highlands from Aviemore
and a whole trip takes around an hour and a half, and is run primarily by volunteers. The society has plans to extend the railway beyond Broomhill to Grantown on Spey, another 4 miles north, and so to provide a service for locals as well as tourists.
ish carved stones nearby and two Stone Age coffins were found in the 1880s in a burial cairn in Curr Wood.
At the north end of the village sit a display of glaciated rocks called the roche moutonnée
s. Around 18,000 years ago Dulnain Bridge was covered by a sheet of glacier ice. As the ice moved along it ground down and shaped the rock. As the ice melted, it left smooth, exposed rock in some places and a mixture of boulder and clay in other areas.
In 2007, nearly two hundred people from Dulnain Bridge and more from the surrounding area gathered to watch or take part in a protest march from the Dulnain Bridge village hall, across the bridge and through much of the village, before returning to the village hall. The protest took place on 5 July 2007.
The march was the result of a number of villagers' concerns about Dulnain Bridge's absence on official tourist literature and maps. The village was compared to fictional village Brigadoon
, a story about a village that appears just once every one hundred years. Organisers of the march spoke of how they thought Dulnain Bridge disappears from people's minds. The march was to raise awareness of the village.
The march was the start of a campaign to get Dulnain Bridge 'on the map'. "The problem for residents is that, like the mythical village of Brigadoon, Dulnain Bridge keeps disappearing from the map," opined one resident. Villagers were disappointed by the village's absence from the map of the Outsider Festival that took place in the Highlands.
, who worked as an assistant to Gordon Brown
for several years, before opting to move north.
_and_church_(r).jpg)
The surrounding forests of Caledonian Pines contain many rare species, including birds such as the endangered Capercaillie
and the main population of twinflower - Linnaea borealis is found in Curr Wood on the southern side of the village. There are Scottish Crossbill
s, Crested Tit
s, Buzzards
, Golden Eagle
s and, most famously in the Dulnain Bridge area, Osprey
s. Red Squirrel
s also reside in the woods.
Strathspey
Strathspey may refer to one of the following:* Strathspey, Scotland, an area in the Highlands of Scotland;* Strathspey ....
, next to the meeting of the River Dulnain and the River Spey
River Spey
The River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland, the second longest and the fastest-flowing river in Scotland...
, three miles south-west of Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey is a town in the Highland Council Area in Scotland.It was founded in 1765 as a planned settlement on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about 20 miles South East of Inverness .It is the main town in what was the...
, in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
and the Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area.
History
The bridge was swept away in a flood in 1829, but was re-built. The population is estimated at less than two hundred, and the surrounding area is popular with tourists, as it is surrounded by mountains. The traditional counties of Inverness-shireInverness-shire
The County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
and Morayshire are separated by the bridge, which has existed for centuries.
The village lies near to the A95, in the Cairngorms National park. The village comprises two communities. Dulnain Bridge itself is centred to the north of the bridge, and this particular part of the village lies in Morayshire.
The crofting community of Skye-of-Curr stretches for a mile to the south, and this is in Inverness-shire.
Attractions
There are 2 hotels - Tigh-na-Sgaith and the Muckrach Lodge Hotel and Restaurant, a four star resort with a two AA rosette restaurant.The village hall and church are located on the main road in Dulnain Bridge, next to the village shop and garage. On the other side of the main road is the river, with Dulnain Bridge over it. On the other side of the bridge is a park and children's playground.
There are several golf courses in the area around Dulnain Bridge, including the Boat of Garten
Boat of Garten
Boat of Garten is a small village and post town in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland. In 1951, the population was less than 400; in 1971, it was almost 500; in 1981, it was almost 700, and the same in 2001.-Etymology:...
course, which has been rated as the 39th best in Britain.
Archie is a highland cow
Highland cattle
Highland cattle or kyloe are a Scottish breed of beef cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or dun....
who resides in the front field at Muckrach Lodge Hotel. He has made a picture-postcard setting for nearly ten years.
Antiquated Farm Machinery Project
In the north of the village and next to the roches moutonnees (see above), is the display of farm machinery, set up by the Dulnain Bridge & Vicinity Community Council. It features farming machinery that has been used for decades in the fields around the Dulnain Bridge area.The council describe it as a 'collection of implements from a bygone age' and the machinery is donated by local residents. Moray, Badenoch and Straphypey Enterprise assisted the creation of the project.
Strathspey Railway
Dulnain Bridge is the current terminus of the famous Strathspey RailwayStrathspey Railway
The Strathspey Railway in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland, operates a preserved railway from Aviemore to Broomhill via Boat of Garten, part of the former Inverness and Perth Junction Railway which linked Aviemore with Forres...
, a steam train that runs to Broomhill (Dulnain Bridge) through part of the Highlands from Aviemore
Aviemore
Aviemore is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm...
and a whole trip takes around an hour and a half, and is run primarily by volunteers. The society has plans to extend the railway beyond Broomhill to Grantown on Spey, another 4 miles north, and so to provide a service for locals as well as tourists.
Historical attactions
There are PictPICT
PICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics , and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.The original version, PICT 1, was...
ish carved stones nearby and two Stone Age coffins were found in the 1880s in a burial cairn in Curr Wood.
At the north end of the village sit a display of glaciated rocks called the roche moutonnée
Roche moutonnée
In glaciology, a roche moutonnée is a rock formation created by the passing of a glacier. When a glacier erodes down to bedrock, it can form tear-drop shaped hills that taper in the up-ice direction.-Name:...
s. Around 18,000 years ago Dulnain Bridge was covered by a sheet of glacier ice. As the ice moved along it ground down and shaped the rock. As the ice melted, it left smooth, exposed rock in some places and a mixture of boulder and clay in other areas.
2007 Protest
The march was the result of a number of villagers' concerns about Dulnain Bridge's absence on official tourist literature and maps. The village was compared to fictional village Brigadoon
Brigadoon
Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
, a story about a village that appears just once every one hundred years. Organisers of the march spoke of how they thought Dulnain Bridge disappears from people's minds. The march was to raise awareness of the village.
The march was the start of a campaign to get Dulnain Bridge 'on the map'. "The problem for residents is that, like the mythical village of Brigadoon, Dulnain Bridge keeps disappearing from the map," opined one resident. Villagers were disappointed by the village's absence from the map of the Outsider Festival that took place in the Highlands.
Notable personalities
The village has had a few well known residents including Charlie WhelanCharlie Whelan
Charles Alexander James Whelan is former political director of the British trade union Unite. He rose to prominence as spokesman for Labour politician Gordon Brown from 1992 to 1999.-Early life and career:...
, who worked as an assistant to Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
for several years, before opting to move north.
Wildlife
Capercaillie
The Western Capercaillie , also known as the Wood Grouse, Heather Cock or Capercaillie , is the largest member of the grouse family, reaching over 100 cm in length and 6.7 kg in weight. The largest one ever recorded in captivity had a weight of 7.2 kg....
and the main population of twinflower - Linnaea borealis is found in Curr Wood on the southern side of the village. There are Scottish Crossbill
Scottish Crossbill
The Scottish Crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, and is the only vertebrate unique to the United Kingdom...
s, Crested Tit
Crested Tit
The Crested Tit, Lophophanes cristatus , is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and northern Europe and in deciduous woodland in France and the Iberian peninsula...
s, Buzzards
Common Buzzard
The Common Buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is usually resident all year, except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.-Description:...
, Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
s and, most famously in the Dulnain Bridge area, Osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
s. Red Squirrel
Red Squirrel
The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus common throughout Eurasia...
s also reside in the woods.