Ravens over the hill
March 2025
Our volunteers were busy erecting new signs earlier this month – a good time to reflect on just how far we have come since our first Trustees worked so hard to raise the money to buy this land for the benefit of the community and nature.
Reading through the concluding paragraphs of ‘Ravens over the Hill’, a book written by one of our founding Trustees, Robin Hull, you see not just the passion for the place, but a vision for the future.
The most remarkable thing? The potential of what he described as a “bald, unremarkable, hill”!
“Later there will be a tree-planting programme aimed at regeneration of native Scottish tree species, particularly Scots pine, oak, rowan, gean and the lovely bird cherry along with alder, birch and juniper. This, in time, will lead to the development of the under-storey of herbaceous plants providing a habitat for insects and other invertebrates, which, in turn, will attract native birds and mammals.
It is envisaged that trees planted by local children will grow with them as monuments of their contribution to the project. But Dùn Coillich is not just for today’s children; it is for the offspring of their children’s boys and girls. It will be a place of recreation and of education where the beauties of the Scottish countryside can be demonstrated and taught.”
Today, Robin’s daughter Fiona is a current Trustee. She is now sharing the delights of Dùn Coillich not just with her children, but her grandchildren! Local schoolchildren have planted thousands of trees on the site, and they are indeed growing up alongside them. Many Rural Skills Trainees have passed through the gates, and we have now launched a new Modern Apprenticeship to take that education even further.
And the tree-planting programme? Take a look at Our Story for before and after pictures, a snapshot of how the site has evolved in just over twenty years. It’s a legacy to be proud of.
‘Ravens over the Hill’ is available from libraries and we hope to make some copies available for sale at our Annual General Meeting on April 26th, The Tryst, Pitlochry, 2.00 – 4.00pm.
