History of the Glen

The Sma' Glen

The Sma' Glen flourishes with all the picturesque beauty and legend of the Scottish Highlands in miniature.
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite army marched through the Glen in 1746 on their way to Culloden Moor. The irony being that the Prince used the same road that was built in 1730 by the English General Wade for the express purpose of crushing the rebellious Scottish clans. Malcolm III of Scotland (1058-93) also marched down the Glen to recover his kingdom from Macbeth.
In the film "Chariots of Fire" the Athletics meeting was also filmed in the Glen.
At the northern end of the Glen where the river and road almost meet lies The Ossian’s Stone (8 feet high) reputed to mark the burial place of Ossian, the legendary Gaelic bard (poet) in 300AD. Ossian being the father of Fingal (immortalised in Mendelssohn’s 'Fingal’s Cave' overture)

General Wades arched stone bridge and old military road are also still visible today.
The Glen's inhabitants were mainly church going crofters supplementing their income with weaving, cattle droving and illicit whisky stifling. Many of the crofters left the glen in the 1800’s to resettle in the Easthope area of Ontario Canada.
The Sma' Glen is cattle drovers country – After the cattle tryst moved from Amulree to Crieff the hugh herds of black Highland cattle would be driven down through the Sma’ Glen to Crieff for market.