๐ Meikleour, Perth & Kinross
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On sunny evenings, a tall beech hedge casts long shadows across the A93 just south of Meikleour. Record-breakingly long, in fact – for the Guinness Book of Records has verified this as the world’s tallest hedge (30 metres) and the longest in Britain (a third of a mile). The hedge is believed to have been planted in 1745 by the couple who owned the local estate, for whom disaster struck a year later; husband Robert was killed fighting for the losing Jacobite side at Culloden, while his wife – Jean – fled to Edinburgh in the aftermath. In winter the hedge is rather sparse and can be underwhelming, so we recommend a summer trip when foliage reaches its fullest. Cutting back the hedge is reputed to take 6 weeks and is carried out about once a decade; our 2020 visit showed that it had recently been given a rather severe trim, giving it a more tree-like than hedge-like appearance.
๐ Location
๐ Alongside the A93 1 mi south of Meikleour
๐งญ O.S. Grid Reference: NO 162387
๐ฐ๏ธ GPS coordinates: 56.532580,-3.364033
๐ Infrequent bus stops at hedge
๐ Layby at south end of hedge (access from northbound carriageway only)
๐ Key info
โ Always viewable
๐ซ Free
โ ๏ธ The hedge is next to a busy road with fairly narrow verges – care needed.