The souterrain

In a field on Braehead Farm, near Tullich Church lies a souterrain, a concealed underground space, thought to date back two thousand years. 

The souterrain entrance on Braehead farm

Around 0 AD, the period the souterrain is thought to date back to, the North East of Scotland was occupied by small communities, or tribes, of Pictish people. They later came into conflict with the Romans around 83 - 84AD.

The purpose of the chamber is unknown. It may have been to store grain, or for the community to hide in when they were attacked by their enemies, or a combination of both. A discovery of deposits of greyish-white deposits in the chamber, presumably ash, during exploration in the 1920s suggests the chamber may possibly have been used for rituals of some kind. 

The date of discovery of the souterrain is unknown. There is reference to work being carried out on it in the 1920s but no contemporaneous record of such work survives. 

The entrance leads to a 7' high passage, now largely infilled.

The entrance to the souterrain is a square depression in the ground surrounded by stone slabs. Descent through the entrance leads to a larger chamber which now has been largely infilled with earth but originally lead to a passage 5 1/2' wide by 7' high. The passage leads about 50' northwest. 

The souterrain now seems to be largely filled in, the work in the 1920s suggests that it appears to be filled with sand which suggests it was flooded by the Dee at some stage. 

The souterrain is free to visit but it is on Braehead Farm, a working farm, so please ensure that if you do visit it you make sure that you do not disturb any farm animals or damage any crops and please close any farm gates that you pass through behind you. 

Features on:
Old Railway Line to Cambus o' May
Ballater to Cambus o' May and back

Information courtesy of scotlandsplaces.gov.uk.

Tullich Church

The earliest church on this site was founded by Saint Nathalan in the 7th century. St Nathalan cultivated the surrounding land and distributed his harvest generously to those around. 

According to legend one very rainy summer the great saint, in a moment's weakness, cursed the rain which was hindering the harvest. In penitence for his great sin in cursing God's creation in this way St Nathalan padlocked his right arm to his right leg, tossed the key into the River Dee and set off to walk to Rome to seek forgiveness. Upon reaching Rome (a not inconsiderable time later) he sat down to supper. However, when he cut open the fish laid before him he found the very key that he had thrown into the Dee many months previously. A pool in the river nearby is still known as "the key pool" for this reason. 

St Nathalan died in 678 and it is said that miracles were worked by relics of him that were left in the church until the Reformation in 1560. 

In the 1200s Tullich Church and the surrounding land was given to the Knights Templar, the order was abolished - or went into hiding - in 1312. 

It may be hard to believe now, but until the late 1700s Tullich was the principal settlement on Upper Deeside, it included the church and a busy inn nearby. 

In the late 1700s visitors began to flock to Pannanich Wells, directly across the Dee from Tullich however the popularity of Pannanich Wells caused Ballater to be built, a short distance upriver where the Dee was easier to cross. By 1817 the annual fair was moved from Tullich to Ballater and the village of Tullich fell into decline. 

Features on:

Old Railway Line to Cambus o' May
Ballater to Cambus o' May and back