Birnam is somewhat smaller than its neighbour and of much more recent origin. Although Birnam Wood is famously mentioned in Shakespear’s Macbeth, the town itself dated from Victorian times having been built with the coming of the railway. The seven arched Dunkeld Bridge built across the Tay by Thomas Telford in 1809 links it to its neighbour.

The Birnam Institute is the main focal point – a community run arts and performance centre with striking modern architecture that still blends in with the local surroundings. Within the Institute are the Beatrix Potter Exhibition and Garden.

The famous author of children’s stories was regular holiday maker in the Birnam area during the late 19th century and is said to have written ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ on one of her trips here. The story was first published in 1902, making 2004 the rabbits 102nd Birthday.

Close to the town is the Birnam Oak, reputedly the last surviving tree from Shakespeare’s Birnam Wood. Historians have claimed that the Wood was used to camouflage Malcolm Canmore’s army before their battle with Macbeth at Dunsinane. No one knows for sure if this gnarled and ancient oak was around 900 years ago at the time of the battle, but we shouldn’t let any doubts intrude on the romance of the legend.