The Meikleour Beeches

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 8 1s+2s set and cross RH; 1s+2s set and cross LH retaining LH with partner and couples join LH in centre
9-10 1M+2L drop LH and set while 1L+2M turn, retaining LH hold. At end of bar 10 1M+2L rejoin LH figure
11-12 1L+2M set while 1M+2L turn, retaining LH hold. At end of bar 12 1L+2M rejoin LH figure
13-16 Repeat bars 9-12. On bar 16 all return to side lines, 1s facing out. 123
17-18 1s cast to 2nd place while 2s step up
19-24 1s dance reels of 3 across (1L LSh to 2M at top, 1M LSh to 3L). 1s end in 2nd place own side
25-30 1s dance reels of 3 across with other couple (1L RSh to 3M, 1M RSh to 2L)
31-32 1s nearer hands joined dance down between 3s and curve outwards into 3rd place while 3s cast up into 2nd place. 231

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

Dance Information

Legend has it that the hedge grows towards the heavens because the men who planted it were killed at the Battle of Culloden. Situated alongside the A93 Perth-Blairgowrie Road, it is accessible to visitors year-round.

In 1906, Henry John Elwes and Augustine Henry described the "celebrated beech hedge of Meikleour" in their book Trees of Great Britain and Ireland as one of Scotland's most remarkable beech effects. They noted that the hedge, which serves as a boundary between the grounds and the highway, requires periodic cutting by men on long ladders. The hedge, believed to have been planted in 1745, is 580 yards long, with tall, straight stems planted 18 inches apart. The trees average 95 feet in height and have a girth of 18 to 36 inches at 3 feet high, remaining fresh and green near the ground.

The Meikleour Beech Hedge holds the Guinness World Record for being the tallest and longest hedge in the world, reaching 30 metres (98 feet) in height and 530 metres (1,740 feet) in length. It is typically trimmed once every ten years, with the most recent trim occurring in late 2019, marking the first trimming in nearly 20 years.

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