It wasn’t difficult to bask in a truly feel-good moment. Not with the sun riding in a deep blue sky and vistas of glorious Perthshire rolling out before me. But it was only the start.

In just three memorable days, the going turned from brilliant to awesome as I stepped back in time – 230 years to be exact – to visit two places of outstanding beauty.

Both of them captured the heart of Scotland’s greatest poet, Robert Burns, prompting him to pay tribute in the way he knew best – in rhyme.

‘The Birks of Aberfeldy’, a song lyric, was written when he rested on a natural seat in a rock amid the ‘birks’ (Scots for birch trees) that flourish among tumbling waterfalls, and an abundance of flora and fauna, only yards from Aberfeldy town centre.

Part of the song says: Now Simmer blinks on flowery braes, And o’er the crystal streamlet plays; Come let us spend the lightsome days, In the birks of Aberfeldy!

Isn’t that lovely? Doesn’t it inspire you take a peek at the ‘Birks’ just to see why he was so impressed? Well it did for me.

That’s how I came to tackle a two-and-a-half mile circular walk starting in Aberfeldy, following a path that winds upward alongside several small waterfalls.

Eventually, the route leads to a bridge across the spectacular Falls of Moness , where the sight and sound of water cascading down the glen is spectacularly dramatic.

Among many other attractions, Aberfeldy boasts a handsome main square, art galleries, a distillery, an 18-hole golf course and a lovely children’s park. All of them are worth exploring.

But the town’s biggest claim to fame is a pretty road bridge named after, General George Wade, a soldier and road builder, who played a big part in opening up the Highlands more than 250 years ago.

It is only six miles from Aberfeldy to the conservation village of Kenmore where ‘Rabbie’ again felt compelled to wax lyrical. And it’s easy to see why.

Enjoying a spectacular setting, where the River Tay and Loch Tay come together, and framed by mountains and beautiful woodland, the village is – quite simply – ‘drop dead’ gorgeous, especially the views from the seven-arched bridge that spans the river.