The Area

Explore Pitlochry

A combination of stunning scenery and easy access by road and rail has made Pitlochry a popular tourist town since Victorian times and it is often called the Gateway to the Highlands.

Pitlochry has a lovely setting below the slopes of Ben-y-Vrackie, on the banks of the River Tummel with Loch Faskally at the northern end beyond the Pitlochry Dam, where you can view the salmon ladder.  Boating and fishing are popular on the Loch.

Above the river is Pitlochry Festival Theatre  – the “Theatre in the Hills” – where you can see six different  productions in a  week.  Next to the theatre is the Explorers Garden a woodland garden which tells the story of Scotland’s Plant Hunters.

Pitlochry is also home to two distilleries – the picturesque Blair Athol Distillery situated in the town itself and Edradour Distillery – one of the smallest in Scotland.  At both distilleries you can take a tour, enjoy a whisky tasting and visit a well stocked shop.

On the edge of town, stretching up the hillside,  Pitlochry Golf Course provides a challenging golfing experience and the most wonderful views across the Tummel Valley.

The autumn colours are spectacular in Perthshire and in October the woods at Faskally are transformed by The Enchanted Forest  a fantastic light and sound experience.

Visit Highland Perthshire

To the west  along the “Road to the Isles” is the Queen’s View, one of the most beautiful  viewpoints in Scotland, looking along Loch Tummel towards Rannoch Moor and the distant hills of Glencoe.  South west is Aberfeldy where you can see General Wade’s Bridge and the nearby Black Watch Monument, visit Dewar’s World of Whisky then travel on to Kenmore on Loch Tay, a very pretty village and the site of the iron-age Crannog.

North of Pitlochry  is the Pass of Killiecrankie, site of a famous Jacobite battle in 1689, with the Killiecrankie visitor centre and many spectacular walks.  Continue to Blair Atholl to see Blair Castle and gardens  the family seat of the Dukes of Atholl and home to the Atholl Highlanders, Europe’s last remaining private army.  In late August the Blair Castle Horse Trials are held in the Castle grounds. On the A9 north of Blair Atholl is The House of Bruar – a very popular retail experience – with a nearby walk to the beautiful Bruar Falls.

Travelling east  through the lovely valley of Strathardle you join the A93 north to Glenshee – a well known winter sports area – and on to Braemar and Balmoral Castle on Royal Deeside.

To the south are Dunkeld and Birnam where narrow streets lead to Dunkeld Cathedral in a beautiful setting on the banks of the River Tay.  Near Dunkeld is Loch of the Lowes where you can view nesting Ospreys.  At the Hermitage, which will feature in season 4 of the popular TV series Outlander, there are many lovely walks and Ossian’s Hall, a folly overlooking the Black Linn Falls.

Discover more about activities in  Highland Perthshire