PITLOCHRY : IN THE HEART OF SCOTLAND

 

WIKI

13 INCREDIBLE THINGS TO DO

TOP 23 THINGS TO D

• • River Tummel
  • Queen’s View
  • Falls of Bruar
  • House of Bruar
  • Pitlochry Festival Theatre
  • Ben Vrackie
  • Moulin Village and Brewery
  • Schiehallion
  • The Hermitage
  • Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre
  • Pitlochry Salmon Ladder
  • Blair Castle & Gardens
    • Blair Gardens – Hercules Garden
    • Blair Gardens – Diana’s Grove
    • Blair Gardens – St Bride’s Kirk
  • Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier
  • Explorers Scottish Plant Hunters Garden
  • Atholl Palace Museum
  • Black Spout Wood
  • Heather Gems
  • Killiecrankie Gorge
  • Enchanted Forest
  • Faskally Woods
  • Edradour
  • Blair Athol Distillery

Killiecrankie Gorge was once the site of one of the goriest battles in Jacobite history. Head to the visitor centre where you can find out more about this famous battle, alongside the fascinating geology, wildlife and history of the area. Take a short walk to marvel at the 18ft-wide Soldier's Leap, admire the stunning views along the way, and if you continue on the path you will reach the southern end of the Pass of Killiecrankie. During rainy spells, keep an eye out for salmon leaping at the falls beneath the Soldier's Leap - it's quite a sight to see!

                    

Ben Vrackie

This well-known and much-loved hill provides a scenic backdrop to Pitlochry with a summit that peaks at an incredible 2,757 ft (841m). Ben Vrackie translates as 'speckled mountain' which dates back to a time when white quartz could be seen scattered across its slopes. Venture to the summit and take in the breathtaking views of the Beinn a Ghlo range to the north and the Strathtay and Strathtummel areas to the west.

Situated within the Tay Forest Park, Faskally Wood is home to a wide range of tree species, some more than 200 years old, as well as hosting the popular Enchanted Forest event which takes place here in October each year. Within the forest, explore the tranquil Loch Dunmore which features its own boat house and picturesque timber footbridge. Or head along one of the many trails and signposted paths to enjoy views over the lochside trees, marvel at the blossoming buds in spring and in autumn you can admire the stunning blends of reds and purples.

History[edit]

A war memorial, which stands just in front of the town's Memorial Garden, immediately to the south of the former Public Library, commemorates both world wars. It was unveiled and dedicated in 1922^[3]

Pitlochry today dates largely from Victorian times, although the areas known as Moulin and Port-na-craig are much older. History records that Moulin Kirk was granted by the Earl of Atholl to Dunfermline Abbey in 1180 and Moulin became a burgh of barony in 1511. Port-na-craig was the site of the original ferry over the River Tummel which operated until the suspension footbridge was built in 1913. Building between these two separate communities followed the construction of the military road north in the 18th century which followed the line of the present main street. Moulin contained the parish school which was attended by Alexander MacKenzie (1822-1892), the second Prime Minister of Canada. This schoolhouse "Blairmount" now operates as a luxury holiday rental.

In 1842 Queen Victoria visited Perthshire on one of her grand tours and her favourable opinion of the area caused the town to be more widely noticed. After its railway station was built in 1863, Pitlochry became a favoured destination for tourists.

Robert Louis Stevenson stayed at Fishers Hotel in June 1881 with his wife Fanny and mother.^[4] The party then moved to Kinnaird Cottage in nearby Moulin. Here Stevenson worked on "Thrawn Janet" (1881), "The Merry Men" (1882) and "The Body Snatcher" (1884).

In 1947 Pitlochry became a burgh. That year also saw the beginning of construction of a dam as part of the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme. The dam and its fish ladder are a popular tourist attraction today. The damming of the river created an artificial loch, Loch Faskally, but flooded a large area north of the town including the old Recreation Park, which was relocated to its current position. The new burgh council adopted the local public hall as Pitlochry Town Hall shortly after it was formed.^[5]

From the 1960s, Sir Robert Watson-Watt, an inventor of radar, and his wife, Dame Katherine Jane Trefusis Forbes, Director of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in World War II, lived at her summer house, "The Observatory", in Pitlochry. Both are buried in the churchyard of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity at Pitlochry.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre^[6] was founded by John Stewart in 1951, originally situated in a tent in the grounds of Knockendarroch House in Lower Oakfield. The tent became semi-permanent and remained there for 30 years until the current building at Port-na-craig opened in 1981.

The town was awarded a Gold Medal in the 2009 Britain in Bloom horticultural contest, and outright winner in the category of Small Town.^[7]