OUR LOCALE

Day trips | Longer trips | Walking | Active sports | Dining

Suggested Day Trips

There are numerous easy local drives to small towns and villages, each of which has its own character and charm and there are many gentle walks in all of them to get the very best from your experience. We have outlined these in 3 distinct routes just to whet your appetite but of course can help you design bespoke tours to best suit your needs.

Route 1 Glen Lyon-Killin-Kenmore-Aberfeldy

N.B. To achieve all of these suggestions would take at least 2-3 days

Head out of the village westwards and opt for a right fork along Glen Lyon for a most enchanting drive along an exceptionally pretty glen. A stop at the Roro estate would allow you to climb up to The Preying Hands of Mary, a hilltop rock formation with great views. Further along it might be time for a well-earned refreshment at the Bridge of Balgie Tea room. You will then pass the car park for Ben Lawyers – a highly-prized Munro at 3984 feet high. The road will eventually lead down to Killin, a popular little town with the Falls of Dochart waterfalls at the end of the village.

Heading back from Killin you could opt for the southside road, winding as it does along the loch but rewarding nevertheless back to Kenmore at the mouth of Loch Tay. Acharn is on route and is a sleepy wee hamlet with a lovely walk up to falls above. Kenmore is extremely popular for water sports and has eateries on both sides of the loch.

You can then head along to Aberfeldy which has a golf course, putting green, tennis courts and a breathtaking walk up the Birks o’ Aberfeldy, a waterfall immortalised by Robert Burns. One of the best around for certain.

In Aberfeldy there is a terrific bookshop at the Watermill Gallery and Café and there are a good number of super cafes in town as well as the Birks Cinema having been restored to its original Deco glory. Dewar’s Distillery is just on the edge of town, and well worth a visit.

Heading for home takes you to Castle Menzies, steeped in history and with an excellent tour. Further along lies Highland Safaris at the quaintly named hamlet of Dull, of course twinned with Boring in Oregon and subsequently Bland in New South Wales. Surely Drab in Pakistan would complete the set. The safari allows for a special appreciation of Highland Wildlife scenery and a unique 4×4 experience.

Finally, it’s a short hop down to the Scottish Crannog Centre which lets you appreciate how we used to live 2500 years ago. Staff in costume are most welcoming and are hugely knowledgeable about this historic experience, the centrepiece of which is the Crannog structure, currently in the process of being restored.

When you return to Fortingall you can explore the village and appreciate its charm and if you wish, partake in a refreshment at the local recently refurbished hotel which serves bar meals and offers a dining experience in the restaurant.

Route 2 Cluny-Strathtay and Grandtully-Logierait-Pitlochry-Killiecrankie-Blair Atholl and Bruar

N.B. To achieve all of these suggestions would take at least 2-3 days

Head along the north of the River Tay as far as the delightfully unique Himalayan Gardens at Cluny Gardens where you are likely to be greeted by red squirrels and can view the giant Sequoia trees before heading east along to Strathtay which as a very charming little 9-hole golf course and it’s across the river to the twin village of Grandtully, home to The Inn on the Tay, Grandtully Hotel and the international award-winning Highland Chocolatier which has chocolate tasting sessions.

Next along is Logierait Jail at the Inn which is where Rob Roy McGregor was detained in 1717.

Up the A9 lies Pitlochry, a delightful and bustling Victorian-built Spa town. Visit the Bell’s Blair Atholl distillery, waterfall walk at the Black Spout Wood, heading up to the quaint and picturesque Edradour distillery, further on to the pretty hamlet of Moulin and the super views from Pitlochry Golf Club and then back down to the centre of Pitlochry heading over the river to the Dam and Fish Ladder before completing the tour at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, which each summer has up to 9 summer productions of the very highest quality, and there are many other seasonal performances throughout the year.

From there it’s north, veering off to the Queen’s View on Loch Tummel and made famous by Queen Victoria, and then back towards Killiecrankie visiting the Soldier’s Leap and Visitor Centre. North again towards Blair Atholl with its wonderful Blair Castle and garden grounds. In the centre of the village there is also an old working mill across the railway line.

Heading north once more you can reach Bruar with its magnificent falls as well as 5-star shopping experience.

From Bruar head along the B846 and B847 which have delightful scenery on route, through Tummel Bridge and back along home where the Yew Tree awaits your return.

Route 3   Balnaguard – The Hermitage – Birnam – Dunkeld – Loch of the Lowes

N.B. This can loop round to Pitlochry/Aberfeldy

Just along from Grandtully, a delightful back road through the sleepy hamlet of Balnaguard joins up with the A9 at The Hermitage, a fine woodland and waterfall walk. Nearby you can park your car at Birnam, pop into the Birnam Arts Centre, walk alongside the River Tay past the Birnam Oak and over the bridge into Dunkeld with its riverside cathedral. It is one of the best-preserved historic towns in Scotland. Be sure to visit Jeffreys Interiors before you collect your car and head on to the Wildlife Reserve at Loch of the Lowes, where you can see an array of wildlife, including ospreys and their chicks in their nests.

Longer Day Trips

Due to our unique central location, a fair chunk of Scotland can be reached in day trips. The likes of St. Andrews and Crail, Edzell and Glamis, Braemar and Ballater, Stirling and The Trossachs, Oban and Glencoe, Inverness, Cawdor and Cromarty can all be reached if you prefer to use Fortingall as a base for each day’s adventure.

The cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Inverness and Aberdeen are all within 1.5 to 2.5 hours and can all be reached by train from Dunkeld/Pitlochry which can make for a very relaxing and fun day out.

So here we are in the very heart of Highland Perthshire, indeed of Scotland.

It’s all yours – hopefully we may have tempted you! If you require to know anything else, please simply call or e-mail and we will do all we can to help you plan the perfect break.

Walking and Hiking

You may wish to simply leave the car behind and take to the hills. There are rewarding walks to be had right on your doorstep here and we can help you with planning best options.

Nearby we have Kenmore Hill, Drummond Hill, The Falls of Acharn and Ben Vrackie, Pitlochry

We are close to renowned Munros such as Ben Lawers, Schiehallion, and the ‘Fortingall Four’ (Carn Gorm, Meall Garbh, Carn Mairg and Creag Mhor).

There are a number of recognised walks and trails in an around Pitlochry, Aberfeldy and Dunkeld, and we have detailed maps for all.

Enhance your green credentials! – take our local bus (operating on selected days) into Aberfeldy or Kenmore and choose a local walk and get the bus back home to relax at home.

Active Sports

For the adrenaline seeker there are numerous activities on Loch Tay and specialist companies such as Nae Limits, Splash and the Rafting Company can get you sorted.

Cycling

National Cycle Routes 7 and 77 are nearby and bikes may be hired from Pitlochry or Dunkeld. For off-road trails, best advice can be found on highlandperthshirecycling.com

Golf

There are shorter courses at Mains of Taymouth, Strathtay and Blair Atholl and Aberfeldy which is soon to open a magnificent new clubhouse, restaurant and bar. Greater golf challenges may be had at Dunkeld and on the championship standard course of Pitlochry.

Dining

We have numerous recommendations for outside dining and of course you have your own kitchen facilities. Please note that we may be able to offer some form of evening dining on selected nights in the future, although commencement timing of this has still to be determined.

We base our dining out recommendations on our own experiences and those of our guests who report back which ones they have enjoyed most, and we simply listen and ensure that we continually update ‘the best ones’ list and pass it on.