Tummel Suspension Bridge The handsome stone-built town of castle. The scenery here is more dramatic Pitlochry has been one of the most and Highland in character, with Glen Tilt popular resorts in the Highlands ever since stretching away as one of the most Queen Victoria visited more than 150 years beautiful glens in all Scotland, accessible ago. The town is perhaps best known for only on foot. its Festival Theatre and for the salmon West of Pitlochry is Loch Tummel and ladder beside the Faskally Dam, but it is the Queen’s View. The landscape becomes the fine setting that draws visitors time progressively wilder and emptier on the and time again. The glens here are green, approach to the lovely village of Kinloch fertile and richly wooded, the mountains, Rannoch at the foot of Loch Rannoch. rounded and beckoning, and the rivers Looming above is the fairy mountain of truly magnificent. Schiehallion, almost a perfect cone, before To the north, the Pass of Killiecrankie, the road finally ends at the wilderness of which is now bypassed by the A9, leads Rannoch Station. through ancient woodland to the quieter village of Blair Atholl with its celebrated

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6 Pitlochry and North Perthshire 1 The Falls of Bruar 8 6 Loch Rannoch Forest Walk 18 Follow in the poetic footsteps of Enjoy a quiet stroll through glades of Robert Burns to a series of waterfalls Scots pine above lonely Loch Rannoch set in a delightful ‘wild garden’ 7 Black Spout and Edradour 20 2 Glen Banvie and The Whim 10 Climb through woodland to visit Wind along a lovely glen on the Scotland's smallest distillery and an Atholl Estate to a folly overlooking enchanting waterfall Blair Castle 8 Loch Faskally and the 3 Wilds of Glen Tilt 12 Salmon Ladder 22 Venture into one of the wildest and Complete a lochside circuit from most beautiful glens in the Highlands Pitlochry, with a detour to Killiecrankie

4 Allean Forest above Loch Tummel 14 9 Craigower over Pitlochry 24 Admire the royal view of this loch Make your way up this wooded before visiting a ruined blackhouse crag which, though small, gives fine and an ancient ring fort views down Loch Tummel

5 Kinloch Rannoch and Craig Varr 16 10 Ben Vrackie 26 Explore this tiny village in the Tackle Pitlochry’s mountain on this remotest part of Perthshire, with exhilarating heather moorland climb a detour to a natural viewpoint

7 8 PITLOCHRY AND NORTH PERTHSHIRE

Loch Faskally and the Salmon Ladder Distance 5km Time 2 hours Terrain good in 1951. The current building opened in paths, flights of steps, minor roads 1981 and, as well as a full season of plays, Map OS Explorer 386 Access Pitlochry is it has a popular café, shop and gardens. well served by buses, coaches and trains Carry on along the minor road towards the hydro-electric dam, which created Loch A tour of Pitlochry’s landmarks, including Faskally in 1951. An Act of Parliament its well-known suspension bridge, required the Hydro Board to preserve fish Festival Theatre and salmon ladder, with a stocks on any waterways affected by the loop of Loch Faskally and an option to scheme, hence the fish ladder seen on the continue to historic Killiecrankie. left side of the dam. It consists of 34 tiered Start from the centre of Pitlochry by the pools with interconnected openings below war memorial at the junction of the main the waterline to allow fish to swim up into street (Atholl Road) and Ferry Road. Walk the next pool, and two larger ‘rest’ pools. down Ferry Road, past the memorial One of these has an observation chamber gardens and under the railway, curving left where you can try and spot a migrating to pass a restaurant and guesthouses. salmon through the murky water. Immediately after the sports field, turn The steps by the observation chamber left down a path (SP Festival Theatre and lead to the top of the dam. Keep left up the Fish Ladder) to find the Port-na-Craig a few more steps for the circuit of Loch Suspension Bridge. Cross this and turn Faskally. At a fork, go right to drop down right along the road, passing the Port-na- some steps to the shore, where a clear Craig Inn and the Festival Theatre. Today’s path skirts the water’s edge with one famous theatre started life in a large tent deviation down and then up a long flight 22 LOCH FASKALLY AND THE SALMON LADDER

Shores of Loch Faskally

of steps to cross a bridge. The path soon side of the bridge, passing back under the leaves the water and approaches the A9. After a boating station and waterside thunderingly busy A9. Stay in the woods café, go straight on to join a road which to eventually pass a house at Balmore and climbs past the Green Park Hotel. meet a minor road, which you accompany Immediately after the hotel, turn right gently downhill to the right. After passing down a narrow path (SP Pitlochry Dam), under the A9 bridge, take an immediate passing through lovely woodland. Keep to right over a footbridge with good views to the main path nearest the water, ignoring the left where the loch widens again. any tracks coming in from the left. If you wish to detour along the rest of At a gap in a fence, some steps take you the loch and the River Garry to Killiecrankie down towards the dam. Cross the minor and the famous Soldier’s Leap (5km), turn road and climb the steps on the far side to left here and follow the green waymarkers, continue through the woodland before keeping the water on your left. The path emerging at an open grassy area. The route eventually leads to the visitor centre, where leads between the river and houses, you can catch a bus for the 10-minute ride turning left when you arrive back at the back to Pitlochry: check the timetable first. suspension bridge. Retrace your steps to For the main route, turn right on the far the centre of Pitlochry. 23