Pitlochry and Highland Perthshire lie in the exact geographical centre of Scotland. Perhaps it is this accessible location as well as the magnificent local scenery that has made this one of Scotland’s most popular holiday areas since the 19th century.

Pitlochry was created by Victorian tourism as our forefathers used newly built railways and roads to explore their country. The town retains a strong Victorian atmosphere despite its many modern attractions and its setting among the trees and woodlands of Perthshire’s Big Tree Country is quite simply picture postcard beautiful. In recent years, ‘Pitlochry in Bloom’ has collected many national and international awards for its exhibits and features that make a huge floral impact all over the town.

To the north, the wild glens and mountains around Blair Atholl offer some of Scotland’s best walking country, although you might be surprised to come across one of the UK’s finest quality shopping complexes close to the middle of nowhere. To the west the breathtaking views of Strathtummel give way to the untamed wilderness of Rannoch, a remote sparsely populated area of lochs and moors nestling under Schiehallion, ‘The Fairy Mountain’.

The scenery of Pitlochry & Highland Perthshire is what everyone associates with Scotland. The history of the area is quintessentially Scottish and the welcome you’ll receive is the stuff of Scottish legends.

Pitlochry is predated by its near neighbour Moulin a quiet conservation village where a church has stood for a least 1,400 years. Pitlochry itself dates back to the early 18th century when General Wade built a new road north, but most of the current buildings are from the Victorian era when tourism really made the town.

Pitlochry lies in the River Tummel which was dammed in 1950 to create Loch Faskally, a local beauty spot where visitors can hire boats from Pitlochry Boating Station. At the dam the Scottish & southern Energy Visitor centre tells the story of hydro electric power and includes the famous Fish Ladder that runs for over 900 feet, constructed to allow 5,000 salmon a year to pass on their way to their spawning waters upstream. There is an observation chamber where you can watch the fish jump up the ladder, mainly between April and October.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Scotland’s Theatre in the Hills, lies beside the Tummel and is famed for its extensive programmes of drama and comedy that attract audiences from all over the country. Next to it, the Scottish Plant Collectors’ Garden is a new attraction that celebrates 300 years of botanical exploration by Scots, with pavilions and an amphitheatre for live performances.

Whisky lovers will enjoy visiting Bell’s Blair Atholl Distillery in the town centre and Edradour Distillery at Moulin, the smallest distillery in Scotland. Pitlochry is a Mecca of craft and Scottish speciality shops that sell unique locally made and patented jewellery.

Sports lovers are alos well catered for at Pitlochry Golf Course and Strathtay Golf Club and a wide selection of fishing available through Perthshire Angling Club, Mitchells of Pitlochry and Findynate Estate Salmon Fishing. Guided trips and tuition are also available from Ally’s Casting Clinic.

Cyclists should make for Escape Route who offer cycle hire repairs and expert advice, while those who prefer the indoors can burn off energy at Atholl Leisure and fitness Centre or try the newly re-discovered craze of curling at Atholl Curling Rink. If you are too young for strenuous exercise, why not visit the rides and games of the Children’s Amusement Park?

Throughout the year, Pitlochry plays host to a vast range of events and entertainments including regular Scottish Evenings, an annual Highland Games and performances by pipe banks and folk musicians. The local Heartland FM radio station is one of the best ways to keep up to date with all that’s happening.