Cateran walks feature in summer top ten list
Raising a glass to success as local distillery scoops two awards at special gin event
Bridge of Cally-based Persie Distillery’s Zesty Citrus gin was named best in the under £35 category in the Scottish Field Gin Challenge.
The local tipple also came second in the overall top 10 for Scottish gin, beating drinks from a number of established distilleries.
Judges took part in blind tastetesting.
Simon Fairclough, distiller at Persie Gin, said: “I confess I was taken aback when I heard the results of Scottish Field’s first ever gin challenge. The terms of engagement were uncompromising, as 60 of the best gins on the market were assessed in a blind tasting format with nothing to identify the gins at all.
“So for a small steading-turneddistillery in Perthshire, coming out on top in our category - and second overall - was incredible news. All along we wanted to create a spirit that chimed with Scottish gin-drinkers and this is affirmation that we’re doing something right!”
The awards come as Persie showcased its top flavoured gins at the Perth Gin Fair in the city’s concert hall earlier this month. Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust has flagged up its top 10 summer suggestions for the best places to take a walk - and the Cateran Trail and the Knockie Walk following the River Ericht are two of them... writes Melanie Bonn.
PKCT is an independent charity that promotes access to land for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, builds footpaths, helps care for the countryside and undertakes conservation projects.
The leading location recommended to get some fresh air is the Birnam Riverside Path, coming in first place on PKCT’s ‘Top 10 Summer Walks in Perthshire 2017’.
Other walks include stages of the Cateran Trail, sites in Perthshire Big Tree Country and routes within local path networks.
The entry for the Riverside Path reads: “This peaceful, ambling riverside path takes in the sights and sounds of summer that inspired those well-loved tales.
“You’ll also take in the 500-year-old Birnam Oak of MacBeth fame and Thomas Telford’s Dunkeld Bridge.”
The Deil’s Cauldron at Glen Lednock, a hollow in a gorge overhung by trees is also recommended, as is the Pitcarmick Loop, a stunning 3.5 mile route which meanders through woodlands and heather moorland, with links to Bronze Age farming and round houses.
Waterfall lovers can get their fix at the Falls of Bruar, with beautiful woodlands flanking the cascades seen from a circular wooded walk.
Stage III of the Cateran Trail between the Spittal of Glenshee and Kirkton of Glenisla follows the Shee Water south past the scenic Dalnaglar and Forter Castles into the fertile farmlands of Glenisla and is also in PKCT’s top 10.
The Loch Leven Heritage Trail, the Knockie Walk following the River Ericht, which offers beautiful views over Blairgowrie and the Sidlaw Hills, and a stroll in Crieff ’s Macrosty Park, are all also recommended. More river views come from the Buchanan Path and stage two of the Cateran Trail takes in the Dirnanean Gardens, visited by Queen Victoria in 1865.