Walkers in rush to snap up Drovers’ Tryst tickets

Outdoor enthusiasts have already snapped up almost half of the available places for this year’s Crieff and Strathearn Drovers’ Tryst.

The walking showpiece, regarded by many as one of the premier events of its kind in the country, takes place from October 8-15.

Acclaimed for its friendliness and variety, the festival celebrates the cattle drovers who made Crieff one of the most important places in Scotland in the 1700s, when the Crieff Tryst in Michaelmas week was the largest cattle market in the land.

Organisers of this year’s event say the programme offers more than 30 graded and guided walks, over a third of which are new for 2016.

Since the launch of the programme just over three months ago, bookings have been described as “fantastic”. More than 42 per cent of all the walk places on offer have already been sold. Two walks have sold out and five have only a handful of places left.

Walkers can go through the glens by the historic Peat Road or enjoy dramatic autumnal colours in the woods of the Trossachs, around Dunkeld and in the company of the Woodland Trust Scotland.

For more adventurous participants the festival offers a range of peaks to be climbed, including 15 munros along with a number of lower but no less dramatic hills.

As in previous years, the Tryst offers a range of opportunities to go walking with and to learn from experts in photography, archaeology, forestry, sheep farming and wildlife.

There is also a large programme of social events throughout the week, offering talks, films, traditional music, food and drama at a variety of venues most evenings.

And on Sunday, October 9, the Hairy Coo Mountain Bike Race once again offers riders of all abilities a chance to have fun on Comrie Croft’s network of trails.

More than 5000 brochures for this year’s festival have been distributed throughout Scotland.

They are available from Visitscotland Information Centres, B&Bs, bike shops, Crieff Visitors’ Centre and Comrie Croft, as well as other locations.

Bookings can be made online at www.droverstryst.com or in person at Visitscotland Information Centres.