The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Experience the joys of Scotland on our doorstep
Robin heads to Perthshire and discovers you don’t have to stray far from home to enjoy a fantastic weekend break
It can be tempting at this time of year to just hibernate. Why would you, though, when the delights of Perthshire await on our doorstep? I’ve just spent a long weekend wrapped in its charms enjoying bracing walks, hearty local produce and epic scenery, finding this swathe of Scotland a winter delight. It’s ideal if you’re planning a spring break too.
I’m always amazed that more people don’t holiday in Perthshire at this time of year. The summer crowds have dissipated, there is a lot more availability in hotels and the landscape looks spectacular with its moody morning mists and big winter skies. As temperatures drop the deer make their way down from the hills too. I came across dozens, including one right on Comrie’s main street!
My first base was checking out the brand new Dun Aluinn (dunaluinn.com). This stately old country house-style dame on the fringes of Aberfeldy has been brilliantly reinvented by a dynamic Irish couple for exclusive use and takes parties of up to 18.
If you’re looking for a unique venue for a special family gathering or have a group of friends it hits the spot with its ultra stylish rooms and grand feel. They’ve just opened too so rates are lower than they’ll be when they get busy.
Dinner at Dun Aluinn was conjured up by local foodie outfit Ballintaggart Farm (ballintaggart.com). I say conjured up as it really was magical. I feasted on local venison, cooked perfectly pink, and salmon they’d cured themselves. As well as outside catering they also offer lunches and dinner at the farm. You can stay over too.
The same people are behind a cook school and last September re-opened the Grandtully Hotel by the banks of the Tay, with eight rooms and a restaurant serving creative modern Scottish cooking. This was just one of the signs over the weekend that solidified the impression that Perthshire is definitely on the way up on the foodie front.
Aberfeldy itself is a town that just gets better and better. Scotland’s first free trade town is alive with little cafes, delis and independent shops. Symbolic of the new face of Aberfeldy is the Watermill Bookshop & Café. This cerebral oasis was opened by Michael Palin and I can see why it has won so many awards. The family team behind it have worked hard to bring a building with real character back to life in a way that works, whether you are looking for a cosy book for a winter’s day or just a warming cup of coffee.
Aberfeldy is a great wee place for just ambling around the shops. I also struck out a little further with a guide from Aberfeldy company Beyond Adventure, who can organise walking trips, watersports and all sorts of active adventures in the region. And yes that includes winter – my guide was taking a group kayaking in the afternoon after our very chilly winter morning walk.
As I had already tackled the brilliant Birks of Aberfeldy trail a couple of times I wanted to try something new. Our adventure took us from the centre of Aberfeldy down to the banks of the River Tay. From here we followed its banks all the way up towards Castle Menzies, ancient seat of the Menzies Clan.
I’m always fascinated by Scottish history and it was intriguing to learn more about this Jacobite-supporting clan who suffered after Culloden, but now have this striking castle as a symbol of their indomitable spirit. Its history is striking – there are not many places that can say they hosted Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Duke of Cumberland – both in the same week!
As I was nearby I took the chance to strike out to Pitlochry to pop into the modern visitor centre at Pitlochry Dam. This is how all visitor centres should be – it’s free, welcoming and fun for visitors of all ages. Little ones can build their own electricity schemes, while adults can learn about Scotland’s clean and green energy revolution. If you’ve always been fascinated by the salmon ladder here you can learn about it too. They also have a good value wee café with great cakes.
Pitlochry offers so much more than just the visitor centre these days too. Some people still think of it as just a quick pit stop when bashing up the A9. It still does cater for the ‘Gateway to the Highlands’ quick visitors with its cafes and souvenir haunts, but there are more interesting shops too, offering local produce, and a visit to Edradour – the smallest distillery in Scotland – is always a joy. As is walking around Loch Faskally, a lovely circuit that opens up why tourists flocked to Pitlochry in the first place.
My second base was at the
Four Seasons Hotel (www. thefourseasonshotel.co.uk) at St Fillans right on the banks of Loch Earn. I’d driven past this hotel, which occupies a prime spot overlooking the loch, dozens of times, but never actually stayed. It’s cosy and comfortable rather than luxurious, with some good rates at this time of year.
I was in good company as I was booked into Chalet No.6. Two of the Beatles were amongst previous guests in my chalet! I enjoyed a coffee overlooking the loch surrounded by ghosts of the Fab Four as I went back through their back catalogue with a view of the brooding hills and loch for company. I watched the wintry showers sweep in and along the waters, with the low-slung sun bursting through every now and again to put on a spectacular light show.
There is nothing like a wee winter stroll to really burn off the cobwebs. Handily an old railway line that has been converted into a cycle and walking route ran right past my chalet. Recently it has been surfaced all the way from St Fillans to Comrie so I yomped off on a hike that swept me through some majestic Perthshire scenery to Comrie, where I enjoyed a congratulatory pint before catching a taxi back.
After a hearty steak for dinner at the Four Seasons, in their Meall Reamhar restaurant – which also enjoys loch views – it was time the next morning for another walk. I’d cut out a route from the Courier’s ‘Take a Hike’ section. It proved a wise move as this took me off west along the old railway line, before cutting up the hillside in search of a village, Morell, that has actually lain abandoned since the Highland Clearances.
This walk was typical of what Perthshire offers. I eased along below hulking hills with the sparkling waters of Loch Earn blinking back on the other flank. The cleared village provided the sense of history that ripples through Perthshire, from castles like Huntington on the fringes of Perth, through to the baleful battlefield that wraps around the Pass of Killiecrankie. The old houses may be ruins today, but on the wild day I visited I could imagine the toughness of the villagers who eked out a life here in winter.
The return leg of my walk led along the old line of the Lochearnhead, St. Fillans and Comrie Railway. I imagined the passengers whizzing along behind a plume of steam admiring views of the loch.
On the evidence of this walk I thoroughly recommend you try some of the routes outlined in this regular Courier Saturday magazine’s Take a Hike section.
Back in my cosy chalet I enjoyed a last lingering look right down the length of Loch Earn. I could have hibernated back home, but instead I’d enjoyed a weekend wrapped in the spirit-warming charms of Perthshire, an easily accessible corner of Scotland that offers so much in winter and spring too. What are you waiting for?
www.visitscotland.com