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Strathtay is a quiet and pretty little village situated about 5 miles from
Aberfeldy in the heart of Highland Perthshire. The landscape in the surrounding
area is varied and comprises rolling farmland, lochs, rivers and mountains - not
the least of which is Schiehallion which, at 3,553 feet high, qualifies for
Munro status.
Strathtay and Grandtully stand on either side of the River Tay
which, at 120 miles, is the longest river in Scotland. Its source is as the
Fillan to the west of Breadalbane and it flows via Tyndrum through Strath Fillan
where it becomes the Dochart at Crianlarich. |
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From Crianlarich the course continues eastwards to flow into Loch Tay at Killin.
From its outflow at the east end of Loch Tay by Kenmore it
then becomes the River Tay proper, passing Aberfeldy, Strathtay, Grandtully, Dunkeld and Perth
before eventually reaching the east coast of Scotland at the Firth of Tay. The River Tay
is famous for its fishing and there are several beats within just a short
distance from Strathtay. |
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The photo to the left shows a very
attractive riverside view just a mile or so from Woodside Cottage.
 Leaving
Woodside Cottage at Strathtay a secondary road follows the course of the River
Tay until it joins the B846 near Weem. On this road a rather unusual, but
nevertheless very accurate, road sign can be seen: "Red squirrels for 1½ miles"!
Despite now being almost extinct in other parts of the UK, there is still a
thriving population of these delightful little creatures in this part of
Perthshire. |
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Just across on the other side of the River Tay from Weem is the attractive
little town of Aberfeldy. The town is approached from this direction via General
Wade's rather fine arched bridge which was built in the aftermath of the 1715
Jacobite Rising as part of a network of military roads throughout the Highlands.
The bridge was designed by William Adam, the father of the famous Scottish
architect and furniture designer, Robert Adam. |
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Aberfeldy has a good choice of
small shops, hotels, restaurants and coffee shops and a Tourist Information
office. There is a first-class 18-hole golf course situated on the edge of the
town. The course spans both sides of the River Tay and the two parts are linked
by a footbridge across the river. The Aberfeldy Distillery is just outside the
town and houses Dewar's World of Whisky, an exhibition of the history and art of
whisky distilling.
Perthshire is known as Big Tree
Country and this part is no exception. The River Tay runs through a
wooded valley in this area and there are several forest walks on good paths and
with superb views, provided that one is prepared to expend a little energy
gaining some height above sea level! From Aberfeldy town centre a popular walk
takes you through the Birks of Aberfeldy, made famous by Robert Burns who
visited the Birks in 1787 and was inspired to write a poem. "Birks" is a Scots
word meaning birch trees.
Another excellent forest walk is
the Black Rock Walk on Drummond Hill in the Tay Forest Park, which starts near
the pretty little village of Kenmore. The photo below shows the magnificent view
of Kenmore to be had from the viewpoint at the top of this walk. This is at the
eastern end of Loch Tay and the arched bridge spans the outflow from the loch
and hence the beginning of the River Tay proper. |
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Travelling west and then north
from Aberfeldy along the B846, one passes the bulk of Schiehallion on the left.
For those who wish to climb the mountain, the access route starts from the Braes
of Foss car park on the little side road which runs from the B846 through to Kinloch
Rannoch. Schiehallion, the "fairy hill of the Scots", has a good access path and
is reckoned to be a good introduction to hill walking for novices.
At Tummel Bridge one reaches a
junction. To the left (west) the B846 continues to Kinloch Rannoch whence it is
then possible to reach Rannoch Station, a lonely outpost on the West Highland
Railway set in the midst of magnificent scenery.
Turning right at Tummel Bridge,
the road follows the side of Loch Tummel until one reaches a very famous
landmark, Queen's View, which is seen in the photo below. The view looks along
the length of Loch Tummel with Schiehallion prominent in the distance. The name
Queen's View is generally attributed to Queen Victoria who visited here in 1866
but more correctly commemorates Queen Isabella, the wife of Robert the Bruce. |
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Just a few hundred yards to the west along the road from the visitor centre at
Queen's View is Allean Forest where there are more excellent forest walks. Here
you can see a reconstructed 18th-century farmhouse (see below right) and an
8th-century ring fort. There are several superb views of Loch Tummel and
Schiehallion on these walks and much wildlife to be seen, the Peacock butterfly
shown below left being just one example. The increasing incidence of appearances
of this species throughout the Highlands is being cited as evidence of climate
change as the butterfly takes advantage of warmer weather conditions. People
are being asked to help monitor the spread of this butterfly across Scotland by
reporting sightings. |
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To the east of Allean Forest and Queen's View the A9 is
reached, the main arterial route north from the Central Belt through the
Highlands to Inverness, and ultimately right up to Thurso and Scrabster in the
far north east of Scotland. Immediately to the north of this junction is the
Pass of Killiecrankie, once reckoned to be the most dangerous and difficult pass
to negotiate in Scotland. However, today there is a riverside walk through a
steep gorge. Going south down the A9 one soon reaches Pitlochry, famous for its
hydro-electric dam and fish ladder and also for the Festival Theatre.
Pitlochry also boasts an excellent 18-hole golf course (see
below right) described as one of the most beautiful courses in Scotland and also
as "The Switzerland of Scotland". For those who enjoy walking, there is another
good forest walk which begins by crossing the golf course and then takes you via
a steep climb to
a viewpoint at the top of Craigower Hill. From here there are some magnificent
views. |
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On this page we have given you a brief tour around the
immediate vicinity of Strathtay, Aberfeldy, Kenmore, Killiecrankie and
Pitlochry. However, it is impossible in the space available to provide more than
a taster of the many things to see and do in this lovely part of the Scottish
Highlands. Nevertheless, we hope we have given you enough information to inspire
you to come and visit! Please see our
"Useful Links" page for more information on the many things to see and do in
this lovely part of Highland Perthshire. |
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