Everything that is beautiful in Scotland – lochs, rivers, high hills and glens – can be found in just one place.
This is the Highland Perthshire, one of the most picturesque places in Scotland.
The majestic landscape of this region, particularly the bottoms of its narrow glens, is rich and fertile, and full of greenery, trees and farmland. There are rugged hills covered in heather, colorful wild flowers, and lovely wildlife too including grouse, red deer, and golden eagle.
In contrast, the highlands in the far north are more rocky and less fertile, but they have a stark beauty of their own as well.
Pitlochry is at the very heart of the Highland Perthshire and has interesting places and activities for day trips. If you are passing through here on your way north or south, it is worth stopping for a day to check out some lovely stops.
We took a day out from Aviemore in the north to explore this region and found some interesting places to enjoy.
BEST STOPS FOR A DAY IN PITLOCHRY
River Garry Waterfall
This is rather a low profile but interesting stop with not much of a signboard.
River Garry is a major tributary of the River Tummel, which goes on to merge into River Tay. The Linn of Tummel is where River Garry meets River Tummel, and flows down in a lovely series of waterfalls.
Park on a side road B8019 next to the Garry bridge, walk towards the bridge and find the gap with an arch to get to the river and falls. There is a woodland with dried leaves on one side and the falls on another side. It is a lovely walk along the river towards the falls. There is a point where you can get down to the water if you want to.
It is a very peaceful and quiet place – the only sounds we could hear were from the falls and flowing water. There were a couple of squirrels for company!
The Queen’s View
A popular stop for tourists, the Queen’s view is also known as a lookout point and has some woodland trails to explore.
The name Queens View comes probably from Queen Victoria’s frequent visits to this place. It is also widely believed that it refers to Isabella of Mar, wife of the King of Scots, Robert the Bruce. Not sure which one it is, maybe both!
The Queen’s view is best accessed by a car, but can also be reached using a bus service from Pitlochry centre.
This popular vantage point gives sweeping panoramic views along Loch Tummel and the mountains surrounding Glencoe by the west coast.
There is an excellent gift shop and tea room next to the car park.
In addition to the viewpoint, there are plenty of beautiful forest walk opportunities in the surrounding area of Strathtummel. We took in some more magnificent views over Loch Tummel during our walk and came upon the remains of an 8th century ring fort and an ancient farmstead.
The visitor centre provided by the Forestry Commission has an interesting video corner showing the local history and wildlife and has bookshelves full of guide books and maps.
The Birks of Aberfeldy and the Falls of Moness
Here’s a great place with a 1.5 mile walk through woodland along Moness Glen just outside the Aberfeldy town.
The circular walk might take about 2 hours due to the steep uneven path, or even 3 hours if you want to take breaks and enjoy the walk and views.
The waterfalls reached at the end of the walk are a feature of the hanging glen that is made popular by Robert Burns through his poem ‘The Birks o’Aberfeldie’ in 1787. The word ‘birks’ (Scottish) comes from Birch trees or just trees.
The waterfalls you reach finally to are a series of hanging waterfalls through mixed woodland on the western outskirts of Aberfeldy.
Which direction should you walk?
This is a rather strange but important question. After coming out of the parking lot and just beyond the upper section, you will find that there are two options, paths on the left and right with a river flowing in between.
Both left and right paths finally reach a bridge which gives a great view of the waterfalls. Throughout the walking path, you get awesome views of the river as it flows to the gorge.
The right path is rather steep and uncomfortable initially with less view of the little falls along the path. The left, on the contrary, is less steep and easier to manage with pleasant views of little waterfalls all along the path to the bridge. But, at the bridge, the left path gets to be quite arduous, because you have to clamber up many really steep steps (about 12-16 inches high) to climb to the bridge.
We took the right path, and then after seeing the falls, took the left and enjoyed the little falls along the way back to the car park.
We came across some unusual mushrooms (they looked like seashells) on some trees in the wooded slopes. We thought they were some man-made things, before we realised they were actually mushrooms!
Along the left path before hitting the bridge, there is a statue of Robert Burns seated on a bench with a notepad in hand. The spot is referred to as Burn’s Cave.
The Upper falls of Moness are a series of beautiful cascading 3-tier falls.
Overall, the Birks of Aberfeldy walk and the views are very rewarding, but you need good shoes and a fair level of fitness. We found it best to take it slow and enjoy the views.
Pitlochry Boating Station & Café
A rather unusual place we came across in our drive through Pitlochry, but a great place to relax and enjoy some boating, and perhaps fishing and some walks too.
It also has a lovely café with good choices for breakfast and lunch with home cooked meals. The café has both inside and outside seating. We enjoyed a small meal seated outside watching the ducks and boats while great loch views adorned the far horizon.
In addition, there are some gorgeous strolls along the woodland and the loch – a popular loop-walk in particular.
Finally, Pitlochry is a great place to stop when you are driving to the northern highlands to Inverness, Aviemore or beyond. You could stop for a day or even part of the day and enjoy some walks or views.
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I have never heard of Pitlochry. Thanks for such a great post with ideas for day trips when traveling in the Highland Perthshire. The waterfalls look beautiful and would be so worth that 2.5 hour walk to reach it!
Pitlochry looks simply lovely for a stroll through the woodlands to those gorgeous waterfalls (or to peek at the queens view…)
p.s. I love those mushrooms, we get loads of them here on the west coast of Canada too. They grow a little more each year, that is why they have the pretty stripes. Cool eh!?
I stayed in Pitlochry for one night back in 2019 and loved it. It has so many things to see and do for such a small town and I think I did most of them but didn’t get to the boating lake.
Pitlochry looks very beautiful and I enjoyed the pictures of the trail. The waterfalls looks lovely.
Pitlochry is a very scenic place at the heart of Highland Perthshire loaded with natural beauty. Scotland is an amazing place with it’s castles, rivers, glens and lochs and Pitlochry reminds me of one. The waterfalls at river Garry at the Linn of Tummel is like a fairy tale location . The waterfalls at the hanging glen of Aberfeldie truly defines the poetic inspiration of Robert Burns. I loved the seashell lookalike mushrooms on trees which makes the place more off grid. And relaxing at the cafe by the boat station is the ultimate thing to look up to after such a refreshing walk.
Pitlochry sounds so wonderful peaceful. The countryside, rivers, and waterfalls look lovely. Queen’s view also looks so nice and love the bits of interesting history about Robert the Bruce etc!
Pitlochry looks beautiful! I’ve never heard of this place, but I enjoy all places filled with natures and wild mushrooms!
You have added another great spot to our list for when we finally get to do our Scotland tour. Pitlochry in the Highland Perthshire looks like a lovely spot to visit. Waterfalls and scenic viewpoints will always draw us. I will keep this post for pointers about which paths to take for easier walks. A stop at the cafe would round out a perfect day.
I am yet to visit Scotland, hopefully this year. I’d love to go on a road trip around, and definitely stop and spend a few days around Pitlochry. I like that there are so many hiking trails around. I’d like to complete the Moness Glen walk along the river, and see the waterfall. Even if the climb to the bridge is a bit uneven and steep, I think the scenery is worth it. I would also like to stop at the Queen’s view lookout, that view is so pretty!
What a beautiful part of Scotland, it’s definitely one I’d like to visit one day. I can see why Queen Victoria enjoyed the view there, it really is wonderful. The falls look and sound so peaceful too, thank you for introducing me to Pitlochry.
As someone who loves exploring new destinations, I found this post on Pitlochry to be a delightful read. Loved your descriptions of the town’s stunning landscapes – especially the Queen’s viewpoint. They made me feel like I was right there with them, taking in the sights and sounds of this Scottish gem. Thanks for the practical tips and recommendations that has made it easy for me to plan a trip here – whenever I get there
PItlochry sounds like a great place to enjoy some of the rugged Scottish landscape. You described many nice stops that I am sure are worth seeing. I am definitely storing this for when I visit Scotland.
This is the first time I’m hearing about Pitlochry. Looking at the pictures clicked by you, I envisioned a memory of a place from my childhood that had a similar scenery. My family often used to take me to a woodlands area for trips and we used to walk our way till the end of those trails. If I get a chance, I would love to take stroll through thel woodlands of Pitlochry which leads fo those breath-taking waterfalls and relieve my childhood.
Just today I thought that I would like to do a return trip to Scotland. To be honest, I envisioned some whisky tasting in the Highlands, but reading you post I got some fresh ideas. The Highland Perthshire and Pitlochry look so untouristy and peaceful Especially the green woodland in the Birks of Aberfeldy region took my imagination. Now I have to check if there are any whisky destilleries in the area……
I love Pitlochry! One of my favourite Scottish towns.
Pitlochry looks so charming and full of nature. I would like to visit and explore the falls one day in person. Scotland really has so much beauty to discover.
I guess you’ve summed it up right in your very first sentence: Everything is that is beautiful in Scotland…. I haven’t been to Scotland yet but it’s very high on my list. I’m sure I will love it to the max. By the way, the only thing that holds me back is the weather. Being based in a cooler region, I tend to travel to warm areas 😉 But yes, Scotland will be one of my next trips – and I’ll keep your post on Pitlochry for future reference.
I’ve never heard of this town before, and I have always wanted to visit Scotland. So many beautiful and scenic places for sure! Love your pictures of the swans in front of the water.
Pitlochry really seems to be a beautiful and peaceful town in Scotland, and the attractions it has to offer are incredible. 🙂 I love that there are plenty of hiking trails, and the Queen’s View lookout is amazing, it must have been incredible to have such a sweeping panoramic view along Loch Tummel!