Pitlochry's a really beautiful part of Scotland, and there's loads to see and do. So don't just come to the wedding, come for a holiday too! That's Queen's View in the picture, a local beauty spot.
Explorer's Garden
A celebration of some of the world's greatest plant hunters, next to the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. We actually wanted to have our wedding here because it's one of our favorite spots in Pitlochry, but the venue was too small for all of our guests, and we were worried that it might rain!
www.explorersgarden.com
Walking and hiking
There's loads of great walks and hiking in and around Pitlochry. One of the nicest walks is along the River Garry from the Killicrankie Visitors' Centre, a couple of miles from Pitlochry.
www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/killiecrankie
Ben Vrackie
If you’re feeling adventurous, the biggest hill around Pitlochry is Ben Vrackie. It's got a good path to the top and the views are amazing. About a four-hour round trip, slightly longer if you start from the centre of Pitlochry.
www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/ben-vrackie.shtml
Another good hill in the area is Schiehallion - the Fairy Hill of the Caledonians. One of the easiest Munros to climb!
www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/schiehallion.shtml
Loch Faskally
A man-made reservoir in the centre of Pitlochry. It's lovely to walk around (about 9 miles if you do the whole circuit) and there are some great places for a picnic too. If you're lucky, you might see a salmon jumping up the fish ladder.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/salmon-ladder.shtml
Fishing
There’s salmon and pike fishing in Loch Faskally. You can hire a boat to fish for salmon, the pike fishing's best from the bank. The guy who runs the cafe there is pretty clued up about fishing. Also nearby is a coarse fishing lake called Loch Dunmore where I have caught roach, rudd, perch, tench, and carp up to 9lbs. You can buy tickets and bait, etc, for both places from the Loch Faskally Cafe & Boating Station.
www.fishfaskally.com/fishing/
The pond in the picture is Cuilc Brae where it’s free to fish for trout and, believe it or not, roach to over 2lbs. That’s Ben Vrackie in the background.
Cycling
Pitlochry has an outstanding bike shop on the High Street called Escape Route where you can hire good road bikes, mountain bikes and any accessories you need. They give good advice about the best places to cycle as well.
www.escape-route.co.uk
Golf
Pitlochry has its own golf club and like most clubs in Scotland it is open to all. You can book directly on their website. The famous Gleneagles course is not far from Pitlochry and is open to visitors too.
www.pitlochrygolf.co.uk
www.gleneagles.com/pursuits/golf
Whisky
There are several distilleries in and around Pitlochry that do guided tours for the public. Our favourite is Edradour, one of the smallest traditional distilleries in Scotland.
www.edradour.co.uk
Just down the road from the Atholl Palace is the Blair Athol Distillery which is also open to the public and very good too.
www.malts.com/en-row/distilleries/blair-athol/
There are a couple of good shops to buy all kinds of whisky on the High Street in Pitlochry, such as Robertsons.
https://robertsonsofpitlochry.co.uk
The Crannog
Very sad news - there’s been a fire at the Crannog!
The Crannog is an Iron Age dwelling on the bank of Loch Tay at Kenmore where you can get a demonstration of ancient crafts and technologies. If you've got your own transport it is definitely worth a visit. www.crannog.co.uk
Aberfeldy
Aberfeldy is a lovely town near Pitlochry with a great bookstore called The Watermill and a wonderful old art deco cinema called The Birks.
www.aberfeldywatermill.com/
Dunkeld and Birnam
Dunkeld and Birnam are two picturesque villages next to each other on opposite sides of the River Tay, a few miles from Pitlochry. Places to visit include Dunkeld Cathedral, the short Hermitage Walk to the spectacular Black Linn waterfall, and the 900 year-old Birnam Oak - the last remnant of the old Birnam Forest that's featured in Macbeth. There are some good canoeing and rafting companies around here too.
www.dunkeldandbirnam.org.uk
Perth
Perth is the home of Scone Palace, where the kings of Scotland used to be crowned on the Stone of Destiny. Other good places to visit are the museum and art gallery, Branklyn Garden and Kinnoull Hill.
www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/perth
Stirling
A nice day trip from Pitlochry. You can visit one of the best castles in Scotland, get a fascinating tour of the old town jail, and climb the Wallace Monument.
www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/stirling
Edinburgh Festival
The world's biggest and best arts festival starts on 7 August 2020.