Skip to main page content (AccessKey S)
 Royal Hotel, Blargowrie |
 Dunkeld |
 Glen Doll |
Dunkeld lies twelve miles up the A9 from Perth and is well worth a visit. It developed as a religious community and in 850AD was proclaimed Scotland's ecclesiastical capital in place of Iona. Razed to the ground in 1689, it was rebuilt and is now one of the area's most picturesque places. The 12th Century partly ruined Cathedral lies on the bank of the Tay on the western side of the town.
Nearby Birnam is linked to Dunkeld by Telford's seven arch bridge built in 1809. The town is famous for its association with Shakespeare's Macbeth. The Perthshire Visitor Centre, just south of the here offers 'The Macbeth Experience' and is open during the summer months.
The town of Blairgowrie is one of the main accommodation centres for the Glenshee ski resort. It is a busy place with a good range of shops which extend into Blairgowrie's twin community of Rattray. Blairgowrie developed in the 1800s when flax mills were built on the banks of the River Ericht. It prospered further when the commercial growing of raspberries was introduced to the area.
On the north side of the town the old Keathbank jute mill building is now a visitor centre with working water wheel and original mill machinery. It also houses the largest O-gauge model railway in Britain. Four miles south of Blairgowrie on the A93 is the world's longest and tallest hedge, the Meikleour Beech Hedge.
South east of Blairgowrie is the village of Meigle. This is home to the finest collection of Pictish Stones in Scotland.
Head east from Blairgowrie and you pass the pretty and historic village of Alyth en route to Kirriemuir. Located at the head of two glens, Clova and Prosen, Kirriemuir is a pretty town. Its narrow winding streets have an olde worlde charm. It is famous as the birthplace of J.M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan: and a commemorative statue is located in the town square.
North from Kirriemuir the foothils of the Cairngorms are pierced by the Angus Glens leading deep into the mountains. The most easterly is Glen Esk, with its main settlement of Tarfside. The glen comes complete with no fewer than three churches, the Lochlee Parish Church, the Maule Memorial Church and St Drostan's Episcopal Church. It also boasts an impressive tower house in Invermark Castle. Not far west and overlooking the coastal plain are the Brown and White Caterthuns, twin hillforts of different ages.
West again, and you come to the mouth of Glen Clova is the best known and most popular of the Angus Glens, with most settlement focused on Clova. To its west is Glen Prosen, and its main settlement, the hamlet of Glenprosen.
A few miles south of Kirriemuir is Glamis Castle, childhood home of the late Queen Mother and an important location for Shakespeare's Macbeth. The Castle and grounds are open to the public during the summer months and are well worth a visit. Two miles west of Glamis are the remains of Eassie Old Church, home to a magnificent Pictish cross slab.
