Undiscovered Scotland

 

Perth & Kinross is one of the 32 unitary council areas into which Scotland has been divided since 1996. It occupies a large chunk of the centre of the country and extends from the Pass of Drumtochter on the A9 in the north to beyond Loch Leven in the south, and from Meigle in the east to Loch Lyon at the remote head of Glen Lyon in the west. For accommodation in Perth & Kinross and a full list of features, see our Perthshire area pages.

 

Perth & Kinross is the 5th largest council area in Scotland, but it is only the 14th largest in terms of population, reflecting its extensive rural and upland areas. Important settlements in Perth & Kinross include Perth, Auchterarder, Aberfeldy, Blairgowrie, Blair Atholl, Pitlochry, Coupar Angus and Crieff.

Perth & Kinross is bordered on its north by Highland and Aberdeenshire; on its east by Angus and the City of Dundee; and on its south by Fife, Clackmannanshire and Stirling.

From the point of view of local authority coverage, the area now covered by Perth & Kinross formed the traditional county of Kinross-shire and much of the traditional county of Perthshire. A major reorganisation in 1975 swept all the counties away in favour of 12 regions. The regions formed in 1975 were the upper tier of a two tier local authority system, and Perth & Kinross came into being as a district council area within Tayside Region itself one of the 12 regions into which Scotland was divided. During this process a large part of western Perthshire was lost to Stirling District. When regions and districts disappeared from the scene in the 1996 reorganisation, Perth & Kinross became one of the 32 unitary council areas into which the country has since been divided.