Tag Archives: Pitlochry

Scotland Travel Journal ~ Blair Athol

Just five miles up the A9 from Blair Castle and Gardens is this cluster of buildings, eateries and shops that is a ultimate shopping experience in the Scottish Highlands, House of Bruar. It’s such an easy stop with a huge free car park and easy in and out. The food court was amazing. There was a separate savory pie shop, a fish and chips shop, and a whisky shop. The inner food court had choices I’ve never seen in a buffet style eatery. Walls of shortbread, candy, Scottish Tablet, and other treats filled a large section of the main building. Highland clothing in the men’s shop and a separate shop for Women’s clothing and accessories. My only disappointment was that all the slippers with the lambs wool lining were not made in Scotland or any part of the United Kingdom.

Before we started our shopping we got a savory pie from the pie shop and ate outside in the courtyard. It is always good to have a full stomach before you shop.

After checking out all the shopping areas, we paused to enjoy some treats. That jug in particular has a meaning attached to it in memory of Dear Grandma Wilma. Cheers!

On the way back to Pitlochry we searched out The Atholl Palace Hotel for a quick stop. This would have been a fun place to stay but it was booked for our dates. Check out the link. The interior is so cool.

One more stop before we dropped our car off at our Inn.

Blair Athol distillery is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery located on the south edge of Pitlochry in Perthshire, near the River Tummel in Scotland.

Set in open moorland south of the town, in the foothills of the Grampian mountains, Blair Athol’s ancient source of water – the Allt Dour – flows through the grounds from the slopes of Ben Vrackie, contributing to the whisky’s, mellow quality and smooth finish.

The description sounds nice and we’ll have to take their word for it because we didn’t sample any.

After this stop we took the car back to our Inn and freshened up a bit before walking down the main street of Pitlochry for a little shopping and for dinner. My Pharmacist found a Chemist to purchase some products for me to ease a sore throat and other symptoms that were developing. Night Nurse to the rescue!

We went back to the Old Mill for dinner on this night. After dinner we sat out on the patio of our Inn and enjoyed a little time before settling in for the night. Tuesday the 17th of September was a full day.

On Wednesday after our breakfast at the Inn and checking out, we would head northeast on the Snow road through the Cairngorms to our next lodging on the coast of the North Sea.

Thank you for traveling along with us.

Scotland Travel Journal ~ The Queen’s View Pitlochry

After we had a bountiful buffet breakfast at our Inn on Tuesday the 17th of September, we set out to enjoy a famous view, castle, and epic shopping experience. First stop was The Queen’s View. I copied the following description.

A short drive from Pitlochry, along a winding tree-lined road, hugging the River Tummel, lies the Queen’ s View. This famous vantage point looks out over one of the most iconic panoramas in Scotland, directly to the west along Loch Tummel from where, on a clear day, you can sometimes see the mountains surrounding Glencoe by the West Coast. A popular destination since Victorian times, it is often thought that the location was named after Queen Victoria who did, in fact, visit in 1866 . However, it is more widely believed to have been named after Queen Isabella the 14th century wife of Robert the Bruce who used the spot as a resting place on her travels

 

Our next stop on this day would be Blair Castle and Gardens where we had two wishes come true.

Do you have a favorite View?

Hello November! That was a quick October…

Scotland Travel Journal ~Kenmore, Aberfeldy and Pitlochry

After indulging at the Highland Chocolatier we headed further out southeast from the A9 along A827 through Aberfeldy to the little Village of Kenmore. This post finishes off our Monday September 16th travels.

We lived in Kenmore, Washington for 20 years. Laura and her family lived in Kenmore for many years, too. We wanted to connect our Kenmore to this Kenmore in Scotland. Kenmore near Aberfeldy Scotland is on Loch Tay.

This photo above is from a walking trail that runs through Kenmore, Washington. Kenmore is located at the top of Lake Washington (Loch Washington) and is about 14 miles from Seattle, Washington.

The photo below is from Kenmore, Scotland.

Beautifully situated on Loch Tay.

We had a short walk about the little village.

Farewell to Kenmore Aberfeldy Scotland.

Laura spotted some castles along the way that would have been fun to explore but it was after visiting hours.

Driving back through Aberfeldy on Kenmore Street.

Further along the road we decided to pull into Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillers.

I have a travel tip for you. Even if you do not enjoy whisky, the distilleries are a great stop to stretch your legs and use the facilities which are mostly labeled Toilets here in Scotland and England. We found the toilets at the distilleries were always clean and nice.

More scenery on our way to Pitlochry where we would be staying for two nights.

After we checked into our rooms at the hotel we walked to the Pitlochry Dam and Fish ladder on our way to dinner in town. We were impressed with the views but there was nothing happening in the fish ladders. The river Tummel runs along Pitlochry.

 

We walked a little further to the Old Mill for our evening meal.

Our after dinner sunset walk to the hotel along the main road through Pitlochry was lovely.

We were ready for a good rest before we set out for more adventures on Tuesday.

Hats off to Josh for his first day of driving in Scotland and thanks be to God for our traveling mercies and blue skies!

Scotland Travel Journal ~On the Road to Perthshire

On Monday the 16th of September we picked up our rental car and Josh began his excellent driving on the other side of the road. On this day our final destination was Pitlochry for two nights. From Stirling we headed out on the A9 northeast through Perth and onwards to Pitlochry with a side trip along the A827. At the last round about by Perth we pulled in a Service station to fill the gas tank. That Service station was loaded with cars and large semi trucks! Yikes! All along the way we were thanking our LORD again for such fine weather and his great care for us.

Our first planned stop for the day 10 miles from Pitlochry was Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier which was just 5 minutes off the A-9.

Iain created his special Chocolate Kitchen and magical chocolate shop in a small village in Highland Perthshire, an area renowned for its dairies, berries, honey, and natural beauty. It took 3 years and 120 variations of recipe and techniques to create the first Velvet Truffle. His team comes from local families that share the passion for craftsmanship and his apprentice chocolatiers train for over 3 years.

The Chocolate Lounge was fun and unique.

After being seated in the Chocolate Lounge it took some time to decide on what to order. It was not easy to make our choices.

Three of us chose the 4 piece selection of Chocolates.

I decided to go with the All Things Chocolate Experience! Thick dark hot chocolate, a Salted Caramel Dark Heart, Dark Chocolate Cake and a Coffee. I did share my cake.

After we indulged we enjoyed poking around their gift shop and chocolate shop.

We made a few purchases and it was time to head further out on the A827 to Kenmore. More on that journey next.

Pitlochry, Scotland

We’ve had two beautiful day in Pitlochry. We arrived for their best summer weather! This is where we are staying for two nights. We ate at the Old Mill in the village center. The time difference between our home and Scotland is throwing me for a loop with my posts. When I get home I’ll double back and fill in all the details of our trip. Cheers!