Pitlochry

The history

The history of Pitlochry dates back to the 208 when the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus managed to advance to the Moray Firth and ordered a military camp to be built in Pitlochry for the protection of his troops. The “Dunfallandy Stone” lies on the outskirts of the town and is of Pictish origins. This stone also explains the name Pitlochry- translated it means “Town of the Guard Stone”. 

In 1725 Pitlochry grew, when General George Wade built a road through the town to make this part of the country more accessible, after the Jacobite uprisings of 1715. When Queen Victoria visited the neighbouring town of Blair Atholl in 1842, Pitlochry’s popularity grew immediately. It was she who ordered the building of the railway station in 1863, making it easier for people from all over the country to visit. She also ordered the building of  Atholl Palace Hotel, which sits on a hill and overlooks the beautiful countryside of Perthshire.

Pitlochry lies on Loch Fascally and the river Tummel and is surrounded by rolling hills and pretty scenery. In late summer the heather on the hills colours everything in different shades of purple. The people of Pitlochry have started turning heather into unique pieces of jewellery. You can watch the production in the “Heather Gems Factory” and of course there is a lovely shop where you can buy your very own piece of heather, immortalised in a piece of jewellery.

Hotspot for lovers of whisky and tv series

If you love whisky, Pitlochry is definitely worth a visit! There are two distilleries, Blair Atholl and Edradour, Scotland’s smallest distillery. In Blair Atholl you can even try a 27 year old Whisky, with an ABV of 54.7%.

For all you fans of “Outlander”, a few scenes were shot here in June 2018. Consequently, for many weeks the actors, actresses, film crew and extras could be seen enjoying the sights of the area and strolling through the town on their days off.