Perthshire including Pitlochry and Blair Athol

The history of Perthshire and the history of Scotland are inextricably linked. Indeed to recount Perthshire's history is to tell the story of Scotland itself. Roman encampments, mysterious Pictish carved stones and medieval castles dot a landscape once trodden by figures like Mary, Queen of Scots, Rob Roy MacGregor and Bonnie Prince Charlie. All Scotland's Kings were crowned at Scone, many atop the fabled Stone of Destiny. And Europe's only private army still parades at Blair Castle. Kings and Queens, armies and generals, poets and artists - all have passed this way, leaving behind a rich legacy of castles, churches, battlefields and historic sites.

Even during prehistoric times, when Scotland was being geologically formed, this area was at the crossroads of the country. The Highland Boundary Fault, which separates Highland and Lowland Scotland, passes right through Perthshire. Earthquake House at Comrie stands as proof that minor earth tremors can still be felt from time to time as this process continues.
When the Romans reached Britain, they came as far North as Perthshire, but could not conquer the fiercely proud people they encountered. It is rumoured that, at one of their patrol outposts, near the village of Fortingall, one Pontius Pilate was born, son of a Roman General stationed there at the time.

Some of the earliest inhabitants of Scotland, the Picts also left their mark - literally. Carved and sculptured stones are dotted around as testimony to this mysterious race and kingdom. Meigle Mu seum, near Alyth houses some of the best examples.

As the turbulent centuries immediately after the Dark Ages unfurled a torn and bloodied tapestry of history, fortifications were built, beseiged, destroyed and rebuilt. There are Castles, Historic Houses and Monuments from every century of the second Millennium.

Most Perthshire towns have fascinating local collections in specialist museums and galleries.
Some of the most unusual and fascinating museum collections in Scotland can be found in Perthshire. Whether telling stories through the eyes of local farmworkers, soldiers, clansmen or artists, each brings a new dimension to the distant and not-so-distant past. We hope to make you make you part our present at some time in the future.

Some suggestions include:
The home of a Clan Chief at Castle Menzies; A reconstructed Iron Age Crannog dwelling at Kenmore; Two and a half centuries of military history at the Black Watch museum; The childhood home of the Queen Mother at Glamis; Mary Queen of Scots place of imprisonment at Loch Leven Castle; The Church where John Knox fuelled the fire of the Reformation at St. John's Kirk in Perth; Blair Castle, protected by the last and only private army in the UK; The crowning place of all Scotland's Kings at Scone.

Gentle climates and fertile soils make Perthshire Scotland's horticultural heaven. Our natural advantage has been boosted in recent times by the enormous community effort placed behind a 'Perthshire in Bloom' campaign. Large public displays and tiny front gardens alike are ablaze with colour in Spring, Summer and Autumn, bringing national and international floral awards to several towns and villages, including the 'Best Small Country Town in Britain' award to Pitlochry, in the 1999 Britain in Bloom competition. Perth, which has been winning national floral awards for many years, recently secured one of Britain's foremost environmental awards, a Premier Award Trophy, as part of the Tidy Britain Group's Queen Mother Birthday Awards. In addition, Perthshire boasts some of the country's finest private gardens and public parks with family facilities.