Introduction

Welcome to demm42s latest tour which we did during May 2005. This time the tour is through the Grampian mountains and to be more precise around the Cairngorms. Using Pitlochry as a base for this tour, it takes in Braemar, Ballater, Tomintoul, Grantown-on-Spey, Aviemore, Newtonmore, Blair Atholl before returning to Pitlochry. The whole tour takes about a day allowing you to stop at most of the places on the route. Ideally youll want good weather as well.

Other diversions just off the route or close to Pitlochry include Inverness, the Cairngorms, Queens View, Blairgowrie and Dunkeld (although we didnt get time visit them all). Various Whisky Distilleries can also be visited in the area.

Pitlochry

This was our base for the tour. Pitlochry is a lovely town about half an hour up the main A9 Inverness road from Perth (when travelling North). Most of the towns along the road are actually by-passed by the A9 meaning that the traffic in the towns isnt as busy as it could be.

However, back to Pitlochry. The main high street in Pitlochry boasts numerous shops, cafes/tearooms and hotels, and it is well worth spending an hour or two browsing around them. The only thing is that as Pitlochry is a tourist trap with many coach tours taking it in, the gift shops do have a tendency to sell the same gifts from shop to shop. Now dont get me wrong when I say that. I like shortbread as much as the next man. Arran Aromatics are lovely. And lets not get into Whisky. But the fact is that Scotland has a lot more to offer than this, and this doesnt appear to be reflected in the gift shops. A bit more variety from shop to shop would have been nice. (Sorry, got on my soapbox there!!).

The other good thing about browsing around the shops at Pitlochry is that you can do it in all weathers as some of the paths are covered. (You can see the weather was none to good the day I took the picture).

Eating in Pitlochry is not a problem. With numerous cafes, tearooms, restaurants, bakers and take-aways, the choice is varied to say the least. The only thing we found is that the best prices for eating can be found during the day and we thought the prices for eating in the evening were a little expensive (demm42 consumer tip: look closely at the deals advertised outside the establishments as they are for lunchtimes only at some restaurants).  This said, we did find one establishment called Drummonds which was off the main street under the railway on Ferry Rd by the car park. When we visited, the main meals were around £6.50 each and they were very nice (not that Im saying the more expensive restaurants werent offering nice meals !! Ahem). Definitely recommend by the demm42 clan.

Another thing you'll find in Pitlochry is ironwork sculptures all around the town like the one shown in the picture. While I not a big fan of sculptures like these (or rather the money spent on them), they do compliment the look and feel of the town well.

Visitor attractions at Pitlochry include the Hydro-electric visitor centre (with the salmon ladder), the Scottish plant collectors garden (which we didnt know was there until this visit), and the Blair Atholl Distillery Visitor Centre and shop (Bells Whisky. Now your talking!!). There is also a small childrens fun fair and arcade.

If natures more your scene and you'd like to see some wildlife other than the salmon, take a walk on the road around to the Festival Theatre where rabbits were in abundance in the early evening.

Pitlochry is easily accessible by public transport with train links to Glasgow/Edinburgh, Perth and Inverness. There is even a sleeper service to London. Coach links are via Scottish Citylink whose network of services cover most of Scotland. However, if you want to make the tour you will need a car as public transport around the Cairngorms is limited in some places.

Our base for the visit was Dalshien House Guest House which is just outside Pitlochry (I would say about 20-30 minutes walk from the town centre, 5 minutes drive). This lovely accommodation run by Martin and Alexandra was just far enough away from Pitlochry to feel like your in the country while still being close to the amenities. The hearty breakfasts were just what we needed to start the day off (and anyone who can put up with our over excited daughter deserves a medal. I just felt sorry for the other residents).

Well that completes page one of the Cairngorm Tour. Page 2 starts the actual tour with the section from Pitlochy to Braemar.

All the pictures on this page were taken by myself.. Larger versions of the photos are available if you wish to use them for a project or web page yourselves. You are free to do this, but please mention this web page as the source for the photos. Thanks for your cooperation..