Pitlochry – Scotland’s little place with a big heart

Pitlochry, in the Perth and Kinross council area, no doubt began to develop as a result of the Jacobite rising of 1715. It was in response to this that General George Wade built a road through the town to help move military equipment and men to rural Scotland.

These days, the city’s economy is fueled by tourism, which is the result of several key events in its past. The first was Queen Victoria commenting on the beauty of the city as she visited nearby Blare Castle. This brought Pitlochry notoriety and naturally aroused interest in him.

Taking advantage of this momentum, a station was established in 1863, making the city much more accessible. Thanks to the rugged countryside and surrounding mountains, the impetus for the development of Pitlochry was set. In 1947, a dam was created as part of the Tummel hydroelectric power plan, resulting in the formation of an artificial lake. Fraskally Lake.

This established Pitlochry as a tourist destination and it attracts many walkers and mountaineers due to its close location to the mountains. The city has several other tourist attractions, including two distilleries. Erandour Distillery’s claim to fame is not that it has a name that suggests it should be in Lord of the Rings, but rather that it is the smallest in Scotland, while the Blair Athol distillery dates back to 1798. There are also a plethora of pubs and micro breweries

The town also has a theatre, of which JK Rowling is a patron, and the dam, which was built as part of the hydroelectric power scheme, has also become a popular place to watch salmon jump from dam to dam.

The town has burgh status, which these days is largely ceremonial, and is the equivalent of a borough in the rest of the UK.