Aberfeldy
-> Scotland
-> Central Scotland
-> Perthshire
-> Strath Tay to Loch Tay
-> Aberfeldy
From Dunkeld the A9 runs north alongside the Tay for eight miles before the road leaves the river near Ballinluig, a small settlement which marks the turn-off along the A827 to ABERFELDY, a prosperous settlement of large stone houses and 4WD vehicles which acts as a service centre for the wider Loch Tay area. The tourist office at The Square in the town centre (July & Aug Mon-Sat 9.30am-6.30pm, Sun 11am-5pm; April-June, Sept & Oct Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm, Sun 11am-4pm; Nov-March Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 10am-2pm; tel 01887/820276) gives details of local trails to take in all the main sights.
Aberfeldy sits at the point where the Urlar Burn flows into the River Tay. The Tay is spanned by the humpbacked, four-arch Wade's Bridge, built by General Wade in 1733 during his efforts to control the unrest in the Highlands, and one of the general's more impressive pieces of work. The small town centre is a busy mixture of craft and tourist shops, with its main attraction the superbly restored early nineteenth-century Aberfeldy Water Mill (Easter-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm, Sun 11am-4.30pm; £2.50), which harnesses the water of the Urlar to turn the wheel that stone-grinds oatmeal in the traditional Scottish way. Dewar's World of Whisky at the Aberfeldy Distillery (April-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun noon-4pm; Nov-March Mon-Fri 10am-4pm; £3.95) puts on an impressive show describing the making of whisky - worthwhile if you haven't been given a similar low-down at distilleries elsewhere.
Accommodation includes Novar, 2 Home St (tel 01887/820779; under £40), or Mavisbank, Taybridge Drive (tel 01887/820223; under £40; March-Oct), both attractive stone cottages. Up on the hillside above Weem, about two and a half miles from the centre of Aberfeldy, Glassie Farm (tel 01887/820265, www.thebunkhouse.co.uk) has a bunkhouse which is popular with those taking part in outdoor activities locally.
Decent bar meals can be found just over the Wade Bridge in Weem at the Ailean Chraggan Inn (tel 01887/820346; £60-70); in town, you can get tasty home-made food at 7 The Square Café & Bistro (tel 01887/829120; closed Sun & Mon).
Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustees for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. |
back