Blairgowrie and Glen Shee

The upper reaches of Glen Shee, the most dramatic and best known of the Angus glens, are dominated by its ski fields, ranged over four mountains above the Cairnwell mountain pass. To get to Glen Shee from the south you'll pass through the well-heeled town of BLAIRGOWRIE, little more than one main road set among raspberry fields on the glen's southernmost tip, but a good place to pick up information and plan your activities. Blairgowrie tourist office (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 01250/872960, www.perthshire.co.uk), on the high side of the Wellmeadow, can help with accommodation. Over the bridge spanning the fast-flowing River Ericht, Blairgowrie melts into its twin community of RATTRAY, where, on the main street (Boat Brae) is the B&B Ivy Bank House (tel 01250/873056, www.ivybankhouse.com; under £40), in a central location and offering sweeping views of the river and surrounding hills. Camping is available at the year-round Blairgowrie Holiday Park on Rattray's Hatton Road (tel 01250/876666). Blairgowrie boasts plenty of places to eat: Cargills by the river on Lower Mill Street (tel 01250/876735; closed Mon) is the best bet for a formal meal or civilized coffee and cakes, while, for good pub grub try the youthful Driftwood, just off the Wellmeadow, which has a terrace overlooking the river, or head six miles north of town on the A93 to the delightfully situated Bridge of Cally Hotel (tel 01250/886231; £50-60). You can rent bikes from Crichton's Cycle Hire, 87 Perth Rd (tel 01250/876100).

Nearly twenty miles north of Blairgowrie, the SPITTAL OF GLENSHEE, though ideally situated for skiing, is little more than a tacky service area, only worth stopping at for a quick drink or bite to eat. However, it does boast the excellent Gulabin Bunkhouse on the A93, run by Cairnwell Mountain Sports (tel 01250/885255), which rents out skis and bikes and offers hang-gliding lessons.

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