Pitlochry Nature & Wildlife

Pitlochry Dam Visitors Centre

SSE's Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre showcases the rich history of hydro electricity in the north of Scotland and how it transformed lives. On display are a number of fascinating artefacts that show how generations of homes have been transformed by electrical appliances.

Visitors will meet the visionaries, such as Tom Johnston, who saw the untapped potential of hydro power in Scotland as well as hear the stories of the Hydro Boys and Tunnel Tigers who lived - and sadly in some cases died - building the schemes.

Pitlochry’s ‘fish ladder’ was integral to the design for the hydro electricity scheme in the early 1950’s. Thousands visit the Dam to see the salmon swim to their breeding grounds up river and now everyone can learn the secrets of that incredible journey.

Opening Hours: Open 7 days from 9:30am to 5:30pm (last entry at 5pm)

Entry: FREE ENTRY

John Muir Trust Wild Space Exhibition

The John Muir Trust Wild Space Exhibition, Gallery & Shop

Come and experience our great outdoors – indoors. John Muir Trust's brand new visitor experience in the heart of Pitlochry showcases Scotland's fantastic wild places and the critical role conservation plays in keeping them wild.

Watch... a beautiful short film featuring the stunning landscapes and wildlife of Scotland.
Listen... as local people take you on audio journeys through the culture and ecology of our wildest places.
Connect... with nature in a self-guided exhibition featuring the work of top landscape and wildlife photographers.

The John Muir Trust's new wild land visitor centre in the heart of Highland Perthshire, 'Wild Space,' as it will be called, has opened in the centre of Pitlochry, it features an innovative audio visual exhibition showcasing Scotland's wildest landscapes, an art gallery, community meeting rooms and a shop selling merchandise related to nature and wild land.

Loch Tummel

Loch Tummel is approximately 7 miles long from east to west, and is ½ mile wide. It became part of the Tummel Hydro-Electric Power Scheme when the Clunie Dam was constructed by Wimpey Construction at its eastern end in 1950, raising the water level by 4.5 metres. The loch is traversed by roads on both north and south banks, offering splendid views of the surrounding countryside, especially the South Side of Loch Tummel. The best view is probably the well-known Queen's View on the north shore, which Queen Victoria made famous in 1866, offering a magnificent vista over the loch with Schiehallion in the background. It is also claimed that the view was originally named after Queen Isabel, wife of Robert the Bruce.

Above the head of the loch, Tummel Bridge crossing the River Tummel actually has two bridges. The original bridge built by General Wade in 1730 has a modern replacement alongside carrying the traffic from Aberfeldy. Notable visitors who have stayed in this area include Mendelssohn and Swinburne. The northern side of the loch has many duns, forts and cairn circles. At the eastern end, high in Glen Fincastle to the north, sits Fincastle House, a 17th-century seat of a branch of the Stewarts, with links to the 1745 rebellion. At the head of the glen are the standing stones of Clachan Aoraidh in the Allean Forest, the forest offers a number of waymarked walking and cycling routes, providing magnificent views of Loch Tummel and the surrounding countryside, with plenty of historical and wildlife interest along the way

The area around the River Tummel and Loch Tummel is known as Strathtummel and is one of the most beautiful parts of Perthshire's Big Tree Country, with ever changing colours throughout the seasons and a great choice of walks, cycle routes and places to relax.

To get closer to the loch, a leisurely cycle along the quiet, scenic south shore road is worthwhile. Summer sees many campsites along the shores of Loch Tummel.

Red Deer & Roe Deer

Red Deer

Red deer are Britain's largest native land mammal resident since the last ice age about 10,000 years ago. Herds of red deer are frequently seen in the upland areas of Highland Perthshire, although originally this creature was a woodland dweller living in the vast Caledonian forests that once covered much of Scotland. Red deer no longer have any natural predators due to the extinction of the wolf and lynx, therefore numbers are higher than ever before, approximately over 400,000 red deer are roaming wild in Scotland. Heather, grass, mosses, lichens and berries are the mainstay of their diet but they are also partial to tree seedlings and the bark of trees, thus creating a challenge for foresters!

Antlers from the stags fall off each year in spring but a new pair grow in quickly, which have a furry coating called 'velvet' that peels off when the antlers stop growing. During the summer months deer live in the high open mountain areas to escape the worst of the biting insects, favouring areas that are cut by deep peat hags, in which to roll around to give relief from insect irritation. June is the calving time and the hinds tend to choose lonely corries for the birth.

Calves can stand within ½ hour of being born but for the first few days are left hidden in the grass, camouflaged by their spotted coats. Autumn brings the wonderous sound of roaring stags to many Highland Perthshire hills and glens as the rut gets into full swing. Testosterone fuelled stags are at their heaviest at this time of year and the roaring helps to establish seniority within the herd. When two stags are evenly matched a fight ensues, the winner securing the largest harem of hinds. As winter sets in and the weather worsens herds move down to lower ground in search of food.

When watching these marvelous mammals we would suggest using binoculars as deer are naturally shy and blend in well with the colours of the landscape. During the summer when weather is good you can see them on the open hills, during the day they feed and rest on higher sunny slopes, then at night the herd will move to lower, more sheltered ground.

Red deer can be seen throughout Highland Perthshire - Ben Lawers Natural Reserve, Glen Lyon, Balnaguard Glen Nature Reserve, Tay Forest Park, Birnam Glen, Black Wood of Rannoch, Blair Castle Deer Park and Highland Safaris.

Roe Deer

Roe deer are the most widely spread native deer species in Higland Perthshire, they are much smaller than red deer and favour woodlands where they survive on herbs, buds, leaves and twigs. Pitlochry and Dunkeld have excellent way-marked walks networks where roe deer can often be seen darting through the woods or nibbling in the clearings. Woodland edges throughout Highland Perthshire are favourite haunts for this striking wild animal. Roe deer are less socialable than red deer, mostly sighted alone or in small group of 2 or 3.

The roe deer's rutting season takes place during July and August. Their mating ritual involves the bucks (male) chasing the doe (female) around trees, known as roe deer rings. The buck's antlers normally have 6 very sharp points and they too cast their antlers each year and grow new ones.

Winter can often be a good time of year for seeing roe deer, favouring low level woodland, they tend to be more active at first light and as darkness starts to fall. Roe deer enjoy the warmth and can often be seen sunbathing in the sunlit woodland clearings. In late summer male bucks can be heard barking, this is part of a ritual to claim their territory.

Roe Deer can be seen throughout woodlands and path in Highland Perthshire - Dunkeld, Pitlochry, Tay Forest Park, Birnam Glen and Atholl Estates

Red Deer Stalking Session:

Stag - 1st July to 20th October
Hind - 21st October to 15th February

Roe Deer Stalking Session:

Buck - 1st April to 20th October
Doe - 21st October to 31st March

Be Safe!

Deer are often seen alongside the A9 trunk road (especially just North of the Jubilee Bridge at Dunkeld & around the Blair Atholl area) during the winter months at dawn and dusk, please be alert and watch for deer on the road as they can cause serious damage to you and your vehicle.

Please stay well away from any deer calves you encounter whilst out walking, the mother is never too far away!

The Mighty Atlantic Salmon!

Salmon (Salmo salar – Roman for Salmon the leaper)

Watching a salmon leaping up a waterfall on its way home to spawn is one of nature's sights to behold. Records show salmon leaping at least 12 feet in determination to ascend a waterfall. In Highland Perthshire you can often see Salmon leaping at The Hermitage, Pitlochry Dam & Salmon Ladder, Soldiers Leap at Killiecrankie and the Linn of Tummel.

Rivers and burns throughout Highland Perthshire are home to many thousands of migratory salmon, some of which swim many miles into the mountains to reach their home pools to spawn and start another cycle of their amazing life story. The young salmon grow in our clean waters for a few years before starting their epic journeys to the salt water feeding grounds via the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Some of them reach the Davis Straight on the west coast of Greenland before heading home again, a distance of 6000 miles as the crow flies! On their return they battle their way past nets, killer whales, dolphins and the thousands of seals that prey upon them around the coasts. The survivors, a small percentage of those that hatched in our rivers return home safely to re-produce and provide thrilling sport for the angler fortunate enough to encounter them.

Salmon fishing is available throughout Highland Perthshire from 15th January until 15th October although some beats of the River Tay remaining open until 31st October. Click here to peruse our Angling pages.

Salmon may arrive in the River Tay on any day of the year but of course there are peak times. Spring salmon are the earliest running multi sea winter fish. In most rivers the main runs start to arrive in March, but on the River Tay they can arrive much earlier but generally the numbers are fairly low until then. April and May are the hot times for spring salmon, these fish can be large, and in years gone by specimens around the 30lb mark have been encountered.

Salmon require a good freshwater habitat for successful breeding; pollution free water, accessible stable redds, and good water levels.

Catch & Release has been introduced on our rivers to aid the survival of the mighty Salmon, one of our treasured natural resources. Over the last 3 decades the number of salmon returning to our rivers from the sea has fallen by more than half.

For more information on river habitats visit Scottish Natural Heritage, the mighty salmon visit Salmon & Trout Association, fly fishing visit Lets Fly Fish with Ally Gowans