Aberfeldy History & Culture

Loch Tay Safaris

From ancient and mysterious standing stones to a dramatic ruined castle, mystical and spellbinding stories and breath-taking landscapes, visit Loch Tay Safaris and embark on an inspiring journey.
Our live commentary will take you on a journey through the local history, nature and folklore of Loch Tay. Our passionate and knowledgeable crew will be on hand to answer any questions you have. There is no doubt that this experience will leave you enchanted by the Loch's mystical charm!

At 17 miles long, 1/2 mile wide and more than 450 feet deep, Loch Tay is Perthshire’s largest Loch. Our unique tour of this beautiful loch is exhilarating and suitable for ages 5 - 85.
Our modern cabin RIB `Iolaire` is safe, comfortable, fast, dry and guaranteed to raise a smile. Seating up to 12 people, our boat is also available for private charter.

The Birks Cinema

The fully refurbished single-screen cinema offers a film-tastic 100-seat auditorium with spacious, comfortable seating and state-of-the art digital projection and sound system.

Audiences can enjoy the latest movie releases as well as broadcast live events (theatre, opera, ballet), while enjoying a glass of local beer or wine too!

The welcoming cafe-bar offers a wide selection of coffees, teas, local cakes, snacks (popcorn and sweets), as well as an enticing range of soft-drinks, beers and wines.

Our mezzanine level hosts live Celtic acoustic music on Thursday evenings – check our website for details of other events. As a community-owned charitable venture, your visit makes a real contribution to Highland Perthshire too!

For film and event listings, tickets, film reviews and the latest movie news, plus the full story behind the restoration of the Birks, just follow the links here. Don’t forget to find out about our fantastic value family tickets or our much loved “Couples” seats!

Fortingall Church and Yew Tree

The parish church is on an early Christian site, dedicated to Coeddi, bishop of Iona (d. 712), probably founded about 700 AD from Iona itself as a daughter monastery.

Though undocumented, crop-marks of surrounding ditched enclosures have been identified from the air, and the church's unusual dedication and fragments of several finely carved cross-slabs preserved in the church all point to an early origin as a major church site. Also preserved in an alcove in the church is an early hand-bell in Irish style (iron with bronze coating), dating from the 7th-8th centuries, one of several to have survived in Highland Perthshire. Several slabs with simple incised crosses (best paralleled at Iona and other west of Scotland sites) and a massive early font are to be seen in the churchyard.

The attractive white-harled parish church (built 1901-02), notable for its fine woodwork, is open in summer. Its 'arts and crafts' style was designed to harmonise with the rest of the village. A permanent display on the cross-slabs and the early church was recently installed in the building. Fortingall has one of the largest collections of early medieval sculpture in Scotland.

The Fortingall Yew is an ancient tree in its own walled enclosure within the village churchyard. Its age is estimated to be between 2000 and 5000 years, and it may be the oldest living tree - perhaps even the oldest living thing - in Europe. Place-name and archaeological evidence hint at an Iron Age cult centre at Fortingall, which may have had this tree as its focus. The site was Christianised during the Dark Ages, perhaps because it was already a sacred place.

Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve

Ben Lawers Nature Reserve is a range of mountains, connecting ridges, cliffs and lochans, built of ancient rocks, folded and faulted in picturesque contortions, and home to the most celebrated collection of mountain plants in Britain. These surviving outliers of the arctic and alpine floras, relict and isolated, require sensitive protection and management.

Be alert and you may be rewarded with exciting sightings of the following:

Black grouse: In decline, but gaining from our enhancement of its woodland and moorland habitats.
Mammals: Tell-tale signs such as droppings, footprints and burrows may be all that is seen of wary beasts such as fox, wildcat or otter.
Mountain ringlet: Our best known special butterfly, a local, upland species, abundant here on sunny days in July.
Raven: Hard to miss as it proclaims its presence with a loud throaty croak, and displays its aerobatic skills.
Frog: Thrives on these hills, and often jumps just under your feet!

The mountain plants discovered in the 18th century are the reason why most field botanists aspire to visit these hills at least once. They are the reason why the Trust bought these hills – to conserve the rare plant communities and species of national and international importance. Ben Lawers is home to several of our rarest plants, such as alpine gentian, alpine woodsia, alpine mouse–ear, alpine saxifrage, alpine fleabane & alpine gentian, to name but a few...

Experience the varied plants and wildlife on the Reserve by walking around the Nature Trail, an area slowly returning to a dynamic, sparse, patchy woodland habitat for an increased variety of life. This 1km loop passes close to the Edramucky Burn, before climbing gently out of the gorge to reveal stunning views of Loch Tay and the mountains beyond.

Please don’t pick the wild plants. Leave them for everyone to enjoy!

Click here to see all the guided walks and events at Ben Lawers Nature Reserve.

National Trust for Scotland

The National Trust for Scotland owns and manages several properties in Highland Perthshire, including the Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve, beauty spots such as Craigower by Pitlochry, the Linn of Tummel and the Pass of Killiecrankie (which also has a visitor centre). It plays a key role in preserving the beautiful townscape of Dunkeld - it owns 20 houses in Cathedral and High Streets; most date from the rebuilding of the town after the Battle of Dunkeld in 1689. These are private and not open to the public, however, visitors are welcome at the Trust's Ell Shop, which takes its name from the ell or weaver's measure outside.

The Trust also owns and manages the spectacular Hermitage, just a mile or so west of Dunkeld off the main A9 road north.

Please see the separate entries for each of these locations.