Out of the Ordinary

Allt Torcaidh

Allt Torcaidh is just one of many burns ("allt" is the Gaelic word for "burn") spilling off the surrounding hillsides and feeding the River Tilt, a popular salmon fishing beat.

This picture copyright Euan Nelson and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

The Whim

This eye-catching folly stands on a bank to the north of Blair Castle in line with the Lime Avenue which forms the main drive. It dates from 1761 and is simply a façade pierced with gothic arches set behind a parapet wall linking two small pavilions. The whim is well worth a visit with its very interesting architectural value.

Pitlochry Wildlife Garden

Since the Wildlife Garden was created in 1999, it has matured into a colourful and interesting haven for plants and wildlife. From the first flowering of the snowdrops and wild daffodils in spring until well after the early frosts of October and November, there is always something to see.
Observe the butterflies and insects attracted to the Buddleia bushes and lupines’ in Butterfly border or some of the many birds who regularly feast on the seeds on the bird table. (Blackbirds, Robins, Song Thrushes, Great Tits and Siskins to name a few). Visitors even include a pair of Mallards who are habitually seen devouring the pond weed in the pond.

Pitlochry Salmon Ladder

The fish ladder was specially constructed at the Pitlochry Dam and Power Station (built between 1947 and 1951) to allow the fish to by-pass the 86.5m high dam to get to their spawning beds upstream. The ladder is 310 metres long and consists of 34 chambers, linked together by tunnels that the salmon can swim through. It enables around 5,000 salmon to return to their spawning grounds each year - a journey of over 5,000 miles usually undertaken between April and late September. There is an observation chamber where you might see salmon swimming (autumn is usually the best time).

The Scottish Hydro Electric Visitor Centre and fish pass observation chamber are open between April and October, Monday to Friday, and at weekends during July, August and Bank Holidays, 10.00am to 5.30pm. It features some interactive exhibits and displays about the history of hydro-power generation in Scotland and also tells the ‘Salmon Story’ through computer and video technology.

Picture copyright Adrian Beaumont and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

Maxwell's Temple, Kenmore

This ‘Eleanor Cross’ was erected by Lord Breadalbane in 1831 as a tribute to his wife Mary, Countess of Breadalbane. Built on the site of an old summer house known as Maxwell's House on the north bank of the River Tay, it stands 30 feet high and has a 9 step octagonal bottom that encircles the building, a cruciform middle stage and a square pinnacle top stage surmounted by cross. A heavy door of chlonte-slate, of which the monument is built, opens to a spiral staircase, which leads to a small arched gallery running round the structure, open to the exterior. On a brass mural tablet there is the following inscription:

This Building is Dedicated to my Faithful Friend and Fellow-Labourer,
MARY, COUNTESS OF BREADALBANE,
Whose maternal care has been long extended to all around this place.
anno domini, 1831.

Picture copyright Gordon Hatton and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.