Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
01340-821273; The Square; mains £19-23; noon-1.30pm & 5.30-8.30pm)
This is a
great place to eat, run by a local chef who shoots much of his own game. The interior is
decorated in French
auberge
style with a cheerful mural and pheasants hiding in every
corner. The three-course early-bird dinner menu (£19.50, from 5.30pm to 7pm) won't dis-
appoint, but you can order à la carte as well.
SCOTTISH
A Taste of Speyside££
(
01340-820860; 10 Balvenie St; 2-/3-course dinner £19.50/22; noon-9pm Tue-Sun
Easter-Sep, noon-2pm & 6-9pm Tue-Sun Oct-Easter)
This upmarket restaurant prepares
traditional Scottish dishes using fresh local produce, including a challenging platter of
smoked salmon, smoked venison, brandied chicken liver pâté, cured herring, a selection
of Scottish cheeses and homemade bread (phew!). A two-course lunch costs £11.
Getting There & Away
Buses link Dufftown to Elgin (50 minutes, hourly), Huntly, Aberdeen and Inverness.
On summer weekends, you can take a train from Aberdeen or Inverness to Keith, and
then ride the Keith and Dufftown Railway to Dufftown.
TOMINTOUL
POP 320
This high-altitude (345m) village was built by the Duke of Gordon in 1775 on the old mil-
itary road that leads over the Lecht pass from Corgarff, a route now followed by the A939
(usually the first road in Scotland to be blocked by snow when winter closes in). The duke
hoped that settling the dispersed population of his estates in a proper village would help to
stamp out cattle stealing and illegal distilling.
Tomintoul (tom-in-
towel
) is a pretty, stone-built village with a grassy, tree-lined main
square, where you'll find the
tourist office
(
01807-580285; The Square;
9.30am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Sat Easter-Oct, plus 1-5pm Sun Aug)
; and, next door, the
To-
mintoul Museum
(
01807-673701; The Square; admission free; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat
Apr-Oct, plus 1-5pm Sun Jul & Aug)
, which has displays on a range of local topics.
The surrounding
Glenlivet Estate
(now the property of the Crown) has lots of
walking
and cycling
trails - the estate's
information centre
(
01479-870070;
www.glenlivetestate.co.uk
;
Main St)
distributes free maps of the area - and a spur of the
Speyside Way
long-distance footpath runs between Tomintoul and Ballindalloch, 15
miles to the north.
