Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
OUT AND ABOUT IN PERTHSHIRE
To many, Perthshire means a celebration of the great outdoors, with
activities
from gentle
strolls through ancient oak forests to white-knuckle rides down frothing waterfalls. The variety
of landscapes and their relative accessibility from the central belt has led to a significant
number of operators being based in the area.
Nae Limits
Ballinluig, near Pitlochry
T
01796
482600,
W
naelimits.co.uk.
For canyoning, whitewater
rafting, cliff-jumping and “sphere-ing “, which involves
tumbling down a hillside inside a giant plastic ball, be
sure to get in touch with these adrenaline junkies.
Splash
Aberfeldy
T
01887 829706,
W
rafting.co.uk.
Offers rafting sessions on larger craft through the best
rapids on the Tay at Grandtully. Also runs accredited
rafting courses and can arrange other activities like
paintballing and quad biking.
National Kayak School
Oban
T
01631 565310,
W
nationalkayakschool.com.
Specializes in sea-
kayaking trips around Oban (on the west coast of
Scotland), but also offers one- and half-day white-
water kayaking trips around Aberfeldy and Pitlochry.
Highland Safaris
Dull, near Aberfeldy
T
01887
820071,
W
highlandsafaris.net.
A good bet if you'd
like an introduction to wild Scotland, in which you're
taken by four-wheel-drive vehicle to search for golden
eagle eyries, stags and pine martens.
St John's Kirk
31 St John Street • May-Sep daily 10am-4pm; Sunday service begins at 9.30am • Free
Solid and attractive
St John's Kirk
, surrounded by cobbled lanes and cafés, was founded
by David I in 1126. he present building dates from the fifteenth century and was
restored from 1923-28 to house a war memorial chapel designed by Robert Lorimer.
Perth was once known as “St John's Town”, and the local football team takes the name
St Johnstone
rather than that of Perth.
The Fergusson Gallery
Marshall Place • Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; also Sun 1-4.30pm May-Aug • Free •
T
01738 783425,
W
pkc.gov.uk
On the corner of Tay Street and Marshall Place, the
Fergusson Gallery
is the town's one
essential place to visit, located in a striking round Victorian sandstone water tower. he
gallery is home to an extensive collection of work by J.D. Fergusson, the foremost artist of
the Scottish Colourist movement (see p.196). Born in Leith, he lived and worked for long
periods in France, where he was greatly influenced by Impressionist and post-Impressionist
artists. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Fergusson developed a more radical
technique to paint some dramatic nudes such as the Matisse-inspired
At My Studio
Window
, which mixes elements of an illuminated Celtic manuscript with his confident
understanding of the female form. Look out, too, for
Eastre: Hymn to the Sun
, an exotic
and radiant brass head inspired by his dancer wife and collaborator Margaret Morris.
Museum and Art Gallery
78 George St • Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; also Sun 1-4.30pm May-Aug • Free •
W
pkc.gov.uk
Housed in one of Perth's grandest buildings, the
Museum and Art Gallery
has exhibits
on local history, art, natural history, archeology and whisky, and gives a good overview
of local life through the centuries. Among the exhibits is a fibreglass replica of Britain's
heaviest-ever rod-caught salmon. Fished out of the River Tay in 1922, the 29-kilo beast
was given to Perth Royal Infirmary, where staff and patients promptly ate it.
Museum of the Black Watch
Hay Street • Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm • Free •
W
theblackwatch.co.uk
North of the town centre, just off Hay Street and adjacent to the North Inch, fifteenth-
century Balhousie Castle is home to the headquarters of the Black Watch regiment and
