The Central Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 139

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE BIRNAM

By train The Dunkeld and Birnam train station is just
south of the A9 in Birnam.
Destinations Inverness (8 daily; 1hr 50min); Perth (10
daily; 20min).

By bus Direct services to Inverness leave from opposite
the Birnam Hotel on Perth Rd.
Destinations Inverness (5 daily; 2hr 30min); Perth (every
30min; 40min).

ACCOMMODATION
Merryburn Hotel Station Rd T 01350 727216,
W merryburn.co.uk. An old ironmonger's shop converted
into a small and inviting hotel, just across from the Birnam

Institute. Man y of t he building's original Victorian features
are still intact. £80

2

Aberfeldy and around
From Dunkeld the A9 runs north alongside the Tay for eight miles to Ballinluig,
a tiny village marking the turn-off along the A827 to ABERFELDY , a prosperous
settlement of large stone houses that acts as a service centre for the wider Loch Tay
area. Aberfeldy sits at the point where the Urlar Burn - lined by the silver birch
trees celebrated by Robert Burns in his poem The Birks of Aberfeldy - flows into
the River Tay.

Wade's Bridge
In Aberfeldy the Tay is spanned by the humpbacked, four-arch Wade's Bridge , built by
General Wade in 1733 during his efforts to control the unrest in the Highlands, and
one of the general's more impressive pieces of work. Overlooking the bridge from the
south end is the Black Watch Monument , depicting a pensive, kilted soldier; it was
erected in 1887 to commemorate the first muster of the Highland regiment gathered as
a peacekeeping force by Wade in 1740.

Dewar's World of Whisky
Half a mile east of Aberfeldy, just off the A827 • April-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-4pm; Nov-March Mon-Sat 10am-4pm • £7;
Cask Tasting Tour £18; Connoisseur Tour £25 • W dewarswow.com
The main set-piece attraction in Aberfeldy is Dewar's World of Whisky , at the Aberfeldy
Distillery, which puts on an impressive show of describing the process of making
whisky. A Cask Tasting Tour and Connoisseur Tour are available for real aficionados,
giving a more in-depth look around the distillery and a chance to taste (or “nose”) the
whisky at different stages in its life.

Castle Menzies
1 mile west of Aberfeldy, across Wade's Bridge • Easter to late Oct Mon-Sat 10.30am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm • £6 • W castlemenzies.co.uk
West of Aberfeldy, Castle Menzies is an imposing, Z-shaped, sixteenth-century
tower house, which until the middle of the last century was the chief seat of
the Clan Menzies (pronouced “Ming-iss “). With the demise of the line, the
castle was taken over by the Menzies Clan Society, which since 1971 has been
involved in the lengthy process of restoring it. Much of the interior is on view,
and most of it is refreshingly free of fixtures and fittings, displaying an austerity that
is much more true to medieval life than many grander, furnished castles elsewhere
in the country.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION ABERFELDY AND AROUND

By bus Buses stop on Chapel Street in Aberfeldy, near the
junction with Dunkeld Street (the A827), with regular
services to Perth (up to 12 daily; 1hr 25min).
Tourist o ce The Square in the town centre (April-June,
Sept & Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10.30am-3.30pm;

July & Aug Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 10.30am-3.30pm;
Nov-March Mon-Wed 10am-4pm; T 01887 820276).
Good for advice on local accommodation and details of
nearby walking trails.