Introduction to Perth and Perthshire
 Walkers descending from Stuc a Chroin  Loch Turret towards Ben Chonzie  Lady Mary's walk, Crieff  On the Tarmachan Ridge  Climbing Glas Tulaichean |
The Fair City of Perth lies in the heart of Scotland - indeed, several smaller towns and villages in Perthshire claim to be the real centre of Scotland. Perth is easy to reach by road and rail, from the main cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, with good routes on to Dundee and Aberdeen and north to Inverness.
Perthshire extends far beyond, to the north and west, taking in large tracts of the southern highlands (even excluding areas such as the Trossachs which once came within Perthshire). This is wonderful walking country, with an enormous range of hiking routes in the mountains and remote glens, gentler hikes in the countryside and easy walks around the towns and villages.
The local council has always been a forerunner in establishing hiking trails, and since 1997 the Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust has co-ordinated the development of local networks around places such as Pitlochry, Dunkeld and Birnam, and Crieff. These routes are suitable for the less adventurous, who simply want to enjoy short walks amidst the splendid scenery of this relatively sheltered part of the Highlands. Kinross-shire too, further south, takes in a stunning landscape dominated by the Lomond Hills and Loch Leven.
Back in 1984, I was involved in putting together a book of 45 routes called "Walk Perthshire", with the active help of the council's Footpaths Development Team, and the writing skills of Richard Hallewell. It became the first of a series to be produced by Bartholomews. Those were the days before digital photography, so it will take some time to incorporate all 45 into Walking Stories. However, we're making a start!
Links to walking stories
Several walking stories have already been posted on this site, and more are welcome! These will give you a taste of what's on offer in Perth and Perthshire - the links are at the foot of the page. They range from the remote mountains above Glen Lyon, to easier walks around Perth, and even a walk with performing jugglers through the city.
Obvious omissions
Of course there are some major omissions, including two of Perthshire's highest and finest mountains - Ben Lawers and Schiehallion - and many others around Glenshee and Pitlochry. These are easy to find details about in the published guides to the Munros, and on the web, but Walking Stories will cover more of them gradually. The Lomond Hills, as well, need to be included.
Other sources of information on Perthshire walks:
The official Perthshire and Kinross-shire community portal has an excellent section covering networks of walking trails around the main settlements - Aberfeldy, Alyth, Comrie, Crieff, Dunkeld, Perth, Pitlochry and other locations. These networks are developed through the work of the Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust.
It's also worth checking out details of the Blairgowrie Walking Festival, supported by the Countryside Trust, which was held from 29 September - 4 October 2006. It includes a variety of routes taking in munros, corbetts and the circular Cateran Trail.
Stories
(To order the stories by name, date, country or type click on the appropriate heading)
