Favourite Driving Itineraries to Orkney

Part 2: Perth to Inverness

Perth to Inverness on the A9 road
60 mph speed limit
Distance: 113 miles / 2 hours (with sections of dual carriageway)
Speed will be further reduced by slower lorries so expect no faster than 50 mph

North of Perth is Dunkeld, a very pretty town with a ruined cathedral beside the River Tay, pricey shops and a reputation for live folk music. Dunkeld is one of our favourite places, worth popping into. Close by is the wooded Hermitage one of the best walks around.

You will notice the countryside become more wooded and hilly. In fact you are crossing the Highland Boundary Fault and the hills around are topped with the remnants of Iron Age forts. The area is riddled with history, good walks and stories – like Shakespeare's Dunsinane hill in Macbeth.

The road now passes through very pretty scenery but is often a long procession of vehicles. Take it easy and don’t rush. Enjoy the nature.

To the right is the Victorian tourist town of Pitlochry. Picturesque but too popular. You can detour off the A9 to drive through the town for a quick peak and maybe petrol before the wilds of Drumochter Pass.

If you head up to the pretty village of Moulin Hotel, beneath the lovely hill Ben y Vrackie, you can sample home brewed beer and good food in the old Moulin Hotel and Edradour Distillery, the smallest and quaintest whisky distillery in Scotland is a mile away. Hard luck for the driver!

In autumn, the pass of Killiecrankie north of Pitlochry is a delight of colour. The National Trust has a lovely visitor centre here and toilets so if you want to stretch your legs. We love it but time is against you if you want to make Orkney!

On the right you pass the battlefield of KillieKrankie then Blair Atholl Castle. The whole area from Dunkeld to here is dominated by the Dukes of Atholl and the Jacobite uprising.
http://www.blair-castle.co.uk/

Shortly after the castle is House of Bruar, a big shop but with good food in its café restaurant. It is nice to sniff around the food hall but hold onto your money and buy for less from the actual producers! There is a nice, steep walk up the wooded gorge if you are feeling in need of exercise!
http://www.houseofbruar.com

The scenery now becomes open and desolate as you cross the bleak Drumochter Pass, the heather burnt in patches to aid Grouse rearing. Also look out for Red Deer. Both are managed for sport hunting. In winter, the hills are hostile environments.

You are now entering the Cairngorm National Park - Home of winter sports, and wildlife, like ptarmigan, red squirrel, capercaillie and golden eagles, deer and semi wild reindeer. It is also one of the best areas to see the native Scots Pine and associated flora, fungi, pine martins and very elusive wild cats.
http://www.cairngorms.co.uk/

The Kincraig Wildlife Park is the only place you will see wolves and bison, maybe lynx and bear. All these top predators are now absent from the countryside, leaving man to shoot the deer for fun.
http://www.highlandwildlifepark.org

If you turn off the A9 and pass through Newtonmore and Kingussie, you can see the very interesting Highland Folk Museum, Baile Gean township, an authentic re-creation of a Highland farm of around 1700, and lots of demonstrations. Compare the standard of living with Skara Brae on Orkney. If you have time for only one stop on your way north, this would be our recommendation.

Price is £5 for adults.
http://www.highlandfolk.com/newtonmore/township.htm

Beside the A9 you will also see the somewhat grand Ruthven Barracks – free to look at but just as good seen from the road. If you are ahead of schedule and traffic is light you may choose to avoid the unsightly tourist town of Aviemore by taking a tiny back road past the barracks and on to Glenmore beside Loch Morlich, right beneath the northern “corries” of the Cairngorm Plateau. A lovely wooded drive but maybe too long a detour.

However, if these side roads are pleasing you, take one more detour through Carrbridge and see the delightful arched bridge on the left. Then it is back onto the main A9 road, north. A good place for a bite to eat is the Tomatin Inn but avoid the Little Chef!
http://www.tomatininn.co.uk/

Before reaching Inverness there are the fascinating Clava Cairns, one of the best preserved Bronze Age burial sites in Scotland, which are free.
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/majorsites/clava_cairns.html

Then there is Culloden Battlefield which is a bit time consuming except for the recreated old house. It is too busy and the field itself is huge. Good for historians but give it a miss unless there is a special demonstration or re-enactment.

Next: Part 3: Inverness to tip of Scotland