Visiting Perthshire, Angus and Dundee: The heart of Scotland

Perthshire is at the heart of Scotland. Crossed by the Highland Boundary Fault, which separates the Highlands from the Lowlands, it has the best of both worlds, from rolling farmland and hills in the south and east to rugged mountain scenery in the north and west, and no shortage of things to see and do:

• Outdoor activities such as cycling, walking, sailing, horse riding, golf, skiing, fishing and wildlife watching.
• Great food and drink, from fine dining to traditional pubs and whisky distilleries
• Historic buildings and stately homes like Scone Palace (the crowning place of Scottish kings), Blair Castle, Castle Menzies, Dunkeld Cathedral and the crannog at Loch Tay
• Beautiful gardens such as the Scottish Plant Hunters Garden at Pitlochry, Branklyn, Glendoick, Cluny House and Drummond Castle
• Pretty towns and villages including Perth (the county town), Pitlochry, Dunkeld, Aberfeldy, Crieff, Blairgowrie and Kenmore
• Areas of natural beauty: lochs and rivers like Loch Tay, Loch Tummel, Loch Rannoch, Loch Earn; glens like Glen Lyon, Balquhidder, with its links to Rob Roy MacGregor; waterfalls such as the Falls of Dochart, and the Falls of Bruar; mountains like Ben Lawers, Schiehallion and Ben Vorlich
• Perthshire is 'Big Tree Country': the Fortingall yew is probably the oldest living organism in Europe; a Douglas fir at the Hermitage near Dunkeld is one of Britain's tallest trees; Blair Castle has the tallest Japanese larch in Britain; Meiklour beech hedge is the world's largest hedge; Birnam Wood is immortalized in Shakespeare's Macbeth; the Black Wood of Rannoch is one of the few remnants of the ancient Caledonian forest.
• A lively cultural scene: theatre at Perth Theatre and Pitlochry Festival Theatre; music from classical at Perth Concert Hall to pop and rock at T in the Park; folk and tradtional music at the Amber Festival; Glenfiddich Piping and Fiddling Championships; art at the Fergusson Gallery in Perth; Highland Games across the region from May to September