A Pitlochry Weekend. Moulin To Fish Ladder Trails.

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I got dropped off by John near the Moulin Hotel, mainly because it was quieter to stop here than in Pitlochry itself. He was off to do his hill of choice which left me a few hours to explore the local area. Moulin Hotel above.

Without any preparation in advance at all I trusted to luck that I would find a path here and Serendipity did not disappoint. Almost immediately an info board and sign showed a path across several fields then up through woods to the Black Spout Waterfall. So I followed that.

It must have rained a lot recently, before our visit, as the fields here were still notoriously boggy.

Black Castle was just a ruin so I squelched on across ankle deep green sward to a better, drier path. 

Views were fairly good though and the path soon improved.

Some nice art work on a house.

A view of Ben Vrackie I think.

Moulin Path info. Hard to get lost and easy to follow.

Looking back at Moulin.

Snowdrops in February.

Crocus carpet.

Track in woods. It was at this point, after seeing the waterfall ( I've seen hundreds over the decades and it was ok but not exceptional) I descended towards Pitlochry then came across the pitch and putt hut... and spotted Atholl Palace on its hill, above me. See last Post.

After visiting the palace and grounds I wandered back into Pitlochry again and thought I'd visit the Dam, The Fish Ladder, and Pitlochry's famous theatre.

Ceramic cow at Pitlochry dam.

Pitlochry Dam and Fish Ladder. The only only time I've explored here was in the 1980s and it was quiet then and free. Now it's very busy with tourists, even in winter, the car park was crowded yet had paid parking bays so I was glad I wasn't driving as getting a spot anywhere might have been tricky. It also looked like it was contactless only payments, my pet hate nowadays, along with people booking things in advance rather than just turning up on the day, so I was delighted to see the town's public toilets still accepted cash through a tiny 2 inch wooden door. So cute. Long may that charming oddity last.

The path runs beside the fast moving and deep River Tummel with Loch Faskally above the dam feeding this impressive flow of water. Further down a period metal suspension bridge crossed this river to allow pedestrians to reach  Pitlochry's famous Festival Theatre which has attracted both UK, European, and North American A list actors/ actresses, writers, and directors for its annual programme of events and plays due to its stellar reputation, despite it's fairly off beat location in the Scottish Highlands. 

Part of the theatre complex here, above, I assume. As I was watching my time to meet up with John at the arranged spot I didn't cross over to see it.

Loch Faskally and Dam.

A small but attractive public park space in Pitlochry.

Winter heather.

Walking back uphill near Moulin I was picked up by John again and we both had a good day doing stuff we enjoy outdoors. Him, a hill walk- me sightseeing... on this occasion.

Some photos on the way back down the road. Stirling Castle viewed from the north.

Passing Stirling Castle on it's cliff top location.

Wallace Monument on a nearby hill close to Stirling. Thanks to John for the weekend trip, the bothy night, and the driving. I really enjoyed it.

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A Pitlochry Weekend. Atholl Palace Hotel and Grounds.

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On the same trip that my hill walking friend John and I stayed at an overnight bothy he dropped me off the next morning at Moulin, a small village/hamlet just above Pitlochry, as it was easier to get out here, rather than a very busy main street in Pitlochry. I walked from there across several fields and through woods but I will save that walk for my last post in this area as this, above, was the highlight of the trip and needs its own spot.  Atholl Palace Hotel.

Although it sits proudly on a hill top I came at it from a strange angle as I'd already been to the Black Spout waterfall on scenic paths from Moulin. Atholl Palace Hotel pitch and putt course hut, above.  It did not look well used ( maybe because it was winter or out of fashion these days) but as luck would have it a woodland path led from here steeply upwards to the castle/palace. Viewed side on, from these lower woods, it does look more like a castle than a palace, glimpsed in brief soaring fragments of stone through the leaves in the direction  I approached from. It reminded me of the Gothic family pile in Gormenghast, Dracula's Castle, or the hilltop Italian Monastery in Name of the Rose so I was fascinated by it like any moth to a flame as I climbed upwards.

Up close it was just as impressive so I had a full walk around it, viewing it from all sides.

I was trying to imagine how many rooms it had and what the entire weight of stone would be in tons when an elderly man came out the bar and we had a chat. After finding out I was interested in the history of the building he mentioned that there was a museum inside.... and that it was free. The magic words to me. I'm not particularly tight with money but there are certain groups of people or rungs on a ladder in the UK or world wide. Homeless or folk in debt.... people just about managing to pay bills but not much left over for expensive items ( that's my rung)... folk that can afford to stay here ( £60 to £220 a night in 2025 depending on deals, time of year, and rooms... they do have woodland chalets etc ).... or folk that can afford big extra expensive items fairly easily and frequently without leaving a considerable hole in their bank balance ( that's not me).... and then there's the super rich one percent at the top who have more money than the other 99 percent of the planet combined.

 

 Being mid February I was also surprised how busy the hotel car park was, almost full up but maybe they had winter deals on. You would need to stay competitive just to afford the heating bills and upkeep of a vast property of this size.

Normally 4 star hotels... or no star hotels are not my natural environment as I have no desire to be pampered and as long as I have a dry space, a sleeping bag, a tent, or just a carrymat ( for some insulation off the cold ground), I'm perfectly happy. But I was interested in the history of the place so I went inside.

An entire corridor and several small side rooms told visitors the history of this hotel. Apparently when this museum was set up it was the only hotel to have a museum dedicated to it's various transformations over the years. Constructed in the late 1870s for around £100,000 in a mix of Scottish Baronial and French Gothic styles it was only open as a Hydropathic facility for under ten years before running into financial problems. The new owners concentrated more on paying guests having fun and entertainment rather than water torture/health cure patient treatments and they ran it successfully for 20 years. With a hotel of this size however and it's Highland location the financial burden to keep it open must be considerable and it has had numerous owners over the many decades since its inception. A good museum I enjoyed... especially as it was very unexpected.

A water feature inside the hotel. Presumably they no longer pour water on the guests, just in the malt whisky glasses in the bar.

I also enjoyed the grand driveway and grounds. Arriving on foot I was doing the whole thing back to front, which did not occur to me until later. If you were arriving here by car you would travel up through the grounds first, gliding through green meadows and scattered pines on this scenic serpentine tarmac ribbon.

Then the hotel would come into view. ( note all the cars... and the overflow car park was busy as well... surprising for a winter month. To me anyway.)

I noticed tennis courts, chalets, and a spa as I walked down through the grounds. Very colourful, green, and lush for mid winter in Scotland.

 

And some fake deer... Surprising up here as I often see the real thing on my walks.

Landscaped pool. This was a delight... like a fantasy walk... and I enjoyed this far more than a strenuous hill walk with John. The sun even came out to bless me. Thank you once again Serendipity... and John for dropping me off... in this hedonistic Paradise...  

Japanese Garden in the grounds.

The stream with metal swans. Japanese Garden.

As I said it was only when I arrived at the Pitlochry road entrance to the palace that I realised I'd done the entire route back to front. Mind you, traditionally my class of folk always arrived in via the back entrance to fancy places anyway, to serve the drinks and food, so maybe I did it the right way after all :o).

A very unexpected and enjoyable day out.

 

A Pitlochry Bothy Weekend

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 A remote loch in the Scottish Highlands.

In Mid February 2025 my hillwalking friend John, who I've known since the 1980's, kindly invited me on a weekend trip up to Pitlochry. He was hill bagging in the area but fancied an overnight stop in a bothy as well. Above is the track in.

I'll not name it as it's not an MBA one and if it has a name I've forgotten it. Just a basic wooden hut but the last time I was in here with friends it was in a blizzard with 70 mile an hour winds and snow falling inside it due to numerous gaps in the timbers. A surreal occasion that sticks in the mind, like being inside a snow globe yet sitting beside a coal fire, getting an occasional light dusting of thick flakes falling around you. It's still a drafty bothy if the wind blows but we were just thankful it was open and available as that last outing was 20 years ago. Only one room but a good fire.

The usual good night was had beside the fire with food and drink. Later on in this trip I sampled a taste of a 4 star hotel lifestyle but I did not envy the guests there at all. This for me is perfect.... and free.

We watched the world's first entertainment centre as various shapes and images danced through the flames. You could have the world's finest entertainment centre at your fingertips.... and still be bored. Yet I'm never bored watching a fire. A primeval satisfaction inside body and mind that never loses it's power to fascinate and magnetize the soul to it's crackling call to arms. You just can't get that effect in a hotel room. A small crested bird in the flames at the top looking down....and a younger bird directly below it looking up. An image of a small dog in the base of the flames. One moment out of hundreds of images created at random then forgotten. The first television for humans.

We also had a ghost dog with us. Front half dog... back half constructed of rubbish found in the bothy.

Wooded islands near the bothy.

The walk out again in the morning. It was very mild for midwinter, damp and grey but it didn't rain. 

Central Highland Scenery near the bothy.

On the way back to Pitlochry, a small but prosperous Highland town, it did start raining gently. John was intent on doing a hill not far from the Corbett Ben Vrackie, 841 metres and a fine viewpoint but one of the real joys for me, at my age, is that I no longer have to go up them. I climbed Ben Vrackie decades ago and  enjoyed it but did not fancy doing it again in this type of weather. 

Luckily John's route to the hill passed through Pitlochry so I got dropped off for a few hours exploration of this fine Victorian spa town. Unlike most Highland towns it has retained a prosperous and genteel air about it and I was surprised how busy it was for mid February. It was jam packed with tourists and traffic. Pavements and main road both heavily congested. The usual Scottish tourist season 20 years ago used to be around six months from May to October but by the number of visitors here it's all year round now.

Unlike Bowling, where I was miffed by the number of tourists at that location, I didn't mind it here at all as I wasn't looking to get parked anywhere, luckily enough, and it's also decades since my last proper visit. It's quite a posh place but being fixated years ago on hill lists we only ever stopped here briefly for takeaway chips.

So it felt good to wander around and see the place properly in 2025.

The Rob Roy Way sign. A multi day trek from Drymen to here apparently... or you can do it in reverse.

And that was just the start of my small adventure here.... to be continued.