Blairgowrie, Perthshire

Blairgowrie is Perthshire's soft fruit capital, growing fantastic berries, especially raspberries. The town is situated on the banks of the river Ericht at the foot of the Strathmore Glen.

Situated inbetween Blairgowrie and Dunkeld is the Loch of Lowes, a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve famous for its protection of osprey.

North of Blairgowrie in Perthshire is the Spittal of Glenshee, home to Scotland's largest skiing area. Blairgowrie hotels accommodate many of the skiers during their time on the ski slopes.

For the historians amoungst us - Blairgowrie has a great geneology centre that is open to the public.

Blairgowrie: A Destination to Enjoy the Outdoors

Surrounded by rolling hills and overlooked by mountains, Blairgowrie and its sister town Rattray, are great places to base your self if you are planning to tour and visit Perthshire.  The two towns, separated by the River Ericht were joined by an Act of Parliament in 1928.  The village is famed for it raspberries and the largest skiing centre in the country: Glenshee. 

Blairgowrie History

According to Blairgowrie history, in 1634, the town became a burgh and in 1724, a military road that leads to Braemar was opened. The area also became a big producer of flax in the 18th century. In 1855, it had its railway line.

The area boasts one of the best inland golf courses in Scotland.  With mountains with excellent snow and the largest skiing resort nearby, Blairgowrie is one of the country’s best winter holiday destinations.  As Scotland’s largest skiing resort, Glenshee is spread over three valleys.  Although, for some years the resort suffered with mild weather and not much snow, with the heavy snow fall in the last two years, things have improved.  The area offers ski experience for both novice and advanced skiers.

Outdoor adventure activities are very popular in Blairgowrie, from hill walking to mountain biking, target shooting to archery, you will not be short of things to do.  With River Ericht close by, water sports activities are also available.  You can try kayaking, canoeing or raft building.  Many of these activities don’t need prior experience and there are qualified and experienced instructors to give you lessons.  For more challenging activities, you can also try wall climbing or abseiling.

Blairgowrie Walks

If you fancy a stroll in the area or if you are seasoned rambler, there are a selection of Blairgowrie walks you can try.  The Waymarked Walks is fairly new; its networked paths were only completed in 2006.  The terrain is varied and it will take the walkers to best part of Blairgowrie.  Other walking trail to follow are the River Ericht Walk, it’s about 8 miles long and will only take about 180 minutes and its mainly level.  The Knockie is another short walk at only 90 minutes with about 80 metres height gain.

Blairgowrie Walking Map

For a more challenging walk, try the Enochdhu to Spittal of Glenshee walk.  It is about 12 miles return and will take you about 7 hours trek and will take you up 400 metres high before you descend.  To give you an idea about the walking trail, check out the Blairgowrie map.