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| Some images of Scotland
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Well the A9 is a key route through Scotland which links the highlands and lowlands and it links the capital Edinburgh with Inverness and the far north. In addition, most of the best countryside and best driving roads fan out from the A9 like ribs from a backbone. So here are some points of interest related to the road and towns, cites and villages that it touches.
Edinburgh - Scottish Parliament Visit this architectural icon. Controversial definitely; everybody in Scotland has an opinion. Eric Miralles a Catalan architect was the creative genius. Rather older than the parliament, it defines Edinburgh, built on a volcanic rock. Joined to the Parliament by the Royal Mile, a piece of road that encapsulated the history of Scotland at every turn. Best enjoyed on foot. Park in a car Park (Castle Terrace or Bristo Square). Dunblane Originally in Perthshire, this cathedral town has been transferred by local government reorganization into Stirling. Now a commuter town. Home to Andrew Murray the tennis player. Auchterarder The second town of Strathearn. The so called lang town, because of the lengthy main street which used to contain a famous chip shop when the A9 went through the town. Has some decent shops and a lot of expensive houses, due to its proximity to Gleneagles Hotel. The famous five star hotel recently used for G8 summit. Has several adjacent golf courses, one of which is to be used for the Rider Cup in the future. Originally a railway hotel built to drum up business for the nearby Crieff Junction station. Name was changes to Gleneagles despite the fact that the hotel is on one side of the A9 and the eponymous glen is several miles on the other. Incidentally, Gleneagles was so called because the glen contained many churches and is derived from the French word eglise. So the hotel's eagle logo is historically incorrect. The Fair City is an attractive county town built on the river Tay. Two road bridges cross the river and Perth is distinguished by two Inches, stretches of parkland adjacent to the river. Ample parking and good shops and restaurants. Take A85 signposted Crianlarich for Crieff and the west. Take a detour along the A93 from Perth to see the famous Beech hedge at Meikleour. Dunkeld Historic Cathedral, small National Trust houses and bridge over the Tay. Marvelous small square with Atholl fountain. Take A822 for Crieff. Visit the Hermitage one mile up the A9 from Dunkeld. Great views of the Falls of Braan. Ballinluig Excellent truck stop. Branch off here for Aberfeldy, Loch Tay. and the west. Pitlochry Popular holiday town with many hotels. Famous for Festival Theatre, fish ladder and Eradour, the smallest distillery in Scotland. Take a left just north of Pitlochry for Lochs Tummel and Rannoch. Alternatively, take Moulin Road from Pitlochry and head over the hills to Enochdhu and Kirkmichael. Take left just after Kirkmichael and follow road to A93. Turn left on this main road for just over a mile and then turn right and head for Glen Isla and Kirriemuir. A marvellous cross country route that avoids main roads. Site of the famous and very bloody battle in 1689 when John Graham of Claverhouse, known ironically as Bonnie Dundee, led his Jacobite troops to a famous victory over government forces. Graham was fatally wounded in the battle, legend has it by a silver bullet, and the first Jacobite Rising fizzled out. Rob Roy MacGregor was a teenage member of the Jacobites army. Blair Atholl and Blair Castle Seat of the Dukes of Atholl, chief of the Clan Murray. The castle is a marvelous white washed edifice which dominates the surrounding countryside. Blair Atholl is an estate town. Well worth a detour.
Aviemore Originally small village which expanded in the 1960s to a holiday centre. Base for skiing at Cairngorm. Ride to the summit on the new funicular railway. Capital of the Highlands and now created a city. Inverness is one of the fastest crowing centres of population in Scotland. The river Ness flows through the city. Visit the , Castle now used as Court. The most northerly point on the British mainland. Called after an obscure Dutchman.
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