A weekend in Pitlochry

September and October were crazy busy months for us between holidays and myriad visitors. This blog is the first of many showcasing our various adventures. Our packed schedule began with a weekend trip to Pitlochry, a pretty little down about 90 minutes south of Inverness. We were there for a gathering of folks from the Scotland Time Facebook group.

We spent Saturday just touring the area. Our first stop was at the Dunfallady Stone.

This Pictish stone was erected more than 1,200 years ago as a symbol of faith and power. Some scholars think Pictish stones like this may have once been colored using mineral pigments such as yellow ochre, read lead, and green verdigris in the style of illuminated manuscripts of the time. Unfortunately, the color didn't last.

This neglected family burial site lay next to the stone. The stone, itself, is up a small hill overlooking a working farm.

This is the view from the small carpark. Not too shabby. This is the Atholl Palace Hotel in Pitlochry.

After visiting the stone, we headed to Pitlochry Dam and Visitors' Centre.

The dam was about a quarter-of-a-mile from the carpark along the River Tummel. As you can see, it was a lovely day.

The Pitlochry Dam was built between 1947 and 1951 as part of Scotland's hydroelectric scheme in the Highlands. It incorporates a fish ladder, so salmon can swim up the River Tummel and beyond the dam to spawn.

Once dammed, the River Tummel flooded the old Highland Games field and created this reservoir named Loch Faskally. There were a few boaters out enjoying the lovely weather. I took this photo when we were halfway across the dam.

Here's another view from a bit further along.

The silt made interesting patterns on the river below the dam.

A view down along the River Tummel. It was very picturesque.

Here's the dam from the other side. I took this photo from the visitors' center that was opened in 2017.

As usual, my iPhone pics don't compare to my DSLR ones. But I didn't have my proper camera with me when I saw this scene in Pitlochry.

We took a drive through Tay Forest and came upon the stunning Queen's View. Queen Victoria assumed the view was named after her when she visited in 1866, but it is suggested that it was actually named for Isabella, wife of Robert the Bruce, who hid in this area. The problem with this theory is Isabella died before Robert was crowned king, so she was never actually a queen. Regardless of its history, it is absolutely beautiful.

A robin we spotted as we walked back to the car.

We drove by this sign on our way back to Pitlochry. I like community's with a sense of humor, like Dull. Notice that it's paired with Boring, Oregon.