Perthshire, the Cairngorms and Speyside

The A9 from Perth to Inverness runs through the middle of Scotland. Most people drive it in one go. Slow down and you find woodland towns, the Cairngorm plateau and the densest cluster of whisky distilleries in the country.

Last checked 11 November 2026. Timetables, prices and opening dates change: check the operator before you travel.

Perthshire

Perthshire is often called Big Tree Country, and in October its beech and larch woods turn gold. It is about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes north of Edinburgh.

• Scone Palace, near Perth, where Scottish kings were crowned on the Stone of Scone. Seasonal opening, usually spring to autumn.
• Dunkeld and the Hermitage. A small cathedral town on the Tay, and a short woodland walk (NTS) to a waterfall viewed from a Georgian folly.
• Pitlochry. A Victorian resort town with a dam and salmon ladder, two distilleries nearby and a summer theatre.
• Killiecrankie and Blair Castle. A wooded gorge and battle site just north of Pitlochry, and the white castle of the Dukes of Atholl at Blair Atholl (seasonal).
• Queen's View over Loch Tummel, a short drive west of Pitlochry.
• Aberfeldy and Loch Tay. The Birks of Aberfeldy circular walk, and the Scottish Crannog Centre, which explains Iron Age loch dwellings.

The Cairngorms National Park

The Cairngorms is the largest national park in the UK, about 4,500 square kilometres of mountain, pine forest and moor. The high plateau is arctic in character and dangerous in poor weather; stick to low-level walks unless you are experienced and equipped.

• Aviemore is the main base, on the A9 and the Highland Main Line railway, about 2 hours 30 minutes from Edinburgh and 40 minutes from Inverness.
• Rothiemurchus and Loch an Eilein. Easy walks through old Caledonian pinewood to a loch with a ruined island castle.
• Glenmore and Loch Morlich. A sandy loch shore with views to the Cairngorm ridge. The Cairngorm Reindeer Centre takes visitors to its free-ranging herd on the hill; tickets are limited.
• CairnGorm Mountain funicular. It reopened in 2023 after a long closure. Check the operator for current access, as visitors on the funicular are not always allowed out on to the summit plateau.
• Highland Wildlife Park near Kincraig, run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, with snow leopards and Scottish wildcats.
• Ruthven Barracks near Kingussie, an 18th-century government outpost, free and floodlit at night.

Royal Deeside and Braemar

On the east side of the park, Braemar and Ballater sit on the River Dee. Balmoral Castle's grounds and ballroom open to visitors for a limited season, usually in spring and early summer; check dates. The Braemar Gathering, a Highland games, is held on the first Saturday in September. The roads to Deeside from the south (the A93 over the Cairnwell Pass by Glenshee) and from Tomintoul (the A939 by the Lecht) have snow gates and are closed several times most winters.

Speyside

The lower River Spey, between Grantown, Aberlour, Dufftown and Keith, holds around half of Scotland's malt whisky distilleries. Many offer tours, but most need booking, some close or shorten hours in winter, and some have no visitor centre at all. Check each one's website before you go.

• Well-known visitor centres include Glenfiddich and Balvenie in Dufftown, The Macallan near Craigellachie, Glenlivet, Aberlour and Strathisla in Keith.
• The Speyside Cooperage in Craigellachie shows how casks are made and repaired.
• The Speyside Way, a long-distance path, follows the old railway line along the river and is easy walking.
• The Spirit of Speyside whisky festival takes place in spring, usually late April or early May; accommodation fills early.

Drive times

The A9 has been dualled in sections; the rest is single carriageway with overtaking lanes. Traffic is heavy on summer Fridays and Sundays. Average speed cameras run along much of its length.