Crieff, Comrie and Strathearn
Strathearn stretches across Perthshire from Perth to Loch Earn, encompassing Crieff, Comrie and some magnificent scenery.
Crieff is a bustling country town 18 miles west of Perth, straddling the Highland Boundary Fault where the rolling Lowland landscape meets majestic Highland terrain.
The Crieff Visitors' Centre boasts a 'Highland Drovers' exhibition, pottery workshop and showroom. The Famous Grouse Experience, located at Glenturret Distillery, is an interactive visitor centre that tells the story of one of Scotland's best-known whiskies, while on the edge of town is the Stuart and Waterford Crystal factory shop.
West along the River Earn is the conservation village of Comrie - earthquake capital of Britain! Winner of the 'best large village' award in Britain in Bloom 2001, Comrie lives up to its reputation. Its geological position on the Highland Boundary Fault has caused it to experience more earth tremors than anywhere else in the UK. You can see a replica of the world's first seismometer, installed in 1874, at the tiny Earthquake House nearby at Dalrannoch.
Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre, set in the Perthshire hills, houses a variety of exotic and more familiar wildlife, and has a successful breeding programme. Drummond Castle Gardens, one of Europe's finest formal gardens, is just south of Crieff.
Lochearnhead is a centre for watersports on Loch Earn, surrounded by mountains.
A great way to experience the area is to explore the local waymarked walks network which has paths covering a distance of 29 miles. The routes embrace some of the finest scenery in Strathearn, including gems like Lady Mary's Walk and The Knock.
