Coordinates: 56°42′18″N 3°43′59″W / 56.7050°N 3.7330°W / 56.7050; -3.7330

Pitlochry
Scottish Gaelic: Baile Chloichridh
Scots: Pitlochry
Pitlochry  Pitlochry shown within Perth and Kinross
Population	2,564
OS grid reference	NN941582
Civil parish	Moulin
Council area	Perth and Kinross
Lieutenancy area	Perth and Kinross
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PITLOCHRY
Postcode district	PH16 5
Dialling code	01796
Police	Tayside
Fire	Tayside
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Perth and North Perthshire
Scottish Parliament	Tayside North Mid Scotland and Fife
Website	www.pitlochry.org
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Pitlochry (Baile Chloichridh or Baile Chloichrigh in Gaelic), is a burgh in the council area of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. Its population according to the 2001 census was 2,564.^[1]

It is largely a Victorian town, whose success as a tourist resort was due to Queen Victoria visiting the area in 1842, and the arrival of the railway in 1863. It remains a popular tourist resort today and is particularly known as a centre for hillwalking, surrounded by mountains such as Ben Vrackie and Schiehallion. It is popular as a base for coach holidays. The town has retained many stone-built Victorian buildings and the main street has an unusual period cast iron canopy over one side.

History[link]

Pitlochry today dates largely from Victorian times, although the areas known as Moulin and Port-na-craig are much older. History records that Moulin Kirk was granted by the Earl of Atholl to Dunfermline Abbey in 1180 and Moulin became a burgh of barony in 1511. Port-na-craig was the site of the original ferry over the River Tummel which operated until the suspension footbridge was built in 1913. Building between these two separate communities followed the construction of the military road north in the 18th century which followed the line of the present main street.

In 1842 Queen Victoria visited Perthshire on one of her grand tours and her favourable opinion of the area caused the town to be more widely noticed. After the railway station was built in 1863, Pitlochry became a favoured destination for tourists.

In 1947 Pitlochry became a burgh. That year also saw the beginning of construction of a dam as part of the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme. The dam and its fish ladder are a popular tourist attraction today. The damming of the river created an artificial loch, Loch Faskally but flooded a large area north of the town including the old Recreation Park which was relocated to its current position.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre^[2] was founded by John Stewart in 1951, originally situated in a tent in the grounds of Knockendarroch House in Lower Oakfield. The tent became semi-permanent and remained there for 30 years until the current building at Port-na-craig opened in 1981.

The town was awarded a Gold Medal in the 2009 Britain in Bloom horticultural contest, and outright winner in the category of Small Town.^[3]

Governance[link]

Pitlochry Church of Scotland and Tryst.

Pitlochry is part of the Perth and Kinross council area. The Scottish Parliamentary constituency is Tayside North, represented by John Swinney of the Scottish National Party. The UK Parliament constituency is Perth and North Perthshire. The MP is Peter Wishart, also of the Scottish National Party.^[4]

Demography[link]

Pitlochry had a population of 2,564 at the 2001 census. According to the census, 34.17% of the population was of pensionable age and older, compared to a Scottish average of 18.61%. The median age for males was 47, compared to a Scottish median age of 37, while the median age for females was 52, compared to a Scottish median of 39.^[5]

Economy[link]

Fish ladder in Pitlochry

Pitlochry's main tourist attraction is its setting, with the surrounding mountains attracting hillwalkers and climbers. Other outdoor activities, such as angling and boating, are also popular. Being in the geographical centre of Scotland, it is a popular touring base (it is a well-known local saying that a map of Scotland can balance on the head of a pin under Pitlochry).

The town has two whisky distilleries, whose visitor centres are popular attractions: Edradour, which is the smallest distillery in Scotland, and Blair Athol Distillery,^[6] which dates back to 1798. Edradour sits to the north of town at the foot of the Moulin Moor. It is privately owned and produces only 12 casks per week with a production workforce of three men. Unchanged since it started making whisky it is the last example of a traditional distillery and hugely popular with visitors. Blair Athol sits on the main road at the east of town and since 1933 has been owned by Bell's, now part of the Diageo group. Its visitor facilities are state of the art.

The power station's dam is known for its 310 metre salmon ladder; fish can be viewed swimming from weir to weir within the ladder, via an underwater viewing station or a video from inside the visitor centre. Over 5,000 salmon pass through annually. The dam and power station were completed in 1951 as the last link in the Tummel Valley hydro scheme which comprises nine power stations and reservoirs. The new reservoir which was named Loch Faskally was built across the River Tummel flooding a large area upstream. The concrete dam incorporates massive steel floodgates to control water levels with a walkway across the top with viewing windows to the powerhouse. Despite considerable local opposition to the construction of the new loch and power station it became an instant attraction and now includes a visitor centre explaining hydro generation and the life of the gangs of workmen who built the schemes. The chain of reservoirs and dams has been a great help in controlling the flooding problems of the Tay valley to the east. The motto of Scottish Hydro-Electric is Neart-na-Gleann (power from the Glens).

Churches[link]

There are a number of churches in Pitlochry, including the Church of Scotland Parish Church of Pitlochry Church of Scotland on Church Road which was built in 1884. Holy Trinity, a Episcopal Church at the eastern end of Pitlochry, was built in 1858. Pitlochry Baptist Church, built in 1884, is situated at the east end of the main street. There is a small Roman Catholic Church, St Bride's, at Rie-achan near Loch Faskally which was established in 1949.

Transport[link]

Ben Y Vrackie at 841m dominates the scenery around Pitlochry. The view is from the A9 looking north and shows part of the town of Pitlochry.

The town, which lies 26 miles north of Perth is bypassed by the main A9 Inverness to Perth road, and has a railway station on the Highland Main Line.

The town lies at the eastern end of the Rob Roy Way, a long distance footpath that runs from Drymen.

Arts and culture[link]

In 1951, John Stewart’s dream of creating a rural Festival Theatre for Scotland became a reality. After overcoming countless obstacles, the Theatre in the Hills was finally born . . . in a tent! Sixty years later, some things have changed: the tent is no more; the theatre has relocated across the Tummel into a purpose-built theatre. But Stewart’s central ambition - to present a wide range of high quality productions in repertoire each Summer - is still what guides the Theatre today. In 2011, the Theatre celebrates its 60th Anniversary.

Encapsulated in the famous slogan - Stay Six Days, See Six Plays - Pitlochry Festival Theatre is a theatrical phenomenon, operating a unique repertoire system which offers a different show every night of the week – two on matinée days! This means you can literally stay for six days and see six different plays. Its ensemble is the largest in Scotland, its auditorium has 544 seats in which over 60,000 visitors sit every Summer.

Open all year round, this famous 'theatre in the hills' introduced a new autumn programme in 2011, which revives one of the theatre's best loved and most popular productions, each year in October and November. In 2010, the theatre added a Christmas production to it's year round calendar of events.

The Winter Words Festival, is a 10 day literary festival which takes place every year in late Jan to early February. This Festival is 7 years old in 2011 and is firmly established as one of Scotland's leading book festivals. Most events take place at the famous Pitlochry Festival Theatre, ^[7] where every year you can get together with over 40 authors, broadcasters, wordsmiths and personalities in a stimulating environment and a stunning place.

The renowned sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest,^[8] takes place in Pitlochry's nearby Faskally Wood every year in October, attracting 20,000 visitors to the town.

Every Monday during the summer the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band,^[9] hosts a traditional evening of music, dancing and song, beginning and ending with a short parade along the high street^[10]

Climate[link]

As with the rest of the British Isles and Scotland, Pitlochry experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest official Met Office weather station for which online records are available is Faskally, about 2 miles North West of the town centre. Typically the warmest day of the year will rise to 26.3 °C (79.3 °F)^[11] and the coldest night will fall to −10.6 °C (12.9 °F).^[12]