Pitlochry Atholl Road Live Cam

Warm welcomes are a speciality in Perthshire, and there is no shortage of ways to enjoy our unique brand of hospitality. Whether you stay in a castle or a lochside chalet, whether your indulgence is golf or gourmet food, Perthshire has what you are looking for. You can relax at a superb health resort, or indulge yourself at a country house hotel. If you are taking a special activity break, a call to Perthshire Tourist Board could help you find the perfect place to stay - like hotels with an exclusive beat of the river, a friendly B & B at the foot of that hill you want to climb, or a world class luxury hotel whose door opens onto the first tee.

You'll be spoilt for choice with self-catering accommodation too. You can rent a log cabin in the woods, take an apartment within a hotel, stay in a cottage on a farm or take a break in a shooting lodge on a country estate. Whatever your choice, as soon as you experience Perthshire's welcoming atmosphere, you'll understand why visitors feel so at home here - and why they keep coming back again.

With a favourable climate, crystal clear rivers and fertile farmland, it's hardly surprising that Perthshire is famed for its fine quality, home-grown produce. And, while local produce is exported around the world, there is no better place to enjoy it than here, in Perthshire. Perthshire's gourmet role call is formidable and irresistible; salmon and brown trout from the rivers, acres of soft fruits from Blairgowrie - raspberries, strawberries - there is even a Tayberry. Fresh game and poultry from country estates. Fine grain and fresh water that distillers transform into excellent whiskies.

Aside from exclusive dining in five star hotels, you will find traditionally wholesome Scottish fayre prepared by award winning chefs in charming country hotels and restaurants tucked away in the countryside. Village pubs offer a plentiful choice of good food, real ales and delicious wines - some locally produced. You will soon discover the Scots' weakness for tea and home baking, as every town and village boasts tea rooms and coffee shops where you can often indulge in the uniquely Scottish tradition of High Tea. You will always enjoy good food and good company in Perthshire.

Perthshire has been welcoming conference delegates for many years and, whether you wish to organise a conference, an employee incentive break or a team building weekend, Perthshire's, staggering choice of venues and leisure facilities will make your event your most successful and memorable yet. Here are a few suggestions.

The world famous Gleneagles Hotel provides unrivalled audio visual conference facilities, and equally outstanding leisure facilities, including its renowned golf courses, an equestrian centre and Jackie Stewart Shooting School. Pitlochry Festival Theatre houses a 540 seat auditorium, and spacious exhibition area. Scone Palace makes a stunning setting for banquets, meetings and special events, while the Stakis Perth City Mills makes a charming and well equipped town venue for conferences and corporate dining.

Because we know that all work and no play makes for uhappy delegates, Perthshire's magnificent venues offer the perfect mix of business and pleasure. Delegates and their partners can enjoy all types of leisure pursuits - from golf to gourmet dining, field sports to antique hunting, white water rafting to relaxing in a jacuzzi.

Aberfeldy

Set at the geographical heart of Scotland, Aberfeldy has a wealth of attractions in its own right, as well as being the perfect base for touring. In the town itself, you can take the famous wooded walk that inspired Burns' poem, "The; Birks o' Aberfeldie", see a working water mill in action, savour malt whisky at the Aberfeldy Distillery, and see Wade's bridge over the Tay, designed by William Adam in 1733 to advance Wade's military road network. Close by is the Black Watch Memorial which stands in silent testament to the illustrious history of this Perthshire regiment. Just out of town, you can explore Castle Menzies at Weems, a 16th century tower house. Stroll the gardens at Bolfracks and Cluny House. Visit he picturesque village of Fortingall with its thatched cottages. Travel back in time at the Scottish Crannog Centre on Loch Tay, and visit the National Trust Visitor Centre at Ben Lawers to learn more about Perthshire's highest mountain and its rare alpine plant life.

Auchterarder

Known as "the Lang Toon", because of its long High Street, most visitors to Auchterarder wish they could stay longer in this charming town. Set against the Ochil Hills and nestled within the fertile valley of the River Earn, Auchterarder has a beautiful setting. The town bustles with activity during its summer Highland Games and Gala Week and, with Gleneagles Hotel close by, golf also attracts many visitors. Find out more about Auchterarder - past and present - at the Tourist Information Centre and Auchterarder Heritage Centre.

Blairgowrie

With the River Ericht running through its middle, it's little wonder that Blairgowrie flourished as a centre for textile mills last century. You can still see Scotland's largest water wheel at work at the Keathbank Mill. A stroll from the central Wellmeadow, along the new riverside walk is a lovely way to see the town - and to see salmon leaping. Blair, as it's known locally, is set amongst particularly fertile farmland, world famous for its soft fruits. Be sure to sample the raspberries if you are here in summer. You can sample the area's other fine produce at a number of excellent restaurants in the area. Nearby (look out for Meikleour, the world's largest beech hedge as you leave Blair) you can visit several villages and small towns and, just "over the border" in Angus, is the enchanting Glamis Castle, childhood home of the Queen Mother. Skiers - head for the hills of Glenshee for excellent skiing for all abilities, snow-boarding and cross-country skiing.

Crieff

Crieff has been making visitors welcome for generations; cattle traders come to market, Bonnie Prince Charlie and, when the railway arrived, the hundreds of Victorian visitors who came in search of the fresh air and exhilarating outdoor life that Queen Victoria made popular on her trips to the Highlands. Today, Crieff is renowned for its hospitality, and there are dozens of activities - energetic and relaxing - to be enjoyed. Wander round the stunning Italian formal garden at Drummond Castle, stroll the Crieff Nature Trail, play the area's six golf courses, sample the "water of life" at Glenturret, Scotland's oldest distillery, or take to the waters of Loch Earn on water skis, windsurf board, dinghy or sea plane. Souvenir hunting and shopping is a joy in Crieff. Individual shops with real character still thrive here and, at Crieff Visitor Centre, you can buy pottery and paperweights that you have watched craftsmen make by hand.

Dunkeld

Surrounded by densely wooded hills, Dunkeld sits astride the Highland Line, the point where Lowlands and Highlands meet. Small and compact, it's incredible how so much history and interest can be found in one small town. You can visit the restored choir of Dunkeld Cathedral, the only complete part of this once-splendid Cathedral, razed to the ground during the Reformation. Discover the inspiration behind the work of Beatrix Potter, who spent many holidays here. Visit the Scottish Horse Regimental Museum. There's a summer arts festival, a Highland Games, galleries, charming woodland walks that take in follies, waterfalls on the River Braan, and the remnants of Birnam Wood - made famous by Shakespeare's MacBeth. Take a trip to nearby Loch of the Lowes where osprey have returned to breed - or cross Thomas Telford's bridge to the neighbouring village of Birnam and start exploring all over again.

Kinross

Ironically, for a town that holds so many attractions for its visitors, Mary Queen of Scots had to make good her escape from the island stronghold on Loch Leven in 1568. These days local hospitality is in much greater demand, and visitors find lots of reasons to linger. There's Loch Leven itself, a nature reserve and haven for thousands of birds. See them at close quarters from the RSPB's Vane Farm Nature Centre. There's also excellent fishing on the loch. Visit Burleigh Castle, a Scottish tower house, dating from around 1500. Take a stroll round the grounds of Kinross House with its famous yew hedges, roses and herbacious borders. Browse round the cashmeres at Todd & Duncan's factory shop. Take to the hills - Benarty Hill and Bishop Hill - to admire the views stretching from Fife's lowlands to the Grampian Mountains. Or take to the skies with the Scottish Gliding Union at Portmoak for a bird's eye view of this glorious area.

Perth

Once the ancient capital of Scotland, the "Fair City" of Perth is the "capital" of Perthshire and it has a character all its own. Perhaps its because it retains the atmosphere of a bustling trading centre and county town. Its vibrancy could stem from its setting at the crossroads of Scotland's road and rail network. Past glories and present prosperity, Perth has a host of attractions in its own right, and makes a perfect touring base. Winner of Scottish Tourist City of the Year, quality of life awards, Britain in Bloom winner, and regular winner of Scotland in Bloom, Perth is a charming city with everything to commend it - fantastic parks and floral displays, fishing on the Tay, excellent specialist and big-name shopping, Scotland's most thriving repertory theatre, handsome Georgian houses, award-winning museums and galleries, superb restaurants, pubs and live music venues, and a thriving arts festival - all within the city itself. Perth's busy and helpful Tourist Information Centre can offer dozens more ideas on how to make the most of your time in and around Perth.

Pitlochry

Set amidst some of Scotland's finest scenery, Pitlochry has been a popular holiday resort since the 1860's. There is so much to be seen and enjoyed here - roaming round the area's many scenic walks, souvenir shopping for fine quality tweeds and woollen goods, or sampling the "water of life" at Scotland's smallest distillery - Edradour, or Blair Athol Distillery. In the summer months, you can enjoy traditional Scottish dancing and pipe band music, and see seven plays in just six days at Pitlochry's famous Festival Theatre. Visit the picturesque white turreted Blair Castle, home to a fine collection of paintings, armoury, and an international 3-day equestrian event. Stop off at Pitlochry Dam's visitor centre and underground viewing chamber where you can see salmon swim the fish ladder. Take in the scenery around Loch Tummel and Loch Rannoch, learn the story of the Battle of Killiecrankie at the National Trust's visitor centre - then start plannning your next trip to this fascinating holiday town.