Scottish Vacations And A Number Of Splendid Visitor Attractions to Visit Close To Pitlochry

Scottish vacations are rather popular at the moment due, possibly, to the strength of the US dollar against the £ making vacations to the United Kingdom extremely good value, especially if visiting from the US. In the following article we take a look at three splendid places to visit in Pitlochry, Blair Castle, the Killiecrankie Visitor Centre and the Scottish Hydro Electric Visitor Centre.

Scottish Hydro Electric Visitor Centre

A power station is a bizarre location for a visitor attraction, but this is precisely where you will discover the Scottish Hydro Electric Visitor Center. The visitor center is located within the splendid Pitlochry Power Station, and includes interactive exhibits which describe the history of hydro power in Scotland, starting in the nineteen forties up until the present day. The Pitlochry Dam, which was constructed between nineteen forty seven and nineteen fifty one, offers tourists the fascinating chance to watch the incredible salmon ladder through 3 observation areas. Once inside the visitor center, there are interactive and audio-visual presentations explaining in detail this natural phenomenon. The turbine hall of Pitlochry Hydro-Electric Power Station can also be observed from inside the Visitor Center.

Blair Castle

Dating back to the 13th century, Blair Castle is the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl. The building of Blair Castle commenced in the year 1269, under the instruction of the Lord of Badenoch (John I Comyn), a northern neighbor of the Earl of Atholl. The Earl was absent, fighting in the Crusade's, when his neighbor began to build of Blair Castle on his land. As soon as he returned the Earl angrily complained to the Scottish King, Alexander III about the interloper, and his lands were returned. Rather than demolishing the tower than John I Comyn had constructed, the Earl decided to merge the tower into his own castle. A Great Hall and a number of vaulted chambers were incorporated into the castle over the centuries, by  different Earls. It was the 2nd Duke of Atholl who, in 1740, decided to renovate the castle as a Georgian Mansion.

Killiecrankie Visitor Centre

During the era of the Jacobites Killiecrankie, not a great distance from Pitlochry, found itself filled with the sounds of battle. The government soldiers were completely overwhelmed by the rebel Jacobite army, under the leadership of Bonnie Dundee. During the bloody battle a soldier escaped by jumping across the River Garry, hence the name, Soldier's Leap. The area about the gorge and pass were a favored place of Queen Victoria.

To learn concerning the infamous battle you should pay a visit to the Killiecrankie Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre has a number of otherpresentations and services, which include; a natural history of the area, guided walks and ranger service's and much more.

If you are thinking about taking a vacation in Scotland based in Pitlochry then you can discover Pitlochry hotels online by using the search term "Pitlochry hotel accommodation" in your favorite search engine.