Wilderness, history, culture and sport.
Recommendations
We opened a guesthouse at Heathpark House because, when we took a look at a map, we realised it sits at the centre of lots of things that you should see and explore in our part of Scotland: wild scenery, great walking, wildlife spotting and photography, castles, cultural cities and towns, as well as championship golf, horseracing and even husky dog racing.
Take a drive on the wild side
The Cairngorms National Park is the first thing to mention, as Blairgowrie sits on the border of this special, wild national park. You can take the Snow Roads and drive Britain’s highest public route, past ski slopes, to Braemar, Ballater, Balmoral and Tomintoul. They say it’s about the journey as much as the destination. So, get set for stunning scenery and outstanding landscapes, and watch out for stags and birds of prey along the way.
You’ll also be short drives from the unspoilt Angus Glens, forests and wood walks, osprey watching at Loch of the Lowes, and close to beaver and wildlife tours on our local river, husky racing at Bowlands Trails and wildlife hide photography at Penny Hedge. Read more on our wild outdoors page.
Discover kings, queens, explorers and lost boys
If you like history, you can immerse yourself in the very beginnings of Scotland’s story, from the ancient crowning place for kings at Scone Palace and haunted Glamis Castle to the 1320 Declaration of Scottish independence at Arbroath.
In Dundee, you can visit the only V&A musuem outside of London, where the Arctic research ship of explorers Scott and Shackelton, RRS Discovery, is moored, and you can eat the best doughnuts in the world too. There are heritage properties to see, whisky and gin distilleries, craft breweries, theatres, gardens, and the birthplace museum of JM Barrie.
If you’re a fan of the TV’s Outlander, we can even suggest film locations like the bluebell wood of Kinclaven, Drummond Castle Gardens, Falkland and Doune Castle. Read more about all of the above on our castles and culture page.
Take a drive on the golf course
Scotland is widely known as the Home of Golf and we’re just three minutes’ from the championship courses of Rosemount and Lansdowne at Blairgowrie Golf Club, as well as many other famous and not so famous courses. Perth Racecourse, Britain’s most northerly horse track, is close too.
Read more about sport, including skiing, fishing, mountaneering and extreme sports, on our golf and sports page.
Food for the soul
We can recommend local restaurants and cafes, including those that cater well for vegetarians and vegans, and places that accept dogs. Let us know if you need any of these in advance.