3 Places to See the Autumn Colours in Perthshire (that aren’t the Hermitage)

We can completely understand why the Hermitage at Dunkeld is so popular, especially at this time of year with the sumptuous autumn colours, salmon leaping, and unique phot opportunities. But, it’s not the only place in Perthshire with these advantages, and with reports in October of car parking chaos due to how busy the Hermitage is, we wanted to present a few alternatives. They are all located further up the A9, so you can set out especially to see these, or you can have them in mind to travel on to if the Hermitage is full when you arrive.

The Black Spout

This is a steep but short wooded walk from the town of Pitlochry up to a viewpoint over a spectacular waterfall with an abundance of beautiful trees. One particular advantage of this walk is you can get yourself coffee and cake or lunch in one of Pitlochry’s many independent cafes afterwards! For a longer walk, you can continues up the hill and end up at the pretty village of Moulin, which has plenty of lovely photo opportunities if you enjoy old buildings, including a pub. Moulin is also within an easy walk downhill back to Pitlochry.

Pass of Killiecrankie

Park at the Killiecrankie Visitors Centre (a parking charge applies for non National Trust members) and be prepared to enjoy incredible vistas over the River Garry. There’s something of a path network here, and you really can’t go wrong with any of them, but if it’s your first visit then you’ll want to head down to the famous Soldiers Leap. For an amazing autumn photography spot, you can then make for the nearby Garry Bridge, which looks over the gorge. If you want, you can also continue along this road to another great viewpoint, Queen’s View.

Falls of Bruar

The Falls of Bruar walk is located just outside Blair Atholl and starts at the river next to the House of Bruar, where there’s ample car parking available, and you can even pop in to the cafe there afterwards for coffee, doughnuts, and a warm up if you wish. The walk itself can be done either as a circular trail, or by simply walking up until you’ve had enough and then coming back down again the same way. It has several viewing platforms, bridges and benches on the way to make the most of the beautiful views on offer, and you’ll also spot the remains of a Victorian viewing point.