Dunalastair & Highland Perthshire
See Links for details of activities
DUNALASTAIR ESTATE
Situated in the breathtakingly beautiful glen of Rannoch, in Highland Perthshire, Dunalastair is a traditional highland estate which has been owned and run by the Bunten/de Sales La Terrière family for 119 years.
In former times this was the territory of the Robertson clan whose chief in the 18th Century was Alexander Robertson of Struan the great Jacobite highland chieftain and poet. Five clan chiefs are buried on the estate in a beautiful, peaceful, walled graveyard set on a knoll looking west towards the hills of Glen Coe 30 miles away. For information about Clan Donnachaidh which includes the names Robertson, Duncan, Reid and others click on Clan Donnachaidh International.
The estate lies in a National Scenic Area between the Cairngorm and Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Parks.
KINLOCH RANNOCH
The nearby village of Kinloch Rannoch is situated near the east end of Loch Rannoch and has a square with attractive church and other Victorian stone buildings. There is a good small general store with post office, hotels and a medical centre. Currently there is no petrol or diesel in the glen. All day food is now available at the hotel in the square.
On the third Saturday in August, the Rannoch Highland Gathering is held in the village. See Links - What's On.
LOCAL CLANS
Several clans were associated with this area. Particularly such names as Menzies, Macdonald, Cameron, Duncan and Robertson are local to the area and the many graveyards are a source of interesting research, as well as booklets by local historians about the clans in the area. These are available in local shops. There is a Clan Trail around Loch Rannoch and you can pick up leaflets about this in the shops.
CENTRALLY PLACED FOR EXPLORING
At the geometric centre of Scotland, Dunalastair is perfectly placed for touring a wide area and visiting such historic places as Blair Castle, Balmoral, Scone Palace, Perth, Loch Ness, the Trossachs, Fort William, Edinburgh and Glasgow. There are distilleries and water mills to visit and an evening at Pitlochry's famous Festival Theatre is well worth while. A variety of good eating places are within easy reach.
There is good shopping in Pitlochry and Aberfeldy, famous for their woollens and tweeds and in Dunkeld and at the well-known House of Bruar near Blair Atholl, locally known as the 'Harrods of the north' where there are men and women's clothes, shoes, outdoor clothing, wonderful woollens, cashmere, kitchenware, china, children's toys and clothes, an art gallery and much else besides and where you can also enjoy a delicious lunch. There are a plethora of art galleries in the Highland Perthshire area.
Gardens - There are numerous lovely Perthshire gardens open to the public both regularly, and occasionally under the Scotland's Gardens Scheme. If you are coming in April/May, try to go to Cluny House Gardens, Strathtay, a fascinating woodland garden. There April/May is a great month for woodland bulbs including many different trilliums and erythroniums. Asiatic petiolarid primulas are in flower and the first candelabras will be out at the end of April.
There are a vast amount of activities for you to do and the More Activities in the Area page will give you websites where you can do some research and the Links page has a wealth of relevant information about the area.
