Attraction in Perthshire

Cairngorm Mountain at 1,245 metres is the sixth highest summit in Britain and the highest peak within the Cairngorm massif that forms the core of the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands. The mountain provides some of the most extensive and most serious high mountain terrain in Britain, its plateau summit and the great corries cut into its northern and eastern faces offering exceptional walking in summer and world-class ski mountaineering and winter climbing in the right conditions. The Cairngorm Mountain funicular railway, one of the highest mountain railways in Britain, provides year-round mechanical access to the plateau edge for visitors who prefer not to walk the ascent. The summit plateau of Cairngorm and the broader Cairngorm plateau extending toward Ben Macdui and beyond is the largest area of high arctic mountain terrain in Britain, a landscape of shattered quartzite, permanent snow patches, high-altitude lochs and the characteristic dwarf plant communities of the sub-arctic environment. The species that inhabit this landscape, including ptarmigan, dotterel, snow bunting, mountain hare and the insects associated with snowfield and late-melting snow patches, are found nowhere else in Britain at such density and scale, and the Cairngorms plateau is therefore one of the most important conservation areas in the British Isles. The Ptarmigan restaurant at the upper funicular station at 1,097 metres is the highest restaurant in Britain and provides a remarkable viewpoint over the summit plateau and the surrounding mountains. In winter it overlooks the ski area, which at its best can offer challenging alpine skiing on north-facing runs that hold snow reliably when lower Scottish ski areas are struggling. The walk from the car park at Coire Cas to the summit cairn is a relatively straightforward hill walk in summer conditions but the summit plateau is notorious for rapid deterioration in weather and navigation is essential for safe travel away from the tourist path.

The Glenfinnan Viaduct is the most celebrated piece of railway engineering in Scotland and one of the most famous in the world, a concrete viaduct of twenty-one arches carrying the West Highland Line 30 metres above the valley floor at the head of Loch Shiel in the Highlands, its combination of elegant construction, dramatic mountain and loch setting and global fame as the location of the Hogwarts Express sequence in the Harry Potter films making it a destination for visitors from every country. Built between 1897 and 1901 by Robert McAlpine's construction company using innovative mass concrete technology, the viaduct demonstrates that functional infrastructure and landscape beauty need not be in conflict. The viaduct curves gently as it crosses the valley, following the natural contour of the hillside rather than cutting across it in a straight line, and this gentle curve gives the structure its characteristic profile in the most famous viewpoint photographs taken from the hillside to the south. The 21 semicircular arches, each spanning approximately 15 metres, carry the railway in a graceful sweep that complements the surrounding mountain scenery rather than dominating it. The Jacobite Steam Train, which operates the summer service between Fort William and Mallaig, crosses the viaduct twice daily and provides the dramatic image of a steam locomotive on the great curve that has become one of the defining photographs of the Scottish Highlands. The valley of Glenfinnan carries enormous historical weight quite apart from its railway heritage. It was here at the head of Loch Shiel on 19 August 1745 that Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard and began the last rebellion that came closest to restoring the Stuart monarchy to Britain, the campaign that ended at Culloden eight months later. The Glenfinnan Monument on the lochside, managed by the National Trust for Scotland, marks the spot with a tall column topped by a kilted Highlander. The combination of the viaduct, the monument, the loch scenery and the steam train makes Glenfinnan one of the most layered and most rewarding destinations in the Highlands.

Glenshee Ski Centre on the slopes of Cairnwell in the Cairngorm Mountains between Braemar and Blairgowrie is the largest ski area in Britain, a network of runs on four mountains accessible from the highest main road summit in Britain at the Cairnwell Pass that provides the greatest vertical descent and the widest variety of terrain available at any Scottish ski resort. The combination of the altitude, the extent of the ski area and the quality of the terrain makes Glenshee the most complete skiing destination available in Scotland when snow conditions are good. The ski area extends across Cairnwell, Meall Odhar, Glas Maol and Cairn Aosda, four mountains linked by ski lifts and drags that create a network of runs of varying difficulty from gentle beginner slopes to more demanding terrain on the steeper faces. The total vertical descent available, approximately 220 metres on the best runs, provides a skiing experience comparable to modest Alpine resorts rather than the limited terrain of smaller British ski areas. The summer use of the Glenshee area for walking and mountain biking provides a year-round visitor offer that complements the ski season, and the Cairnwell Pass road over the highest main road summit in Britain provides dramatic mountain scenery accessible by car for those who prefer not to ski. The surrounding Cairngorm landscape of moorland and high mountain plateau provides excellent walking in one of the finest wilderness areas in the British Isles.