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The GUCH Patients Association :: View topic - BRAVEHEARTS WEEKEND BREAK... guch.org.uk |
Coordinates: 56°42′18″N 3°43′59″W / 56.7050°N 3.7330°W
Pitlochry (Baile Chloichridh or Baile Chloichrigh in Gaelic), is a burgh in the council area of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. Its population according to the 2001 census was 2,564[1]. It is largely a Victorian town, whose success as a tourist resort was due to Queen Victoria visiting the area in 1842, and the arrival of the railway in 1863. It remains a popular tourist resort today and is particularly known as a centre for hillwalking, surrounded by mountains such as Ben Vrackie. The town has retained many stone-built Victorian buildings.
[edit] HistoryPitlochry dates largely from Victorian times, though the area known as Moulin, once a separate village, is older. Moulin Kirk was granted by the Earl of Atholl to Dunfermline Abbey in 1180. Moulin became a burgh of barony in 1511. Pitlochry itself first started to grow after General George Wade built a road through the town as part of his effort to improve access to rural Scotland between 1725 and 1737 as a response to the Jacobite Rising of 1715. In 1842, Queen Victoria visited the nearby Blair Castle. Her favourable opinion of the area caused the town to be more widely noticed. After the railway station was built in 1863, Pitlochry became a favoured destination for tourists. In 1947 Pitlochry became a burgh. That year also saw the beginning of construction of a dam as part of the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme. The dam and its fish ladder are a popular tourist attraction today. The damming of the river created an artificial loch, Loch Faskally. Pitlochry Festival Theatre[2] opened in 1951, originally situated in the current location of the Curling Rink as a tent. The current building dates from 1981. Every year in October, Pitlochry transforms into a hub of activity for some 20,000 visitors who descend upon the town to see The Enchanted Forest sound and light show and the Pitlochry Autumn Festival that runs alongside the event. The town was awarded a Gold Medal in the 2009 Britain in Bloom horticultural contest, and outright winner in the category of Small Town. See www.pitlochryinbloom.co.uk [edit] Governance Pitlochry is part of the Perth and Kinross council area. The council members representing the town are the now late Eleanor Howie, and John Culliven, both members of the Scottish National Party.[2] The Scottish Parliamentary constituency is Tayside North, represented by John Swinney of the Scottish National Party. The UK Parliament constituency is Perth and North Perthshire. The MP is Peter Wishart, also of the Scottish National Party.[3]. The area has traditionally been a Conservative-voting one, with Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home and flamboyant right-wingers Nicholas Fairbairn and Bill Walker representing the area for the Conservatives. As Scotland comprises a single European Parliament Constituency, Pitlochry participates in electing 7 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of proportional representation every five years. [edit] DemographyPitlochry had a population of 2,564 at the 2001 census. According to the census, 34.17% of the population was of pensionable age and older, compared to a Scottish average of 18.61%. The median age for males was 47, compared to a Scottish median age of 37, while the median age for females was 52, compared to a Scottish median of 39.[4] [edit] Economy Pitlochry's main tourist attraction is its setting, with the surrounding mountains attracting hillwalkers and climbers. Other outdoor activities, such as angling and boating, are also popular. The town has two whisky distilleries, whose visitor centres are popular attractions: Edradour, which is the smallest distillery in Scotland, and Blair Athol Distillery [5], which dates back to 1798. The town has many pubs and hotels, including the Moulin Inn[6], which has its own microbrewery attached. The power station's dam is known for its 310 metre salmon ladder; fish can be viewed swimming from weir to weir within the ladder, via an underwater viewing station or a video from inside the visitor centre. Kindrogan House near Enochdu is a field studies centre run by the Field Studies Council with accommodation for 95 staff and students on a wide variety of courses. [edit] Transport The town, which lies 26 miles north of Perth is bypassed by the main A9 Inverness to Perth road, and has a railway station on the Highland Main Line. The town lies at the eastern end of the Rob Roy Way, a long distance footpath that runs from Drymen. [edit] Arts and culturePitlochry has a repertory theatre (with a seating capacity of 544[7]), Pitlochry Festival Theatre, founded by John Stewart former director of Skerry's College.[8] Its ensemble company is the largest in Scotland. The theatre boasts Scottish-based author JK Rowling as a patron. Its vision is "Stay Six Days and See Six Plays". In 1960, Margaret Morris founded a Scottish National Ballet Company in the town. The renowned sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest [9], takes place in Pitlochry's nearby Faskally Wood every year in October, attracting 20,000 visitors to the town. [edit] SportPitlochry is home to the Vale of Atholl Football Club. 'The Vale' were founded in 1879 and originally played at the old Recreation Park now situated at the bottom of Loch Faskally. Relocating along with the pavillion in the 1950s when the dam was built to the current location the Vale were regular competitors in the Scottish Cup in the past having played ties against the likes of Dundee and Hibernian. The Vales most famous former player remains Dundee United and Scotland legend Paul Sturrock who is currently manager at Plymouth Argyll. Paul remains a committed Vale supporter. The Vale's only First Division championship victory was in the 1990s but recently tasted Second Division success in 2004/5. The newly created Atholl Highlanders rugby team also play at Recreation Park. [edit] Twin towns[edit] References
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