Blairgowrie: Walking, Golf and History

You can plan a trip to Blairgowrie around three clear interests: walking, golf and local history. If you’re looking for a hotel in Blairgowrie, the activities can help you decide what to focus on during your stay—perhaps a circuit starting from the town centre, a longer stage or time to explore the local history. The walks vary in both length and the stated time needed to complete them.

Walking: a short circuit or a long-distance stage

The circular route to Knockie from Blairgowrie town centre is about 3 miles or 5 kilometres long and takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. A longer option is the first stage of the Cateran Trail: it starts in Blairgowrie, passes through Bridge of Cally to Kirkmichael and measures 15.5 miles or 24.9 kilometres. The entire Cateran Trail is 64 miles or 103 kilometres long and fully waymarked; the route passes through Perthshire and the Angus glens. This makes it easy to compare a single circuit with a long-distance walking stage in terms of their different distances and time commitments.

The Blairgowrie Path Network offers several walking and cycling routes in and around the town. These include Knockie Path, Ardblair Trail and River Ericht Path. The routes are considered easy to moderate and suitable for most age groups and fitness levels. In clear weather, views from Knockie extend across Blairgowrie and Rattray to the Sidlaw Hills and beyond. The named paths and the view offer different highlights: you can plan around the route you want to take or the views you want to enjoy.

The River Ericht and industrial history

There were 16 mills along the banks of the River Ericht in Blairgowrie and Rattray. Many of the former mills can be seen on a walk along the riverbank. During the Industrial Revolution, Blairgowrie and Rattray was a centre of textile production: first flax was processed, later jute and, finally, rayon. The number and history of the mills give a walk a tangible connection to the town’s industrial past.

Cargill’s Leap can also be reached on foot along the banks of the River Ericht. At Cargill’s Leap, a viewing platform offers a view down to Keith Falls. Alongside the former mills, anyone interested in the landscape and local history will find another clearly identified point of interest on the river.

Golf in Blairgowrie

Blairgowrie Golf Club has three championship courses. One notable design story is that of the Rosemount Course: Dr Alister MacKenzie designed the course, which was later extended by James Braid. If golf is a focus of your trip, Rosemount is a distinctive name in the local history of golf.

Berries, jam and culture

Blairgowrie and Rattray are considered Perthshire’s berry-growing capital and are also known as the “Berry Toon”. The town’s history of jam-making includes a purpose-built factory: it opened in The Croft in 1905, and Adamson’s Jam was sold worldwide. The Blairgowrie Jampionships were launched in 2011 as a competition to find the world’s best jam-maker.

Other historical dates mark distinct cultural highlights. The Blairgowrie & Rattray Highland Games were first recorded in 1868; the BOOKMARK Book Festival was founded in 2012. Taystful products can be bought at Mitchell’s on Blairgowrie High Street. As availability may change, it’s a good idea to check before planning a purchase.

Plan your journey

Bus route 57 serves Blairgowrie. If you’re planning to travel by bus, check the current timetable before setting off. When choosing a hotel, you can first consider which of the town’s different attractions is most important for your trip: walking routes, golf, or the history of textile production, mills and jam-making.

Discover more destinations: Montrose, Arbroath, Edzell, Menmuir, Inverkeilor, Westmuir, Kirriemuir, Carnoustie.

For the broader travel overview: Angus.