Comrie, Scotland
 

We are staying in The Manse in Comrie, Scotland the last week of May. Has anyone stayed there or could anyone make suggestions for "can't miss" sites in the area? Our schedule is casual - we'd like a day or two in Edinburgh, a trip to the Glencoe area, etc. Thanks!

OK - which Comrie are you talking about? There is one Comrie near Dunfermline in Fife, and another in Perthshire between Crieff and Loch Earn.

There is a TON of places to go/see w/i easy reach of either one.

For some reason I'll assume you mean the one near Crieff. w/i easy drives from there are Drummond Castle/Gardens, Glenturret whisky distillery, Killen/the Falls of Dochart, Stirling, Inchmahome priory, Doune Castle, Dunblabne/Cathedral, Dunkeld, Lochs Earn/Tay/Lubnaig/Katrine, Balquhidder (where Rob Roy is buried), Glencoe, and more other places than you could possibly squeeze in.

From there I'd probably take the train for Edinburgh day trips instead of driving - you can catch the train from Stirling, Dunblane, Auchterarder or other nearby stations.

In Scotland a Munro is a mountain over 300feet hight. One of the easiest is just oustide Comrie, so there's a good walk. between Comrie and St Fillans watch for the dragon at the side of the old railway. Created and maintained by the railwaymen, it's been looked after since the 60s by the local people. Going south towards the motorway, you go through the village of Braco. Just outside Braco is Ardoch a fantastically well preserved Roman camp, Back towards Crieff, as Janis says is Glenturrest distillery, famous for its cat as wellas the whisky and now the home of the Famous Grouse Experience, which I haven't been to, but which is meant to be very good. On the other side of Crieff is Innerpeffray Library which is a superb resource, not much known about and Fowlis Wester Church which houses some amazing Pictish stones. Ot take the Sma' Glen road over to Aberfeldy or Loch Tay and on into Glen Lyon. Visit Castle Menzies and the Fortingall Yew. Go to the visitor centre half way up Ben Lawers and see the Alpine flora that grows there, before global warming wipes it out. Or visit the Crannog Centre and see what life was like in Iron Age Scotland. The Hotel in Kenmore is worth a visit too. You'll be following in the footsteps on Rabbie Burns.

Comrie is a lovely village, with a nice range of wee shops and cafes and restaurants, the god-awful tartan museum, and a nice deli.

You can do watersports on Loch Earn (if you're hardy).

Oh, and if you take the train to Edinburgh(I do second this option) start from Stirling to avoid changing.

Janis - We're staying in the Perthshire Comrie, where I think the "god awful" tartan museum (as Sheila mentioned!) is located. (Why is it god awful?) I heard there was a disappearing waterfall nearby, too.

I agree with both of you that the best way to go into Edinburgh is by train from Stirling. Thanks very much to both of you for the other suggestions!

We stayed in nearby Aberfeldy a few years ago and found the area to be a very good touring base. There are a couple of distilliries close by (Edradour and Aberfeldy), Blair Castle, Birks of Aberfeldy, the Pass of Killiecrankie, Pitlochcry and Loch Tay. It's also convenient for trips to Glamis Castle, Scone Palace, Edinburgh, Stirling, Bannockburn and the Trossachs. It's really a beautiful area.

You may also want to check to see if there will be any Highland Games going on during your stay (www.albagames.co.uk/) We went to the games in Aberdeen and it was great fun.

twina

the museum is a wee bitty touristy on the bad side of schlock.

Sir Hugh must rolling over in his grave with Sheila's redefinition of how high a mountain has to be to be called a Munro!

One should always be wary of a tourist attraction the calls itself an "Experience". This is certainly true of the Famous Grouse Experience at Glen Turret distillery. Go there to take some photos, since it is very scenic. Take the tour if you like lame multimedia experiences and don't mind that you don't even get the chance to sample the product of the distillery. What you get is a wee dram of Famous Grouse, which may or may not contain a drop or two of Glen Turret

Would you believe that was a typo?

I'm now going to ave to go to Glen Turret to check for myself:( And I don't even like blends. But they do well by the Scottish rugby team:)

I don't think the Tartan museum is in Comrie any longer. The last time I tried to take someone there was at least a decade ago, and it was shut . . . . .

For a time I think they tried to re-locate in Edinburgh but don't think they ever made a go of it. There is a tartan museum way up north in Keith

I think you're right that they moved to Edinburgh and it didn't work.

So, they moved back to Comrie. Definitely still there.

Actually I thought the tartan museum was ok, Sheila. Touristy but then that's the whole point.

T.