You could spend most of a day trawling north from Edinburgh is search of a distant village in the remote reaches of the Scottish Highlands. But why would you when you’ve got Dunkeld? This gorgeous wee town in Highland Perthshire offers the classic Highland cocktail of rugged mountains, soaring rivers and bountiful wildlife, backed up by great places to eat and stay.
The difference with Dunkeld is not just the trees – unlike many parts of the Highlands Dunkeld is bathed in forests – but in its glorious accessibility. Dunkeld is barely an hour’s drive from Edinburgh, there are trains here from all over Scotland and even the Caledonian Sleeper from London drops you here in time for breakfast. Dunkeld is a brilliant place for a break – here are seven reasons you should chose it for your Scottish getaway.
1. Enchanted Forest
This Highland Perthshire star is quite simply one of the world’s premier autumnal events. Enchanted Forest 2025 soars from 2nd October to 2nd November in 2025. You’re invited to the wilds of Faskally Wood just to the north of Dunkeld by Pitlochry – note Dunkeld is a much quieter base for the event. There is nothing quite like this light and sound extravaganza set amid the brilliance of ‘Big Tree Country’ as the leaves change colour. This year’s theme is ‘Luminara’, exploring the connections between nature and technology, with highlights including a forest-wide installation that synchronises all visitors as part of a shared experience, thought to be a first for any show of its kind ever held in Scotland. Always book ahead to snare one of the coveted tickets. www.enchantedforest.org.uk
2. Indulge in retail therapy
Atholl Street is a gloriously fun throughfare with loads of great stores for a bijou shopping experience. And the great news is that you don’t have to trudge for miles. We’re talking the award-winning Aran Bakery, which is owned by former Great British Bake Off star Flora Shedden and neighbour Lòn Store, with its cookbooks, artisan Perthshire food and kitchenware, then on to Dunkeld Whisky Box around the corner, which also offer craft beers, wine and rum. Going Pottie Studio, lets you have a chance to paint mugs, plates, or buy finished pottery, while The Naked Sheep cosies you up in Scottish knitwear for autumn and Jeffreys Dunkeld gets your house looking similarly coorie too, from the dramatic surrounds of this spectacularly converted church. Redwood has a Californian owner who married a local lass and superb wines, with a restaurant with a daily changing menu that has won awards in its own right.
3. Dining in Dunkeld
Perthshire produce is second to none. The last time were in Dunkeld we savoured freshly foraged chanterelle mushrooms and delicious haggis bon bons at Z’s Bistro. Another highlight was the venison loin backed up with venison shoulder, a seasonal treat at The Stag. My top meal, though, was at The Taybank. This Scandi-chic hotel and restaurant is gorgeous. It is seriously hygge and ideal for an autumn or winter break. I loved the amount of veggie options amongst the starters. The main was also sublime – Shetland cod cooked in bacon, laced with Scottish squid, cauliflower and a parsley emulsion. Delicious!
4. Wonderful walks
It’s hard to think of a town in Scotland with better options for walking. The most obvious is the legendary Hermitage, an oasis that is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. It’s glorious sweeping through the forest by the surging River Braan up to the spectacular Black Linn Falls, best viewed from the folly of Ossian’s Hall. Birnam Hill Path meanwhile opens up even better views of Dunkeld and its bucolic surrounds, and the Inver Walk, a more relaxed experience on a riverside route that begins in Dunkeld and loops around woodlands and parts of the Hermitage to the village of Inver. Craigvinean Hill or Deuchary Hill tempt for a heart-pumping wee yomp uphill. Gaining any sort of altitude in and around Dunkeld is always rewarded with life-affirming Highland Perthshire views.
5. Shakespeare!
Yes the bard did come to Dunkeld. He is known to have descended on the banks of the River Tay with his troupe of actors when they were travelling with their play, and peered over at the once mighty Birnham Wood. So it’s no coincidence then that the same wood pops up in his Macbeth play when the eponymous protagonist is undone as the witches’ prophecy comes true and the wood ‘marches’ to bring about his downfall. You can still visit the Birnham Oak, left as a tribute to the bard and the play. If you want to know more about the real life Macbeth – as well as the fictional one – and their associations with Perthshire check out the piece I wrote on them for the Telegraph.
6. Delve into spooky Dunkeld
Perthshire has to be one of the spookiest, most ‘haunted’ parts of Scotland and that is saying something in a country that invented Halloween with its pagan Samhain traditions. It’s probably also because of the sheer volume of bloody happenings, from brutal battles and murders, through to executions and baleful ‘witch’ trials. And Dunkeld has a deeply colourful past of battles, intrigue and all sorts of skullduggery. History and Horror Tours offer brilliantly engaging tours of Dunkeld that really take a deep dive into some of the most chilling tales. We’re talking everything from ghostly figures and vicious vampires, through to mysterious horsemen riding in the night.
7. Loch of the Lowes
This is an essential visit if you’re enthralled by the wonder of flora and fauna. The Scottish Wildlife Trust do a great job with this protected reserve, which covers over 100 hectares and has been helping ospreys breed since 1969. With massive success. They have observation hides with binoculars, telescopes and live webcams so you can watch these mighty birds of prey, as well as other wildlife including otters, red squirrels, beavers, deer, and myriad birdlife. You can walk here from Dunkeld, around two miles away, and you should as there is no such thing as a walk in and around glorious Dunkeld that is not scenic.
