Pitlochry

Pitlochry is the last town on the A9 north before it starts the long climb into the mountains and over the Drumochter Pass. It sits on the banks of the River Tummel, five miles north of its confluence with the Tay, and is a genteel place of Tartan and Bagpipe Music so favoured by tourist buses. Dig a little deeper, however, and there is more to find, with good walking country all around, cycle trails and watersports. The Tummel has been dammed as part of the Hydro Power schemes in the 1950s, creating the scenic Loch Faskally which is hemmed by trees creating some beautiful views in the autumn. Pitlochry is also home to the Enchanted Forest, an annual light show held in nearby forestry.

The town grew up on the main road north through Perthshire, which became the A9. The road originated as the military road built by General Wade nearly 300 years ago, but has been rebuilt several times before it was moved across the Tummel to bypass the town. The only other classified road in Pitlochry is the A924, which crosses the hills to the east in an often tortuous route of amazing scenery to the A93 at Bridge of Cally. This route was extended, in both directions, along the former A9 through the town when the bypass opened in 1981. Curiously, the OS Landranger map from 1982 shows the A924 as extending along the old A9 alignment as far as Moulinearn. This is almost certainly an error, as no subsequent mapping shows this extension, and it seems an unlikely situation.

A few miles to the south of Pitlochry, the important junction of Ballinluig lies, where the A827 heads west, following the Tay to Loch Tay, Aberfeldy, Killin and so the A85 to Crianlarich. This too is a road to enjoy, although often narrow with blind crests and bends, when it is empty it is a joy to drive. North of the town, the B8019 assumes the former route of the A9, following the Tummel as it turns westwards into Strathtummel. Here the old main road becomes the B8079, following the River Garry through the last few villages of Killiecrankie, Blair Atholl and Calvine before rejoining the A9 as it climbs up the Pass of Drumochter on its long journey north.

Whilst the A9 from Ballinluig to Pitlochry is already dualled, much of the route is single carriageway. However, plans are in progress to fully dual the road from Perth to Inverness by 2025, and the short section from Pitlochry to Killiecrankie looks like being one of the earlier improvements.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
A9	Inverness, Blair Atholl	Over Pass of Drumochter
A9	Perth
A827	Logieralt, Grandtully, Aberfeldy, Kenmore, Crianlarich	Via Loch Tay
A924	Moulin, Blairgowrie, Braemar (A93)
B8019	Strathtummel, Tummel Bridge, Kinloch Rannoch (B846)	Former A9 route
B8079	Inverness (A9), Killiecrankie, Blair Atholl	Former A9 route