Driving to Pitlochry: tolls, fuel & road trip guide
Pitlochry is a Victorian market town on the River Tummel in Highland Perthshire, about 90 km north of Edinburgh. It grew into a resort after Queen Victoria toured the area in 1842 and the railway arrived in 1863, and it is known for its Festival Theatre, the salmon ladder at its hydro-electric dam and the Blair Athol Distillery, which dates back to 1798.
The town sits just off the A9 between Perth and Inverness, making it an easy first stop when driving from Edinburgh into the Highlands. In autumn the surrounding woods of the Tay Forest Park turn gold and red, and from 8 October to 8 November 2026 the Enchanted Forest sound-and-light show celebrates its 25th year in nearby Faskally Wood; evening slots sell out, so book ahead and remember to drive on the left.
Top attractions
Pitlochry Dam and Salmon Ladder
Hydro-electric dam completed in 1951 that created Loch Faskally; its 310-metre fish ladder lets thousands of salmon bypass the dam each year, and you can watch them from the viewing points.
The Enchanted Forest (Faskally Wood)
Award-winning autumn sound-and-light show staged in the woodland beside Loch Faskally; the 2026 edition marks its 25th anniversary and runs from 8 October to 8 November, with timed evening tickets.
Queen's View and Loch Tummel
Famous viewpoint on the B8019 along the north shore of Loch Tummel, made famous by Queen Victoria in 1866, looking west down the loch towards the cone of Schiehallion; part of the Loch Tummel National Scenic Area.
Pass of Killiecrankie
Wooded gorge of the River Garry just north of Pitlochry, beside the site of the 1689 Battle of Killiecrankie, where Jacobite forces under Viscount Dundee defeated a government army; riverside paths make it a good leaf-peeping walk.
Blair Castle
Ancestral seat of the Clan Murray and the Dukes of Atholl at Blair Atholl, about 10 km north on the A9, with roots said to go back to 1269; home of the Atholl Highlanders, Europe's only legal private army, and grounds with one of Britain's tallest trees.
Driving to Pitlochry
Road charges in United Kingdom
No motorway vignette or environmental sticker is required for passenger cars in United Kingdom; motorways are free or distance-tolled.
Driving distances from Pitlochry
| To | Road km | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Glencoe | 108 | 1 h 33 min |
| Fort William | 110 | 1 h 34 min |
| Edinburgh | 117 | 1 h 40 min |
| Inverness | 119 | 1 h 42 min |
| Portree | 219 | 3 h 08 min |
| Lake District | 308 | 4 h 24 min |
| York | 452 | 6 h 27 min |
| Oxford | 746 | 10 h 39 min |
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