Crieff brings together a range of experiences: a level riverside walk along the River Earn, views across Strathearn and towards Ben Chonzie, and a guided whisky tour with a tasting. Its history also takes many forms – from a 17th-century library to a 10th-century monument. You can tailor your stay to focus on walks and scenery, historic sites or whisky making.
Walks and views
Lady Mary’s Walk is an easy, level riverside route along the River Earn. The path runs beneath an avenue of beech and lime trees. If you are looking for a walk with a clearly described route, this one combines river views with mature trees. MacRosty Park offers a different perspective on the landscape: from there, views stretch across Strathearn and towards Ben Chonzie. The park and riverside walk offer different highlights – views across the landscape in one case, a route along the river in the other.
Near Crieff, the Innerpeffray Heritage Trail follows the route of Scotland’s best-preserved Roman roads. It connects landscape and history, offers a path to the River Earn and is open year-round. The river plays a different role in the two walks: Lady Mary’s Walk is a riverside route, while the Heritage Trail offers a path to the River Earn. The trail also focuses on the historic route and its context.
Library, monument and events
The Innerpeffray Library is near Crieff. Founded in 1680, it is Scotland’s first free public lending library. Guided tours are offered regularly. Alongside walks through the landscape, the area’s cultural attractions include a place with a long library history.
Another historic landmark is housed in Crieff’s former town hall: the 10th-century Cross of Crieff, a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Events include the Crieff Highland Gathering, which has been held since 1870, and the Drovers’ Tryst. This walking festival in Crieff is connected with the history of driving cattle through the surrounding hills. If you would like to plan your trip around one of these events, check the dates in advance.
Whisky tour and day visits
The Glenturret Whisky Tour is a 60-minute guided tour of the traditional production of The Glenturret Single Malt Whisky. It ends with a tasting of two drams. The walk to the distillery is separate: The Glenturret Distillery is about a half-hour walk from Crieff town centre. For planning purposes, you can treat the approximate walk from the centre and the tour duration as two separate time estimates.
Action Glen welcomes both day visitors and guests staying at Crieff Hydro Hotel. This means you can also visit without staying at the hotel. Further details about the activities there are not needed to understand how this differs from the other offerings: the whisky tour focuses on a guided visit and tasting, while walks, views and cultural history offer other possible focuses for your stay.
Choosing Crieff to suit your interests
To narrow down your options, you can sort them by their specific focus: MacRosty Park offers views across Strathearn and towards Ben Chonzie, while Lady Mary’s Walk is an easy, level route along the river and beneath beech and lime trees. The Innerpeffray Heritage Trail combines a historic route with the landscape and a path to the River Earn. The library and Cross of Crieff offer their own perspectives on Scottish history; the Glenturret Whisky Tour provides a guided introduction to traditional whisky making. The approximate walk to the distillery and the 60-minute tour also help you plan how much time to allow for this visit.
Discover more destinations: Dunkeld, Ochtertyre, Blair Atholl, Dull, Braco, Invergowrie, Aberfeldy, Scone
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