Crieff
Crieff is a town in Perth and Kinross on the edge of the Scottish Highlands, with a population in 2021 of 7330. It's a well-preserved Victorian resort town, along with Comrie to the west. The main reason to visit is to see the terraced gardens of Drummond Castle.
Get in
Perth is the most convenient railway station, with frequent long-distance trains and onward transport. With a bicycle you could get off at Gleneagles near Auchterarder, or at Dunblane.
Citylink Bus 913 runs May-Sept once M-F from Edinburgh, taking 1 hr 50 min via Kinross and Broxden P&R (for Perth). It continues to Comrie, Lochearnhead, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Glencoe, Ballachulish and Fort William.
Stagecoach Perth Bus 15 runs from Perth along A85 to Crieff, taking 50 min, and continuing to Comrie and Dalginross. It runs hourly M-Sa and every couple of hours Sunday.
Bus 15A runs every couple of hours from Stirling, taking an hour via Bridge of Allan, Dunblane, Braco and Muthill.
Docherty's Bus 18 meanders from Auchterarder via Tullibardine and Muthill to Crieff, taking 25 min. There's three Tu-F and one on Monday.
The main bus stop in Crieff is on High St by McColl's newsagent.
By car follow A9 past Stirling and branch north on A822 at Braco, or from the east take A85 from Perth. If it's a fine day, A823 is a scenic route from Dunfermline over Knock Hill to Yetts of Muckart, then through Glen Devon and Gleneagles.
Get around
You can reach the castle and the distillery on foot. You need wheels to reach the loch in Glen Turret.
Taxis in town are A2B (+44 7708 010432), Brown's Hire (+44 7970 598870) and Crieff Taxis (+44 1764 654620).
See
- 1 Drummond Castle Gardens, Muthill PH7 4HZ (2 miles south of Crieff), ☏ +44 1764 681433. Jun-Oct daily 11AM-5PM. Ornate formal terraced gardens with much topiary, laid out from 1630 and embellished by the Victorians. The castle itself isn't open for visits. Adult £10, child £4.
- 2 Muthill Old Church is a ruin of a 15th century parish church within the graveyard of the present church. The 11th-century tower used to be free-standing. There are many other listed buildings in the village, which is pronounced MOOTH-ull.
- 3 Millhills Stone Circle is a small ring of stones of uncertain date, off B8062 just west of Pow Water. Half the fun is finding it, as the stones are low and often obscured by crops.
- 4 Comrie is an attractive little village 7 miles west of Crieff on A85. It sits on the Highland boundary fault line and is the most tremor-prone place in Britain, but they're obviously minor as so many historic buildings stand unscathed. These include the White Church, the grandiose Gothic Parish Church, and a Rennie Mackintosh shop with a turret on the main street. Glen Lednock to the north is a scenic walk, with the river cascading over "The De'il's Cauldron". On B827 a mile south of the village, Cultybraggan Camp is a collection of Nissen huts that once housed the most fervent Nazi POWs, and later became a secret bunker for a post-nuclear command centre.
Do
- 1 Glen Turret Distillery, The Hosh PH7 4HA, ☏ +44 1764 656565. Daily 10AM-6PM. It claims to be the oldest working distillery in Scotland, first documented in 1763. They produce Glenturret Single Malt, but much of their output is blended into The Famous Grouse. Standard tour £18, conc £15.
- Lady Mary's Walk is a genteel scenic stroll along the River Earn for a mile or so west of town.
- 2 Glen Turret is an attractive valley north of Crieff. You can drive up the lane as far as the reservoir dam, which creates the loch. A track leads up the glen and onto a ridge, from where you can reach the top of Ben Chonzie, a Munro of 931 m (3054 ft).
- Golf: Gleneagles Hotel is the top venue, see Sleep. There are three championship courses (King's, Queen's and Centenary) plus the 9-hole par-3 Wee Course.
- Crieff GC is at the north end of town. The Ferntower course is 6091 yards, par 71. The Dornock is nine holes, so two circuits make 6540 yards, par 64.
- Comrie GC in that village is nine holes. Twice around off white tees is 5660 yards, par 70.
- Muthill GC by the castle is 4673 yards, par 66.
- Skydive at 3 Strathallan, which has tandem and beginner courses plus regular jumps for the experienced. Spectators welcome (no pets or alcohol) though you don't see much until the canopies approach for landing. Strathallan Castle opposite the airfield is a private residence and you can't visit.
- Crieff Highland Gathering is held in mid-August on Market Park, with the next on Su 18 Aug 2024.
- Blackford Highland Games (a few miles south) are in late May, with the next on Sa 25 May 2024.
- Balquhidder, Lochearnhead and Strathtyre Highland Games are next held on Sa 20 July 2024 in the park at Lochearnhead, west on A85.
Buy
- Stores in Crieff are the Co-op (daily 6AM-10PM) and Morrisons (daily 6AM-6PM).
- 1 Caithness Glass, Muthill Rd PH7 4HQ, ☏ +44 1764 654014. Daily 9AM-5PM. Caithness Glass is no longer made in Caithness, and the company of that name went bust. It was bought in 2006 by Darlington Crystal and nowadays makes glass paperweights and similar artwork at this small factory in Crieff. There's a gallery where you can view the process (M-F) and even make your own paperweight with prior notice.
Eat
- Gurkha's, 1 East High St PH7 3AF, ☏ +44 1764 650350. W-M 4:30-9:30PM. Good Indian and Nepalese food, and the servings are huge.
- High Street other sit-in choices are Thai Esan, KB's Italian, Craobh, G's Bistro and Delivino.
- Comrie has Deil's Cauldron, plus Royal Hotel serves non-residents.
Drink
- Bars along Crieff main street are Pretoria, The Quaich and The Square. Station Bar is further south along King St.
- Tower Gastro Pub at 81 East High St has a restaurant and rooms.
Sleep
- 1 Braidhaugh Lodge & Caravan Park, South Bridgend PH7 4DH, ☏ +44 1764 652951. Open all year with caravan pitches, glamping pods and lodges; they don't offer self-camping. Hook-up £40.
- B&Bs line the main street A85 and Burrell St A823, and include Alpine Cottage, Lovat House, Comely Bank, Leven House, The Tower, Fir Tree, Merlindale and Murraypark.
- 2 Crieff Hydro, Ferntower Rd, Crieff PH7 3LQ, ☏ +44 1764 655555. Opened in 1868, applying a mixture of healthy activity and dingbat spa therapies to jaded Victorians. It still majors on outdoor activities, many family-oriented, in a great hillside location. Some areas are modernised, some remain in period. It often has groups in, can get noisy. They also run the Hydro in Peebles. B&B double £200.
- Comrie has Comrie Hotel and Royal Hotel.
- Coorie Inn (formerly Barley Bree), 6 Willoughby St, Muthill PH5 2AB (by Muthill Old Church), ☏ +44 1764 681773. Village inn with excellent rooms and cuisine. B&B double £160.
- Splurge at 3 Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder PH3 1NF (A823 north from A9), ☏ +44 1764 662231. Plush hotel in grand Edwardian building, great comfort, service and food, wide range of outdoor activities. B&B double £700.
Connect
As of April 2024, Crieff, Comrie and their approach roads have 4G from EE and Vodafone, but only a patchy signal from O2 or Three. 5G has reached the A9 but not the Crieff area.
Go next
- To the east, Perth is the nearest big town.
- West the A85 leads alongside Loch Earn then towards Loch Tay, Crianlarich and Tyndrum. Stay on it for Oban, or take A82 north to Glencoe and Fort William.
- Southwest brings you to Dunblane, Stirling and the road to Glasgow.
- North the A822 winds through the hills towards Aberfeldy and Dunkeld.
| Routes through Crieff |
| Crianlarich ← Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park ← | W  E |
→ Perth |