Campsites with showers near Killiecrankie

The hamlet of Killiecrankie is easy to miss if you’re flying up the A9 from Pitlochry bound for the Cairngorms, but it’s worth the detour. Six kilometres north of Pitlochry and 5 km south of Blair Atholl, it’s a wooded wonderland with abundant wildlife famed for the Battle of Killiecrankie, where the Jacobites defeated the redcoats during the first rising of 1689. The town features a visitor centre and its National Trust-protected gorge. 

Parts of the Pitlochry Path Network stretch north to encompass Killiecrankie and the surrounding country. Follow the 18-km Bealach Loop to the Pass of Killiecrankie then the Soldier’s Leap, where legend has it a redcoat jumped 5.5 metres across the River Garry to escape the Jacobite army. Nearby at the Garry Bridge, daredevils can fling themselves into the gorge by bungee. Campsites can be found further south at the confluence of the River Garry and Tummel in Faskally Forest. 

Summer in Perthshire is hard to beat, but everyone knows it. Tours cruise through neighbouring Pitlochry, but Killiecrankie is decidedly off the map. Still, timing your visit in late September or early October will mean fewer crowds and the benefit of beautiful autumn foliage in Scotland’s “Big Tree Country.” Throughout October, Faskally Wood between Killiecrankie and Pitlochry transforms for the Enchanted Forest, a spectacular display of lights that draws visitors from far and wide. 

• The train runs straight from Waverley Station in the centre of Edinburgh to Blair Atholl and Pitlochry.
• Leaflets with maps and details of all area walks can be found in the Pitlochry visitor centre.