The gateway to the Highlands with a sleeper train, pubs and riverside walks

I made my way to the water’s edge, pebbles shifting under my feet. A few metres away, three tiny birds completed their airborne choreography before racing off up the river, their yellow chests and tails flashing as they zoomed past. The Perthshire town of Pitlochry is known as the gateway to the Highlands, and the area is a haven for wildlife, from the deer that wander the grounds of my hotel to the butterflies in the hills, and little birds – grey wagtails – by the water. Crossing the Clunie Footbridge, I spotted salmon leaping out of the River Tummel, a sign of the annual migration (roughly April-November). Pitlochry boomed as a tourist town in the 19th century, after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert came in 1842 and the railway followed two decades later. There’s plenty of handsome Victorian stone architecture, including on Atholl Road, the main artery, which teems with day-trippers but falls silent after dark. Wildlife can be spotted along the pebbly banks of the River Tummel (Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto) Between 8 October and 8 November, visit The Enchanted Forest, a light and sound show that has illuminated Faskally Woods annually for 25 years. The essentials: How to get there and where to stay Nearest station: Pitlochry, served by the Caledonian Sleeper as well as direct rail links to major Scottish cities. Buses: FlixBus from Glasgow (two hours), Edinburgh and more; local buses such as the 87 connect to nearby towns like Killiecrankie. Stay: A short uphill walk from the station, Pine Trees Hotel is spread across several buildings, surrounded by manicured gardens and woodland. The 32 rooms feature nature-inspired palettes (forest greens, sunset oranges and yellows), wood panelling and plush fabrics in block colours, with not a lick of the fustiness that’s common in Highland hotels. My room had a large balcony from which I watched the sun sink behind the hills and a swathe of stars emerge.One of Pine Trees Hotel’s individually designed rooms set within peaceful grounds There are help-yourself bowls of Tunnock’s, and the hotel’s Fauna restaurant offers excellent-value fine dining, including a dessert of rich chocolate cremosa with cherry compote. Two-course dinner £49. Doubles from £285, some dog-friendly. A 20-minute drive away, the 3,000-acre Straloch Estate sprawls across woods, a loch and a river, with a private bothy for chef-prepared picnics. The four luxurious holiday homes include the Riverside Cabin – a revamped fishing hut with an outdoor hot tub and a half-canopy bed (from £472 for two nights; sleeps two) – and the newly refurbished Schoolhouse, with five bedrooms (one wheelchair-accessible) and a six-seater hydrotherapy tub. From £2,000 for three nights; sleeps 10. Dog-friendly stays available. The best places to shop Alongside the usual Scottish tourist town suspects – outdoor gear suppliers, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, shops selling tartan everything – Pitlochry has some wonderful one-offs. The John Muir Trust’s Wild Space combines a gift shop, gallery and displays on the charity’s work conserving Scottish “wild places”. Pick up artisan jewellery, ceramics and landscape-inspired prints. Volunteer-run Pitlochry Station Bookshop has been selling second-hand books in the old waiting room since 2005. The stock is all donated, with profits split between six charities. There’s a strong selection by Scottish authors and plenty of nature books; for £3 I bought a 1971 volume on Highland birds, full of charmingly naive double entendres. On pedestrianised Mill Lane, The Bakery’s shelves are stocked with sourdough loaves, pastries, sandwiches and stone-baked pizza by the slice. The best things to do and see Pitlochry Festival Theatre is a Perthshire icon, as is its artistic director Alan Cumming, who grew up 15 miles away in Aberfeldy. Across the river from Pitlochry proper, the theatre hosts a popular summer season, plus year-round programming including musicals, comedy, film screenings and a literary festival. A few minutes upstream, Pitlochry Dam is surprisingly compelling. Walk along it to see the different water levels on either side and admire the concrete “fish ladder” that allows passage for migrating salmon. Don’t expect to see them showjumping the ladder, however – the fish pass through tunnels. The sunset from Pitlochry Dam which salmon pass on their annual migration (Photo: Jozef Durok/Getty) The best place for a drink Pitlochry is well supplied with pubs. Across from The Bakery, The Old Mill Inn has real ales on tap and a working waterwheel outside; The Auld Smiddy Inn is a lively spot for local whisky in the heart of town; and by the Festival Theatre, Port-na-Craig Inn & Restaurant has a riverside terrace. An extraordinary place for dinner The Wee Choo Choo is no ordinary Thai restaurant – it’s set within a 1960s Norwegian train carriage, which Tom Cruise ran along the roof of in Mission Impossible 7. Positioned alongside the tracks in Pitlochry, it was revived by train enthusiast Fergus McCallum, his Thai-born wife Isara (the chef) and their daughter Mia, who works front of house. Interiors evoke the golden age of rail (white tablecloths, velvet curtains, gold touches) and the menu includes flavoursome curries and pad thai. The Wee Choo Choo offers southern Thai cuisine in a refurbished train carriage (Photo: Nicola Trup) McKays has a big presence on Atholl Road, with a hotel-restaurant, fish and chip shop and ice cream parlour side-by-side. I popped into the chippy for haddock in light, crispy batter with homemade tartare sauce. The best autumn walks The highest peak in the area, 841m Ben Vrackie, has a well-marked trail to its summit and sweeping Highland views. Craigower may be less than half the height but is a lovely trek through the woods, with showstopping lookouts. The view from one of Craigowan’s lookouts, which take in the nearby hills and lochs (Photo: Nicola Trup) I also hiked through the forested hills towards Killiecrankie, then back through the Linn of Tummel – a 19-hectare woodland at the meeting of the rivers Garry and Tummel.