Scotland used to be located at the South Pole

Perthshire is sometimes referred to as a gateway to the Highlands, and if you look at a map of Scotland it’s easy to see why. To the south and east are the gently rolling farmlands of the Strathmore Valley, Angus, and the Mearns; while to the north and west lie the dramatic and inhospitable heights of the Cairngorms and the Monadhliath. From its location on the northern edge of the Strathmore Valley, Blairgowrie makes an ideal vantage point to observe this contrast.

So what is behind, or in this case beneath, this dramatic and sudden change in the landscape?

A prehistoric mystery hidden in plain sight

Cutting across the A93 between Meikleour and Blairgowrie, Cleaven Dyke is the finest prehistoric monument of its type in Britain. It is a vast earthwork measuring some 2.6km long, averaging 9m wide and 1.8m high in places - you've probably driven past it and not realised!

Did you know Rattray was here 4000 years ago?

We were amazed to hear that back in around 2000 BC(BCE) there was a settlement where Rattray now sits!

Blairgowrie's mini Stonehenge

Stone Circles are found in many countries around the world. There are a few in the Blairgowrie and Rattray area, the most unusual of which is the Leys of Marlee Stone Circle, also known as the Ardblair Stone Circle and the Essendy Road Stones.This Stone Circle is unusual in that the B947 road built in 1858 runs through the middle of it.

How Blairgowrie almost became the capital of Scotland

THE LEGIONARY FORTRESS OF INCHTUTHIL

Like many famous Roman sites, today there is little to see at Inchtuthil. The land is privately owned, and it can appear as just another tranquil area of countryside where cattle graze.