Cycling around Perth

Cycling around Perth is one of the best ways to explore the surrounding countryside.

Scotland's mountains and hills offer some of the most spectacular sights in the world.. Highland Perthshire, in the heart of Scotland is central, and Perth is therefore the perfect location to start any bike tour if you know where to cycle.. within minutes of leaving the city you can cycle through stunning countryside, cycle past several castles or ruins, or while cycling on the northside of the River Tay out from Perth, you can follow the longest stretch of reedbeds in all of the UK (The Tay River reedbeds is a unique wildlife habitat covering around 400 hectares).. cycle a bit further and you are outside the V&A Museum in Dundee, and then enjoy the ride back to Perth on the southside of the Tay through the Fife countryside.. By cycling it is so more than just getting to the destination.. Arthur Conan Doyle once said:

'When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking'.

On a day out from Perth, and depending on which direction you choose, you can cycle up to Dunkeld or Pitlochry, head east and visit the V&A in Dundee, go west to Crieff or the Glenturret Distillery along with its Michelin star restaurant, or cycle south to Loch Leven and return through Fife.

And then not forgetting that Perth itself has a rich history with it being the capital of Scotland for around 250 years before Edinburgh (from 1200 till 1452), and is still twinned today with Cognac, France as it was once the whisky blending capital of the World!

The Famous Grouse logo in Perth city centre.

By cycling, you will see and experience so much more than you would sat in a vehicle.. you will also cover so much more ground riding a bicycle at your own pace than walking, or trying to make use of those public transport options that unfortunately are still for the most part diesel fuelled (Electric trains or public transport buses, powered by batteries or fuel cells, are increasingly becoming the norm across the World, but when you look closely this is not so much the case in and around the highlands or in other parts of the UK!) - In February 2024 the local government/council admitted that 90% of all their vehicles were still diesel or petrol, but hoped to rectify this by 2030, then set a new deadline for 2050?! – While public transport provider Stagecoach East Scotland who have a fleet of 468 buses and coaches for Angus, Fife and Perthshire, have so far only provided 46 new vehicles for this region which are fully accessible and meet the latest Euro emission standards!! Then to make matters worse, if you go to their fleet category it suddenly becomes clear that 41 of these 46 new vehicles are actually operating in Angus or Fife.. so does that mean only 5 for all of Perthshire?

We do cycle tours, but sometimes when environmental issues are raised they are worth pursuing.. especially when they have any kind of impact on ecotourism (sustainable transport) or conserving the environment.

For previous observations on the environment in this region, a post from March this year;

https://www.highlandbiketours....

So, if you would like to experience Highland Perthshire up close, and away from traffic or diesel run transport, then get on a bike and breathe in all that fresh air while taking in the stunning scenery here in Highland Perthshire.

All photos by HBT