Perth to Dundee

It usually takes around 2 to 2 and a half hours (depending on the group) to cycle the 35km from Perth city centre over to the V&A Museum or the Antarctic expedition ship RRS Discovery, which are both located close to the Tay Road Bridge in Dundee.

The vast majority of those who commute or travel between Perth and Dundee will make use of a vehicle or go by train. Even the national tourist organisations or regional councils serving that region will continue to tell you how to get there by bus, train, or even where to park your car.. but for whatever the reason (maybe the local council are simply too embarrassed by their failure to deliver or improve the cycling infrastructure? Or for the condition or state of the majority of their roads?) they never advise or promote cycling or travelling from A to B by bicycle? **

Here at HBT we often cycle from Perth to Dundee, and then once there we usually return by crossing over the Tay Road Bridge to Newport-on-Tay, and then return to Perth via Fife, cycling close to the River Tay (banner photo at top of page) and then through Newburgh and Abernethy. A fun day out by making use of the quietest roads in this region.

From Perth we also make use of similar roads to then cycle north towards Birnam and Pitlochry, west towards Crieff or Auchterarder, and other routes that go south to Kinross and Loch Leven. So despite what the council, or tourism agencies promote, you don't need a car to travel around this part of Scotland once you know which roads or routes to use!

For the 2025 season, our guided E-Bike tours will be running again between Thursday 10^th April and 15^th October.

To reserve your place for the new season you can either use the Fareharbor Booking system (via orange BOOK NOW link), send us an email to [email protected], or simply complete the Contact Us section.

As there are only a maximum of 4 slots on any of our tours we operate on a first-come first-served basis with all our bookings. Also, if the ‘private tour’ option (for 1 to 3 people) has been booked in advance then there are no other places or bikes available for that day.

If you are a solo traveller, then feel free to contact us with your preferred travel date, and we will do our best to match you up with others in a similar position.

Tours also available in the Dutch language!

** When it comes to commuting or travelling on a bicycle the local council have constantly used the terms ‘could’ or ‘may’ when talking about delivering cycling infrastructure since at least 2007 (so 18 years ago now!) but sadly Perth & Kinross Council have not actually delivered on anything worthwhile to do with cycling in their towns or city since before the Covid pandemic and lockdown back in 2020?! - In fact, as just one example, it was as far back as 2016 that they spent £5k to do their feasibility study into a Stanley to Luncarty cycle path just north of Perth, that has still not been delivered in 2025!

Previous article about the cycling infrastructure in this part of the UK from March last year, and why the local council don't really want to promote cycling: https://www.highlandbiketours....

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

Sustainability and environmentalism in Perthshire..
Perth and Kinross Council's Climate Change and Sustainability Committee (PKCCC) has been running now since May 2022, their spokesperson is usually the local Lib Dem councillor Liz Barrett, who seems to use every opportunity over recent years to inform locals about the importance of the environment and sustainability, yet never seems to actually deliver on anything?!

It seems that back in 2022, Perth and Kinross Council's Climate Change and Sustainability Committee (PKCCC) along with the local council (PKC) were very keen to mention their contribution towards the United Nations 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, but it now appears that last year (February 2024) the council published a report on behalf of PKCCC about ‘sustainable development’, in which they make it clear that they don’t have to deliver anything at all? – Because according to them ‘No action is required as the Act (The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005) does not apply to the matters presented (in this report.) This is because the Committee are requested to note the contents of the report only and the Committee are not being requested to approve, adopt or agree to an action or to set the framework for future decisions.

Then recently, exactly one year on (a new report/update from 14^th February 2025) the council suddenly decided that their Climate Change and Sustainability Committee (PKCCC) were not even intending to publish any new report as 'there was nothing to report'? – So this raises the obvious question; what have they actually been doing since they were set up by the council back in May 2022?!

The environmentally sustainable transport system for Perth & Kinross.. It was back in 2006 that PKC (the local council) and TACTRAN (Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership) who are based in Perth, launched their joint plan on the back of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005. Since then their aims to deliver a socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable transport system has not really seen that much progression, let alone actual delivery, since around 2016?!

In fact, a previous version of their annual report (from 2016) has a delivery date for 2008 till 2023, but the content from that report is the exact same document as their last version from December 2024 when their new delivery date is now suddenly 2015 till 2036?

So it seems all that is required to warrant this government funding is a new header stating ‘refreshed version’ – They actually played a similar trick back in 2022, and then repeated this in 2024 by giving it the new title; REGIONAL TRANSPORT STRATEGY 2015–2036 REFRESH - But there is a slight problem in these documents when all the other data below their new header is still from June 2016, or the feasibility reports and data obtained all still relates to a period dating back almost 20 years now? (in their feasibility study for Usual Mode of Travel to Work by Tactran Residents – 2008 and 2012, or their ‘commuter movements in region’ comparisons quoting changes or data from 2001 till 2011, surely this no longer applies in their reports from 2022?) – It is like TACTRAN/the council have not delivered anything new or worthwhile since 2016?

When going back to check the TACTRAN website in February 2025 (https://tactran.gov.uk/about/a...) it then becomes clearer when you see they submitted their annual report each year from 2007/8 onwards, but the last annual report they have submitted is by coincidence from 2022/23, which was the exact same year they presented their first ‘refresh’ document with the data still being from 2016.

EDIT 25th March 2025: This government funded TACTRAN then submitted their 2023/24 report AFTER this news article was published on 19th February 2025, and not long after we asked them for an explanation? - They never responded, and suddenly their 2023/24 report appears on their website. Another coincidence?

More to follow.. it is now March 2025, so who knows when their 2024/25 report will eventually appear with new info?! One telling observation from their recently submitted 2023/24 report is a paragraph that includes info and makes mention about their last report from 2016, but then wants to make a point by stating: '..However, time did not permit their review in 2023/24, and they will be reviewed during 2024/25..' - almost like somebody at TACTRAN suddenly realized around February of this year that they were no longer on a jolly, and had to submit some kind of an update to justify their funding?!..

EDIT from May 2025: It is worth noting that when going back again to check the TACTRAN website, things get comical or farcical, as that aforementioned REGIONAL TRANSPORT STRATEGY 2015–2036 REFRESH document that has been doing the rounds since 2022 via several councils, then had another re-fresh in 2024, is no longer available to view via the report or delivery plan on their website! - It is almost like somebody thinks they can do a re-write of history or the facts?.. and try to pretend that they never attempted to supply another new completion date for their annual report (from 2016)? - thankfully several screen shots now exist should yet more documents go missing 😉

Tactran's Regional Transport Delivery Plan from 14th May 2016, which in 2022, and then 2024, mentions the availability of their updated 2015–2036 REFRESH document;

Note that in the original version of this document back in 2016, their original delivery date or plan was for; 2008 till 2023 - From 2022 onwards they changed this to 2015–2036, with all that data obtained from their feasibility studies now 20 years old (see comments above)

But as per May 2025.. their REGIONAL TRANSPORT STRATEGY 2015–2036 REFRESH document/pdf file mentioned as part of this delivery plan (see screenshot above) has now suddenly vanished from their website..

This entire document and all links were still available on the Tactran website in February 2025 when this HBT article was first written.. then somebody at their end has made alterations (see Edit above from 25th March 2025) - fast forward to current comical/farcical mode, and yet more alterations or the deletion of links by Tactran after our edit on 25th March.. it is almost like somebody is doing their best to remove all traces of previous presentations or delivery dates after the fact? When it would probably be a lot easier just to go and deliver the job they have been paid for since 2016? - Just for the period 2023/24 alone, Tayside & Central Scotland Transport Partnership (TACTRAN) were given £699,250.00 in funding by Transport Scotland so that they could; 'Contribute to the Active Travel Vision and Cycling Framework for Active Travel' in their region. Other sources state that Tactran has actually received even more funding from the Government in that same period. Just think about that for a moment? How much funding has this Tactran received over the years? And what has actually been delivered since 2016?

In light of all these developments, and severe lack of progress in the delivery of a cycling infrastructure fit for 2025 (cycle lanes to encourage more people to cycle, and not just a few bike stands), is there really any point publishing anything more from Tactran's original presentation about active travel and failed delivery dates that have been ongoing since 2016, when all that happens is that previous documents/reports just get deleted when the questions become too difficult? - This region deserves a proper cycling infrastructure, but any funding over the past ten years, probably even the past twenty years, just seems to get wasted on feasibility studies, and old reports getting new completion dates... a scandal.

Previous news/blog post from 16^th March 2023 about ‘Sustainability not just being about environmentalism!’ at https://www.highlandbiketours....

More to follow..

EDIT 20th February 2025: It seems that Scottish newspaper The Daily Record published a story today with the title: 'Questions raised over Perth and Kinross Council climate committee's own sustainability' - local Lib Dem councillor Liz Barrett even provides us with a quote!

This week's Climate Change and Sustainability Committee meeting was removed from the calendar due to a lack of business..

(link to article at Daily Record from 20th February 2025 at: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/...)

All photos by HBT