Conference Tour
Our Conference Tour on Tuesday will take us into the Scottish Highlands where you can take in the spectacular scenery from the Queen's View, visits to Blair Athol whisky distillery and the beautiful Blair Castle and Gardens, finishing it all off with a pig roast (vegetarian options available!) and tractor tour at the James Hutton Institute.
The Queen's View, which overlooks one of the most iconic panaramas in Scotland, has been a popular destination since Victorian times and is often thought to have been named after Queen Victoria who did, in fact, visit in 1866. However, it is more videly believed to have been named after Queen Isabella the 14th century wife of Robert the Bruce who used the spot as a resting place on her travels.
Blair Athol Distillary has been on the present site since 1798, making it one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. It stands at the gateway on the Scottish highlands in the picturesque town of Pitlochry. The distillery produces a 12 year old malt whisky, and wins hearts through its production of Bell's whisky, the most popular blended whisky in the UK.
Blair Castle and Gardens is nestled in the dramatic landscape of Highland Perthshire and has been home to 19 generations of Stewarts and Murrays of Athol. Unique amongst Scottish castles, the story told here will take you from a visit by Mary Queen of Scots to the Civil War, and from the Jacobite cause to the disaster of Culloden following Bonnie Prince Charlie's own stay in the castle. You'll hear how the lucky inheritance of a smuggler-infested island helped turn the castle into a comfortable home and how a visit from Queen Victoria led to the creation of Europe's only surviving private army, the Athol Highlanders.
