Aberfeldy, United Kingdom

ABERFELDY, a prosperous settlement of large stone houses and 4WDs, acts as a service centre for the wider Loch Tay area. The town's main attraction is Dewar's World of Whisky at the Aberfeldy Distillery (April– Oct Mon– Sat 10am–6pm, Sun noon–4pm; Nov– March Mon– Sat 10am–4pm; Web: www.dewarswow.com ; £5), which puts on an impressive show of describing the making of whisky. The rest of the small town centre is a busy mixture of craft and tourist shops, the most interesting being The Watermill on Mill Street (Mon– Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm; Web: www.aberfeldywatermill.com ), an inspiring book shop, art gallery and café located in a restored early nineteenth-century mill. There are also numerous activity operators including the National Kayak School (Web: www.nationalkayakschool.com ) and the rather more sedate Highland Adventure Safaris (Tel:01887/820071, Web: www.highlandadventuresafaris.co.uk ), which offers an inspiring introduction to wild Scotland in which you're taken by four-wheel-drive vehicle to search for golden eagle eyries, stags and pine martens.

Accommodation in and around Aberfeldy includes Guinach House, by The Birks (Tel:01887/820251, Web: www.guinachhouse.co.uk ; Price: 91-110), a tastefully decorated guesthouse in well-tended grounds, and Balnearn Guesthouse on Crieff Road (Tel:01887/820431, Web: www.balnearnhouse.com ; Price: 51-60). The closest bunkhouse is Adventurer's Escape (Tel:01887/820498, Web: www.adventurers-escape.co.uk ), a brightly painted lodge right next to the Weem Hotel on the road to Castle Menzies.

Your best bet for a good cup of coffee or a lunchtime snack is the relaxed café in The Watermill. Decent bar meals can be found at the Ailean Chraggan Inn in Weem, half a mile from Aberfeldy on the north side of the Tay, while the dining room at the Weem Hotel is good for hearty Scottish fare.