Crieff and Strathearn's Drovers' Tryst - visit Perthshire for a walking holiday
As a significant town on the route from Stirling to Perth, Crieff's history includes many colourful events including marching troops, enthusiastic battles and, of course, Bonnie Prince Charlie! The modern day Drovers' Tryst festival goes back to the period of Crieff's greatest influence when in the 1700s it was the location of one of the largest cattle markets or fairs in the UK. Cattle rearing was perhaps the most important part of the Scottish economy at that time, and to meet growing demand from towns and cities in England as well as the British navy that was busy with its wars, every year thousands of cattle were herded by cattle drovers from across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to be sold at the Crieff Tryst in the second week of October.
So the Crieff and Strathearn Drovers' Tryst, held naturally also in October, celebrates not only the astonishing travels of cattle and drovers across hundreds of miles of often very challenging, rough country, but also the lively social activity that flourished in the town in Tryst week as bagains were struck, drams taken to seal them and pleasures of the town sampled before the long walk home!
Already an established Scottish Walking Festival it tries to ensure that what's on offer has something for young and old alike. The event has become grown in popularity, not least because of the imaginative selection of walks - now numbering over 30, led by guides, countryside rangers or local enthusiasts - which is refreshed and renewed each year.
Every day there is a walk in each of four levels of difficulty - Easy, Medium, Hard and Extra Hard - so whatever your ability or special interest, you'll find a walk in the Tryst programme that you'll thoroughly enjoy. They all give access to the incredibly beautiful and diverse countryside of Strathearn. And it's not just about Munros, wildlife walks and photographic walks - each year there's a lively series of social events such as ceilidhs (dances), cinema nights and much more, so you will never be bored.
