Transport in Highland Perthshire

The Highland Perthshire towns of Aberfeldy, Blair Atholl, Dunkeld and Birnam, Kenmore and Pitlochry are all relatively easy to get to from the major airports, train stations, bus routes or by car. Here we have linked to transport operators web sites so you can see exactly what is on offer.

Buses.

National Buses

For buses travelling from Glasgow to Dunkeld, Pitlochry and Inverness click on this site and choose the timetable for Glasgow to Inverness.

For buses from Edinburgh to Dunkeld, Pitlochry and Inverness click on this site to see details and choose the timetable for Edinburgh to Inverness.

Local Buses

All Highland Perthshire Buses

Local buses do run from Pitlochry (01796 472290 for info) and a separate bus company operates from Aberfeldy but they do not have web sites.

Trains.

A word or two of advice before you buy - Rail fares in Britain are the most expensive in Europe for example a businessman who needs to go from London to Edinburgh is currently paying £301 for the privilege. In fact, with a little bit of knowledge, he could do the same trip on the same train for just £25 return with an economy ticket. The problem is that there are 27 different rail companies that have replaced the single British Rail and they all have their own different fares there is no publication that shows all the fares, that gives you prices and the regulations to help you decide which is the best ticket for you.

For example there are 45 different fares from London to Glasgow and these range from £328 to £27. Prices vary so much.

Example to demonstrate the range of fares - Return tickets from London to:-
Edinburgh £301 £25
Glasgow £328 £27
Leeds £257 £15
Liverpool £309 £25
Birmingham £198 £10
Cardiff £199 £24
Penzance £303 £35
Bristol £188 £20
Colchester £68 £12
Wolverhampton £200 £10
Coventry £180 £10
Manchester £323 £25

As you can see there are massive savings to be made if you know which trains to book on. In between these fares there are many different rates. If, for example you were to travel to or from Glasgow you can save up to £100 by buying a business class ticket in advance which lets you sit in First Class. In Economy Class you can have a completely open ticket for £103 and this slides down a scale with various restrictions until you get to the £27 fixed return fare.

So when you decide to go by rail we suggest you ask lots of questions to make sure you are getting the best deal. Our advice is never book your ticket on the day, always book it as early as you can, generally the further you are away from your travel day the better the deal you will receive.

To book or enquire about trains here are some useful telephone numbers.
Travel Line Scotland 0870 6082608
National Rail 08457 484950
Scot Rail 08457 550033 to book your tickets on the phone

For train service maps showing all train routes in the UK click here for details

For Train time information you will need to go in and type the departure station and the station you want to travel to on this page. Edinburgh to Dunkeld & Birnam, Pitlochry, and Blair Atholl. There are no trains that run directly to Aberfeldy or Kenmore on Loch Tay. You will need to use one of the other stations and then use the buses or hire a taxi or car.

Air flights.

Three of Scotland's principal airports are within easy driving distance.

Edinburgh Airport is probably the easiest international airport to get to the Highland Perthshire towns of Aberfeldy, Blair Atholl, Dunkeld & Birnam, Pitlochry and Kenmore.  There are two routes to Highland Perthshire one is over the Forth Road Bridge and the other is via Stirling. The Forth road bridge route is probably the quickest route to Highland Perthshire as long as there are no road works on the Forth Bridge and you have to be aware of the Edinburgh rush hours in the morning and the evening.

Glasgow Airport is on the south side of Glasgow which means, one has to drive on the M8 right through the middle of Glasgow. Again you have the problem with the city traffic at peak times. If the traffic is running smoothly and the roads are clear driving time will take about 1 hour 45 mins, with heavy traffic, put another hour on the times.

Inverness Airport does not take many international flights, but cheap internal flight operators use Inverness so you may be able to get a better deal by flying to Inverness. The drive time from Inverness to Highland Perthshire is of the order of 1hour 30 minutes.

Cheap flights - we found this web site that gives you all the tips on how to get the best flight deals.

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