Dunkeld

Dunkeld is a small cathedral town on the north bank of the Tay, an early centre of Celtic Christianity that was burned in the fighting after the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689 and rebuilt as the neat little burgh seen today. The National Trust for Scotland restored 20 of the 17th and 18th-century houses along Cathedral Street and The Cross between 1954 and 1965, one of its earliest conservation projects, and most are still lived in, so the visit is a walk: pastel houses leading to the half-ruined cathedral, the Atholl Memorial Fountain with its carved wildlife where the market cross stood, the Trust's Ell Shop with an old cloth measure by the door, and salmon leaping in the Tay from Telford's bridge. Reviewers rate the town for its walks, folk music and cafes. Tips from visitors: everything is within easy walking distance, there are several pay and display car parks with toilets at the North Car Park, and the Hermitage is a mile away.