Killiecrankie

The Pass of Killiecrankie is a wooded gorge on the River Garry north of Pitlochry, where the Highlands meet the Lowlands, and where on 27 July 1689 the first battle of the Jacobite risings was fought, a bloody victory for the Jacobites that cost them their leader, Viscount Dundee. The National Trust for Scotland's visitor centre tells the story, and paths drop from it into the pass to Soldier's Leap, where a fleeing redcoat is said to have jumped 18 feet across the river, and on to the green footbridge under the railway viaduct, with red squirrels, pine martens and rare fungi in the oakwoods. Autumn colour here is famous. Reviewers praise the independently run cafe by the car park and the walks, and note that a member's card covers the parking. Tips from visitors: the path into the pass is steep with steps and harder coming back up, the £5 car park is on two levels, and the Linn of Tummel path continues down the river.