We are in Pitlochry in Perthshire, which is in the middle of Scotland. We caught the train from Aberdeen yesterday and plan to spend two nights here. We thought about booking one of the Co-wheels cars but it actually worked out to be the same price, if not cheaper, to catch the train. That’s including the fact that we had to buy four tickets. We have one of those family and friends railcards which makes it very economical. If the choice of car versus train works out to be the same price, we’ll always choose the train because it’s so pleasant and enjoyable.

When the train first leaves Aberdeen it travels right along the coast which makes for some lovely views of plunging cliffs and ocean to the horizon. We usually book our seats and reserve a table seat so we can eat our lunch or work on laptops or maybe just read a book. There isn’t a mode of transportation I enjoy more, other than cycling, I guess.

Train stations are also fascinating places. We changed trains in Perth and the station there is a lovely old Victorian building. I love the iron and brick-work and the lack of concrete. Concrete is, to my mind, the bane of modern architecture.

Pitlochry train station was also beautiful:

We also saw some wind farms from the train and they were not at all the blight on the landscape that others seem to think they are.

Pitlochry is a very cute village. The main street is lined with lovely old Victorian buildings and lots of inviting cafes and shops. This next photo is of part of the main street. The only thing spoiling it are the cars. If I ruled the world I’d ban cars from the main streets of villages and cities. They shouldn’t be there. These are places for people, not ugly chunks of metal. I guess most people would disagree with me.

There are some splendid views here:

And giant pine cones:

We are told there are lots of red squirrels around so the plan today is to go and find some.