Dewar's to Dull by Bus – Drams, Red Deer and Barn Owls
A day, from Aberfeldy and back.
John Dewar was born at Dull in 1805, and his sons built their distillery a few miles east, in Aberfeldy.
This day joins the two by bus, so nobody has to drive and every grown-up can enjoy a dram, a small measure of whisky.
The morning is spent at Dewar's Aberfeldy, with the family's story in the museum and a tasting of two drams.
Then a short ride west on the local bus brings you to Highland Safaris at Dull, for lunch at the lodge, red deer fed by hand and barn owls in flight, before the bus back into Aberfeldy.
Pick your dates, and who is coming, and every stop will say whether it is open that day, and what it is like with children, a dog or a wheelchair.
- How
- A day
- When
- A Monday, Thursday or Friday idea: the 91 and 91A run on those days only on Perth and Kinross Council's timetable, none at weekends. Dewar's Aberfeldy opens Monday to Saturday from 10am (to 4pm from November to March, 6pm from April to October), shuts on Sundays from November to March and for a short spell over Christmas. Highland Safaris opens every day 9am to 5pm except 25 and 26 December and 1 January; the Red Deer & Barn Owl Experience runs at set times that change with the time of year, and the buses fit a session that starts between 12.30pm and 1.30pm (1pm at the time of writing).
- Distance
- About a mile
- Starts and ends
- Aberfeldy
- Good for
- Whisky, Wildlife and animals
Book before you go
0 of 3 booked
Accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
- Book
The 30 Minute Tasting & Stories at Dewar's Aberfeldy
Book a slot for a Monday, Thursday or Friday morning that ends by 11am, so you can walk into town for the 91 bus at 11.33am (check the times). If you're on the Perth bus that reaches the stop near the distillery about 10.12am, book one that starts by 10.30am. It's from £17 at the time of writing; the slot times show when you book, or ring Dewar's on 01887 822010, and ask then whether children can join the tasting.
- Book
The Red Deer & Barn Owl Experience at Highland Safaris
Book a session that starts between 12.30pm and 1.30pm on your Monday, Thursday or Friday: the 91 bus reaches Dull Road End at 11.43am, so you can have lunch first, and the session is over before the 91A back at 2.32pm (check the times). Highland Safaris sets the session times, and they show when you book: at the time of writing it's the 1pm one. If no session on your day starts in that window, the buses won't fit it, so take a taxi out from Aberfeldy after the tasting and have lunch after the deer. It's £15 a person at the time of writing; under-3s go free but still need a booked place. Arrive 15 minutes early; dogs can't come on the experience. Taxis round Aberfeldy are few, by Highland Safaris' own page, so if you'll want one, arrange it ahead with Aberfeldy Taxis (01887 820370), and keep the number in case you miss the 2.32pm bus back.
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The day
Dewar's Aberfeldy
An attraction
John Dewar's sons built Dewar's Aberfeldy on the eastern edge of the town, and it opened in 1898. The visitor centre opens at 10am from Monday to Saturday. Coming from Perth, the 23 and 34A buses pass the gate: get off at the stop opposite the caravan site, and it's about eight minutes' walk back to the visitor centre (check the times).
Book the 30 Minute Tasting & Stories, from £17 at the time of writing. It starts in the museum with the Dewar family's story and ends with a guided tasting of two drams, Dewar's Scotch and Aberfeldy single malt. Nobody is driving today, so both drams are yours. Take the earliest slot you can and leave by 11am for the bus; if the tasting ends well before then, look round the museum, the whisky lounge and the shop. If you arrive on the Perth bus that reaches the caravan site stop about 10.12am, the tasting is what fits: book a slot that starts by 10.30am, and see the museum only if time allows. Dogs on a short lead may come into the shop and parts of the lounge, and it's worth asking when booking whether children can join the tasting.
10 min by bus, 2 min on foot
Highland Safaris
An attraction
Highland Safaris stands at the Dull road end, about three miles west of Aberfeldy and just over half a kilometre from the village of Dull, where John Dewar was born. From Dewar's it's 16 minutes' walk, about 1.2 km, to the bus: cross the footbridge from the visitor centre and follow Dunkeld Street (the A827) west into the middle of town to the Chapel Street stop.
The 91 leaves at 11.33am, so ask the driver for Dull Road End: it's a 10-minute bus ride, then 2 minutes' walk along the side road to the lodge. The bus stops on the far side of the B846, so wait for it to pull away before you cross, with children by the hand. The 91 and 91A run on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays only on the council's timetable, so check the times before you go.
Have lunch first: soup and sandwiches in the lodge café, which is cashless. Then the Red Deer & Barn Owl Experience is 45 minutes with a ranger: antlers to handle, the herd to feed by hand, and a flying display from the two barn owls, Ossian and Tay. Book a session that starts between 12.30pm and 1.30pm, which at the time of writing is the 1pm one. Highland Safaris sets the session times, and they show when you book. If no session on your day starts in that window, the buses won't fit it, so take a taxi out after the tasting and have lunch after the deer.
Afterwards there's the free Discovery Trail, a 500-metre walk to a red deer lookout, and a play area for children. The Land Rover safaris the place is known for don't fit between the buses after a morning at Dewar's, so leave those for another day. The 91A at 2.32pm, from the stop on the lodge's side of the road, is the bus back, in Aberfeldy at 2.42pm, and the rest of the afternoon in town is yours.
Highland Safaris says local taxis are limited, so if you need one, book it before you set out: Aberfeldy Taxis is on 01887 820370. Save the number too, in case you miss the 91A.
If it rains
Dewar's museum, tasting room and whisky lounge are all indoors, and so are the Highland Safaris café and its Red Deer Centre. The deer park and the Discovery Trail are out in the weather, and the experience runs in all weather unless it's unsafe, so bring a waterproof, a hat and gloves for the deer and for the wait at the bus stop.
Where to eat on the way
Places to stay near where the day starts and ends, and when each is next free.
Photograph by Juan Jose Arroyo via Google