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A young beaver swimming low in the water of a Perthshire river at dusk, under overhanging branches.
Perthshire

Perthshire Wildlife

A small wildlife tour company in central Perthshire, running guided beaver safaris on the riverbank and by canoe on the Tay since 2013, with wildlife walks all year.

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Welcome

Few sights in Scotland match a beaver's head breaking the surface of a still river at dusk, and Perthshire Wildlife has been showing people that moment since 2013.

Daniele Muir set it up, and a small team of rangers and countryside guides leads every trip. The riverbank safari runs on Friday and Saturday evenings from late March to mid September. You meet near Blairgowrie, drive a short way and walk fifteen minutes to the water, then settle in quietly for two hours or so as the evening comes alive. A longer half day safari meets near Alyth on Thursdays, and through the winter a rewilding safari runs on alternate Saturdays. For something different, the canoe safari takes to the Tay near Aberfeldy on summer evenings with the paddling guides at Beyond Adventure, who take its bookings. Riverbank trips cost £60 a person, or £180 for a family of four, and groups are kept to eight. Guided wildlife walks run all year, too.

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Before you go

Every trip is booked ahead online; the exact meeting place comes with the booking.

Riverbank safari
Friday and Saturday evenings, late March to mid September; 2 to 2.5 hours; £60 a person, or £180 for two adults and two children. Meets near Blairgowrie.
Half day safari
Thursday afternoons into the evening, early April to the end of September; 3.5 to 4 hours; from £90 a person. Meets near Alyth.
Winter safari
Every second Saturday from October to March, on a rewilding estate; 2 to 2.5 hours; £60 a person. Meets near Alyth.
By canoe
Summer evenings on the Tay near Aberfeldy; 2 to 2.5 hours; £80 a person, booked through Beyond Adventure.
Walks
Guided half day wildlife walks for groups, all year, £300.
Groups
Small: up to eight on the safaris.
Email
perthshirewildlife@gmail.com

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Where it is

Based near Perth in central Perthshire; the safaris meet near Blairgowrie and Alyth, and the canoe trips at Aberfeldy.

Close byBlairgowrie and the country round it.
  1. BlairgowrieA market town on the River Ericht at the edge of the Highlands, with its twin Rattray across the water, once a town of flax and jute mills and now of berry fields.Under a mile as the crow flies
  2. Cargill’s Leap, PerthshireCargill’s LeapA narrow rocky gorge on the River Ericht just above Blairgowrie, where the Covenanter Donald Cargill is said to have leapt the river to escape the dragoons.Under a mile as the crow flies
  3. The private dining room at the Meikleour Arms, a long table laid for dinner under a chandelier, with a stone wall and red patterned curtains.The Meikleour ArmsA country inn of 1820 in the village of Meikleour, owned by Meikleour Estate, with a restaurant cooking estate venison and game and a bar with its own ale.4 miles as the crow flies
  4. Meikleour Beech HedgeMeikleour Beech HedgeA beech hedge beside the A93 near Meikleour, planted in 1745, a third of a mile long and around 30 metres high, the tallest hedge in the world.4 miles as the crow flies
  5. The Alyth Burn running through the town between stone walls.AlythAn old market town at the foot of the hills north of Meigle, with the Alyth Burn running through it, a packhorse bridge of the 1500s and the ruined Arches of its first church.5 miles as the crow flies
  6. A beaver dam of peeled sticks holding back a pond at Bamff in early spring, a ruined steading and a timber-clad barn beyond.Bamff WildlandA rewilding estate on the Highland edge, three miles north-west of Alyth, where beavers have lived since 2002.5 miles as the crow flies
  7. The Reekie Linn pouring white into its gorge among autumn trees.Reekie LinnA waterfall on the River Isla north of Alyth, the smoky linn, where the river drops into a deep gorge in two falls that join into one when in spate.7 miles as the crow flies
  8. Loch of the Lowes Wildlife ReserveLoch of the Lowes Wildlife ReserveA Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve on a loch near Dunkeld, where ospreys return each spring to nest 150 metres from the hides.8 miles as the crow flies
Directions
The Alyth Burn rushing over stones between autumn beeches in the Den o' Alyth.WalksDen o' Alyth4.2 miles
Persie Distillery's still behind glass: a brass pot with a round copper top beside a tall copper column with portholes, against an old stone wall.AttractionsPersie Distillery6.5 miles
A bowl of orange soup with a cheese scone and a cappuccino on a red-checked tablecloth at The Joinery in Meigle.CafeThe Joinery Coffee Shop6.7 miles
The great carved cross-slab standing in the hall of the Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum.AttractionsMeigle Pictish Stones6.8 miles
Farm café with beamed ceiling, mismatched chairs and cakes under glass domesCafePeel Farm7.6 miles
A stone cottage with a green door and three chimneys sits behind a lawn bordered by shrubs and flowerbeds.KinrossieFairygreen CottageSleeps 4 · 7.7 miles
The round stone café and ice cream parlour at Stewart Tower Dairy on a sunny day, with farm fields and the Perthshire hills behind.ShoppingStewart Tower Dairy7.8 miles
An aerial view shows a black timber cabin with a pitched roof set on a deck in an open field, a bath and seating area visible outside.PerthshireThe Cabin at FairygreenSleeps 2 · 8.1 miles
Macbeth's Bothy, a white-harled cottage with a slate roof and a green porch, behind a fence and wildflowersCollaceMacbeth's BothySleeps 2 · 8.3 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the meeting place, and when each is next free.

A stone cottage with a green door and three chimneys sits behind a lawn bordered by shrubs and flowerbeds.Fairygreen Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Kinrossie
  • 8 miles from Perthshire Wildlife
Check datesAn aerial view shows a black timber cabin with a pitched roof set on a deck in an open field, a bath and seating area visible outside.The Cabin at Fairygreen
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Perthshire
  • 8 miles from Perthshire Wildlife
Check datesMacbeth's Bothy, a white-harled cottage with a slate roof and a green porch, behind a fence and wildflowersMacbeth's Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Collace
  • 8 miles from Perthshire Wildlife
Check datesA red timber cabin with a steep pitched roof stands on a hillside among pines, a covered deck and chairs to one side.Juniper
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Dunkeld
  • 10 miles from Perthshire Wildlife
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in PerthshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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