Crieff sits at the edge of Highland Perthshire and is an excellent base for exploring one of Scotland's most varied and accessible landscapes. The town's position — half lowland, half Highland — means that very different kinds of scenery are within easy reach.
The Sma' Glen, running north from Crieff along the River Almond, is one of the more dramatic short drives in the region. The valley narrows quickly into a rocky gorge, and the road passes through moorland and past the site of an old military road built by General Wade after the 1715 Jacobite rising. The glen leads eventually to Amulree and the wilder country beyond.
Perth, the nearest city, is about 30 minutes by car or 40 minutes by bus. It has a good museum, excellent shopping, a lively food scene, and the remarkable Scone Palace on its outskirts — the traditional crowning place of Scottish kings. Stirling, with its castle and Wallace Monument, is about 45 minutes south. Loch Earn and the village of St Fillans to the west offer a lakeside alternative to the hill country, with good walking and water sports. Comrie, a few miles up the valley from Crieff, is a pretty village with a geology museum (Crieff and Comrie sit directly on the Highland Boundary Fault).