The Black Spout

The walk up to the Black Spout isn't long, but it's steep enough to make you feel you've earned the view. This waterfall tumbles down through woodland just outside Pitlochry, and on a grey day the water looks genuinely black against the wet rocks - hence the name. It's a proper moorland walk, the kind where you actually notice the air changing as you climb through the trees.

The falls themselves aren't spectacular in the way that, say, Niagara is spectacular. But they're moody and real, and the surrounding forest is thick and atmospheric. You can sit on the rocks at the bottom and listen to the water without hearing another soul. That's worth something.

Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the walk and back. It's free, and there's basic parking near the trailhead. Families with young kids might find it a bit of a slog on the way down - the path gets muddy and slippery when wet. Walkers and photographers will get more from it, especially in autumn when the light gets low and the forest darkens.

If you're staying at Milton Of Fonab Caravan Park or Faskally Woods just down the road, this makes an easy morning outing before heading into Pitlochry proper for lunch. Grandtully Station Campsite is a bit further out, but still close enough for a half-day trip. It's not a destination in itself, but as a short walk during a park holiday in Perthshire, it does the job.