DAVID WICKERS finds dramatic landscapes and exciting theatre

STRADDLING
Scotland's "Highland Line", where the Lowlands begin to give way to the country's more dramatic landscapes, Perthshire has a wealth of natural pleasures, with each season having its own distinctive appeal.

It's Scotland as the all-rounder, with gentle scenery as well as more rugged landscapes, soft valleys and wilder glens, woodland alternating with farmland and ancient towns and sleepy villages.

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TOWN
Sir Walter Scott's "Fair City" of Perth on the banks of the River Tay was once Scotland's capital. Its historical heritage is being celebrated this year with a full programme of events to mark the 800th anniversary (www.perth800.com) of it being granted the Royal Burgh Charter by King William the Lion. There are more than 100 activities taking place, including a new exhibition in the Museum and Art Gallery devoted to its medieval roots and displaying treasures unearthed by archaeological excavations.

Also visit Pitlochry, partly to savour the much-loved Scottish tipple at either Bell's Blair Athol Distillery or the Edradour Distillery.

You should also try to catch at least one of the "six plays in six days" at Pitlochry Festival Theatre (01796 484626/ www.pitlochry.org.uk) and get to grips with hydroelectricity and see the fish ladder at the Pitlochry Power Station.

COUNTRY
The county is a top spot for gardens, with 11 making up the Perthshire Gardens Collection. They include Drummond Castle Gardens near the old spa town of Crieff, a magnificent 17th-century formal Italianate parterre where ancient yew hedges and copper beech trees planted by Queen Victoria in 1842 are carefully preserved.

The Victorian greenhouse and kitchen garden are also fascinating for showcasing a range of fruits and vegetables you would never think possible so far north.

Other superb gardens to visit on the scheme include the spectacularly walled Hercules Garden at Blair Castle, home of the Dukes of Atholl and Scone Palace (01738 552300/www.scone-palace.co.uk) where 42 Scottish kings were crowned on the Stone of Destiny.

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EXPLORE
Perthshire cries out for active engagement at whatever level of oomph your body permits.

Among the county's 250 miles of waymarked paths, try the easy 2.5-mile circuit of the Birks of Aberfeldy where Robert Burns was inspired by the ancient woodland and waterfalls to write a poem of the same name, or the romantic "follies" and woodland walks of the Hermitage, Dunkeld, which is home to Britain's tallest tree, the 210ft Douglas fir. For more challenging hikes head to the wild heathery expanse of Rannoch Moor.

The menu of action ranges from golf to whitewater rafting, fishing to cycling but the biggest sporty draw is Loch Earn, a classic Highland loch and thriving centre for watersports (Lochearnhead Watersports, 07795 472985/ www.lochearnheadwatersportscentre.com).

STAY
You can combine activities and pure indulgence at one of Britain's most famous resort hotels in Auchterarder. Sporting pursuits at The Gleneagles Hotel (01764 662231/www.gleneagles.com) include golf on two championship courses, clay-pigeon shooting, falconry and 4x4 driving, plus there's a leisure centre, spa and Andrew Fairlie's cooking. Doubles from £299 per night (two sharing), B&B.

The Lake of Menteith Hotel (01877 385258/www.lake-hotel.com) has been steadily enlarged from a 19th-century manse with a distinct New England feel. Situated on the edge of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, it has 16 rooms and an excellent restaurant. Doubles from £130 per night (two sharing), B&B.

DON'T MISS
The pretty conservation village of Comrie on the River Earn has an odd claim to fame.

Located on the Highland Boundary Fault, it has experienced more seismic tremors than anywhere else in Britain, all carefully monitored in a rather odd Earthquake House. With its history deeply marinated in whisky, even teetotallers should make a pilgrimage to the Famous Grouse Experience (01764 656565/www.thefamousgrouse.com) in the Glenturret Distillery near Crieff, the oldest in Scotland.

Established in 1775 and housed in an appealing white complex of buildings, the distillery is also an interesting attraction for families.

VisitScotland: 0845 225 5121/ www.visitscotland.com