← Rannoch Marathon·3 nights

Pitlochry and Edinburgh: Three Nights Ending in the Capital

Two nights in Pitlochry to recover on the level, then a train to Edinburgh for a flat-ish day of museums and gardens before the tram to the airport.

Duration3 nights
TransitRoad to Pitlochry, then ScotRail to Edinburgh Waverley, about two hours
DepartsKinloch Rannoch

After the Rannoch Marathon: Pitlochry and Edinburgh

The Route: Kinloch Rannoch → Pitlochry (2 nights) → Edinburgh (1 night) → Edinburgh Airport Logistics: Road to Pitlochry, ScotRail to Edinburgh Waverley, tram to the airport. Two stages of recovery, then a city. Marathon Month: October Duration: 3 nights

Kinloch Rannoch ──(45 mins by road)──> Pitlochry ──(about 2 hrs ScotRail)──> Edinburgh Waverley
                                                                                    │
                                          Edinburgh Airport (EDI) ◄──(tram)────────┘

The Rannoch Marathon finishes on a Sunday in October in a village with no railway station, so everything that follows starts with a road leg. The point of this itinerary is to make that leg once, then rely on trains. Two nights in Pitlochry deal with the worst of the stiffness. The last night, in Edinburgh, gives you a city without asking for a hill climb on the first day.

October in Scotland is cool and changeable, with showers likely in either town. Edinburgh in October is busier than the Highlands and the pavements are wetter than they look, so carry a waterproof and wear shoes with grip.

Nights One and Two: Pitlochry

A prebooked taxi or lift from Kinloch Rannoch takes roughly 40 to 55 minutes. Fisher's Hotel sits on Atholl Road, the town's main street, which is level and short. The streets that climb behind it are not, so keep to the main road for the first day. A walk by the River Tummel gives you a flat, quiet path with benches within reach, and a kilometre or two is enough.

On the second day, the Enchanted Forest light trail at Faskally Wood normally runs in October, with the latest published programme going from early October into November. Book timed tickets, check the surface and steps, and treat it as an evening walk of a couple of kilometres, not a recovery session. Confirm the next dates before you fix your hotel.

Night Three: Edinburgh

ScotRail runs Pitlochry to Edinburgh Waverley in about two hours. The service is less frequent than on English main lines, so check the timetable at scotrail.co.uk or thetrainline.com and reserve ahead. Pick a hotel near Haymarket or Waverley, so the tram and train are close to the door. Compare options on your usual booking site and check the walking distance to the station before the price.

Edinburgh's Old Town runs along a ridge, and its closes drop away steeply on either side, which makes it a poor first-day walk. Better is the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, where entry is free and the galleries are indoors and on the level. Princes Street Gardens give you a flat walk below the castle rock, although the route between the gardens and the Old Town includes steps. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh at Inverleith has free entry to the garden, with a charge for the glasshouses, and its paths are surfaced and gently graded.

For dinner, ask your hotel for somewhere within a ten-minute walk, since an Edinburgh restaurant on the far side of a hill is not a sound plan.

Getting to Edinburgh Airport

The tram runs from the city centre to Edinburgh Airport (EDI) in about 35 minutes, with stops at Haymarket and Princes Street. Allow extra time on a Monday morning and buy a ticket before boarding. The tram is simpler than a taxi in traffic and drops you at the terminal.