← Rannoch Marathon·1 night

Pitlochry: A Recovery Night on the Edinburgh Line

One night in a Highland Perthshire town with a railway station, a flat main street and a light trail in the woods, sitting on the direct line to Edinburgh.

Duration1 night
TransitPrebooked taxi or car, about 45 minutes from Kinloch Rannoch; the race shuttle if the organiser repeats it
DepartsKinloch Rannoch

After the Rannoch Marathon: Pitlochry

The Route: Kinloch Rannoch → Pitlochry → Edinburgh Waverley → Edinburgh Airport Logistics: Road from Kinloch Rannoch to Pitlochry, then ScotRail to Edinburgh and the tram to the airport. Pitlochry is the only place on this side of the Highlands that makes the rest of the trip simple. Marathon Month: October Duration: 1 night

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

The Rannoch Marathon finishes on a Sunday in October, and the village it finishes in has no railway station. Pitlochry has one. That fact alone explains why this is the obvious overnight: you spend the Sunday evening somewhere with a choice of restaurants, and you spend the Monday morning getting on a train instead of arranging a lift.

October in Pitlochry is cool, often wet and darkening early. The town is a Victorian Highland resort with a long main street, Atholl Road, which is level, and streets behind it that climb steeply towards the hillside. Stay on Atholl Road and the town is easy on tired legs. It is also the month the Enchanted Forest light trail normally runs at Faskally Wood, from early October into November in the most recent programme, so book timed tickets early and check the dates before you commit to a preferred hotel.

Getting there from Kinloch Rannoch

At the last edition the organiser sold a shuttle ticket from Pitlochry to the start, with returns at 12:30, 13:30 and 15:00. If that runs again it may bring you back to Pitlochry, but the last departure leaves before a six-hour finisher arrives, so do not rely on it. A prebooked taxi from Highland Travel or a lift from a supporter is the safe plan. The drive takes roughly 40 to 55 minutes. Closures on the loch roads end after the race, but ask your driver about the afternoon traffic.

Night One: Pitlochry

Fisher's Hotel is a town-centre base on Atholl Road, close to the station and to places to eat, which matters more on Sunday night than any amenity. Ask for a room low in the building if stairs are a worry, and ask about late checkout, because a Monday train is easier to catch from a hotel that will hold your luggage.

For recovery, walk the town's flat streets and then walk down to the River Tummel, where paths run on the level beside the water. The distance is short, a kilometre or two depending on how many times your legs suggest a bench. If the Enchanted Forest is running, the trail is an evening walk of a couple of kilometres on woodland paths, so check the surface and any steps on the ticketing page before booking.

Edradour distillery, on the edge of town, is a morning option for anyone who wants a warm building and a tasting, but it is uphill from the centre and best reached by taxi.

Getting home

ScotRail runs from Pitlochry to Edinburgh Waverley in about two hours, with several trains a day. Services are less frequent than on English main lines, so check the Monday timetable at scotrail.co.uk or thetrainline.com and book ahead. At Waverley, walk through to Haymarket or take the tram from the city centre to Edinburgh Airport (EDI), which takes about 35 minutes.