St Catherine's Tower

The tower sits on a hillside overlooking Blairgowrie with views that stretch for miles across Perthshire's rolling countryside. Built in the 18th century as a folly - basically a rich landowner's ego project - it's a proper oddity: a cylindrical sandstone structure that serves no real purpose beyond looking impressive from a distance.

Getting up there is a decent walk from the town, but the path is straightforward and takes about forty minutes each way. Once you're at the top, the views reward the effort. On a clear day you can see right across the valley, and it's the sort of spot where you actually understand why someone decided to build something here, impractical as it is.

Historians might find the architecture interesting - it's got that typical Victorian folly charm - but this isn't a place to spend hours. Most visitors will give themselves twenty minutes to poke around, take a photo, and head back down. The tower itself is closed to the public, so you're looking at exterior views only.

It works well if you're staying at Blairgowrie Holiday Park or Corriefodly Holiday Park nearby and want a half-day excursion that combines a decent walk with a bit of local history. Families with older kids will manage fine, but the novelty wears thin once they realize there's nothing actually to do inside. Go on a dry day - the path gets boggy after rain.