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PerthshirePerthshire, the Heart of Scotland, covers the area around Perth itself; this area is also known as the gateway to the Highlands! The M90 runs through Fife and Kinross to Perth, while the A9 heads northeast from Stirling before heading northwest, bypassing Dunkeld and Pitlochry before eventually entering the Highlands and continuing to Inverness. The A9 passes near to the geographic centre of Scotland, which is said to be located between the road and the northern tip of Loch Garry, at OS reference NN667715. Just past Glen Garry is the Pass of Drumochter; this mountain pass follows the route of the Military Road set out by General Wade from Perth to Inverness and reaches a height of 458m/1504 ft. The railway line also follows this route and reaches a height of 452m/1484 ft, the highest point of the British railway network. The Boar of Badenoch (739m/2425 ft) and the Sow of Athol (803m/2635 ft) are the two hills above the pass; the Wade Stone sits to the east of the road just after the pass. Stretching west from Perth, following the A85 for about forty miles, is an area known as Strathearn, the valley of the River Earn, which runs for a total distance of 51km/32 miles from the eastern end of Loch Earn to the Firth of Tay. Towns that can be found alongside the river include Comrie, Crieff and Bridge of Earn. To the north of Strathearn lie the Breadalbane mountains and Loch Tay. The A93 heads northeast from Perth towards the ancient capital of Scone; this road continues north into Aberdeenshire. |
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