Crieff (Perth and Kinross)

Lat:56.3727 Lon: -3.8395

Crieff is a market town in Perth and Kinross.

The town's position makes it an excellent link between the Highlands and the Lowlands. Crieff became the centre of a number of drove roads and the site of Scotland's largest cattle market.

For most of the 17th and 18th Centuries, thousands of highland cattle were driven from northern and western Scotland to be sold at cattle "trysts" in the town. By the 1770s, Crieff had been overtaken by Falkirk as the most important cattle market.

Local industries including textiles and distilling became increasingly important to the town's economy. Tourism also grew, particularly in the 19th Century. Crieff established itself as a popular resort with its own hydropathic hotel and a number of large country retreats, built for rich merchants from the central belt.

The High Street has traditionally provided a mix of basic needs and specialist shops, with a number of shops and services specifically targeting the tourist economy. Country markets continue to take place just off the High Street in James Square.

Features of the area

• Town
• Farm
• Rural

Perth and Kinross Group

Perth and Kinross is one of Scotland’s 32 unitary council areas. It borders Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland. It has its administrative centre in Perth.

It corresponds broadly, but not exactly, with the former counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire. These two counties operated under a joint county council from 1929 until 1975, when they merged into a single district of Tayside Region. The current council area was formed in 1996.

Elsewhere on the BBC

• BBC Tayside and Central Scotland

Elsewhere on the web

• Wikipedia entry on Crieff
• Perth Museum and Art Gallery
• Perth and Kinross Council Local Studies