My husband and I are in Pitlochry, Scotland. The first stop in our two-week drive holiday in Scotland.

Pitlochry is a Victorian burgh or town, which has been described as a scenic gateway to the Scottish Highlands. True. It’s Insta-worthy or as I would say, postcard-perfect.

The last time I was in Scotland, mainly Edinburgh and Glasgow, was over 29 years ago. We had planned to do a drive holiday in Scotland in 2012, our sort of gap-year, but didn’t. We got a little tired of travelling. I think, for us at least, there’s such a thing as too much travelling. Honestly, it got to a point that we wanted to stay put in one place, and grow some roots for a bit😊.

Anyways, we are now in Pitlochry. What I/we’d like to see are the famous Scottish salmons swimming upstream to their spawning grounds.

I’ve heard so much about it from my Sinnavan. I remember the excitement in her voice, no matter the number of times, she’s had the privilege of watching these fish battle oncoming currents to get to their destination.

She spoke, in fascination and in awe, of the prowess and determination of the salmons to go through this mighty effort, just so they could get to the freshwater gravel beds to breed.   

She likened the salmons’ journey to life itself. Sometimes, we have to overcome obstacles in our path to get to where we want to. Sometimes, some barriers or humps keep recurring, and that too need to be dealt with. Sometimes, successfully. Sometimes, less so.

Also, in true Sinnavan fashion, she linked the salmons’ not-so-easy passage to that of an old Tamil movie called, ‘Ethir Neechal’, which literally means swimming against the tide.

I’m not entirely sure but she and brother-in-law number 3 may have watched the salmon migratory spectacle in Banchory in Aberdeenshire. Possibly at the Falls of Feugh, a scenic waterfall and rapids area, noted for salmon watching. My Sinnavan, I believe, had taken our mum to watch the leaping salmons as well, during one of her visits to the UK. Why? Because I remember her speaking excitedly about these fish.    

The other thing that stuck with me was how my Sinnavan drove the entire distance of around 800km from Bexleyheath to Scotland. She’d stop, do her power naps along the way, but never stayed overnight. Mainly because it would’ve involved locating a disabled friendly accommodation that provided ramps for wheelchair access, a wet bathroom, etc.

Also, she would’ve had to offload and load up again, singlehandedly, all the things she had packed for the trip, which in her case, would’ve included the kitchen sink as she cooked during holidays like as if she was at home. Too much work.

Back to our holiday. When my husband and I finally decided to visit Scotland, acrobatic salmons were top of mind. Later today, we are headed to the Pitlochry Dam and Fish Ladder. Yay.

Briefly, ‘The Pitlochry Dam … is a hydroelectric power station operated by SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy). The dam harnesses the flow of the River Tummel to generate electricity, contributing to Scotland’s renewable energy goals. The fish ladder is an integral part of the dam, designed to help salmon migrate upstream to their spawning grounds. It consists of 34 chambers arranged in a zigzag pattern, enabling fish to bypass the dam safely[1].’

This is equally interesting.

‘Each chamber or small artificial pool has a water level slightly higher than the one below. The salmon swim up the series of steps from one chamber to the next via small circular entrances, gradually making their way to Loch Faskally. There are three resting chambers, allowing the fish to catch their breath before they swim through the next set of chambers[2].’ Considerate, yes.

The plan is for us to check out the 310-meter long fish outdoor ladder structure, and hope to spot salmon movements. This structure also reportedly helps over 5,000 salmons swim upstream past the Pitlochry Dam each year. Peak migration season runs from April to late September, with autumn often providing the highest activity. Timing wise, we are right on the money. Hmm.

Also on the cards are the Loch Faskally Loop Walk, and a stroll along Atholl Road to see what’s on offer on the main street.

This holiday is fairly free and easy. We have an itinerary of sorts, meaning we know what our next destination is and we have reserved our accommodation. Unlike back in the day when we used to turn up, however remote the place was, and hoped to check in somewhere. Naturally, there were some hairy moments. Like the time, we drove 861 km from Keetmanshoop in Namibia to Britstown in South Africa. Why? Couldn’t really find a place to stay between these two places. Ouch.

Our next stop is Aviemore.