At an altitude of 351m and in the heart of the Grampian mountains, Dalwhinnie is one of the coldest villages in the UK - perfect for winter walkers and mountain hares, at least!

Anyone familiar with the drive up the A9 from Perth to Inverness will know of Dalwhinnie, a small, scattered settlement nestled in the mountains on the eastern edge of the Cairngorms National Park. And it certainly feels remote, being just 6 miles north of the Drumochter mountain pass, the highest point of the A9 and 460m. A set of snow gates, used to close the road in bad winter conditions, hints at the challenging weather that the residents of Dalwhinnie are subject to almost every winter. The village’s name means ‘meeting place’, in reference to the cattle drovers’ roads that crossed the area.

Those who have driven by the village will certainly recognise the distillery, with its distinctive ‘cupola’ roof. The distillery offers tours voted the “Best Distillery Tour” in 2017 by Drinks International, and as well as a dram at the end, you are offered a complementary handmade chocolate.

The area has some fine hillwalking opportunities, including The Farra, Corrieyairack Hill, Ben Alder and Aonach Beag. The mountains here are relatively quiet – perhaps to the transient nature of the area as travellers pass through either north or south but rarely stop – but have spectacular views nonetheless. Many are high-grade walks – being either technical or extremely long – and so offer plenty of challenging hikes.

Driving south past Dalwhinnie, you catch a glimpse of Loch Ericht disappearing into the hills just beyond the village. This 15-mile freshwater loch leads south, with mountains on both sides, with not a road or a house in sight. Walkers may choose to traverse this loch, although appropriate skills and equipment are needed to do so, due particularly to the loch’s isolated location.

13 miles east of Dalwhinnie is Kinloch Laggan, a pretty hamlet at the head of Loch Laggan. Near here sits Ardverikie of Monarch of the Glen fame – fans of the show will recognise the buildings and landscape here! At Ardverikie there is also a huge rock face popular with rock climbers.

Dalwhinnie is a place that many will have driven by but never stopped. Next time you’re driving the A9, take some time to stop at the distillery for a tipple (only if you’re a passenger, of course!) or explore the mountains and lochs that surround the village for miles around.