comrie

While the World Cup creeps up, the best days of the summer are passing. This is an opportunity. We live in Scotland which is full of stunning places to visit, but for much of the high summer - certainly on the weekends when most people can get away - there are just too many people, the tearooms and bistros are stowed-out, the riverbanks are covered in picnics, the family attractions are a battlefield of fractious kids and queues. What then could be better than getting out of the house on the days of games and going somewhere that TV cannot reach? Places

to eat where the telly won't be on; places to wander or paddle in a stream; places you can take the children and they'll come home and go to bed without a murmur?

First, a wee town off the tourist trail, usually devoid of bus parties and lager louts. In deepest Perthshire and not yet the Trossachs, Comrie nevertheless has everything you need for a summer's day away - a tasteful and unpretentious hotel and restaurant, first-class tearooms, brilliant walks, two superb riverbank picnic places with a deli to stock up from, and a place that kids will love. Perhaps less known to west-coasters than Edinburghers, who might pass through on their way to Crianlarich and the islands, Comrie nestles in a sleepy corner of Scotland, its attributes a well-kept secret.

The best way to arrive - refer to centre panel for full details - is from the Glasgow and Stirling direction, making a detour after Muthill to go through the estate of Drummond Castle, following the signs for Strowan. This way, you approach Drummond Castle by a glorious avenue of beech trees, get some superb views of Perthshire, and arrive in Comrie via Strowan. The historical gardens at Drummond Castle are simply fabulous, but they (and the gate on the Muthill-Crieff road) are only open from 2pm.

There are two excellent foodie places in Comrie. Like everything else, they are easy to find; there's only a main street, a square and a couple of bridges taking roads across the River Earn. The Granary Coffee Room is your classic tearoom and gets two crosses in Scotland the Best (among the best in Britain). Owner Liz Grieve had an accident recently and hobbles about, but it doesn't stop her producing irresistible lunches and teas. Everything is home-made, from the baked ham, breads and mustards to the ice-cream and killing cakes.

At the Royal Hotel in the square there's a restaurant and lounge bar that wouldn't be out of place in Edinburgh or Glasgow, though the pace

is discernibly slower. There's a soup'n'sandwich menu, a light daily menu or the full, posh menu. Behind the hotel is a great bar and beer garden

and, though the telly will certainly be on in the

bar for the World Cup, the idea of mounting a

giant screen in the garden seems to have fallen mercifully by the wayside.

A place to know, about a mile out of town, towards Lochearnhead, is the Tullybannocher Farm Restaurant. Though more like one of those old-fashioned roadside milk-bars, it's a good place to take kids and it's open until 8.30pm. If you fancy a more intimate lunch (or dinner - though it's closed on Tuesdays), the Deil's Cauldron will serve you well, including a glass of their Californian or South African pinotage to get you in the mood for strolls on the riverbank.

Talking of picnics, the place to fill the basket is The Deli on the main street. John Hughes, a former sales director with Famous Grouse, not only has a great selection of whisky and wine (chilled Asti if you want), but also Scottish cheeses, oatcakes and Cream o'Galloway ice-cream. Good filled rolls are no problem. The last food-stop is the friendly local chipper, although it's only open after 5pm. Like some of the other places above, they've got a sign hanging outside created by Jenny Richardson, a local artist (and friend of mine) who should be more famous.

Now, what to do once fed, watered and looking for some relaxation? There are three great spots, all on riverbanks. Glen Artney lies to the south-west of Comrie, and is reached by leaving the Braco road at Cultybraggan army camp. Park at the empty cottage and head down the field to the river, keeping left. The woody gorge and pools here are fantastic. Don't be put off by the MoD on the other side of the road, or the Comrie Angling Association signs, but try not to freak out the fish with your splashings.

Nearer the town (about 11/2 miles up the road signed The Ross, gained via the bridge off the Lochearnhead road on Comrie's western fringe) is where the locals go to swim. At the Linn, the river is wide and gentle and there's a bit of beach. For more of a walk you could head up Glen Lednock to the north of the town. Just past the Deil's Cauldron restaurant, there's a car park leading to a circular walk of three easy miles along a woody gorge and taking in a waterfall of the same name. Where the route emerges further up the glen road, you can continue 100 yards and cross to the path up to Lord Melville's monument for the views, or go a bit further to more good picnic spots before heading back to the village.

Kids may not appreciate all this trudging about in splendid scenery, so for them you should visit Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre. For those jaded with the animals-as-entertainment experience, this place will cheer everybody up. The setting is spectacular and spacious, with most of the animals scuffling and munching around you. There's always lots of fluffy things to hold in the hatcheries, and the meerkats, though penned up and a long way from Africa, are worth the visit just for their cuteness and sociability.

These guys have team spirit as an instinct, the one on guard duty probably listening out for the latest score on a distant radio. They won't hear it here, nor, hopefully, will you, at any of the places highlighted in this series. Join me next week doon the watter in Dunoon. It's within earshot of hysteria in Glasgow, but trust me.

Peter Irvine is author of Scotland the Best!. His new books, Glasgow the Best! and Edinburgh the Best!, are published this week by HarperCollins at #5.99 each

Car - from Glasgow: Follow the M80, M9 and A9 north, past Stirling and Dunblane. At Greenloaning take the A822 towards Crieff, leaving it at Muthill for the minor road signposted to Strowan. At the T-junction turn right, passing Drummond Castle to Strowan, then turn left to Comrie. From Edinburgh: Join the M9 and follow it west and north. Before reaching Stirling, follow the directions as for Glasgow. From Perth: Follow the A85 west through Crieff to Comrie

Bus - Scottish Citylink (tel: 0990 505050)

Train - Nearest stations - Gleneagles and Perth (tel: 0345 484950)

General - Tourist Information Office, Crieff (tel: 01764 652578). Perthshire Public Transport Hotline (tel: 01345 413883)