VISITORS to Perth this summer will be greeted by a galaxy of cultural, historical and sporting events, celebrating a charter signed by an obscure Scottish monarch, King William The Lion, 800 years ago.

The Perth800 Festival aims to pull together the best of two worlds – both ancient and modern – establishing Perth and the surrounding area of Kinross as a major tourist attraction.

The town is also keen to reclaim its city status, granted by King William in 1210, which disappeared in a local government shake-up in 1975. And they are using the festival to help achieve that end.

“We feel it is time once again for Perth to boast the accolade of ‘fair city’, which it has justifiably enjoyed for so many years,” said the Provost, Dr John Hulbert.

After tasting the start of Perth800, I have little doubt that a return to that status is not far away.

A three-night stay at the Salutation Hotel, dating back to 1699 and said to be Scotland’s oldest hotel, proved to be a revelation. Set in the heart of the town, it truly manages to capture the best of ancient and modern.

On one hand, settle down to a superbly- prepared Scottish breakfast in a restaurant with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, enhanced by a magnificent Adam-style window. On the other, The Sally boasts the Moncrieffe Suite, a meticulously equipped audio and visual conference centre, which is also ideal for wedding receptions.

Our bedroom was remarkable – and not just for the creaking floorboards which only add to its charm.

Our first taste of festival fare came at a lunchtime concert of works by Mozart by soloists from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

The venue was the superblyappointed Perth Concert Hall, which will host several major concerts during the year, highlighted by the Perth800 Celebration Concert to be compered by opera singer Donald Maxwell, a son of Perth, next month.

Next door, the Perth Museum and Art Gallery is staging a Skin and Bones: Life and Death in Me- As Perth celebrates its historical and cultural heritage, John Hobbs pays a visit to the “fair city” and takes a dram in the company of a famous cat dieval Perth exhibition. This macabre show includes the skeleton of a sevenyear- old child and those of dozens of dogs, which roamed the grounds of Perth Castle in the 13th Century.

On a lighter note, the art gallery has a portrait of Bailie Thomas Luke, commissioner of police in 1810. He is described as being as wide as he was tall because he “enjoyed a good drink”.

Sporting events on the calendar include international horse trials at Blair Castle and the Johnnie Walker golf championship at Gleneagles, both in August, and the Park World Tour orienteering races in the grounds of Scone Castle in September. In October, the Scottish Canoe Association is staging the spectacular Tay Descent, over 25 miles from Dunkeld to Perth.

Businesses outside the city, like The Famous Grouse Whisky distillery at The Hosh, near Crieff, are doing their bit to promote Perth800.

Our guide gave us a fascinating insight – including one or two samples – into the production of this internationally- famous brand.

Each of six warehouses contains 1,200 casks of whisky, which goes on to produce half a million bottles.

We also met Brooke, the resident cat, fast asleep next to a warm vat. He succeeded Towser, who found his way into the Guinness Book of Records for disposing of 28,899 mice before his death in 1987, at the age of 24.

A statue of Towser has been erected to record that remarkable achievement.

Wonder who counted all those mice?