Glenalmond or Glen Almond is a glen

Glen

A glen is a valley, typically one that is long, deep, and often glacially U-shaped; or one with a watercourse running through such a valley. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower than a strath."...

 which stretches for several miles to the west of the city of Perth

Perth, Scotland

Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...

 in Perth and Kinross

Perth and Kinross

Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 and down which the River Almond

River Almond, Perth and Kinross

The River Almond is a tributary of the River Tay in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It rises in the hills to the south-east of Loch Tay, and flows eastwards through Glenalmond. It runs through the village of Almondbank, before joining the Tay immediately north of Perth. The river's course is around ...

 flows. The upper half of the glen runs through mountainous country and is virtually uninhabited whilst the lower, easterly section of the glen is more open. The change in character takes place as the river crosses the Highland Boundary Fault

Highland Boundary Fault

The Highland Boundary Fault is a geological fault that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east...

, leaving the Grampian Highlands for the Central Lowlands

Central Lowlands

The Central Lowlands or Midland Valley is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and the Southern Uplands Fault to the south...

.

A short section of Glen Almond which has a more northwesterly-southeasterly alignment is known as the Sma' Glen. The A822 road

A822 road

The A822 is a road which runs through Perthshire in Scotland. It runs from the A9 road at Greenloaning, and rejoins the A9 at Dunkeld. It goes through Crieff and intersects the A85 road and the A823 road to Dunfermline....

 takes advantage of this deeply incised section of the glen to forge a route between Crieff

Crieff

Crieff is a market town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich and also lies on the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins onto the A823 which leads to Dunfermline....

 and Strathbran, much as General Wades military road

Old military roads of Scotland

A network of military roads was constructed in the Scottish Highlands during the middle part of the 18th century as part of an attempt by the British Government to bring order to a part of the country which had risen up in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715....

 did in the middle of the eighteenth century.

Lower Glenalmond is the location for Glenalmond College

Glenalmond College

Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. The school's motto is Floreat Glenalmond...

, a private

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

 boarding school

Boarding school

A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...

.