Heading west from Aberfeldy and just north of Loch Tay you'll come across a place that's a little Dull – but don't worry it's anything but boring. Dull is in fact, the name of a picturesque Perthshire village with plenty going for it.
And hilariously, as you'll see when you enter the village and come across the 'Welcome to Dull' sign, it's been paired with a town called Boring in the US.
Back in 2012, Perthshire native Elizabeth Leighton was embarking on a cycling holiday in Oregon when she came across the similarly named logging town of Boring, which is named after a veteran of the American Civil War who used to live there.
When she got home she immediately set about a chain of events that eventually led to the two locations being paired (Boring's population is too large for them to be officially twinned).
At the time, Dull community councillor Marjorie Keddie stated that the partnership would have "real benefits", particularly thanks to the "eye-catching road signs".
And eye-catching they were, so much so that just a few years later, the mayor of a town called Bland in New South Wales, Australia – population 6000 – decided they too wanted in on the act.
Named after William Bland, founder of the Australian Medical Association, Mayor Tony Lord told the Daily Record back in 2017 that when he discovered the news about the partnership between Dull and Boring he couldn't wait for his own town to get involved.
He said: “I was struck that this was gold dust and that we in Bland should get on board too. So I suggested forming ‘the League of Extraordinary Communities’ and it was signed soon after.”
Perth and Kinross Provost, Dennis Melloy was positively beaming about the triple partnership when he met Tony in 2017, stating that it was “positive coverage money cannot buy".
The trio still celebrate their connection, with other towns such as Dreary and Ordinary in the US being touted as potential additions.
Dull and Boring celebrations are now held annually on August 9 with residents of both towns holding tongue-in-cheek events such as the "not too exciting party".
Their League of Extraordinary Communities has since become known as the "Trinity of Tedium".
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