Aberfeldy Twinning Row Escalates as Town Demands Texas Prove It Can Cope With a Wet Tuesday in February
Proposed sister village asked to submit evidence of drizzle, midges and a tearoom that shuts at four 'before anything is signed'.
The Wade Bridge, Aberfeldy, which Texas has been asked to match 'or at least attempt'. Photo: James Denham, “The magnificent Wade Bridge at Aberfeldy”, via Wikimedia Commons (geograph.org.uk), CC BY-SA 2.0
ABERFELDY — The row over plans to twin Aberfeldy with the village of Salado in Texas deepened this week, as residents drew up a list of conditions they say any prospective twin must meet before the town will so much as share a shortbread recipe with it.
“Twinning is a sacred bond,” said self-appointed Twinning Standards Officer Morag Kerr, 63, brandishing a laminated checklist. “You’re not just picking a pen pal. You’re picking a town that will be associated with you on a brown sign for all eternity. We need to know they can handle a wet Tuesday in February. We need to know they understand that a ‘wee dram’ is not a unit of measurement but a state of mind.”
The checklist, which runs to 47 pages, requires Salado to demonstrate at least nine consecutive days of horizontal drizzle, a population of midges “in the low billions”, one tearoom that closes at precisely 3.58pm “for no clear reason”, and a bridge that tourists photograph more than residents can understand.
Salado, which holds its own Scottish Gathering and Highland Games every November, has insisted it is extremely keen. Its bars are already reported to stock Aberfeldy whisky, a gesture locals described as “a good start, but frankly the bare minimum.”
A public meeting has been called for 27 October in the town hall, where residents are expected to air views ranging from “absolutely not” to “absolutely not, but maybe if they send a cowboy hat.” Organisers have booked extra chairs, an extra urn and a man to stand at the back looking concerned.
Not everyone is opposed. “We’ve been looking for a twin for eighteen months,” said one supporter. “We considered France, Belgium, Germany, Poland and Ireland. France didn’t reply. Belgium sent a waffle. Ireland said they’d think about it and then went to the pub. Texas is the only place that’s shown an interest. You don’t turn down the only person who asks you to the dance.”
Other Perthshire towns have watched the saga nervously. Dunkeld, which also made Salado’s shortlist, issued a statement saying it was “relieved, honestly”, while Pitlochry confirmed it was “already twinned with every coach party in Britain” and had no capacity.
At press time, the two sides had agreed a compromise under which Aberfeldy would twin with Salado on weekdays, and with nowhere at all at weekends, “to keep its options open.”
The real story: Aberfeldy public meeting called for 27 Oct amid backlash to twinning with Salado, Texas (The Courier, 15 Oct 2026)
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