A Great Day Out At Any Event

 

Mark your calendars for the 2010 events around Strathyre, Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, and Strathyre. Whether you enjoy indoor or outdoor events, spectating or participating there is something for everyone.

On the banks of Loch Earn in Lochearnhead you can witness model aeroplane stunts (17-18th April), the great Loch Earn Boat race (25th April) and the Loch Earn swim race (11th -12th September). Yes - People travel for miles to swim the 6.5 mile length of Loch Earn from the village of Lochearnhead to the village of St Fillans. Seeing is believing!. WakeScot takes place on Loch Earn on the 7-8th August.  Enter this water skiing and wakeboarding contest organised by Active Scotland who are based at the Clachan Cottage Hotel in Lochearnhead or spectate with a hot drink (or something stronger ).  Marvel at the range of talent in each age group from rookie to advanced,  each performance taking place with Loch Earn, Glen Ample and Edinample Castle as the stage setting.

Are you a fan of live music and entertainment? Check the programmes at the Clachan Cottage Hotel in Lochearnhead every Saturday night (from 3rd April throughout the summer) or follow the eclectic Balquhidder Summer music programme at Balquhidder Church (visit Rob Roy McGregor and his family’s gravestone in the grounds while you are there). Tullybannocher, a café near St Fillans,  also hosts a programme of jazz suppers throughout the year.

Take part in or spectate at the Stuc a Chroin Hill race (1st May) organised by the Kingshouse Hotel in Balquhidder. A well organised event but not for the faint hearted as athletes run 22km climbing to 1500m. Impressive stuff!

Come dancing! The village Hall in Balquhidder is hosting a Ball (6th June). Whether you attend the Lochearnhead village ballroom dance classes or are on holiday,  you are welcome to buy a ticket and join in the glamorous fun.

Who will take the Black Face sheep shearing trophy this year? If you have never been to a sheep shearing contest then start at the top and witness the Loch Earn shears in the Lochearnhead games field (3-4th July). International contestants travel far just to take part. The same venue hosts The BLS Highland Games (July 24th) and the fun filled village fete (August). The Highland Games are traditional, attracting chieftains of the local ancient clans,  with invitation heavyweight and open prize events for children and adults.

The St Fillans village weekend is a 3 day affair (13-15th August) with a mixed programme including a cricket match, dance, live bands, a hog roast party, BBQ, and village games. For more regular village chat check out the Tuesday coffee mornings in the St Fillans village shop and tea room. The St Fillans golf club is due to announce its ladies, gents and mixed open challenge fixtures for the year too.

All four villages run regular classes like yoga, keep fit, youth club, oil painting and upholstery. For more event details and contacts check out the four villages website for events in Perthshire. Find out where to stay in Perthshire and where to eat in Perthshire as the website covers accommodation, restaurants, cafes and snack bars too.

LETI: The Loch Earn Tourism Initiative website offers information on holiday accommodation  in Perthshire and the Trosshachs in central Scotland - an area of outstanding beauty.  The site includes information on, accommodation, events, food and drink, shops, things to do, nature and more. You can be sure that you will be made to feel very welcome when visiting this area of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park..

Achray House Hotel St Fillans - Conservatory Restaurant Dining Offer

Enjoy a fantastic fixed price lunch in our conservatory restaurant overlooking Loch Earn in Perthshire, priced at £9.99 for two courses, or £12.99 for three courses. Options include our home made venison burgers served with a whisky tomato relish, or a winter salad dressed with our house vinaigrette, made with rapeseed oil grown and produced locally. Available Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Easter at the Achray House Hotel, St Fillans, Perthshire.

LETI: Alan and Jane Gibson are the owners of the Achray House Hotel and lodges on the banks of Loch Earn in the picturesque village of St Fillans, Perthshire. Whether you are looking for an activity break or relaxation have a look at their Perthshire accommodation website offering 8 hotel bedrooms and 2 lodges.

Celebrating Tourism, Fine Dining and Christmas Spirit in Strathyre

Creagan House in Strathyre hosted this year's Loch Earn Tourism Initiative (LETI) members Christmas party. Perthshire accommodation and hospitality members gathered to enjoy the festive spirit, share tales of tourism in 2009 and to sample chef Gordon Gunn's Christmas menu. We received a very warm welcome from Cherry Gunn before warming up with a drink and tasty nibbles including the finest black olives and maple sugar pecans. The baronial dinning hall has a magnificent vaulted ceiling and stone fireplace. Tables were beautifully set and laid out in a rectangle in the centre of the hall to accommodate our party. Being in the tourist trade, members are well aware of Gordon’s reputation as an award winning chef who has been designing delicious meals using the finest of local produce for over 22 years. He more than lived up to his reputation as we ooo'd and mmm'd over each course that included -Roasted tail of North Sea monkfish, crab and prawn croquette, shellfish and tomato sauce- as well as -Medallion of local Aberdeen Angus beef fillet on daube with foie gras sauce - and puddings to die for. We selected a range of wines to suit individual choices and the "mmmm" noises started up again.

No wonder the house is recommended in "The Good Food Guide" and "Scotland the Best" amongst others, with two rosettes from the AA. This is a unique and romantic setting that offers dinner bed and breakfast for those who wish to enjoy the dining room experience again and again. Gordon and Cherry's magnificent house is also perfect for hosting private dining functions.

Perthshire accommodation providers in LETI will now be able to advise visiting guests on the Creagan House restaurant experience..... and what a wonderful experience it was!

LETI: Members who offer B&B's, hotels, Inns, Guests Houses, Cottages, Lodges, Log Cabins, Camping and Campsites, food and drink, outdoor sports, events, shops and other services would like to thank everyone who visited Strathyre, Balquhidder, Lochearnhead and St Fillans in 2009 in this stunning area of Scotland where Perthshire, Stirlingshire, the Trossachs and the Highlands meet. Please come and visit us in 2010 and do not hesitate to contact members at http://www.robroycountry.com with any queries. Have a very Merry Christmas.

New Scotland In The Fall

Once again the glorious colour display of autumn can be seen in the Perthshire hills, as the the cold nights take their toll on the deciduous trees and the leaves change from green to lime green, yellow brown and red. The varied palate of colour which is displayed changes by the day and the brief period of change before the leaves drop provides some stunning views, particularly near dawn and dusk. A great place to see these changes and relax and walk by loch, river, and wood is around Loch Earn where varied accommodation including hotel, Inn, Guest house and B&B can be found (by clicking) Perthshire accommodation, the community website of the people around Loch Earn. An example of self catering accommodation "Perthshire holiday cottages Scotland" can be found at Killin Highland Lodges.

"New England in the fall" may be a trip too far for some but some excellent scenery to rival that famous area can be seen in the hills of Perthshire in the middle of Scotland. The biochemistry that causes these changes is complex, but a dimished ability of the veins in leaves to carry nutrient to the leaf is a primary cause and often the veins remain green as the tissue between changes colour. But rather than simply drop the leaves the processes allow some nutrients to be saved for the next year's leaf production. Another intriguing discovery is that the pigments in the leaves can stunt the growth of nearby saplings proving a better growing environment for the adult tree. Whatever the science involved, we can simply admire and photograph the constantly changing visual scene and enjoy walking through many of the Perthshire woodlands.

LETI: Member Jim Bradley is the owner of two self catering holiday sites offering weekly holidays in log cabins and lodges in St Fillans and Killin.