The Central Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 140

ACTIVITIES
Highland Safaris 2 miles west of Castle Menzies, off
the B846 T 01887 820071, W highlandsafaris.net. Near
the hamlet with the unfortunate name of Dull (twinned
with Boring, Oregon, USA), this adventure outlet arranges
Land Rover trips into the heather-clad hills nearby in search

of eagles, red deer and grouse. At the lodge you can try
your hand at gold and mineral panning (£5).
Bike rental If you want to rent a bike (£20/day), head to
Dunolly Adventure Outdoors ( T 01887 820298, W dunolly
adventures.co.uk), close to the River Tay on Taybridge Drive.

ACCOMMODATION
Balnearn Guest House Crieff Rd T 01887 820431,
W balnearnhouse.co.uk. Stylish and unpretentious rooms
close to the middle of town, with the added bonus of a
drying room for your outdoor gear. £65
The Bunkhouse Glassie Farm, 3 miles from Aberfeldy
along the winding track that starts near the footbridge
T 01887 820265, W thebunkhouse.co.uk. The closest
bunkhouse to Aberfeldy has small rooms that share simple

2

showers, plus two self-catering kitchens and a communal
area with mag nific ent views over the town. Popular with
groups. Dorms £17
Coshieville House 5.5 miles west of Aberfeldy along
the B846 T 01887 830319, W aberfeldybandb.com.
In peaceful surroundings, this 300-year-old inn provides
modern accommodation with nice touch es l like fresh
flowers brightening up the communal areas. £40

EATING AND DRINKING
Ailean Chraggan Across Wade's Bridge in Weem
W aileanchraggan.co.uk. The long, regularly updated lunch
and dinner menu at this hotel/restaurant include plenty of
fishy mains (£11-16). Daily noon-2pm & 5.30-8/9pm.
Ì The Watermill Mill Street W aberfeldywatermill

.com. Aberfeldy isn't short on cafés, but the best bet for a
good cup of coffee, a bowl of lunchtime soup (£4.20) or after-
noon tea, is this relaxed, superbly restored, early nineteenth-
century mill, with a pretty riverside garden. There's also an
inspiring bookshop. Daily 10/11am-5.30pm.

Loch Tay
Aberfeldy grew up around a crossing point on the River Tay, which leaves it six miles
adrift of Loch Tay , a fourteen-mile-long stretch of fresh water connecting the western
and eastern Highlands. Rising steeply above the loch's northern edge is Ben Lawers,
the tenth-highest peak in Scotland, whose mineral-rich slopes support plant life more
commonly seen in the Alps or Arctic.

Kenmore
Guarding the northern end of Loch Tay is KENMORE , where whitewashed estate houses
and well-tended gardens cluster around the gate to the extensive grounds of Taymouth
Castle , built by the Campbells of Glenorchy in the early nineteenth century. The
rocket-like eighteenth-century church contains an ancient “poor box” for donations
and memorials to soldiers of the Black Watch Regiment.

Scottish Crannog Centre
Around half a mile from Kenmore, along the southern shore of the loch • Daily: April-Oct 10am-5.30pm • £8 • W crannog.co.uk
The main attraction around Loch Tay is the Scottish Crannog Centre . Crannogs are
Iron Age loch dwellings built on stilts over the water, with a gangway to the shore that
could be lifted up to defy a hostile intruder, whether animal or human. Following
underwater excavations in Loch Tay, the team here has superbly reconstructed a
crannog, and visitors can now walk out over the loch to the thatched wooden dwelling,
complete with sheepskin rugs, wooden bowls and other evidence of how life was lived
2500 years ago.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING LOCH TAY

The Courtyard Just off the A827 in the centre of
Kenmore T 01887 830756, W balnearnhouse.co.uk.
For something to eat, head to this brasserie beside the
Kenmore golf course, which does a good Moroccan-style

vegetable casserole (£11.95). There's also a deli/gift shop
in the same complex (daily 9am-5pm). Daily 9am-late,
last food orders 9pm.
Culdees Bunkhouse 4 miles along the loch's north shore