Weather or not to book holiday accommodation in Lochearnhead

Thank you to everyone who contacted us to enquire whether or not our holiday cottage in Scotland is knee deep in snow and out of electricity. Don't worry! This is Lochearnhead. The village seems to have its own wee magical micro climate and I am beginning to wonder if the fairy knoll in the Lochearnhead games field plays a part in our protection. We feel a little guilty that friends in Aberfeldy and Auchterarder have been reporting 2ft of snow or more. We had a light snow fall of an inch and a half making the village really pretty from Tuesday last week. There has not been a flicker of a difference to our electric supply. There really is something magical about the weather when you are staying in Lochearnhead. Maybe it is the towering hills back and front that shelter us. Maybe it's our south facing position at Briar Cottage and our holiday cottage Little Briar. I am in no doubt that a big factor is the A84 and A85 road gritting team. They are so thorough and attentive that we have never even seen snow landing on the main roads all winter. Also, they are extremely courteous and pull in to let the traffic past at every opportunity. So, we have been enjoying the picturesque scenery of snow (and deer) covered Glen Ample opposite; yet we have been traveling on the roads to neighbouring towns and villages without inconvenience. Our guests prior to last week took a picture of Fraser on his tractor in the paddock. Last weeks guests went walking in the snow and today the garden lawn on Loch Earn is green again with the daffodil stems well on their way.   By all means spare a thought for those who have been out of electricity, deep in snow or sleeping in their cars but please don't feel sorry for us here in Lochearnhead. Oh.....and please don't tell anyone about our smart and efficient road gritters in case someone poaches them!

PS: Easter week 10th-17th April is currently available (Little Briar self  catering cottage Perthshire sleeps up to 4 in 1 double and 1 twin bedroom@ £500 -Call me (Kim) or Fraser 01567 830 443 to enquire or book )

Barbecue and sun loungers at Briar Cottages on 1st January in Lochearnhead

Who says that sun loungers, garden umbrellas and barbecues should be reserved for summer in the UK or winter in Australia? We put ours to constant good use as per the above picture taken on January 1st 2010 in our garden on Loch Earn in Lochearnhead.

We had a very merry Hogmanay at Briar Cottages. Guests who book Little Briar holiday cottage are given complimentary tickets to the village dance and are invited for drinks in the house before hand. 17 of us including friends and neighbours walked to the hall to be entertained by The Session. The talented trio played music from every decade as well as Scottish tunes and a bit of bluegrass/country. We danced non stop to the bells. Tables were decorated with party poppers and Christmas decorations and the village hall committee worked hard to ensure that everyone had a great time. Everyone was made to feel welcome and New Year kisses were exchanged around the room from young to old and local to visitor. The band played until 1am and the bar continued until 2am. The party in our neighbouring hotel "The Clachan Cottage Hotel" was still in full swing when we left the hall - timetabled to finish at 4am. The moon was full and bright against the snow making the short stroll back home magical.

On the 1st of January we lit a fire in the BBQ chiminee by the loch and roasted chestnuts. The hot gluewein went down well with the last of the Christmas cake. We played boule in the snow and had an entertaining game of charades by the summer house. Our godess statue that marks the stairway to our jetty was transformed into an old goblin courtesy of our artistic guests and a bearded mask. At 5pm it was time to get the steak pie in the oven and settle down in front of the fire.

Sledging at Little Briar Holiday Cottage in Perthshire

Our guests have been sledging! Little Briar's Christmas week guests welcomed the snow around the cottage. The family made good use of our circular sledge which usually lies in the hut. This week our New Year couple invited friends to join them and they used the sledge like a snow board, standing all the way. Very impressive! Fraser could not resist having a go too and spun around a little out of control but landed safely. Our neighbours son is a keen and talented snowboarder so we have invited him along to show us a trick or two with a real board.

The above 2 photos are by kind permission of guest Ruth Langdon.

I have not spotted any snow people on the grounds yet. I might have to build one or two myself before everything melts, though the cold spell is promising to keep the landscape looking white and gorgeous for a bit longer and into 2010. I am not sure if the local stags enjoy this weather but they do look magnificent with snow in the background. The roads up here have been terrific. Our gritters appear to be on the road at the slightest rumour of snow or ice. So we have been enjoying the snow in our gardens but have not been hindered on the roads travelling in and out of the surrounding villages and towns.

We are now looking forward to the New Year bash in the Lochearnhead village hall. New Year guests who are currently in our Perthshire cottage are given complimentary tickets to the village dance. We invite them to join us for an end of year drink in our lounge before we walk along together to the hall. We have just re-instated a real fire in our lounge which gives additional character to the 300 year old ex byre with its stone walls, thatched roof and cruck timber ceiling. We will be dancing in the village hall to the sounds of The Session. The three piece band were excellent last year starting with songs from the 1950's and working their way through the decades to the bells. Lochearnhead villagers do make visitors and guests feel very welcome.

A big thank you to everyone who visited Little Briar Cottage during 2009. I know that we will be seeing a few of you again in 2010 and we also look forward to meeting and greeting new visitors.

Choose a Holiday Cottage in Scotland in "The Loch District"

The Lake district is a magical spot but you have to stay in a holiday cottage in Scotland to experience the wonders of the "Loch District". There are over 31000 lochs and lochans (small inland loch) in Scotland. Yes really! You can ask Lochearnhead's resident sea plane pilot who has landed on many of them. There is only one freshwater Lake in Scotland. The Lake of Menteith. Many lochs boast individual records like Loch Ness (most volume) and Loch Awe (longest). As far as I know Loch Ness is the deepest if you record average depth but Loch Morar is said to be deeper (310 metres) at its deepest point. Its a good one for "Who wants to be a millionaire" .

Our south facing holiday cottage, Little Briar, boasts the most stunning views over Loch Earn. The loch garden is 250ft long and one of the best vantage points in the village to observe water skiiers, ospreys, fishermen, otters, ducks, swans, the sea plane and other interesting "creatures". Guests can fish for trout in season -March 15th to October 6th. Loch Earn is 6.5 miles long with 2 visible remnants of Crannogs (ancient Pictish dwellings). Loch Lubnaig is just down the road about 4 miles and Loch Voil, Loch Venacher, Loch Katrine, Loch Tay and others are within easy reach. Guests who enjoy space and the outdoors tell me that they can often enjoy mountains and Munro's all to themselves in this region where Perthshire and the Highlands meet in central Scotland. They are spoilt for choice too. Our own self catering cottage in Scotland sits across from Ben Vorlich and Stuc a Chroin, with the Braes of Balquhidder, Ben Ledi and Ben Lawers nearby.

You have to be ready with your camera at all times to capture the mist banks, sunrise, sunset, full moon, rainbows and the everchanging colours and textures of the forest, mountains, sky and wildlife surrounding Loch Earn. I am delighted to show a real photographers work at last. Thomas caught all of the images shown on this blog early one morning and has kindly allowed me to show them off. He was on his way north heading for Skye when we met him. If you wish to see more of his photographs en route including other shots of Lochearnhead visit http://indafoto.hu/utasguszti/collections. Thanks Thomas. You are welcome to visit and take photos here any time.

Video around Little Briar, a self catering holiday cottage with a view in Lochearnhead, Scotland

Previous guests of Little Briar Cottage in Scotland will appreciate that a video may not represent the true smells, sounds and sights that you experience when you arrive for your first self catering holiday here. We are delighted that many of you keep coming back to Loch Earn and the surrounding scenery in Lochearnhead and Perthshire, which rarely looks the same two days in a row. Whether it is the various hues of the seasons or the texture and wind direction of the water, snow, sunlight or mist; each day holds its own surprises. The photo above was taken from the Loch garden on October 16th when the water was calm and the sky was textured.

October has been gloriously sunny with temperatures reaching 18 degrees though it was frosty this morning. We woke up to the sun shining down on mist that was rising mysteriously from the Loch and a pair of swans swimming near our jetty. The trees are changing every day showing off their red, russet and gold leaves amongst the evergreens. Even visiting Canadians were impressed with the beauty of Perthshires Autumn trees.

I have taken a video on my faithful Kodak Easyshare from the holiday cottage terrace to give you a glimpse of the magnificence of the setting but you have to come and breath the air, hear the birds and feel your blood pressure drop to really appreciate what the surroundings have to offer.

Click on the image below.

Photography heaven holidays thanks to digital cameras, photo editors and the magic of Loch Earn

Interested in photography? Then you might enjoy a self catering week or short break in Little Briar holiday cottage on the banks of Loch Earn. I have an artistic eye but am no Ansell Adams. Every 10th photo is a winner around here though (unless friends and colleagues are humouring me.) Probably more to do with the magic and surroundings of Loch Earn, my Kodak digital camera and Photoshop than any gift. I have uploaded a few images to Picasa, Blogger.com, Trip advisor and Flickr some used for Google Earth, Google Maps and Maplandia.com so that I can share my pictures with the world.

We have had one or two guests painting the landscape in water colour but I would love to see what a real photographer could do around here. (No offence to previous camera wielding guests). This week we caught a photographer from Edinburgh with his tripod and a grown up camera poised on our jetty at 7am. He was compelled to click at the sunrise approaching from the St Fillans end of Loch Earn. We understood. If he had stopped to ask our permission he would have missed the shot. You have to be ready around here. Only last week I captured a black mink. It popped its head up from the rocks on our garden shore line. I also caught a pheasant feeding on grubs on the sloping lawn between Briar and Little Briar cottage.

In addition to the ever changing moods and colours of Loch Earn, Edinample Castle and Glen Ample there are opportunities to capture osprey, otters, red squirrels, Canadian geese, swans, mallards (close up if you have food) as well as Neil’s red sea plane taking off and landing, water-skiers, wake boarders jumping, fisherman, yachts, canoes, swimmers, rainbows, paragliders, RAF aircraft, butterflies, bees and the deer that come into our paddock in the winter. So if you are a professional photographer there is plenty of material to capture all year round. If you are clueless about photography like me but like having a go, you might actually surprise yourself with the subjects that nature provides around here.

New York Marathon Competitor versus Wedding Day Planner

Running the New York marathon is surely similar to organising a Scottish wedding on the grounds of your property. There is the all year preparation, tremendous reward on the day and you are thoroughly exhausted with aching feet when it’s all over. That’s how Fraser and I felt after his daughters wedding on the grounds of our old thatched cottage in Lochearnhead on August 15. It was a magnificent set up with a marquee on the 250 foot garden on Loch Earn. Angela commandeered our holiday cottage, Little Briar, and was able to admire the stunning views from her vantage point and keep an eye on us all flapping about getting things ready. The cottage turned out to be a perfect honeymoon suite for Angela and her husband Steven too.

Their wedding cake was built on site by MHOR bread from Callander who sent a couple to place the sugar roses on by hand and to make the leaves. It was not only a stunning work of art, it tasted magnificent too with carrot cake on the bottom then chocolate, then lemon, then a plain sponge with sugar thistles and roses on top.

Town and Country Catering provided the food impressing guests with canapés, a first class meal and a buffet in the evening. How they did it from a catering marquee I will never know. We had Jim Brown a local piper as well as a young string quartet during the day. The wedding band "Obsession" arrived from Edinburgh and had everyone dancing on their feet, including a few neighbours in Lochearnhead who confessed later that they were dancing in their gardens until midnight! It was a truly magnificent day. We felt a little flat afterwards but not for long as we are already working on plans for a second self catering holiday cottage. Putting on a wedding is so far proving easier to organise!