For people living in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Loch Tay is the go-to weekend destination. Only around one and a half hours’ drive from both cities and you find yourself in the stunning Stirlingshire/Perthshire countryside (Loch Tay straddles both counties).
There are two main villages at each end of the loch. Killin (the bigger of the two) in Stirlingshire at the west and Kenmore in Perthshire on the east. It’s about 30 minutes drive between them. Killin has the Falls of Dochart on its doorstep, but we prefer Kenmore with its spectacular views up the loch from the beach.
We have been spending time around Loch Tay on many occasions over the years, anything from one night stays to a full week. Our favourite places to stay are at Taymouth Marina and the various lochside lodges owned by lochtay.co.uk, our favourites being Oak Cottage, Waterfall Cottage (if it’s just the two of us) and Oyster, a boathouse built on stilts over the loch. Many of these properties have hot tubs, often with great views, including the ones I have specifically recommended. Taymouth Marina also has an on-site restaurant, water sports centre and a spa area (in case you don’t have a lodge with a hot tub).
There is a lot to do in the area, something for everyone. We often take my Mum up with us, and then it’s normally a chill-out weekend with perhaps a drive and a stroll around the vast grounds of Taymouth Castle or along the river.
Being on a loch, there are water sports and boating available. Both Taymouth Marina and Loch Tay Highland Lodges have water sports centres (the latter also has nice accommodation with plenty of choice including “glamping”).
We were gutted that when we stayed in Oyster (the boathouse) the weather was bad and the water was choppy, so we didn’t get to use our inflatable canoe, which would have been incredible as we could have taken it out from the beach at the boathouse. Some other time, hopefully…
Next to Taymouth Marina is the Scottish Crannog Centre, a museum that gives an insight into life in the Iron Age.
For walkers, there is anything from the strolls I mentioned around Taymouth Castle and along the river (the latter can be very muddy after rain), to waterfall walks at Acharn and the “Birks of Aberfeldy”, to hiking up the Munros – Ben Lawers and Meall nan Tarmachan are both handy, and Schiehallion isn’t far away either. Check them out on the Walk Highlands website.
We have two favourite scenic drives:-
The first one is to head into the Ben Lawers national nature reserve (a few miles from Killin), up past the dam and reservoir and over to Bridge of Balgie from where you can go left towards Loch Lyon, then turn back and continue towards Fortingall, and onwards via Fearnan to Kenmore. This is an excellent drive to do in the autumn to see and stop to photograph the foliage, particularly as you get nearer to Fortingall and the trees make a canopy over the road.
Our other favourite scenic drive is to drive out from Kenmore and take the Schiehallion Road through Braes of Foss over to Kinloch Rannoch, where if you are lucky on a clear day you should get great views over to the Glencoe Mountains in the distance. You can make a bit of a loop by heading back along Loch Tummel (stop for the Queen’s View on the north side of the loch) to the historic Tummel Bridge. The original bridge, which is now pedestrian only, was built in 1730.
Loch Tay is a destination for any time of year, but we really love it in the autumn for the foliage, and in the winter (especially if we have a hot tub).
It’s a must-see in Scotland, so if you have never been add it to your list!
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