Things to Do

• Nothing! - The Carie cottages are very peaceful set in 90 acres of grazing and woodlands with a mile of loch frontage. The loudest sounds are the thunder of the burn in spate, the warbling cry of the whaup (curlew), or the chatter of oyster-catchers nesting at Carie Point, or the whisper of the wind in the trees, or the crackling of logs in the grate. You can doze or watch hares on the lawn, curl up and read a book or paint the fine views.
• What's On - Our recommended digest of local events and activities over the forthcoming months – use the What's On button in the main menu
• Boats & WaterSports & Outdoor Adventures - You can hire boats, learn to sail and cruise on nearby lochs. There’s rafting, kayaking and canoeing too. You can go climbing, abseiling, orienteering, or try your hand at field archery or clay pigeon shooting. For all this wonderful array of outdoor activity on land and on water we recommend www.croftnacaber.com 01887 830588, www.goforth.co.uk 01882 632242, and www.rafting.co.uk 01887 829706, And last but not least try a unique Highland safari and other hillside wild adventures! www.highlandadventuresafaris.co.uk 01887 820071. It is always important to book in advance if you can.
• Country Sports - If you would like to stalk, shoot or rough-shoot then we recommend Atholl Estates Ranger Service www.athollestatesrangerservice.co.uk 01796 481355 but you will need to book in advance as these sports are much sought after and often booked year on year. Or try a specialized agent like www.sportinglets.co.uk CKD Galbraith 01738 451600.
• Cycling - Although we are surrounded by magnificent mountains, cycling in Rannoch is easy because the road that follows the shore right round the loch is more or less level all the way (with a few small hills at the western end of the loch). The full circuit of the loch from our gate to our gate is almost exactly a marathon (26.2 miles) - a hearty but achievable outing. Or you could cycle up to the Moor of Rannoch Hotel (01882 633238) www.moorofrannochhotel.co.uk at Rannoch station on the West Highland Railway (stop at the splendid tea room (01882 633209) www.rannochstation.net Put your bikes on the train southbound to Bridge of Orchy for a ride along Glen Orchy, or northbound to Fort William for a ride along the shore of Loch Linnhe. There are many wonderful forestry tracks around Loch Rannoch too. Bikes can be rented from Activity Scotland www.activityscotland.com 01882 632323.
• Fishing - We have a mile of frontage to Loch Rannoch, and some of the best drifts for brown trout on the loch. You can fish either from Carie Point - a good standing-ground whatever the wind - or from the shore. There are also trout in the Carie Burn of which we have half a mile of double bank fishing - but the Rannoch trout are canny and hard to catch. Or you might troll for pike (they like bread soaked in cooking oil). Very occasionally, you might catch an Arctic charr, but there are better places than Loch Rannoch for the charr, and we'll tell you where! Bring your own rods and your favourite flies - we have two spare rods for beginners. Want to learn or improve your fishing skills? Then why not take lessons with our very own ghillie and estate boat - these are much sought after so please do book in advance.
• Flying - One of the most exhilarating and exciting ways to see anywhere is from the air. We are busy trying to twist the arm of a Scottish seaplane company to come and do flights from Loch Rannoch. Watch this space! In the meantime it is always possible to take a short flight from Perth that will fly over Rannoch and we recommend www.flights4all.com or www.experienceecosse.com 0131 620 2512 or Pegasus Flights on www.samd.co.uk/gifts 01738 550044 - between them they will do microlighting, flexwing and helicopter flights. Or for a spot of hot air ballooning try www.johnjohn.co.uk . The Scottish Highlands are hard to beat for breath-taking scenery and flying over it is one of life's sublime experiences.
• Gardens - Scotland has a unique richness in gardens not only because so many Scots were great explorers who travelled the world bringing back rare, unusual and exotic plants but also because of the long light summer months that encourage a strength of colour and vividness. You will find the current Yellow Bible in the cottage (Scottish Garden Scheme book) www.gardensofscotland.org 0131 229 1870 for a chance to see some of the glorious private gardens not normally open to the public as well as Suki Urquhart's excellent book Scottish Gardener - a celebration of Scottish gardens and gardeners past and present www.birlinn.co.uk We recommend the glorious and grand gardens of Scone Palace, Blair Castle and Menzies Castle (as listed under castles) as well as Cluny House gardens by Aberfeldy www.perthshiregardens.co.uk or matcluny@aol.com 01887 820795 Bolfraks Garden by Aberfledy www.bolfraks.com 01887 820344 and the Scottish Plant Hunter's Garden www.explorersgarden.com 01796 484600. To learn more about guided woodland walks see www.forestry.gov.uk/recreation 01738 710399 and our What's On monthly calendar of events.(use the What's On btton in the main menu.)
• Golf - Scotland's national sport! Played here as cricket is in England, there are an abundance of very scenic golf courses all around us, Aberfeldy Golf Club www.aberfeldygolfclub.co.uk 01887 820535, Blair Atholl Golf Club 01796 481407, Pitlochry Golf course 01796 472792, Kenmore Golf course www.taymouth.co.uk 01887 830226, Dunkeld & Birnam Golf Club www.dunkeldandbirnamgolfclub.co.uk 01350 727524, Murrayshall & Lyndoch Golf courses, www.murrayshall.com 01738 551171. All must be booked in advance.
• Horses - Riding, Racing, Trekking, Eventing Something for everyone here! Wonderful countryside to ride in and we recommend www.athollestatesrangerservice.co.uk 01796 481355. Perth Race Course is the most ancient and northerly race course in Britain - racing as it used to be! In the magnificent grounds of Scone Palace it is a spectacular racecourse www.perth-races.co.uk 01738 551597. And we also have the only International and largest Horse Trials in Scotland at Blair Atholl - a marvellous three day event in August every year www.blairhorsetrials.co.uk 01796 481453.
• Motoring - Driving in the Highlands is a pleasure and the scenery in all directions from Rannoch is wonderful. For a short run, go up to the Moor of Rannoch Hotel www.moorofrannochhotel.co.uk 01882 633238 and have lunch or go up for the afternoon and have tea at the splendid Rannoch Station Tea Room www.rannochstation.net 01882 633209 from the Station there are marvelous views across Loch Laidon to Glencoe in the far west, or southward to the haunting, mysterious shapes of the wild, Southern Rannoch Mountains. For a longer trip, try the Schiehallion road up through the moors beneath the stern, north face of Schiehallion and down to Aberfeldy perhaps having a light lunch en route at the House of Menzies www.houseofmenzies.com 01887 829666 or onto Kenmore and try the Courtyard brasserie www.taymouthcourtyard.com 01887 830763. For a day's journey, carry on from Kenmore along the north shore of Loch Tay to Killin (the Tay is at its most spectacular over the rocks here) and then to Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy, the wild summit of Rannoch Moor (Europe's largest unspoiled tract of open country) and down through the Pass of Glencoe via Ballachulish to Fort William for lunch, then back via Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge, the northern shore of Loch Laggan (look across to the fairytale baronial house on the south shore where Monarch of the Glen was filmed), then Dalwhinnie (visit the distillery) and the A9 to Calvine, then over the pass of Trinafour (with wonderful views of Schiehallion before you to the south) and so back to Kinloch Rannoch and home. It's a long way, but it's beautiful - a journey to be remembered. If you don't want to drive then relax and let our friendly local Broons Taxis take the strain www.broonstaxisandbuses.co.uk 01882 632331.
• Train journeys - There are two spectacular train journeys that you must try and fit in with unrivalled scenery that puts them amongst the best journeys in the world. The first is by train from Rannoch (the second most remote station in Britain) to Fort William traveling through some of the most scenic and remote country in Britain www.scotrail.co.uk 08457 550033 or www.ecossenet.com all year round. Then join the Jacobite steam train at Fort William to Mallaig - one of life's great experiences (and as seen in the Harry Potter film). www.steamtrain.info 01524 737751, summer months only. Current timetables are in the cottages.
• Walking - "By Loch Tummel and Loch Rannoch and Lochaber I will go..." runs the auld song. Rannoch is the Shangri-La of Scotland - remote and yet accessible, wild and yet beautiful. There are walks of every kind: a gentle stroll along the shore of the loch or round the lawns and fields of Carie and at the most southerly high point you can see a glorious panorama of loch and woodland stretching for miles around you or a walk along the Road to the Isles to the Bridge of Gaur and then right round the loch, the equivalent of a marathon distance, or a stroll through the Black wood of Rannoch, the ancient and beautiful Caledonian forest. Or walk southward straight up the forest track along the west bank of the Carie Burn as it climbs through the trees via a spectacular gorge. After an hour, you'll reach the open moorland. From here you can follow the path southward to Glen Lyon, or (for experienced superheroes only) turn left and follow the forst fence westward up to the ridge that climbs to the summit Carn Gorm, our own Munro (one of the 287 Scottish mountains over 3,000 ft high). From here there's a fine horsehshoe of other Munros for the serious walker. The cottage has many different books on walking as well as the ordinance survey maps of Rannoch.
• Whisky - Nothing would be complete in the Highlands without a wee dram! There's plenty to be had from Edradour in Pitlochry, the smallest distillery in Scotland where everything is still hand made www.edradour.co.uk 01796 472095to the home of Dewar's in Aberfeldy www.dewarsworldofwhisky.com 01887 820330 to the remote Dalwhinnie distillery www.discovering-distilleries.com/dalwhinnie 01540 672219 and to the oldest working distillery Blair Athol in Pitlochry www.discovering-distilleries.com/blairathol 01796 482003. Slainte Mhath as we say in this part of the Highlands or Good Health!
• Wildlife - Open your bedroom window and listen. At night you'll hear three kinds of owl. By day there are whaups, oyster-catchers, woodpeckers, gulls, gees, peregrine falcons and, very occasionally, an osprey or a pair of golden eagles soaring above Carie. In the garden there are hedgehogs, pine-martens, red squirrels, hares and occasionally roe deer and even red deer, which often come down to drink from the loch at sundown. If you want to watch the deer in their wild native habitat, we can tell you where the best vantage-points are. If you're a botanist, there are 60 species of lichen in the Black Wood of Rannoch, showing how pure the air at Carie is. On the high hill beyond the Black Wood of Rannoch there is the ling, the bell-heather and the myrtle. On the loch shore, the gulls and sometimes the oyster-catchers nest on our jetty, and every sort of wading bird visits the estuary of the Carie Burn. If you're lucky, you'll see the very rare Tenninck's stint. And there are otters at the mouth of the Carie Burn.
• Castles and Historic Buildings - Perthshire has an abundance of castles, palaces and great historic houses, many with beautiful gardens and grounds. Blair Castle is the closest www.blair-castle.co.uk 01796 481207, Scone Palace www.scone-palace.net 0845 1261060 and Menzies Castle www.menzies.org 01887 820982. The National Trust for Scotland www.nts.org.uk 01350 728641 (we recommend Killiecrankie, The Linn of Tummel, Craigower by Pitlochry and the Hermitage at Dunkeld) and Historic Scotland www.historic-scotland.gov.uk 0131 668 8600 (we recommend Dunkeld Cathedral, Tullibardine Chapel, Innerpeffray Chapel & Library, St. Mary's Church, Grandtully) both are great sources of information and see our own What's On monthly calendar of events.
• Music, Theatre, Entertainment - In Pitlochry there's the Festival Theatre www.pitlochry.org.uk 01796 484626 with year round entertainment and a wonderfully long theatre season from April to October. Classical concerts in season at Strathgarry House do for classical music in Scotland what Glyndebourne started for Opera in England www.musicinblairatholl.com 01796 481216. Our very own Music in Rannoch provides everything from classic to jazz once a month in the winter months diana@dalchosnie.co.uk 01882 632219. There are many traditional and ancient Scottish music and general knowledge and entertainment events going on all the time at The Scottish Crannog on Loch Tay at Kenmore www.crannog.co.uk 01887 830583. For details on all of this and more see our What's On monthly calendar of events.(Use the What's On button in the main menu).
• Eating Out - A treat in the Highlands where the abundance of fresh local produce from the hills and the water make for delicious dining from the very simple to the very elegant. Quite a few of our recommended places also have good local and Scottish provisions on sale. We recommend a light lunch or tea at Rannoch Station Tea Room www.rannochstation.net 01882 633209, the House of Menzies by Aberfeldy www.houseofmenzies.com 01887 829666 and the Aberfeldy Watermill in Aberfeldy www.aberfeldywatermill.com 01887 822896. For a proper lunch or supper we recommend the Moor of Rannoch Hotel at Rannoch Station www.moorofrannoch.co.uk 01882 633238, the Struan Inn by Calvine www.struan-inn.co.uk 01796 483208, the Tummel Inn on Loch Tummel 01882 634272, the Loft Restaurant at Bridge of Tilt, Blair Atholl 01796 481377, Strathgarry and Port na Craig Restaurants at Pitlochry www.strathgarryhotel.co.uk 01796 472469, East Haugh House by Pitlochry www.easthaugh.co.uk 01796 473121 and the House of Bruar known locally as the Harrods of the North and has everything you could ever eat, wear or dream of - www.houseofbruar.co.uk 01796 483236. For something a little more special try the Killiecrankie House Hotel by Pitlochry which has won many awards www.killiecrankiehotel.co.uk 01796 473220, our own local and delicious Dunalastair Hotel Restaurant www.dunalastair.co.uk www.dunalastair.co.uk 01882 632218 or slightly further afield The Courtyard Restaurant at Kenmore www.taymouthcourtyard.com 01887 830763
• Eating In - Take advantage and have a cook's night off! Have a look at our own selection of locally-cooked food, no funny stuff just fresh local produce and real home cooking as well as a wonderful selection of tasty smoked meats and delicacies all from our own local Rannoch Smokery www.rannochsmokery.co.uk Just click here Cook's Night Off and place your order, at least one week in advance.
• Reading - We can't imagine that you would ever run out of books at Carie but even so we cannot help recommending the sheer luxury of a visit to the Aberfeldy Watermill Bookshop which is a treasure trove of unusual Scottish and local books as well as being the largest bookshop in the rural Highlands. It also houses a contemporary art gallery and sells music too. All in the delightful atmosphere of a Grade A converted watermill that serves decent coffee and provides temptingly comfortable sofas and chairs - just don't forget to come home! www.aberfeldywatermill.com 01887 822896
• What's On - So that you don't miss anything we recommended www.hpwatson.net who have put together a monthly calendar of events for what's going on around us, be it music and dancing, outdoor events and competitions, guided tours, theatre, entertainment and traditional Scottish events and so much more (Use the What's On button in the main menu).
  The Scottish Tourist Board known as VisitScotland is very informative too on www.visitscotland.com 01887 820276 Aberfeldy or 01796 472214 at Pitlochry.