The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Luxury and fantasy
Kinloch Rannoch proves to be a family affair for Barrie Daglish as he takes his clan on an adventure to this hidden Scottish gem
A visit to Kinloch Rannoch offers a family adventure at one of the jewels in Scotland’s destination crown.
Focus. You can do this. Bending my knees a little lower, knowing second place is first loser, I drew back my arm then whipped the small, flat stone forward and watched. It hit the choppy, grey water and skipped once, then a second time. Victory was mine! The challenge between my nine-year-old son and me had been made more difficult by the cold wind whipping across Loch Rannoch, creating little whitecaps and making skipping stones difficult. He took his defeat with good grace and while I raced around by the water’s edge on an unseemly victory lap, proceeded to collect stones to add to a little pile in our back garden, mementoes of other short breaks and days out.
This trip had seen us head north to Kinloch Rannoch for a stay at the fivestar Dunalistair Hotel Suites, which sits in the village square and is just a few months removed from a multi-millionpound refurbishment. What we were soon to discover is an excellent level of service began before we had even got out of the car park, as the manager, Richard, met us to help carry in our luggage. This was to become a feature of our stay: need a drink or snack? Tips on what to do in the area? A guided tour of the luxurious surroundings that will be home for the next little while? Richard and his team are there to oblige at every turn.
Keen to stretch our legs after the journey, we put on our wellies and proceeded to bite off more than we could chew. The hotel has stunning views from almost every side and you can take in Schiehallion, Loch Rannoch or a waterfall, depending on which window you pick. (The room with its own turret boasting views of the mountain was a favourite of our youngest, Disney princess-loving daughter.) The waterfall that tumbles down the hillside next to Craig Varr caught our eye. It turns out this craggy bluff on the hillside overlooking the hotel takes about twoand-a-half hours to ascend and, after an hour or so, it proved too much for our five-year-old. We were high enough, though, to take in a great view of the surrounding area, with Schiehallion wreathed in cloud and snow on the surrounding hills. We picked our way back down the hillside path, throwing twigs in the waterfall and watching them race away. We left our wellies and waterproofs to dry in the hotel’s boot room – which has underfloor heating that was installed with those going hiking or out in shooting parties in mind – and headed off to catch the Hogwarts Express. Kind of.
Rannoch Station is about half an hour from the hotel by car and was next on our to-do list because of its connection to the Harry Potter movies. Rannoch Moor is the setting for the scene where the Death Eaters stop and board the train in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, and it is not hard to see why. This vast area of rugged wilderness has an eerie, bleak beauty. Our 10-yearold daughter is reading the Harry Potter books (for the third time) and got a real kick out of standing on the platform and looking out at the scene of a magical movie moment.
Back at the hotel for dinner in Edina’s Kitchen and the film theme continued. A framed costume worn by Liam Neeson in Rob Roy hung nearby while we enjoyed a fine meal in what is clearly a very popular restaurant. One of my wife’s choices (a souffle) would not be served to us, we were told, because Richard was not satisfied with how it had been prepared.
You find yourself happy at not getting your first choice when a desire to uphold
high standards is the reason.
After dinner it was back to our home from home. Our accommodation comprised two suites with a connecting internal door and the children were delighted to have their own “house”, as our youngest called it. A nightcap of Schiehallion craft lager (well, what else?) was a perfect way to end the day.
The next day, after my championshipwinning performance on the shores of Loch Rannoch, saw us heading back the way we had come. Our short break really seemed to begin when we left the motorway and headed west towards Loch Tummel; the children wound the windows down, our 10-year-old took pictures of one grand view after another and they all sang all along to their favourite CD. Now we were going back the way, making for Aberfeldy. I wanted to stop in at The Watermill, which was included in a book of the 75 greatest bookshops in the world published by the New Yorker. High praise indeed and it’s well worth a visit. A picnic lunch by the River Tay was followed by a stroll around the pleasant market town.
On our way to Aberfeldy, we had stopped off at Queen’s View, said to be one of the most photographed areas in Scotland. The vast swathe of Highland Perthshire that can be appreciated from this vantage point – looking back towards Schiehallion and the scene of our fantastic trip – is truly stunning, and standing together in the sunshine to take it all in put the perfect full stop on our journey.