Wonderful visit - so much to do! Stirling Castle a must and
Jacobite Steam train journey from Fort William. New Lanark a
highlight, too. Cabin beyond expectations and ducks/games room
fulfilled childrens needs!
Arlene, Darren and Medi Coulson. Wales/Dudai. 6-13th August
2011.
We have had great fun here over the past few days. This is our
tenth year we have been coming and the experience is still amazing.
The ducks are like a comedy show, always there and making us laugh.
And Arnie is still a pleasure to see and watch. We have enjoyed 10
years here and hope to enjoy many more.
Emily Pickup. Aged 12. January 2012.
Our Eco Aims
Lochend has extraordinary natural beauty and we want to help conserve that. And globally, we just want to do our bit, not to preach, but to consider how life might be for our children, Bunty, Cooper or Pippin's, future customers!
We're hoping that you might feel the same, and if you do, we're laying out some plans that will make us both a bit kinder to the environment.
OUR PARK
Lochend Chalets has now joined and become a proud member of the
'Our park' scheme which is helping support vital works to conserve
and enhance the landscape and wildlife of Loch Lomond and The
Trossachs National Park for us all to enjoy.
You can make a donation whilst booking, we suggest £1 per person in
the party or you can make a donation in the envelope provided in
your chalet when you are here.
To find out more about the projects your donations support go to:
www.lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk
Recycling
We employ a local company from Alloa, who pick up plastic, tin, paper, aluminum, cardboard. They also take mixed waste, which is all the other stuff that will go to a landfill site and that can be put in your black bin at the back of the chalet. Another local company collects our glass. The Bottle Bank is over at the Cook School.
Cleaning
'Ecover', arguable the best known of Eco cleaning products, and undoubtedly one of the most ethical companies, have brought out a 'professional' range. We 'trialled' them over a month and are now happily using them on a turn-around day and will provide them in your chalet for you to use.
- The cleaning products provided in your chalet are all degradable, toxin free and phosphate free, with an ethical pedigree.
- D 12 is a kitchen degreaser.
- C 9 is a multisurface.
- Techno San - a bathroom cleaner
- Alcasan - a bathroom cleaner for limestone, in Pine Lodge and Coach House.
- Ecover washing up liquid, washing powder and dishwashing tablets are proving just as efficient as their chemical counterparts.
- All bottles are made from 'Plant-astic' - made from sugar cane! We refill and reuse all our bottles - so please leave them.
- Toilet rolls are all from recycled materials and black bin bags and wastebin bags are both recycled and biodegradable too.
- Tea, Coffee and sugar is fair trade, your milk comes from the local dairy, Graham's and the Shortbread is made in Callander - if you visit Callander, pop round the back of the Rob Roy visitors centre for a good whiff of the shortbread baking!!
- Salt and Pepper are supplied in grinders for you to use.
- For Local Shopping see 'Around Trossachs'.
Energy
We think that when you are coming on holiday, and have often travelled many miles to get here, that your welcome when you arrive is warm…and not just a smile! So we will have warmed the house and have a full tank of hot water for you arriving. Also you have chosen self catering, generally, for the freedom it offers you on your holiday - for you to make your own choices however if we would ask you to consider how you run the chalets heating while you're here, and let us know if we can help.
Eco bulbs are being introduced and we are now 50% there!
Switching lights off when not in use really helps too.
New thermostatic controls have been put into the 3 "A" Chalets and
all central heating systems have timers.
We provide each lodge with a wind up torch as we have no street
lighting.
Communal laundry
There are drying greens at the back of the "A" Chalets and Cedar Cabins, each chalet is provided with pegs, however as Scottish weather is, at best, unpredictable! And so there are 2 washing machines and 2 drying machines at the back of the Games room for customers without these facilities in their chalet to use. We also sponsor's a wee girl called Kutaifa, from Uganda, through the charity 'Action Aid', but really it is mainly our generous customers that provide the majority of her sponsorship monies, enough for us to be able to add to an emergency fund too.
Please let us know at the end of your stay if you have any unused towels or bed linen so we don't do unnecessary laundry.
Wildlife
Of course there is an abundance of wildlife here, but we are especially honored to be able to watch the Osprey's fishing in the Lake. Early morning a family of Deer can often be seen in the cooler months when the eating in the forest gets short, along with the odd hedgehog. The ducks are wild, although you'd hardly know it and prefer to eat grains rather than the standard bread... incase you were thinking of feeding them when you come!! A Pine Martin has also been seen lolloping around which is a real wheeze! We ask our customers not to feed the swans, when they get friendly and come out of the water they can be very intimidating for wee people and some big ones too!
We have books in each chalet to help you identify both Scottish
birds, lots of them on or around the lake, and Scottish wild
flowers, many of which can be seen up the drive way.
Bird Box and bat boxes are dotted all over the place. Handmade
feeders are on there way!
Buying Locally
Butcher. The Aberfoyle Butcher. Tel.
No. 01877 382473.
An award winning butcher as used by Nick Nairn! It is on the 'Main
Street' on the left if your travelling from here, before the fire
station.
www.aberfoylebutcher.com
Baker. Mhor Bread. Tel. No. 01877
339518.
8, Main Street, Callander. Formerly the Scotch Oven, now in the
Lewis family's hands. Nice tearoom too.
http://mhor.net/bread/
Fish. Mhor Fish. Tel No. 01877
330213.
55-57, Main Street, Callander. Attached to the chip shop and in the
good hands of the Lewis too!
http://mhor.net/fish/
Farmers Markets.
Stirling has a regular market in Port Street, every 2nd Saturday of
each month from 9am-3pm.
Call Contact No. 01877330151 or go online to
www.scottishfarmersmarkets.co.uk
Village/Craft Markets
There are village markets with local crafts and produce available in Thornhill, Community Hall, South Common March - Christmas, Every Wednesday 10am-1pm Contact Belinda MacMillan 01786 850692. And in Dunblane there is the Craft Market with Café the first Sunday of every month at the Victoria Hall, Stirling Road, Dunblane, 11am-4pm Contact Sue Faulkner 01786 823768.
Susan Breakenrigde
http://www.panikgallery.com/susanbreakenridge.html
Artist/Photographic work - 3 of her pictures are hung in each "A"
Apartment and are for sale.
Graham Stewart
http://www.grahamstewartsilversmith.co.uk/ Silver
and goldsmith
Long established and very highly collected pieces but much more
interesting has a workshop you can visit and a gallery.
Chris's Wood.
Bowls and commissions. Chris made the coffee tables in the "A"
Chalets, table tops in the Apartments and No.5 and turns bowls
which can be found for sale in 'Galleria Luti' in Callander or
directly from the man himself whilst at Lochend!
Galleria Luti.
http://www.gallerialuti.co.uk
This great wee gallery stocks Chris Carroll's work! But lots more
besides; paintings, ceramics, jewelry, mixed media work and cards.
Family run, Marsha and Sandie are very welcoming and well known
Scottish artist dad, Peter, often exhibits his new work here.
Our Local Saturday Staff:
All the girls and boys that work with us on a Saturday attend the 2 local high schools. McLaren High in Callander and Balfron High in Balfron! We operate by word of mouth and often have 2 or 3 siblings working together or over a few years. Car sharing is important too and the Mum's and Dad's are very helpful and patient. They're between the ages of 14-18 and when they start have a 3-weekend training period followed by a probationary 6 week period when they can decide whether they like the job and we can decide if they have enough energy and understand the importance of cleaning and leaving the properties as we want them for your arrival. An important part of that training is an awareness of our eco aims and the best practice that we can offer the environment. We have been enormously lucky with our staff over the last 15 years of running this programme, with tweaks every year to keep us all on our toes and to keep up with our customers expectation. They work hard and are a pleasure to be around and we are grateful for their input.
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