Around Lochend

Nick Nairn Cook School

This award winning Cook School is not only on the estate, not only our big brothers place but a fantastic way to spend a day out whether your into cooking or not, that's how good it is. www.nicknairncookschool.com

Games Room

In this room we have all sorts of things going on…Table tennis table (bats and ball provided in each cabin), pool, air hockey, table football and a PC with free internet access, a book exchange and a DVD library. A communal laundry is situated at the back and has 2 washers and 2 dryers for customers use and all we ask in return is for a donation for Kutaifa, the child that Lochend Chalets sponsors through Action Aid - any excess goes to their 'Emergency funds' which then helps the worse hit areas in the world at that specific time.

Massage

Jane Baron has a Diploma in Therapeutic Massage from the College of Holistic Medicine in Glasgow and lives locally. She is able to come to your chalet, with the tools of her trade and for £30, for just over an hour, totally relax your body! It is better to send everybody else out for 2 hours!! Mobile No. 07786175971.

Phones

At the side of the games room there is a payphone, which if you don't have a mobile phone or if your not with O2, Orange or Vodafone, you may find useful!

Play Area

We have a toddlers play boat, built with the 18 month to 10yrs olds in mind, a rope swing for children of all ages! and behind the tree is a giant chess board with benches to ponder your next move from, but perhaps best of all is the freedom to just run around in several acres of lawns and trees.

Twitching

There is a fabulous array of birds to be seen at Lochend and we've had customers, who are really knowledgable about birds, leaving in awe of the Osprey's grace and fishing skills; the Herons that live on the shores edge and fly across, squawking in their pre historic way; the ducks would be hard pushed to be described as wild these days, but were once, before they knew when they were on to a good thing hanging around everybody's patios! and the swans elegantantly glide around from our bay to the nest in reeds opposite. And that's not to mention all the wee birdies that come and feed outside the chalets, please see list below.

Watersports

Rowing - we have a rowing boat for 4 persons to hire by the hour, 1^st come 1^st serve basis due to Scottish weather! £3 per hour. The boats are only in the water from April to End of October.
Sailing - our customers may bring sailing dinghy's with them but please call to discuss disinfecting before launching etc.
Kayaks - as above
Canoes - as above
Swimming - the Lake is very shallow in our bay and has a very steady gradient so it's great for swimming. Water shoes are helpful as, although there is a sandy patch, it can be stony or weedy.
Skimming stones - always a good past time, mind the swimmers and ducks though! The World skimming championships is a 2 and a half hour journey from here and a great day out! See www.stoneskimming.com/ for full details or see 'You Tube' clip.
Fishing - the Lake of Menteith is one of Scotland's premier trout fishing waters; it's stocked with over 30,000 fish every year, all over a 1lb in weight. Fishing is fly only, from boat only - No bank fishing, we have 2 boats going from the Lochend shore which can be booked in advance through Chris on 07712 596604. Or if we don't have boats for the day your after try the fishery 1 mile away at www.menteith-fisheries.co.uk

For a bit of fun you can fish in the Goodie burn which snakes around the back of the chalets and is where you can be Tom Sawyer for the day!

Tennis

We have a full sized concrete court, we have had a few families in week long competitions (We supply rackets but not balls). At one end we have a full size basketball net and board too. Great place to mess around with all types of ball games.

Bikes

We used to hire bikes here but apart from zooming around Lochend and up to the Lake hotel, the roads beyond that are pretty busy so we have 2 cycle hire centres that we recommend where you can hire bikes and be on bike track immediately - see 'Around the Trossachs'. Bringing your own bikes is, of course, a great option, there are many cycle routes around this area and ¼ mile private driveway at Lochend.

Wildlife

In the winter months and if your up early enough! You can often see a family of deer trotting in front of the Cedar cabins. We have hedgehogs too, but like the otter that lives on the lake, they are very shy and not often seen. The grey squirrels have all but gone now and although I have seen red squirrels at Lochend, they live mostly in the wood behind Lochend Farm up the hill. We have seen a pine martin several times this year lopping across our lawn, fabulous looking wee beastie but fierce! Other customers have seen the mink, which were liberated from a farm near Kippen in the 70's, and found they're way to the lake. We have a friend who came across a badger on an early morning fishing session in the Goodie burn. Our children are very into micro beasties and a bit of peeling bark, or a turn over stone, can provide 30 minutes of entertainment easily!

Car free days

It's not easy in this part of the world to have a car free day however it's not impossible so, not to be deterred, here's what we've tried:

• Walk to Port of Menteith, from Lochend's doorstep to the bus stop takes the family about 40-45 mins. There are no paths so single file and facing the oncoming traffic is really the rules of road walking. Stop at the Fisheries car park for a bacon and/or egg roll from Davie at The Trossachs Taste van will delay your journey a bit!! Catch a bus to Stirling at either 10.28, 13.46 or 16.51 and be dropped at the Thistle centre or walk over the new Arch bridge to take you to the Riverside and the Vue cinema or the bowling or if you are in the market for a newly recycled bike, then walk along a pretty terrace of houses to the fabulous recyke-a-bike shop, http://www.recyke-a-bike.co.uk/ a great place full of interesting bikes at great prices. Take the bus home from Stirling at 11.37, 14.24 or 17.37 (Monday to Friday) and walk back, stopping for a swift half or a cup of coffee at the Lake hotel!

• Walk to just before Port of Menteith with a picnic and take the ferry over to Inchmaholme Island while away a few hours on a sunny day in this serene place.

• Cycle up the hill to just beyond the old Port of Menteith Railway station, now a private house, but up the side of it is a track that will take you out 0.5 of a mile from Buchlyvie, where you can visit the pottery tea room to revive yourself the visit the fabulous Green Gallery before cycling home, or if your looking for a more strenuous ride home, cross on the small B835 and cross to Dalmary then follow the back road into Gartmore, then Aberfoyle and back to Port of Menteith on the A81.

• Cycle to Port of Menteith, leave bikes at back of village hall, and take the bus to Callander, walk the length of the Crags walk, starting at the East end of the village which comes down in the west part of the village and then treat yourself in 'Mhor Bread' café before catching the bus back and cycling home.