Whats On Events in Lochearnhead, Perthshire, Scotland

If you have never visited Lochearnhead in Perthshire, Scotland then you are missing out on some spectacular events in the area. We tell guests at Little Briar Holiday Cottage to check "what’s on" in the local villages. Whether you are self catering for a week, having a short break or just out for the day it is worth checking "The Villagers" newspaper and the on-line events calendar at www.robroycountry.com. There is something to suit everyone from The Loch Earn 6.5m and 1 mile Crannog Open water Swim, "Splash In" radio controlled water plane demonstrations over Loch Earn, disco's and live bands, painting, floral art and quilting exhibitions, an eclectic mix of music recitals, the Lochearnhead Fete, strawberry tea parties, Scotland’s premier wakeboarding contest, beer festivals, theatre performances, charity events, pool contests, food festivals, pub quizzes, hill races, horticulture shows, the Lochearnhead Highland Games, and the Lochearnhead Shears sheep shearing contest as well as Halloween, Christmas and Hogmanay Parties. In addition Lochearnhead and the surrounding villages of Balquhidder, Strathyre and St Fillans host classes in their community halls like; upholstery, ballroom dancing, oil painting, yoga, youth club, parent and toddler groups and keep fit. Visitors and holidaymakers are welcome to join in. So if you are visiting Little Briar Cottage at www.stayatbriar.co.uk or happen to be in the area around Lochearnhead check out www.robroycountry.com to plan in local events.

Little Briar Holiday Cottage view of Briar Cottage being re-thatched in Lochearnhead, Scotland

Little Briar Holiday cottage guests are delighted this week to have the best view of our 17th century cottage in Lochearnhead which is having part of its roof re-thatched over the original byre(now our lounge)that boasts a single cruck timber framed ceiling on the inside. Master Thatcher Peter Brugge and his team, Stan and Mr W, have done the stripping and are now rebuilding the new reed layer by layer. It really is a work of art. Little Briar holiday cottage is elevated behind our 17th century thatched cottage boasting the best views over Loch Earn to Edinample castle and Glen Ample, the best view of local pilot Neil taking off and landing his sea plane dodging the waterskiers at weekends and for the next 3 weeks a novelty extra while the master Thatcher's weave their magic. The original inhabitants of Briar Cottage were McGregors who lived under the pseudonym Murray because using the name McGregor was a capital offence at the time. We know from Parish records that they had a baby in 1727. Later it belonged to the Duke of Breadalbane(descended from Campbells)followed by two centuries of McLarens. Isobella McLaren changed the name to Briar Cottage around 1900 from its original name Easter Achraw. I am sure that these ancient families would be proud of the restoration work to improve the thatched roof and to know that the original rings that tied up their byre animals are still secure in the wall. Little Briar cottage guests will always be welcome to view the cruck ceiling room in Briar Cottage(see www.stayatbriar.co.uk). It is amazing to think that the cruck timbers were around when Rob Roy McGregor was in his prime.

April Boat race and "Splash In" on Loch Earn, Perthshire

Briar Cottage is having part of its roof re-thatched in April which will be a novelty for guests at Little Briar holiday cottage as well as the locals and visitors to the area. April guests will also be able to witness 2 spectacular events on Loch Earn in Lochearnhead. On the 18th and 19th of April the Scottish Aeromodellers Association are having a "Splash In". Members will be showing off their radio controlled aeroplane flying skills with float planes of all sizes being flown above Loch Earn. Visitors are welcome. Just turn up at the Lochearnhead watersports and activities centre. I wonder how many will "splash in" as per the event title! Then on the 26th April the Loch Earn Boat Race takes place. This also starts at the waterpsorts centre. The charity row is organised by the Crieff round table. Anyone can take part at £80 per boat(supplied by Drummond Boats) and funds are awarded to Round Table nominated charities. The event starts off at the Watersports and Activities centre in Lochearnhead and Ends 7 miles down Loch Earn at St Fillans where the Achray Hotel supplies stovies to the rowers. These are both magnificent days out with Food and Drink available in the Watersports centre Cafe, two nearby hotels and the local village grocer.

A Host of Spring Daffodils at Briar Cottages, Lochearnhead, Perthshire

"Spring is here at last, dreary winter's past..." That old child hood song is going on in my head. Must be something to do with the daffodils in full bloom down the side of Briar Cottages slipway into Loch Earn. And there are more ready to burst out around Little Briar Holiday Cottage. The birds have started to sing in full voice and I don't know whats up with the mallards. They have changed from their usual feeding spot on the Loch Garden and now follow me around the two acre grounds. They have even been known to knock on the back door with their beaks. The clocks will change at the end of the month and then around the first of April we are having the "byre room" (now our lounge) re-thatched. That will be a spectacle for our April guests.

Scotlands descendants, come home to stunning panoramic views in Lochearnhead, Perthshire

Come home to Little Briar cottage in response to the governments "HOMECOMING SCOTLAND 2009" initiative. This charming holiday cottage is elevated on the 2 acre grounds of Briar Cottage, a 17th century thatched cottage with stunning views on the banks of Loch Earn facing south towards Glen Ample and Edinample Castle(once a Campbell stronghold).

This is an exceptionally beautiful part of west Perthshire and the Trossachs in the heart of Scotland. Famous for family names and septs of MacGregor, Ferguson, Stewart, McLaren, Neish, Campbell, McNab and MacIntyre amongst others. These lands have centuries of stories and folklore to boast.

Briar Cottage was first owned by a MacGregor, followed by the Duke of Breadalbane (descended from Campbells) and latterly McLarens. Clan chiefs of local families e.g. the Stewarts of Ardvorlich and the McLarens of Balquhidder still reside locally. They make an annual appearance at the Lochearnhead Highland games where families still do battle - albeit a well fought but innocent tug-of-war.

Little Briar holiday cottage is so central, that you can easily reach any of the homecoming party's and major attractions. Briar cottage comes with riparian rights which means that guests can fish for rainbow and brown trout from the loch garden with its jetty, slipway and garden furniture. There are 2 hotels within a 200 metre stroll, a watersports centre and cafe at 500 metres and a local shop and post office less than 1 mile from the garden gates. The area is ideal for walking, cycling, golf, water sports, history, folklore, wildlife, birds, flora, fauna, forest trails and relaxation.

Today the grounds are proudly owned by Fraser and Kim(nee Donald) Proven who will welcome you, invite you for a drink in the cruck room, show you around the 250ft loch garden and introduce you to their hot tub which you can arrange to use.

See www.stayatbriar.co.uk for tariff and availability, www.tripadvisor.com for guest comments, www.homecomingscotland.com for information on home coming events, www.incallander.co.uk for more detailed information on local history and folklore and www.robroycountry.com for alternative accommodation in Balquhidder, Strathyre, St Fillans and Lochearnhead.

NB Little Briar has a 4 star classification with Scottish-Country Cottages.

Rowing to Briar Cottages, Loch Earn, Perthshire

We wanted to test our new digital camera properly by taking photo's of Little Briar and Briar Cottages from Loch Earn. Our neighbour Richard to the rescue! He owns Scooby Watersports in Lochearnhead. Only 150 metres from our gates his shop is attached to the Clachan Hotel overlooking the loch. Very handy. He sells a wide range of wakeboards, ski's, wetsuits, drysuits, pontoon Boats, float Tubes and more. He also hires bikes out, which has been well appreciated by cycling enthusiasts holidaying in our cottage. Last week our guest family of 4 hired them to cycle along the path of the Old Callander to Oban railway line that was disbanded in 1965. It is part of national cycle route 7. They cycled Lochearnhead to Killin on their first visit in April and took on the more leisurely Lochearnhead to Balquhidder leg this time. Anyway, Richard let us test drive a rowing boat and we are pleased with our photos taken on a glorious November day in front of our 250ft loch garden and slipway. Cheers Richard!

Free Wakeboarding spectacle in Lochearnhead

Lets hope its sunny for WakeScot 08 this weekend in Lochearnhead. Sunny days in Perthshire are glorious just now with falling leaves of red and gold and stags bellowing from the forests; a distinct sound that resonates around the hills surrounding Loch Earn. Little Briar cottage has had a busy year and is currently offering 3-4 night short break bookings for 4 people at £204.40 until 15th December (www.stayatbriar.co.uk). We will be telling this weekend’s guests about WakeScot 2008; a wakeboarding event run by Active Scotland, based at the Lochearnhead watersports centre. The weekend starts with a wakeboarding lesson at 10am on the 25th October. The U16's, rookies and open men and women’s competition is 2-4pm. Master Craft and Landrover will be showcasing some of their kit on Sunday 26th too and it’s all free to watch. No doubt Nicky and her crew at the Loch Side café within the centre will be even busier than usual. See www.activescotland.com for details.