My Funny Valentine Days



Crazy path to the jetty in the loch garden

 

Patio doors in lounge and both bedrooms

 With Valentines Day looming I got to thinking about one of my favourite songs. My Funny Valentine has been performed by many a star; Frank Sinatra, Elvis Costello, Judy Garland, Miles Davis and Chet Baker spring to mind.  I have performed it myself on many an occasion in my song performing days with easy listening band Diminished Fifth.  Valentines Day is the nations official celebration of romance however I have to share that my funny valentine husband Fraser is romantic most of the year. Its the way he makes me laugh and those little things when you least expect it that do it for me.  For example,  any time that we are away from each other overnight I find lovely wee messages in my suitcase if I am away and under my pillow if he is away.  I am not giving away all of our secrets but it is fair to say that we are romantic 364 days of the year. Yes, we have a day off on Valentines Day.    Both cottages in Perthshire are available for anyone who wants to treat a loved one around February 14th. Cuddle up in front of the woodburning stove  in our luxury new build cottage Briar Steading,  with a bottle of Champagne and chocolates that we will provide for your arrival.  There is an Ipod docking station so you can bring your own idea of mood music with you. Or choose Little Briar cottage and accept a complimentary bottle of Prosecco.  Both cottages face south over Loch Earn and there is nothing like the view on a moonlit or starry night. Remember we will be on our romantic day off so my funny valentine and yours truly will be more than happy to prepare the hot tub for your romantic break.  01567 830 443 to book or enquire.

Happy New Year from Briar Cottages Scotland - for stargazers, wildlife watchers, romantics and those who like a wee dram at Hogmanay followed by a BBQ on the 1st January!

Happy New year from Kim and Fraser in bonnie Lochearnhead, Scotland.  A big thank you to everyone who stayed in Little Briar cottage in 2010 and to our first guests in our luxury holiday cottage,  Briar Steading over the festive period. The Hogmanay village party was a sell out. A good laugh and a few wee drams were had by all. We  are delighted that our guests have secured a booking for this years event.  Both couples can testify that we really do have a barbecue on 1st January outside in the loch garden.  We had fireworks this year too.  Anyone who enjoyed BBC Two Stargazing live will appreciate the location we are in.  There are no street lights polluting the natural light in our section of the road.  It means that you see everything on a clear night and can enjoy the moon rising and setting. You need the cottage torch on dark nights as it is pitch black without the moon, though temporary search lights do come on around the  cottages.  Fireworks are a spectacular contrast to the night skies over Loch Earn.  A friend bought multiple fireworks from Lidl this year. You only light them once and they pop off about 30 fireworks. I have to say that they were first class, excellent value and we would use them again.  For those of you who are aware that we have a 17th century thatched cottage on the grounds;  I promise we were careful!  Briar Steading is booked however Little Briar cottage  is there for the booking if you like a weeks holiday for 2-4 with a party atmosphere around New Year.   Any dogs would have to stay indoors for the fireworks bit of course.  

Winter has been glorious here.   Lochearnhead is stunning when the snow falls.   Fraser and  I could not resist trying out the sledge from the top of the garden.  I would encourage any age group to have a go. We have had regular visits from  a herd of deer and a stag this winter.  They come down in search of food and water when it gets colder.  I am a great fan of BBC Springwatch and Autumnwatch however they sometimes go off on a mission hoping for a glimpse of something.  Our  first guests sat looking out of the full length windows of Briar Steading and the deer came down most nights almost performing in front of them.  I wish I had a better camera, photogaphy skills and a webcam here.  Summer watch and winter watch are just as entertaining at Briar Cottages.  We can get close to the malard ducklings in spring.  They literally eat out of your hand as does the robin in winter. The robin gets very close to Fraser, usually because he is digging  up insects and worms as he weeds. It did fly  into our bedroom in the spring which is maybe a bit too familiar. A brave attempt but it failed to mark its territoy in our boudoir as we politely showed it the door... or was it the window.  An otter has been digging a shelter under our jetty stairs and ospreys catch fish in front of us on the loch all summer. Eagles, owls, red kites, cranes, red squirrels and other creatures can be spotted all year round.  This is a great venue for wildlife and bird watching throughout the picturesque seasons.  Now that Briar Steading is up and running we can concentrate on landscaping around it.  We have plans to put in some trees shrubs and flowers however we better double check that they are not in a deers top 10 favourite things to eat or it will be an annual event. 

  

If you are interested in booking  either or both cottages please check our website and do not hesitate to contact us with any questions briarinfo@btinternet.com,  Tel Kim or Fraser: 44 (0)1567 830 443, Mob: 07876 122 505, http://www.stayatbriar.co.uk/   

Luxury cottage launched in time for Christmas and New Year in Scotland

Luxury Briar Steading reflecting Loch Earn 

At last we can announce Briar Steading our luxury holiday cottage with the best views south over Loch Earn in the village of Lochearnhead.  You have to experience it to believe it. The interior furnishings are based around  mixed shades of blonde to dark wood with soft furnishings in a range of cream, taupe, tan, brown and black. These complement the warm tan hues of the seam of rock that we uncovered behind the house. They also work well with the local stone that has been used in the hearth around the wood burning stove. The same stone was used for the garden walls and front of the house as it was to renovate Briar and Little Briar Cottages within the three acre gardens.  The rock face behind the house is made more impressive by water cascading down it from the hills.  In fact a geologist will probably be able to read time lines into the layers of slate and stone with intermittent calcite and quartz. A visiting Cree Indian once told us that volcanic rock and quartz is usually in evidence around gold.  We know that gold has been found around this region for centuries but alas not in our garden so far!



Stunning views of Loch Earn from the lounge

We have organised the last of the stone walls in the garden to be finished within  2 weeks. This means that we can take bookings for Christmas and New Year. I would not mind staying over the festive period myself come to think. The views are second to none thanks to the full glass patio doors in the lounge and the bedrooms and Loch Earn is just 70 metres away. Guests will be able to wake up to an ever changing picture looking out to the loch from the bedrooms.  Both bedrooms have their own en-suite facilities so couples, friends and families will be able to have their own space. The King bedroom is at the East gable and the twin room at the West with the open living space separating them. The master room has an ensuite with a Mira shower over the steel bath and the twin room has a large walk in wet room area both with gloss marble effect wall and floor tiles.

Fully Fitted Linear Cream Kitchen

The kitchen is fully fitted with a 70/30 fridge freezer, a washer dryer and  a dishwasher. The open plan living area is spacious and warm as it faces south and is well insulated. The wood burning stove is a bonus feature for winter. The living area measures 26ft from the patio doors to the kitchen at the back. In fact the whole cottage is c110sq.m.  Prices will range from £500 in the low season to £950 for a week in the high season.  Briar Steading is available for 4 people during Christmas ( you could be the first to book!) with a Christmas tree and a food hamper at £800 for 7 nights and around New Year including free tickets to the village Hogmanay party with a live band also at £800 for 7 nights.  Please call Kim or Fraser Tel 01567  830 443 OR 07876 122 505 and see more  information and photos on our website http://www.stayatbriar.co.uk/ .



Wood-burning Stove in  Briar Steading Holiday Lounge



The Briar Witch Project, Lochearnhead at Halloween

  

Cross eyed pumpkin trying to be taken seriously

  

Shy Pumpkin Girl

Perhaps Halloween at Briar Cottages self catering in Lochearnhead, Scotland should have been eerie and creepy.  After all, the setting is perfect. There are no street lights and it is very dark at night unless the moon is out. There are real bats in the area. The stags rutting over the last few weeks in Achraw Hill behind the cottages sounded a bit like ghosts and goblins in a haunted mountain. 

Pumpkin loving the sunlight instead of moonlight




More Tommy Cooper than Frankensteins monster


Fraser was put in charge of the Briar Witch project. All he had to do was set up some frightening masks and evil pumpkin heads. Somehow he managed to make them all look very cute or comical, a bit like Casper the friendly ghost. I love the cross eyed pumpkin.  We lit a few fireworks on the night of the 30th October 2010. This also happened to be Fraser's birthday. They were set up on the slipway in our garden on Loch Earn. 

New luxury Briar Steading, Autumn

We viewed them from the patio of our luxury new build cottage Briar Steading, in front of the full length patio doors and windows.  The views from there are exceptional.  The fireworks were a great success against the black loch and sky. The only things that were glowing were the pumpkin heads placed on top of the 2ft high garden lights. They looked as though they were floating in mid air over  Loch Earn. What fun. Another memorable weekend at Briar Cottages in Scotland. Pumpkins are effective and easy to carve but for me, you can't beat the childhood smell of a Halloween carved turnip, neep or tumshie with a burning candle inside.



Squashy pumpkin more frightened than frightening



Garden gnome plays Briar witch

Luxury Self Catering cottage Scotland built in 40 days

Our new build luxury holiday cottage in Lochearnhead (Briar Steading) has taken 40 days to build and furnish from the time that the timber kit arrived until now. Fraser and I are delighted with the quality and it has been a pleasure to watch the joiners, plumbers, electricians, diggers, brick layers, stone mason, tilers, painters, roofers, stove installers, finishers et al perform their individual crafts. Of course anyone who has met my husband Fraser will not be surprised to hear that he put in a full shift alongside them all whether making decisions, helping to clear up or cutting the grass round about...and he built a fence between the new cottage and our neighbours ground which the neighbour and I are more than impressed with. He enjoyed the team work and the banter and I think that they were impressed at his energy and stamina.   All in all it has been a delightful experience and a lot of fun. The holiday cottage is furnished with some finishing touches still to do (putting up blinds and connecting the TV's to a satellite dish). The ground has been levelled and prepared. We just need to add a path to the door and steps from the full length patio lounge and bedroom doors and we will be ready to submit for building control approval. We have been advised to let the main patio area settle before adding the paving stones so that could be a job for Spring.

The back of the cottage is set into the hill with a wall of natural rock. There is a little water fall from one area which we have kept as a feature. Fraser says that he is going to start a Lochearnhead Spring water business from it and I say that I am going into competition with Lourdes, with instant healing for those that touch it.

One of our guests in Little Briar cottage, a builder,  was most impressed with the quality of the new build and the incredible vantage point from the lounge looking through full length windows and doors over Loch Earn. In fact we are very grateful to Little Briar guests who have put up with diggers and trucks on the grounds and for everyone’s vote of confidence and well wishes for the new building.

We have already given first refusal to existing customers who have requested some of the summer weeks next year however I hope to advertise the full details very soon and am working on a test website now. 

                                               

                                                Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest.

Luxury Self catering holiday cottage on Loch Earn Scotland

I promised to show photos of our new luxury holiday cottage in progress. Here  is a taste of things to come.  We are 32 days into building thanks to a superb team of builders. The stone work is already complete along the front.

The open plan lounge, dining  and kitchen is spacious at  about 27ft long with four 4 full length patio doors and windows facing south over Loch Earn.  The views are stunning. The stone mason created our feature fireplace in the lounge where we will place a Morso wood burning stove.

The kitchen is linear cream by Magnet with soft closing cupboard doors and it will be finished tomorrow. There is a  dishwasher, washer/dryer and 70/30 fridge freezer. We are putting a King Size bed in the master bedroom with no footboard, not just to satisfy tall people but you would not want to block the view from the full length patio door. Both bedrooms have ensuites that are in the process of being tiled.  The carpets are due in a couple of weeks.  All going well we should have it ready for winter breaks. Fingers crossed that building control and the National Park authorities agree! Thank you to Little Briar cottage customers for your continued interest and well wishes.

                                                     

One of the views from the patio

Lochearnhead holiday experience -fishing, wildlife, sheep shearing, highland games, geneology, water sports and baking!

Rare photo of Fraser and a trout.

Never a dull moment at Briar Cottages in Lochearnhead. Danny, a guest fishing off our jetty, was delighted when he turned around to witness another guest with a fish in his mouth waddling up the stairs to our loch garden.  No not a nutter.. it was an otter! 

July saw the annual sheep shearing contest and highland games in the Lochearnhead games field. Local and international shearers perform on stage picking up points for accuracy and efficiency against a ticking clock with a panel of global judges watching their every move.

We had great fun at the Highland Games witnessing open sports and invitation heavyweight events, highland dancers, a pipe band, novelty stalls and listening to the hugely talented folk band Pure Malt in the beer tent. We were lucky to have a McLaren staying in the cottage. Turned out his ancestors were linked to the inhabitants of Briar Cottages from around the 1790's.  McLarens take note...your clan will welcome you with open arms to their hospitality tent at the games, ask you to join in the clan march and invite your assistance in the clan tug of war. The chief rallies his clan with bagpipes the next day (Sunday) at the top of Creag an Tuirc' or (Rock of the Boar) in Balquhidder. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the summit. The McGregor clan also march and have a hospitality tent. McGregor’s were the first to hold title to Briar Cottages (known then as Easter Achraw) before it was forfeited to the titled Breadalbane Campbells after the Jacobite rebellion.

                                                                                                         The scouts have been out in full force entering the highland games events and adding colour to Loch Earn with their sailing and kayaking adventures. The scouts have a base in the old Lochearnhead railway station.

Our visiting baby mallards are no longer fluffy ducklings. 6 of them still come to feed on wild bird seed with their mum in our loch garden, however, they are more like teenagers now with their wings not quite fully formed.

                                                                                                        This weekend, 14th August,  brings Wake Scot to Lochearnhead where willing wake boarders of all ages and abilities will enter the competition based in front of the Clachan Cottage Hotel. On the 28th August the Annual BLS Horticultural show comes to Lochearnhead village. The local talent from three neighbouring villages will be out in full force showing off their gladioli, rhubarb, wholemeal loaves, scones, jam tarts, handicrafts, photos, paintings and more. There are 88 different categories to enter. The event takes place from 2-4pm with prizes awarded around 3.30pm. No shame if you only come to look and have a cup of tea (as I will be doing). After all its only £1 entry including the tea!  I did grow my own potatoes and herbs at Briar Cottages this year but I would say that the results are more luck than talent. Anyone staying at Little Briar cottage can pick the blackcurrents, gooseberry's and cherries that grow behind it. They just seem to appear so I can't take any credit for them either.

 

Our recent visitors have been out every day on the loch with water-skis, their motor boat, ringo, banana and more. Launching and mooring a small boat is all inclusive here. If you fancy a go but don’t have the equipment or experience you can go 150 metres along the road and speak to the professionals at Active Scotland. There is a second water sports facility 700 meters away beside the Lochearnhead cafe where they make yummy home made pizzas to order.

 I will show you pictures of the building of our new luxury holiday cottage in my next blog. It is well under way. In fact the stone cladding is scheduled for this Friday....