http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk en-gb lochkatrineholidays.co.uk 2012-5-16T00:00:00Z lochkatrineholidays.co.uk http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#118385 So there we were with our friends Iain and Mary down at the newly named Brenachoile Cafe down by the Trossachs Pier having a quiet meal well as quiet as we get which was very pleasant indeed when suddenly our eyes caught a movement in the car park.........and there was a beautiful pine marten climbing into every bin searching obviously for his dinner Eventually he appeared I suppose it could have been a she with a paper bag which mustve had the remains of someones lunch in it. He passed by the window not more than 5 ft away and then climbed up the rock face to where his home must be. Fabulous to see him so close up.Then yesterday we took the trip up to Glengyle and round to Stronachlacher on the lochside road and I was just saying to Gordon that I hadnt seen the wild goats for a while.....went round the corner and there they were. The boys are looking quite impressive with their large horns now they crossed the road and went up the bank. I carefully followed and came across abo... 2012-5-16 10:23:33 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#117473 Hello all And welcome from a very sunny HOT Loch Katrine on this the frst day of May. Weve had a busy weekend with youngsters including son Nick up from London and they certainly made good use of the good weather. They kayaked boated fished cycled walked played silly games and we even had a BBQ on Saturday night Our neighbour Iain delighted us with songs and fine fiddle playing as we all huddled around the chiminiere in the Wendy House with the wine flowing well. Great fun The Wendy House is proving a hit with us and all our Letter Steading guests. One guest managed to fall asleep out there until 2 a.m........We have lots of new babies about 25 at the last count I think. Ive put some photos of them on the gallery. They are so cute The Mums are being very protective so its not easy to get close but we have a guest staying in a caravan nearby who is helping out with the calves and she has been supplying us with superb pictures. Thanks ClaireIn the process of planting u... 2012-5-1 16:43:17 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#115372 What fantastic weather weve been having Yesterday it was 21 degrees clear blue skies and the loch like a mill pond. Noticed a big ruffle on the loch and got the binoculars out more than 20 Hooper swans gliding gracefully along in their little family. A wonderful sight and quite unusual here. The usual Mute swans who couple for life occasionally grace our waters but the Hoopers tend to move around in groups and arent a regular sight on Loch Katrine.Other signs of spring in full force daffodils abound MASSES of frog spawn butterflies and bumblebees. Lovely. And we hope the good weather is a sign of things to come for summerThe mummy highlanders are widening in girth and rumour has it the first might be born at the end of this week. Watch this spaceWe have a few weeks of availability left one week in April two in July and then were full until mid November. Were so pleased our guests are enjoying the cottage and the wonderful area we live in. Looking forward to seeing so... 2012-3-27 09:17:25 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#109954 Welcome to 2012 Congratulations to Ian and Katy on their wedding and we were so happy they decided to spend their honeymoon in Letter Steading. The Christmas decorations and tree were up and they thoroughly enjoyed their stay no snow unfortunately. We had a lovely family in for the Christmas week they too were hoping for snow but it has so far eluded us apart from the odd smattering here and there. What we have had are some spectacular storms with the loch looking more like the North Sea. Lots of trees down which is always sad. We had a power cut but luckily we have a generator so its not too much of a problem.We had a good time at Hogmanay with a large groups of 20something year olds staying over lots of good food a lot of beer and wine and some warbling on the karaoke machine. Great fun.We purchased three new gofaster sledges for the kids to use but twas not to be Im sure theyll get some use as winter goes on.....Bookings are coming in thick and fast so if you want t... 2012-1-8 15:43:18 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#107563 November update well I would like to say that the weather has improved but sadly it has been rather wet But guests are still enjoying the cottage with the wood burning stove stoked up relaxing with a nice meal and a glass or two. Bookings are coming in thick and fast for 2012 thank you very much. We look forward to welcoming old friends and new.........lets hope next summer shows us a little bit more sun and a little less of the wet stuff 2011-11-26 15:44:07 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#105173 Where has the year gone time has flown and soon it will be dare I say it Christmas We have some guests booked in for Christmas week but prior to that we have our special honeymoon couple staying he popped the question on the top of Ben Aan.....awwwww.... Had a superb wedding from the cottage in July congratulations again to Cim and Natascha it was a VERY special day. And next year we have another honeymoon couple coming over from South Africa. Love is in the air.....The weather I fear has not been kind to us this year. But everyone so far has enjoyed their stay at Letter Steading despite the rain and the wood burning stove has been working overtime.I promise it wont be so long til the next blog 2011-10-22 14:18:42 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#100252 Well what a lovely time we had at Natascha and Cims wedding. The week was beautiful weatherwise though it has to be said the actual day of the wedding wasnt the best.....but still the bride looked stunning the bridegroom handsome and a good time was had by all of their German friends over for the do. The Byre Inn stepped up to the mark and gave a fine wedding reception wonderful food and bonhomie all round FantasticThe weather for our latest guests has been a mixed bag to say the least and today it is a tad wet Our chickens look rather bedraggled but are still laying bless em.Bookings are slowly coming in for next year thanks everyone 2011-8-10 19:05:58 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#98545 Hi everyone Where does the time go Already well into July and our guests have been enjoying the peace and quiet of our lovely Loch Katrine. Weather well its been mixed as you can expect from Scotland but we have had some lovely days as well as our fair share some might say more than of rain. The midges havent been TOO bad this year so far so perhaps our midgieeater is working. Excited about next week as we have our first wedding here at Letter Steading well Natascha and Cim are getting married in our lovely Trossachs Church nearby and having their reception in our local The Byre. Really looking forward to it 2011-7-17 15:36:16 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#98544 2011-7-17 15:36:14 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#95024 Well guess what we spied in the garden helping himself or was it a herself to fat from the wild bird fat block A cheeky pine marten and what a surprise that was as they are usually nocturnal creatures and shy away from people. Apparently jam sandwiches are a favourite so Ive been putting them out to try and see it again. Id rather it ate jam sandwiches than my chickensWe have seemingly lost our fight to keep the deer in our area some of you may remember that the Forestry Commission changed their plans to surround new planting areas with deer fencing and decided to put in a six mile long fence instead. The residents have been so upset by it all some of our near neighbours have lived up here for nigh on 40 years and are so used to glimpsing these fine beautiful creatures. It is shameful of the Forestry Commission to make such changes and cut our deer off from their woodland cover and winter forage in the harsh snowy months. Shame on you Forestry Commission Scotland. 2011-5-29 19:46:42 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#94195 Having had three gloriously sunny dry weeks the last two weeks have been pretty damp. Our guests in the cottage havent been able to enjoy the new decking much but they have loved sitting in the Wendy House with the chiminiere blazing. Apparently it helps the wine go down better.....Our chickens are fed up with being wet but are still laying well.....good girlsWere just about to book up our tickets for the Jazz Cruise on the SS Sir Walter Scott on Sunday 3rd Oct at 3 p.m. The Callander Jazz and Blues Festival goes from strength to strength every year have a look at the website httpwww.callanderjazz.com and it spans the weekend of 30th Sept1st and 2nd Oct.Lets hope the weather improves but every cloud as they say at least the bracken isnt so dry and liable to catch fire again. Not sure if the police caught the culprits who started the Loch Katrine fire but we hope they did. 2011-5-18 10:54:05 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#93184 Weve had the most amazing dry sunny weather for the past three weeks or so. So much so that the grass and bracken is so dry it is not hard to set alight as has been shown in the press recently. Unfortunately for Loch Katrine some idiots decided to set up camp not allowed on the lochside here and lit a fire......then decided to leave it and go fishing and guess what yep the tent caught fire and so did the hillside. What a thoughtless act Lets hope they are prosecuted for their reckless deed one of our residents houses was very close to the blaze had the wind been in a different direction it doesnt bear thinking about what might have happened. Tut tut 2011-5-5 10:03:17 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#92437 Hi Folks Well were now booked up until November so its going to be a busy time this year.....weve had some lovely guests staying already and already they have been enjoying both the new decking area and the wendy house. In fact last night we enjoyed a barbeque inside it with Iain and Mary our great friends and neighbours got the chiminiere up to maximum heat and enjoyed Iain singing and playing on his violin. What a fabulous evening 2011-4-25 09:29:37 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#89882 Sorry for not updating for a while weve been busy using a short spell of not having guests staying to spruce the cottage up ready for the busy year ahead. And Gordon has been very busy outsde the decking area is fabulous and were sure it will be popular in the good sunny weather. Then the adult Wendy House is finished now and looks fantastic. Our present guests have used the chiminiere already Fantastic views snug and warm inside with logs burning......what more could you ask for. Well maybe a glass of wine or two.......On the deer front the battle still goes on the deer caught above the fenceline will now be feeling the effects of little forage and the cold wet weather and snowy conditions at times as well. This is a time when the deer will be at their lowest and I particularly feel for the pregnant hinds. We still want the fence down in places to let the deer down to be able to shelter and find food and intend to carry on the fight. Tis a crying shame that man in this c... 2011-3-22 15:06:07 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#88122 Beeeeeautiful weather this last weekend today the loch was like a mirror the sun was shining all day long and not a cloud in the sky Spring is here hmmmm....I think there is still plenty of time for more snow...... 2011-2-28 22:14:19 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#87595 2011-2-23 09:49:02 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#87594 We have already had one couple staying in the cottage who got engaged whilst staying with us last year. Ian proposed to Katy on top of Ben Aan how romantic Congratulations to you both and we are looking forward to your return visit soon.Then last week we had visitors from Germany Natascha and Cim who are due to get married in the Trossachs Kirk this summer. Gordon and I are so looking forward to being part of their happy celebrations....very exciting 2011-2-23 09:44:40 http://www.lochkatrineholidays.co.uk/page8.htm#87593 Hi everyone Jan here. Ive decided to put this blog page on the website to keep you up to date with all the goings on up at Loch Katrine. We may live in the depth of the Trossachs National Park but things do go onGordon and I spotted a beautiful red kite a few days ago we knew it was a red kite because of its fanned out tail. It was marked on its wings so is probably from the Argaty site near Doune. What a lovely sightGordon took some guests up to the top track a couple of weeks back when the snow was still on the ground to take in the marvellous view of the Loch from high.....follow that with a walk down through the ancient forest and our guests were very happy. But the highlight was spotting two otters playing on the track by the burn what an amazing sight We really didnt know that otters would be glimpsed so high up the hill but perhaps its a winter thing and there is more to eat up there Who knows..... 2011-2-23 09:35:55