Scotland4me.net Out and About

	Scotland4me.net	'Out and About'
'Kinloch Rannoch'
	Kinloch Rannoch lies twenty miles west of Pitlochry and twenty miles north west of Aberfeldy. It can be found in a remote area at the eastern point of Loch Rannoch. A road passes through the area from the west for just eighteen miles to Rannoch Station and ends there. Centuries ago the route across the central Highlands ran along tracks across Rannoch Moor and through Glen Coe to Lochaber and beyond. Mid AD500s, St Blane arrived from Iona and started the conversion of the local Celts to Christianity. He was followed by other missionaries and their memory remains in the naming of burial grounds in the area. Seven different clans have links with the area which includes the Robertsons, Camerons, MacDougalls and Menzies. Perhaps most famous, for the worst of reasons were the MacGregors who played an enthusiastic role in several centuries of sporadic clan warfare usually caused by disputes about ownership of land or cattle.
	Rannoch Station which is a long way from anywhere else, can be found along the "B" road that runs for the better part of forty miles along the north side of Loch Tummel and Loch Rannoch and past Kinloch Rannoch. If you arrive at the end of this road between the 1st March and 31st October, you will find a welcome at the Rannoch Station Tea Room and Shop.
	Most people first notice Rannoch Moor when driving north from Bridge of Orchy. Near Achallader the main road and the railway line diverge and the road makes a sweeping climb up to the Rannoch Moor plateau. Rannoch Moor from south to north is also part of the route for the West Highland Way bringing its steady stream of weary walkers across this remarkable landscape. You can consider Rannoch Moor as a place of wonder one of the last really wild places in Scotland. Or, you can take Robert Louis Stevenson's view in the novel Kidnapped: "A wearier looking desert a man never saw". He clearly caught it on a bleak day.
	Rannoch Station also provides visitor accommodation in the form of The Moor of Rannoch Hotel, a remarkable place which stands out in such an expanse of wilderness. Here both residents and non-residents are welcome to have a drink and to dine. The hotel was built to house the civil engineers working on the building of the West Highland line which began in 1889, covering a distance of 101 miles from the Firth of Clyde to Fort William.
	Queen's View at the eastern end of Loch Tummel, can be found on the road from Aberfeldy to Kinloch Rannoch. It is an obvious vantage point, looking down the loch to the misty peak of Schiehallion (3520ft), whose name comes from the Gaelic meaning "Fairy Mountain". One of Scotland's few freestanding hills, it's a popular, fairly easy and inspiring climb, with views on a good day to both sides of the country and north to the massed ranks of Highland peaks. The path up starts at Braes of Foss, just off the B846 which links Aberfeldy with Kinloch Rannoch: allow 3–4 hours to the top and back. The views from Queen's View are breathtaking and here you will find a tearoom to relax in and shopping facilities.
	In two hundred and fifty acres of breathtaking Perthshire countryside you will find the exclusive Loch Rannoch Hotel. It has comfortable lounges, sumptuous bedrooms and stunning views and there is something for everyone. The hotel provides a relaxing atmosphere. For people who prefer more activity then the water sports marina and indoor leisure centre will definitely get the adrenaline going. The Ptarmigan Restaurant serves a table d' hôte menu each evening and at the weekends.
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