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Day Trips and Excursions

We keep a list of some good local walks available for you in the Lodges as well as Ordnance Survey Maps which you are invited to borrow during your stay. If you enjoy walking there are walks to suit everyone, from gentle strolls which are pushchair friendly (some originally designed for Queen Victoria), to challenging hill walking and Munros.

Killin Highland Lodges sit at the base of the Tarmachan Mountains and a gate at the back of the Lodge gives you easy access.

The nearby Lawers Visitor Centre provides information and route maps. The Killin Outdoor Centre in the village is also a great place to get advice on local walking, cycling and watersports.

Other ideas for family outdoor trips include:

  • The Crannog Centre at Kenmore

    At the opposite end of Loch Tay (20 minutes drive) is a fascinating place to visit. A Crannog is an ancient dwelling built on stilts in the water and you can go onto one and learn about life at Loch Tay many years ago. Just a hundred yards from The Crannog is Croft na Caber where you can hire a boat or canoe and have a snack in their coffee shop. From there it is only a few hundred yards to the start of the Falls of Acharn forest walk which is 2 miles long and has good way-marked paths requiring no special footwear.

  • The Falkirk Wheel

    The Falkirk Wheel is the world's only rotating boatlift! With its impressive reach it lifts boats 115ft (the height of 8 double-decker buses) and joins the Forth and Clyde canal with the Union canal, where they meet to provide a link between Scotland's North Sea and its Atlantic Coast. The visitor Centre gives fascinating insight into the feat of engineering required to build this most intriguing structure.

    The Falkirk Wheel

  • The Scottish Deer Centre

    The Scottish Deer Centre at Cupar (1 1/2 hours away) allows you to see the different types of deer, hear all about their lifecycle and feed some of the young calves. There is a playbarn close to the exhibition area and a superb adventure play area reached by a treetop walkway to the middle of the wood (a ground level path which is wheelchair and buggy friendly can also take you there). It makes a wonderful day out and is only 20 minutes away from St.Andrews with its beaches, harbour, shops, golf courses and Sea Life Centre.

  • The Rob Roy Exhibition

    The Rob Roy Exhibition in Callander is just a short drive away. There you can explore the life of this highland hero, and on the way back you can divert into Balquhidder, along the glen where Rob Roy rode and see his grave in the churchyard there.

  • Stirling Old Town Jail

    Stirling Old Town Jail where you can experience life in a real Victorian Prison, can be combined with a visit to Stirling Castle which has superb exhibitions and perhaps onto the Bannockburn Heritage Centre at the sight of this famous battle on the outskirts of Stirling.

  • Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre

    Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre (www.auchingarrich.co.uk/) situated outside Comrie about 30 minutes travel from Killin Highland Lodges, includes a falconry centre, an adventure playbarn, woodland walks and picnic tables and barbeques.

    Auchingarrich Meercats Highland cow at Auchingarrich

    The centre boasts a unique wild bird hatchery where children can handle the fledglings, as well as highland cattle, arctic foxes, wallabies, deer, horses, sheep, squirrels, goats and other animals too numerous to mention. There is a good tearoom where Mum and Dad can enjoy home baking while watching over the extensive play area.

  • Drummond Safari Park

    Drummond Safari Park near Stirling (40 minutes away) has lions, tigers chimpanzees, giraffes and provides some interesting insights into wilder wildlife as well as having an excellent play area including a giant astraglide and pedal boats.

  • Inchcailloch Nature Reserve

    Inchcailloch Nature Reserve on the island of Inchcailloch on Loch Lomond (opposite Balmaha) is rich in birdlife and has a 2 mile long nature trail. Ferry from Balmaha boatyard (Tel: 01360 870214). This is near the Lomond Adventure where canoes, Kayaks, power boats and water skiing are all available (01360 870218)

    Inchcailloch Nature Reserve

  • Argyll Charters

    Superb wildlife watching boat trips by motor catamaran, Mara Mhor, from Oban.
    Cruise the Sound of Mull and enjoy interesting commentary.

    Visit the famous Corryvreckan Whirlpool or the Islands of Lismore, Kerrera, The Garvellachs or The Creags. View an amazing variety of species from whales, dolphins, porpoise, seals, eagles, guillimots, razorbills, oyster catchers and numerous other sea birds.