Katrina Stewart travelled with her family to Comrie Croft in Perthshire, in a joint trip with Wild Scotland.  Here are some extracts from her blog.

Comrie Croft Weekend

We stayed at Comrie Croft - a lovely old Scottish farmstead set amongst the rugged hills and glens of the Southern Highlands - in a cosy, private ensuite family room complete with double bed for us and cute cabin beds for the kids.

I love exploring this beautiful country and sharing it with my family and hostelling gives us an affordable yet homely way to do this. Comrie Croft is one of the most family friendly we’ve stayed in. The facilities were beautiful and our hosts gave us lots of recommendations for things to do locally that we otherwise would not have known about.

Eco-sustainable Enterprise

We started our first day enjoying our breakfast hamper before heading out on a tour of the croft itself with owner Andrew. The croft has evolved over the years starting as farm before developing into the eco-sustainable enterprise it is now.

The 261 acre estate comprises camping and glamping, the hostel and other self catering options, a cafe, farm shop and bike shop. It’s a mix of complementary businesses and infrastructure that not only serves guests well but is also a fantastic model of rural regeneration and enterprise. Andrew is clearly very passionate about the croft being a force for good in the community.

Deil’s Cauldron Walk

After a picnic lunch of local produce we headed towards Comrie and for a walk up to Deil’s Cauldron. We headed to the upper section and followed the trail through an adventurous forest path before reaching the ‘cauldron’ where the River Lednock cascades into a deep rocky gorge. From here it’s also very easy to add on a walk up to the Melville monument - a tall obelisk at which there are wide sweeping views across Strath Earn. Our kids sniffed out a tree swing and we spent a happy hour swinging and enjoying the views.

Winter Sunrise

Sunday started with a walk up behind the croft to watch beautiful sunrise (hardly a chore at this time of year when the sun doesn’t come up before 8.30am). I can’t think of a better way to start my day than sitting with my family and taking in a beautiful sunrise. Every-time l do it, l wonder why we don’t do it more often. The sky started off a soft dusky pink before the sun peeked over the mountains to gently illuminate the scene in front of us.

Comrie Croft Bikes

We then headed to Comrie Croft Bikes (based on site) to hire bikes for the whole family (e-bikes for the adults/ normal pedal power for the kids) and cycled up into the hills on a trail to Comrie itself. It was the perfect winter’s day for cycling. Speed wasn’t the aim here (although the adults definitely had a bit of fun testing out the different speed settings on the e-bike).

We stopped lots to have a little explore, look out for red squirrels and other wildlife (we watched a buzzard gliding through the air at one point) and generally just enjoy the gorgeous winter’s day. Once we reached Comrie, we headed to the Royal Hotel who very graciously made no mention of our mud spattered clothes and instead ensured we were well fed and watered before our return trip the same way.

There are lots of bike trails with something for everyone on site including a bike skills and fun park (popular with the kids). When we got back, the kids opted for a quick play at the skills park (evidently, the hills had not diminished their energy in any way).

Aquila Ecology Afternoon

Aquila Ecology founders, Andrea and Terry have a wealth of experience between them and aim to show the wonders of nature through a bespoke range of tours from red squirrel safaris to a red kite roost spectacle. We opted for pond dipping at Comrie Croft. My 2, initially shy and reserved children, jumped out of their shells and waded into the pond to collect pond water and explore the myriad wildlife available. We all had a fantastic time on this adventure - thoroughly absorbed for the time we were there and learning so much about the wildlife around us in an interactive and tactile way.

Less than 48hrs after we arrived, we were heading back home, refreshed and flushed with adventure. Plans are already in place for a return trip.

Read Katrina’s full blog on her website.