The Hayloft - in the Trossachs

A cosy escape in the heart of the Trossachs and Loch Lomond National Park. Own garden. Walks and cycling from the door. 5 minutes to Loch Ard. 1 Mile from the village of Aberfoyle. Access to Stirling, Edinburgh and Glasgow Best suited to a couple or family with children. Min 3 Nights. Full week in July/August (sat to sat) If you are looking for a holiday in Scotland or a short break then The Hayloft is set amidst the beautiful, unspoiled Trossachs countryside at the heart of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The Hayloft self catering holiday accommodation offers a cosy annex which sleeps 4 persons where you can escape from the pace of modern life, slow down and unwind. Enjoy wild scenery and wildlife, good food in welcoming restaurants and shops in The Trossachs villages. The Victorian owners of Forth House used the hayloft as storage for feed for the horses stabled below. These horses were needed to pull the family's carriages. A recent imaginative conversion means that The Hayloft now provides modern, comfortable, cosy, self-contained, holiday accommodation. The Living Room with views to the garden, has a comfortable sofa and chairs. The TV (FreeSat) and DVD, Hifi and CD player, books and maps, and some games will help you enjoy your stay. The Kitchen cum dining area is fully equipped with ample appliances, cooking utensils, crockery and cutlery. Sorry no dishwasher ..... bring your own human dishwasher! The first bedroom has a double bedroom. Bedside tables with drawers and a built in wardrobe with shelves provide ample storage space. The second bedroom has bunk beds - see photos. French doors open onto a patio and secluded garden with an ancient woodland beyond. This woodland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is home to a rich variety of animals and plants. Guests have been excited to see red squirrel, pine martin and deer, and birds such as woodpeckers, jays, many varieties of tits, including long tailed tits, and finches, robins and wrens are regular visitors to the feeders and the garden. Buzzards and peregrine may be seen overhead. Within a 10 minute walk, you can be deep in the woods of The Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. Discover tumbling rivers and crystal clear streams, and the traffic free south shore of quiet Loch Ard. Follow the roads deeper into the forest and you will be rewarded with tranquility, spectacular views and a rich variety of plant and animal life. Whether at the height of summer or the depth of winter, the scenery is breathtaking! And if you enjoy cycling there are miles of tracks and routes to explore. It's only one mile into the village where there are shops, pubs and cafes. There's bus transport from here too. There's Go Ape, an outdoor adventure centre at the David Marshall Centre and canoe and bike rental at Loch Ard. For energetic hill walkers, Ben Lomond, Ben Venue and Ben Ledi are close by, with many other Munros(mountains over 3000 ft) and Corbetts (over 2500ft) within easy reach. Ben A'an is a good starter hill walk for youngsters who will be rewarded with spectacular views over Loch Katrine at the summit. Canoeing in lochs and on rivers, fishing, bird watching quietly in a boat, dingy sailing on Loch Ard and Loch Venachar or sailing on the historic SS Sir Walter Scott or The Lady of The Lake on Loch Katrine. These are just a few of the opportunities for enjoying all that The Trossachs, land of sparkling lochs and quiet and rushing rivers. Whether you enjoy fishing on quiet lochs or trying your luck on on the Forth or the Teith you will not be disappointed. Fish for wild brown trout on woodland lochs, or rainbow trout on the well stocked Lake of Menteith (only Lake in Scotland!). Salmon and Sea Trout are returning in greater numbers, and Pike fishing is very popular throughout The Trossachs too. Golf courses may be found in many Trossachs communities. The 18 hole Aberfoyle course will test your golfing prowess but with stunning views to Ben Lomond, across Flanders Moss and as far away to Stirling and The Wallace Monument it's worth a game! Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park aims to preserve the wild habits to encourage and protect the wildlife living in this spectacular area. Red deer, red squirrel, Golden eagles, Ospreys, buzzards thrive here but these are not the only animals to be found. Wild flowers and other plants of special interest find their own niches, from the bogs of Flanders Moss, in the woodlands and to the tops of the mountains of The Trossachs. Knights Templar, Rob Roy, Jacobites,Queen Victoria, Sir Walter Scott, General Wade, Thomas Cook .. famous folk who, realising the beauty and bounty of the Trossachs, have lived in or visited The Trossachs. Stirling and Doune Castle, the Wallace Monument, the Victorian architecture of the aqueduct taking water from Loch Katrine to Glasgow 26 miles away, are all worth exploring. Edinburgh is just over one hour away. It's a cosy, comfortable place to stay, with easy access to the wonderful scenery of the Trossachs. The Hayloft is best suited to a couple or a family with children. Note: during peak times (ie Summer) the 3 night offer does not apply and we require bookings for a full week. public transport is not good. Best to bring a car