Welcome to Achray House
on Loch Earn, Scotland
Genuine Scottish Hospitality
£199 - 6 Course Tasting Menu, Glass of Fizz, B&B for 2
ABOUT US
W E L C O M E
Situated on the banks of Loch Earn in Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, only an hour’s drive from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth, Achray House is a Restaurant with Rooms serving classic French cookery using the finest ingredients. With nine bedrooms and one self-catering lodge, our main focus is all about providing guests with genuine Scottish hospitality. We are the perfect base to explore the Southern Highlands, Scotland’s West Coast, and historic towns like St Andrews, Dunkeld, and Oban.
P A S T
The exact origin of the name, Achray House, is unknown. Built as a stately country home in the late 1800s, it was ‘Victoria Cottage’ for a while, in honour of Queen Victoria, who commented on it when passing St Fillans en route to the Highlands. Not long after, it became ‘Achray House’. In the 1900s Achray House became a guest house, and later a hotel. One recent guest remembered older relations visiting the Achray House for a holiday decades ago, all the way from Crieff with their beloved cow in tow!
P R E S E N T
The original building was extended in the 1990s, adding a wing, the conservatory and the lodge. Over the past two years we modernised the rooms, public areas, and the lodge. The original features and the country-manor feel remains, while emphasising modern comforts. Loch Earn continues to be one of the magic ingredients in Achray House’s charm. Perhaps you are stopping by during a scenic, Scottish roadtrip like the North Coast 500. For those with Electric Vechiles we have an EV charging point in co-operation with BP Chargemaster Pulse (previously Polar) 7.2kW type 2. This will charge an EV with a 40kW battery in 4-6 hours. Enough time to enjoy lunch or dinner on our terrace!
O U R A I M
For Achray House to become one of Scotland's top food destinations. Our dream is to pull people from all over the country by producing top quality food. We have a very simple recipe here at Achray House: a warm and personal welcome on arrival, the freshest possible, Scottish ingredients and a lot of heart from each of our team members, whose names you’ll be familiar with by the end of your stay.
W E' R E G O O D T O G O
'We're Good to Go' which means we have acquired the Industry Standard Mark in meeting COVID-19 guidelines. To view our COVID statment, click here.
Learn More
Attractions
St. Fillans Golf Course
St Fillans Golf Club is situated in the heart of Highland Perthshire and within walking distance of Achray. Tucked away across the River Earn is the nine-hole course.
Telephone: 01764 685312
Email: stfillansgolf@btconnect.com
The Glenturret Distillery
From their base at the heart of the Crieff community, they have a genuine reverence for tradition. Although the rest of the whisky world has moved away from the traditional mashing by hand and cutting by eye as vital components of the whisky-making process, they maintain and continue with both these traditions. At Glenturret, their idea of progress is to stick to what they, Scotland’s oldest working distillery, have always done best, making scotch malt whisky the traditional way.
Telephone: 01764 656565
Email: enquiries@theglenturret.com
Doune Castle
Explore this 14th century courtyard castle in Doune, with a striking 100 ft high gatehouse and one of the best preserved great halls in Scotland. Built as the home of Regent Albany, ‘Scotland’s uncrowned king’. His rich tastes can be seen clearly in the architecture of the medieval courtyard castle. As well as being heavily featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Doune Castle was also used for the castle known as Winterfell in the pilot of the award winning TV series Game of Thrones as well as Castle Leoch in Outlander.
More info on website here.
Loch Earn Water Sports Centre
Loch Earn Watersports Centre is a hidden gem located on the south side of the Loch. At LWC their packages offer a range of thrilling Watersports from Paddle board & Kayak hire to private Waterski and Wakeboard lessons. If you are looking for an activity for family/friends for the day, corporate activity day or even a stag/hen party day out, they can guarantee to put a smile on your face.
Telephone: 07377447741
Email: lochearnwatersports@gmail.com
Walking & Cycling around Loch Earn
Numerous low-level walks are accessible from Achray and the newly built cycle lane behind the village offers a cycle or scenic stroll, of about 10km to Comrie (east) or Lochearnhead (west). Other walks include: Riverside walk (2 km), South Loch Earn walk (3 km), Dunfillan hill (5.5 km) past ruins of the old chapel and burial ground, Glen Goinean Intake Dam walk (5.5. km), Old Morell Village Ruins (4 km), Scree walk (2.6 km - climbing to about 140 m).
For the adventurous about 50 Munros (mountains over 1000 m) are within an hour’s drive from our village. Ben Chonzie, North of Crieff, is accessible from tracks on the West. Ben Lawyers offer several Munros, connected along the north banks of Loch Tay. The Schiehallion is popular and easily accessible, with spectacular views.
Geocaching
Geocaching enthusiasts can access 1000 caches within 25 miles. Birds of prey, red deer, white-fronted geese, and red squirrels are common around the loch. The Ospreys love. showing off over Loch Earn in summer, in full view of diners in the Lochview Restaurant.
Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre
Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre has something for everyone with lots of animals to see, places to discover, things to do and plenty of play areas for the kids to let off steam! There are over 40 species of animals from wallabies, meerkats and lemurs to native red deer and Scottish wildcats. The hatchery with its baby and small animals section offers animal handling and daily hatchings of chicks, quail and ducklings throughout the spring and summer. There is an indoor soft play area, adventure play barn, outdoor play park, flying fox and pony rides in the summer months. There are various walks, a family fishery, 2 gift shops and Mountain View Cafe.
Cultybraggan Camp 21
Situated just a mile outside the picturesque village of Comrie, Cultybraggan Camp can be found nestling beneath the rugged Aberuchill Hills and alongside the Water of Ruchill. Whether you are interested in its origins as a World War II prisoner of war camp, or want to reminisce about your stays here in the military or as a cadet or maybe you just want to learn about the way in which the Trust and local community are using and developing the camp, you can find more information here.
Drummond Gardens
Drummond Castle Gardens is one of Europe’s and Scotland’s most important and impressive formal gardens. Located in Perthshire near Crieff, it dates back to the 17th Century. The gardens were redesigned and terraced in the 19th Century. The formal gardens that you see today were replanted in the 1950s but preserve many of the original features, the ancient yew hedges and the remaining beech tree planted by Queen Victoria, commemorating her visit in 1842. The Gardens have featured in many films, TV programmes and adverts, most notably in the United Artist feature film Rob Roy and the Starz Outlander series.
Deanston Distillery
Deanston Distillery is a Single Malt Scotch whisky distillery located on the banks of the River Teith, eight miles from the historic town of Stirling. Having been a cotton mill for 180 years, Deanston was transformed into a distillery in the 1960's and has been distilling whisky using traditional methods ever since.
Stirling Gin & Distillery
Stirling Gin & Distillery's first batch of gin was distilled on the 28th October 2015 and Stirling Distillery opened in Summer 2019. It is the first gin distillery in the beautiful city of Stirling and Stirling Gin are proud to use local ingredients to create their outstanding Scottish spirits.
McQueen Gin's Distillery
The McQueen Gin’s Trossachs Distillery, is a must-visit location if you’re spending some time in and around the Trossachs National Park area. Having launched in 2016, McQueen Gin has seen incredible levels of growth in its still young life as a brand, resulting in the opening of the brand-new McQueen Gin distillery on location at the foot of Ben Ledi in 2019.
Crieff Golf Club
Crieff Golf Club is rated as one of Scotland’s top inland courses. Surrounded by beautiful countryside, at the heart of golfing Perthshire, it provides a feeling of escape as well as spectacular views. Built on gently sloping parkland, once the grounds of Ferntower House, the courses provide a fair, but challenging experience for all levels of golfer. Excellent playing conditions and friendly reception to visitors led to the club being voted as one of the top UK golf courses by readers of Golf World magazine.
Telephone 01764 652909
Action Glen
Action Glen is in the middle of the Strathearn Valley, in Crieff – just one hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is a 900 acre estate – complete with a golf course, offroad sand and gravel quarry, treetop ropes course and more! Perfect if you're joining us at Achray House for a corporate retreat, we can arrange transport straight there for some outdoor fun.
Heart 200
Heart 200 is a new touring route of approximately 200 miles around Perth, Stirling, The Trossachs and Highland Perthshire – the very Heart of Scotland. What’s more, this stunning journey uniquely links Scotland’s two national parks, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs and the Cairngorms.
Top 10 Nearby Walks
Top 10 walks within 1 hour of Achray.
All tried & tested by Laura, one of our Owners. Laura is available to take guests out for an additional fee & subject to T&C’s.
1. Ben Vorlich (985m) - The closest Munro to Achray.
Can be done alone as a beginner’s hike or can be combined with Stuc a Chroin for a more adventurous day out (which includes some mild scrambling & a head for heights in parts).
Ben Vorlich itself has a great path up and back down and is navigationally easy. Great views particularly on the return! Good level of fitness required as this is a munro. 10 minutes drive from Achray House.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/munros/ben-vorlich-loch-earn
2. Deil’s Cauldron Comrie + 2 optional extensions
The basic walk from Comrie to the Deil’s Cauldron Waterfall & then the Melville monument for the spectacular views is a nice morning or afternoon out. It is well marked and up to the waterfall is quite moderate, with the climb to the monument getting the heart racing! If you want a longer day out there are 2 possible add ons. At the T junction from at the Maam Road you can go left and follow the landrover path and keep following signs for Comrie which will take you back to the car. This makes for a 3-4 hour walk. Alternatively follow the main route to the right and then head towards Milton burn and through the woods back to Comrie. Also a 3-4 hour walk. Start point just 7 minutes drive from Achray House.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/deils-cauldron.shtml
3. Beinn Each (813m) - a corbett close to Achray House.
Quite a steep ascent & descent but well paved and sign posted. Good level of fitness required. For the much more adventurous this can be combined with Stuc a Chroin, however the descent is quite rough and steep. Good navigation would also be required.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/corbetts/beinn-each
4. Buchaille Etive Beag - Glencoe.
Just over an hour from Achray House. These 2 Munros are really accessible. Park the car & hit the trail. It is a pretty steep start and is not the easiest day out but the scenery is spectacular and you really feel that you are in the highlands! Good fitness and gear required as the weather can be pretty changeable.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/buachailleetivebeag.shtml
5. The Birks o’ Aberfeldy (and beyond!).
1 hour drive from Achray House - and what a lovely drive it is! The 1 - 2 hour walk of the birks alone is lovely and moderate to easy going. Particularly lovely in the autumn. To make a bigger day of it you can try the 22km loop which takes in the falls too. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/aberfeldy-kenmore.shtml
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/birks-of-aberfeldy.shtml (standard route.)
6. Glentarken from St Fillans +/- 15km 3.5 - 4 hours.
This is a walk straight from Achray House. It is quite long but not too strenuous. There is one river crossing which can be tricky if there has been a lot of rain, but is usually OK.
The walk takes you up the zig zags from right behind the hotel and in no time you are up in what feels pretty wild and away from it all. You will pass through the old village and some nice woodland area on the way back and also take in the breathtaking views of Loch Earn. This is the basic walk, which you can add on to. https://www.stfillanscc.org.uk/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Old%20Village%20Ruins%20-%20Morell%20text%202021%20v2.pdf
7. Ben Lawers & Beinn Ghlass - a classic double munro day out.
35 minutes drive from Achray House. Good parking but can get busy on bank holidays and particularly nice days due to the accessibility and the fact that Ben Lawers is the 10th highest munro.
The path is very easy to follow and it is a moderate to challenging climb fitness wise
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/ben-lawers.shtml. Killing is a nice wee stop on the way back for a drink and some photos at the Falls of Dochart. 4 - 5 hours.
8. Torlum Hill, Crieff - 13km walk
Starting from Auchingarrach Wildlife Farm which is about 15 minutes drive from Achray House. It is an easy to moderate walk on good paths with some lovely panoramic views of Crieff, Ben Vorlich and the Strathearn countryside.
The walk is about 3 hours. A nice afternoon out and perfect walk with the dog.
https://www.pkct.org/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=359a1575-1db1-4241-9b7d-7e32edc6bf0b%20
9. Coming soon
10. Coming soon
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