Kenmore: A Trip For All Your Senses

This summer I moved house.  Not just a move, a full blown refurb with things ripped out, water off for days and a gazillion trades on speed dial.  Throw in a phenomenally busy office and you have created the perfect storm for stressed-out Nicki.  As the end of September crept closer the entire Small City office was ready for the October close down and as we said our farewells to each other with much relief and a spring in our step, I prepared for my double trip week off.

First up, Austria to visit my son who is studying in Linz for six months.  Linz is beautiful but this wasn’t so much a rest as taking a bus through Austrian countryside for an hour to stand in line in IKEA with a trolley full of student hall essentials.  Three days later I’m heading home and preparing for two-nights-only in Kenmore with RG.  Suddenly I was wishing I’d binned the extra-thick kitchen worktop and gone for a week poolside in the Canaries. I needed to be outside, in the sun, topping up on vitamin D and reading loads of books.

We headed up on a fair Tuesday afternoon (via provender Brown for the self-catering essentials of cheese, chocolate and wine) and with bright, clear skies and the leaves just beginning to change in places, I remembered why we’d thought this would be the best idea.  An hour’s drive through the Perthshire countryside will always be a more relaxing start to a holiday than a man you don’t know telling you to take your boots and belt off.

Loch Tay From The Hillside from Nicola Martin on Vimeo.

We pulled into the car park at Taymouth Marina and with the smell of freshly cut grass in the air, and fishing boats dotted across the still water of Loch Tay, we stepped out of the car and into what would be two days of complete rest and relaxation.

Taymouth Marina has undergone extensive refurb in the past few years and our waterfront apartment, Ben Oss, was every bit as luxurious as the web images had suggested.  One bedroom, an open plan kitchen-lounge and a hot tub on the patio overlooking the most stunning views of Loch Tay and Ben Lawers. It was made even better by the gift of Scottish strawberries and Prosecco awaiting us.

I’m not going to lie – I spent the first few hours just sitting.  Looking out the patio doors up and over to the hills and soaking up the many tiny reasons why tourists the world over flock to our wee corner of the globe.  It is, in the truest sense of the word, awesome and Taymouth Marina have built front row seats of you to sit back, pull up the popcorn and enjoy.

Night one was dinner at the Marina Restaurant which has a contemporary Scottish vibe, with floor to ceiling windows situated right on the jetty.  The loch was lit up, The Crannog Centre perched out on to the left a reminder of the history and culture that is ingrained in this Highland region of Scotland.  I was expecting a pub-grub style menu with maybe burgers or mac and cheese but the choice of fresh, seasonal food on offer would rival any city centre rosette starred restaurant.  It isn’t cheap, but is amazing value for money with main courses coming in around £15 and covering fish, beef, veggie and pork. 

My ham hock starter was rich and meaty, with crispy wee toasts to use for shovelling it in. RG’s mussels were plump, juicy and piping hot with a traditional broth of garlic.  However, it was the main that shone for me with fat skin on chips, pea puree and a glistening white pillow of cod fillet mixing the tradition of fish and chips with contemporary dining.  We decided to share a cheesecake, which was just as well because I was fit to burst on our 30 second walk back to the apartment.

The first full day of our short break in Perthshire started with us both well rested and raring to go.  I was all over the watersports and desperate to get out on the Loch in a wee fishing boat.  RG... well, he works on a boat so maybe not such a novelty for him.  After some safety lessons and instructions we were off!

The weather was amazing, clear blue skies and a bright October day meant we could see for miles across the loch and over Drummond Hill.  There were still only small signs of autumn showing on the hillside which is covered in lush green heritage trees and an abundance of Scottish wildlife. As the wee fishing boat gathered momentum and I gathered a bit of gumption, we opened up the engine and were soon soaking up the fresh air and incredible peace of the landscape.

Geese flew overhead, ducks swam in front of us in perfect lines and at one point RG swore he saw a fish jump.  There were teenagers in the trees on the island, loud laughter coming from among the green and golden leaves to fill the air with a carefree spirit and a sense of wild belonging.  There is, without doubt, something incredibly calm and extremely moving about sailing and although we were only ten minutes from shore it felt good to be out, at one with nature and enjoying the cool breeze and warm autumn sun on our faces. 

We took turns at the motor, fuelled with nostalgic chat about eighties trips to the Kenmore Raft Race.  I was a child, cheering on my Uncle George and his mates in the Blue Dolphin team.  Roy was older, with wild tales of parties and being thrown out of pubs.  Both of us were smiling happily at the memories of growing up in easier times.  We let our wee boat bob around the Loch and after what could have been anything from five minutes to five hours we headed back to shore for an afternoon in the Hot Box.

The Hot Box is, quite simply, a stroke of genius! A gorgeous, pale wood sauna sits on the shores of the Loch, with a glass wall down one side overlooking a firepit, the Loch and the hills beyond.  It was magical.  Swimmie on, robe on, outside in October in Scotland; the very combination of these things added to the thrill of our afternoon and as we poured craft beers into plastic tumblers and sat cross legged around the fire pit and we plotted to return one Sunday afternoon with friends, feeling smug at how we’d impress everyone with this glorious highland discovery.

After a phenomenal burger at the Kenmore Hotel (honestly one of the best I’ve had – go, have one) and a drive around the countryside as far up as Acharn (photographed the pig ever – recorded a Facebook live video from the top of a hill), our first day ended as it had begun. In the hot tub.  Looking up at the clear night sky, uninterrupted with street lights and twinkling softly with stars we were drunk with relaxation (and maybe Prosecco..!).

We checked out at 10am, so plenty time for a morning dip in the tub! RG enjoyed the company of a couple of birds (see pic!) as he lounged with his coffee and less than 48 hours after we arrived it was time to leave. 

It is a strange thing when you come from here, to try to see what we have through the eyes of a tourist.  When you step back and really look you begin to realise that this wild and majestical land on our doorstep is as worthy of your precious time off as any pool in the sun.  

Taymouth Marina | website >>>

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After checking out we drove into Aberfeldy, just a few miles away and spent a glorious hour scoffing down home-baking at the award-winning Watermill and snapping up some gorgeous things for the new house in Homer, their wonderful interior shop.  We were fuelling up for an afternoon at Highland Safaris. Read All About It Here >>>

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STAY: Prices start from £80 per person per night.

HOT BOX: Free for all residents and £10 per person per day if you fancy popping up for day out.

BOAT HIRE: £40 for a half day (4 hours)

FOOD: We paid £52 for two courses each, with one dessert, two glasses of wine and two coffees.

Review Info: We stayed two nights in Ben Oss, Taymouth Marina Waterfront Apartment.   This, along with the boat hire and use of the Hot Box was gifted to us in return for a review or, if we felt we hadn’t enjoyed it, a mystery shop.