Explore Highland Perthshire Tourism News April 2018 The articles are written by Web sites—We have revamped www.Pitlochry – businesses themselves - we Scotland.co.uk and www.HighlandPerthshire.com web have learnt a lot and hope you sites, they are part of a wider Scotland network. and your staff do too. Face Book—Our Pitlochry Face Book page has over Explore Highland Perthshire 20,200 Likes or followers. Highland Perthshire has Guides— We have increased 3,400 Likes. We are rather disillusioned by Face Book, the print to 90,000 from as it is now advert driven, inundating everyone with 85,000 last year. Thank you paid promotions. We have met a number of people for all for your comments and who are no longer using Face Book because of this. feedback, which helps us to We are now actively putting our effort in to testing othkeep the information and er forms of Social Media, we would love to know your maps up to date and relevant. thoughts and comments on what works.
Highland Exploration—Loch Rannoch Cruises Take a boat cruise on beautiful Loch Rannoch
Highland Exploration Loch Cruises are the perfect way to experience Loch Rannoch, a mysterious and stunningly beautiful loch with a rich history of Scottish clans, cattle rustling, crofting and Jacobites. On our cruises there are so many sights to spot, including Schiehallion (the “Fairy Hill of the Caledonians”), grand houses and country estates, mini islands, an ancient summer village and the iconic Black Wood of Rannoch. The loch and the surrounding area are also home to a rich variety of wildlife including Scottish red deer, osprey, golden eagles, red squirrels and the rare Arctic charr.
worked for many years around boats and on country estates, and has a fine store of fantastic tales and facts about the loch and surrounding areas. There are plenty of opportunities, too, to stop and enjoy the peace and
Duncan, your experienced and welcoming guide, has 1
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Highland Exploration (Continues from page 1) visit Highland Exploration on Facebook or contact the team on www.highlandexploration.com.
tranquility, and take photographs. Cruises on our comfortable cabin RIB are suitable for all ages and abilities – everyone will love exploring this beautiful loch.
To enjoy a Highland Exploration Loch Cruise, booking is recommended – simply call Duncan on 07795 245748, pick up a leaflet from a local hotel,
Highland Exploration — Land Rover Tours of Rannoch tor centre) traversing the spectacular Rannoch Moor witnessing locations of historical events such as the 1745 Jacobite uprising and significant clan battles, and looking out for Scottish red deer, osprey and golden eagles. Explore beautiful Rannoch by Land Rover
The Rannoch area is a beguiling mix of mountain vistas, dense forests and one of Scotland’s most majestic lochs. Not to mention an atmospheric moor and the country’s best-located train station! Now you can see all of this from the comfort of a spacious Land Rover, in the company of our friendly local guide. Highlights include: views of Glen Coe and Schiehallion visiting Rannoch Station (including tea room and visi-
It’s a spectacular landscape and there’s no better way to enjoy it than with your knowledgeable guide, Duncan, who has worked for many years on country estates, and is expert at spotting wildlife. He also has an enviable store of tales and facts about the Rannoch area. 2
You’ll tour in style in a longwheelbase Land Rover, which comfortably seats 8 passengers and is perfect for the country roads. Binoculars are provided in the vehicle. To enjoy a Highland Exploration Land Rover tour, booking is recommended – simply call Duncan on 07795 245748, pick up a leaflet from a local hotel, visit Highland Exploration on Facebook or contact the team on www.HighlandExploration.com.
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Explore Highland Perthshire Tourism Newsletter 2018
The Inn at Loch Tummel Building on the success of last year we are thrilled to announce the Secret garden at the Inn, which is launching in Spring 2018. This exciting new space provides elevated views out over Loch Tummel. Guests can enjoy a relaxed and informal dining and eating space with open fires and spectacular views.
is prepared using locally sourced ingredients and is made fresh to order. For reservations please call: 01882 634 317 or alternatively email us on: info@theinnatlochtummel.com
Our award winning 30 cover restaurant with stunning views out over Loch Tummel serves breakfasts, lunches, dinners and a traditional roast lunch on Sundays. . Every meal
Strathtummel, Pitlochry PH16 5RP. 01882 634 317 info@theinnatlochtummel.com We look forward to welcoming you to the Inn. Jade and
Monday - Closed; Tuesday Saturday 8.30am - 10pm; Sunday - 8.30am - 3pm **NB** enquire for our new opening times from June 2018 The Inn at Loch Tummel,
PlaidSong I first saw Nicola and Syd perform at the Killiecrankie Burns Supper back in January 2014.
performing the theme song for this film, ‘To the Oregon Country’. Together, they sing and perform as PlaidSong
They blew everyone away by their performance—both doing it for fun, they had not considered trying to offer their show to others—4 years on, I am very pleased they are taking up the challenge. and loves combining her history with performing with PlaidSong.
PlaidSong perform a range of traditional and contemporary Scottish and other songs. They have also written and composed their own material. Given their joint interest in Scottish history, they have developed a number of presentations on aspects of Scottish history, all accompanied by song.
Syd was formerly with the Forestry Commission. He both sings and plays acoustic guitar and has performed regularly over a number of years. He also has historical interests and has also co-produced a documentary entitled ‘Finding David Douglas’ (2009), writing and
Each presentation can be up to an hour long and we can adjust the emphasis to suit audiences and also adapt our material to suit a variety of venues and requests. We are happy to discuss options. Please contact Nick or Syd at nicandsydmusic@gmail.com
James Rattray.
Nicola Cowmeadow and Syd House, from Perth, Scotland, have collaborated musically for several years and have recently formed a duo, PlaidSong. Nicola completed her PhD on Scottish noblewomen c. 1700 in 2012 and is currently working on a novel based on her research. She has always had a love of Scots music and history
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SCOTTISH CRAFT BEER CENTRE
The Scottish Craft Beer Centre in Blair Atholl was fully functional this year as it’s first full season of trading got underway in May 2017. The centre was set up following increasing demand for Scottish craft beers, ciders and gins from customers of an existing bar on the premises. There are over 60 breweries in Scotland producing some of the finest craft beers, ciders and gins in the UK and, fortunately,
The Scottish Craft Beer Centre’s central location to them all means that it can bring them all together under one roof for easy access for any crafty fans!
Scotland’s top bands from award winning traditional Folk bands to Rock and Pop covers bands – and all whilst enjoying your favourite craft beer!!
The Scottish Craft Beer Centre has a packed menu of nearly 80 of Scotland’s craft beers from a wide selection of Scotland’s breweries, plus 6 of the best Scottish craft ciders and a fabulous selection of Scottish craft gins from 10 of Scotland’s craft gin producers. Each drink has its own story and fascinating blend of unique ingredients, which are all described perfectly in the in-house menus.
Open from 11am until late every day from Easter to November 2018. For further information visit www.scottishcraftbeercentre.co.uk or ‘Like’ the page on Facebook. Tel: 01796 481484 Email contact via the website Address: Museum Car Park, Blair Atholl, Pitlochry, Perthshire, PH18 5SP
New for 2018 will be a full story-board inside the centre describing and showing the full process of craft beer making in words and photographs for those of you that are interested in learning a bit about how your drinks end up so delicious! The centre has gained ‘Visit Scotland’ accreditation so you can be assured of the best service and products here! Within the premises is an award-winning Fish and Chip restaurant and Pizza restaurant with a cosy café too! On a Friday and Saturday night you can also enjoy live music from some of
Blair Athol Distillery in Pitlochry Blair Athol Distillery in Pitlochry, the iconic ‘home’ of the Bells’ Scotch whisky brand, was Diageo’s busiest Distillery Visitor Centre drawing in 86,019 people during 2017. We would like to welcome on board Laura Murray who has just moved from Nairobi, Kenya to take up the position of Brand Home Manager at Blair Athol Distillery. She has worked in the hospitality and tourism sector for over 11 years primarily in Southern and Eastern Africa. Her main focus has been on corporate clients in the MICE industry and more recently PR, including substantive work around the World Trade Organisation 10th Minesterial Conference in Nairobi as well as working with the Central Bank of Kenya 50th anniversary celebrations. Her experience has also included sales and marketing for luxury safari camps, individu-
al travel and more recently programme management for the British Foreign Office We also welcome Mareen Muller as Brand Home Lead Guide who has joined us from Dalwhinnie Distillery. Visitor numbers are up 23% from the previous year which is due in part to the launch of the site’s innovative Mash Tun whisky tasting bar which was officially opened by Malcolm
Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, in July. This has been a great addition to the Visitor Experience. It is open 7 days a week from 10am until 5pm offering a large selection of Malt Whiskies, Tasting Staves and a couple of Cocktails. We would also like to offer complimentary tours to all of your employees and complimentary tutored whisky tastings to our local bar staff to allow them to be more knowledgeable about whisky. This offer is open all year so please send any new recruits along throughout the season by e.mailing us on blair.athol.distillery@diageo.com or phoning us on 01796482003.
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Loch of the Lowes (Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserve) CCTV footage directly from the osprey nest and a viewing window looking out on to feeders, where you can often see red squirrels and woodpeckers. A childrens interactive area, den and craft activities are also available. Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre, runs a number of Beaver Watches every year, as well as a diverse range of events, which are well worth attending.
Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve covers 98 hectares near You will find the staff (some of whom are Dunkeld. From early April to late August, volunteers) and rangers extremely knowlthe star attraction is a pair of breeding edgeable and helpful. ospreys, which nest just 150 metres The new arrival on Loch of the Lowes is from our observation hide. the beaver, which in late evening if you Live Loch of the Lowes web cam visit the hide by the Loch you may be lucky enough to see. Beavers are exLoch of the Lowes and land was purtremely shy creatures and it is great to chased by the Scottish Wildlife Trust in 1969, today Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre has:Two hides equipped with powerful binoculars to observe not just the osprey, but all the other wildlife on the loch, which includes (if you are lucky) Otters, Beavers, deer and water birds on the loch.
see a creature that was once exterminated in Scotland making an appearance. Wildfowl numbers peak at Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre in early winter when migrant graylag geese as well as golden eyes, mallards, goosanders, widgeons, teals, tufted ducks and great crested grebes with numbers topping 3,000 birds it is a sight to behold. There is an excellent walk from Dunkeld to Loch of the Lowes which is highly recommended. Loch of the Lowes opening times:- Summer - 1 Mar to 31 Oct: open daily from 10.00am - 5.00pm and Winter - 1 Nov to 29 Feb: open Fri-Sun from 10.30am 4pm. Xmas and New Year - Restricted opening hours over Christmas and New Year period. March 2018 Admission Charges Adult £4, Concession £3.50 Family £7.50 Children 50p and SWT members free entry. The visitor centre is now open 7 days a week until 31st October 10:00 - 17:00. The double storey hide is open 24/7. Kind regards Emma Castle-Smith—Visitor Centre Assistant Manager. Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre, Dunkeld, PH8 0HH. T 01350 727 337
In the Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre itself, you can see stunning close-up live
Loch Tay Safaris shire's largest Loch. 2017 proved to be a maiden season to remember for Loch Tay Safaris, we helped hundreds people enjoy their holidays in Perthshire and created memories that will last for a lifetime, thank you to all that came along visited us! We were also extremely proud to be awarded with Five Stars through Visit Scotland, an achievement that we take as a huge pat on the back for the massive amounts of hard work the team at Highland As we look forward to 2018, we cannot wait April 2017 saw Iolaire take to the pristine Safaris puts in to make sure that our cus- to launch Iolaire from Kenmore again. We waters of Loch Tay for the first time. With a tomers experience is second to none. have been busy throughout the winter makGaelic Blessing for good luck and a dram of ing sure that our Safari on Loch Tay is perwhisky splashed over her side, she sailed fect, that our crew are fully trained and off with the lucky passengers onto Perthready to go and that Iolaire is ship shape and up to the five star, world class standard we demand. If you have not seen our custom built RIB in action, she is a thing of beauty, follow the link below to see why a Loch Tay Safari is a Must Do when you visit Kenmore in Perthshire. www.LochTaySafaris.net 5
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FOOD IN THE PARK date menus, details of opening hours and facilities, staff bios, contact details and a location map, and of course links to all the wonderful things to do in and around the Blair Atholl area! www.foodinthepark.co.uk Food in the Park still remains one of the easiest places to access in the area with a central location and large car park. There Food in the Park has been a winner in more ways than one in 2017!
come to the fore now…The rigorous judging process behind this award ensures that not only the quality of the fish and chips being plated up is of the highest standard, but that the restaurants are offering customer dining experiences that are second to none. The top 20 restaurants should The popular be extremely proud of their achievements take away and and I congratulate them all.” restaurant in Blair Atholl is now an ‘Award Winning’ Fish Recognising Food in the Park’s high standand Chip Restaurant since it was awarded ards and commitment to responsible a prestigious ‘UK Top 20 Fish and Chip sourcing, particularly from Scottish producRestaurant of the Year’ title as part of the ers, Visit Scotland have also awarded the 30th anniversary National Fish & Chip restaurant and take-away with their ‘Taste Awards, organised by Seafish. Our Best’ accreditation, which puts Food in the Park firmly on the map as a Top Class eatery for everyone to experience!
are many reasons to visit over and above the great food! The Scottish Craft Beer Centre is within the premises and Food in the Park is fully licensed to serve all the Scottish Craft Beer,
Throughout the 2017 season Food in the Park continued to host Live Music sessions every weekend, which have now become so popular they have attracted some big names in the music industry, particularly in the Folk arena, to play at the venue in 2018! Watch out for news of the 2018 line up at www.foodintheparklive.co.uk and One of only 3 restaurants in Scotland to be on Facebook awarded the title, Food in the Park had to (www.facebook.com/foodintheparklive). Cider and Gin alongside the food offerings, undergo various judging stages to reach plus of course anything else you’d like from New for 2018 will be a dedicated website the Top 20 status. the 40 foot bar! for Food in the Park, instead of sharing the Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at live music venue’s website! This is current- Come and enjoy your Fish and Chips in our Seafish, said: “We are seeing a whole host ly under construction and will hopefully be large marquee with comfy sofas, hay bales of innovative and forward-thinking outlets live by March 2018 and will include up to and picnic tables in front of a live band, or sit out the front of our restaurant overlooking the beautiful views of the Cairngorm National Park! Open every day from Easter to November 2018. Opening hours are 11am until 8pm and a little later on band nights! Tel: 01796 481484. Orders can be taken over the phone for collection.
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Aberfeldy Watermill
2018 promises exciting times at The Watermill. Now entering our thirteenth year of business some of our customers have become good friends who return year on year to enjoy our proudly independent choice of books. The Watermill Bookshop has been voted UK Independent Bookshop of the year and features as one of the 75 World’s Greatest Bookstores in New York Times writer Bob Eckstein’s book.
addition, there will be Homer’s own ScotScandi style sofas and armchairs, upholstered with in-house designed modern tweeds, woven at Aberfeldy’s local tweed mill. Early Autumn sees our third major exhibi-
The show features lighting and ceramic pieces from the 1930s to 1970s. Danish lights from this period build on the traditions of Bauhaus designers. They were manufactured using modern materials to create beautiful yet simple objects to fulfil everyday needs. On the furniture front, Homer has gathered a selection of contemporary design pieces featuring the same simplicity of design. In
The Lightness of Being lll Saturday 5 May – 30 June 2018 Old Scottish Maps
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Prints September onwards The Watermill only closes three days a year: Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Hogmanay.
In Aberfeldy customers spend several hours browsing the books and, of course, visiting the café which is always a welcoming place. The fire is lit in Winter and in Summer the terrace is a sheltered place to enjoy the sun. They serve great coffee, home-made cakes, soup, salad and sandwiches. Reservations can be made for small groups.
In May and June the gallery co-hosts with Homer, our homeware and furniture shop, an exhibition of classic Danish lighting and ceramics.
3rd March – 30th April
5th May – 30th June
Last year we opened our sister shop, The Highland Bookshop, in Fort William which has been a great success since it opened its doors in July.
Upstairs in The Watermill the gallery hosts a wide range of exhibitions which change approximately every six weeks. There will be two major exhibitions this year.
rapher of the Year Competition
Otherwise we are open seven days a week: Mon - Sat 10am – 5.30pm (5pm in Winter) & Sun 11am – 5.30pm (5pm in Winter). www.aberfeldywatermill.com email: info@aberfeldywatermill.com tion of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham prints, in collaboration with the Barns-Graham Trust. Her reputation grows by the year and her works have become highly sought-after with customers coming from all over the UK to attend the exhibitions.
Exhibitions: Photographs from Scotland’s Treescapes & Scottish Landscape photog-
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The Watermill, Mill Street, Aberfeldy PH15 2BG. Tel: 01887 822896 https://www.facebook.com/watermill.aberf eldy/
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Highland Fling Bungee and Swing g-force rush. Participants sit suspended 40m over the River Garry before dropping for around 3 seconds and swinging across the gorge on the underside of the underside of the bridge. After the initial rush customers can experience the calm and beauty of valley as they are winched back to the same location they started. Since opening to the public in Spring 2011 Highland Fling Bungee has continued to grow the reputation of Perthshire as the adventure capital of Scotland. We are continuing to expand our operations with the opening of the Highland Swing. Since the installation of the new swing platform we opened the swing to the public in September last year and since then over 1000 have experience the mighty drop and
work well and we hope to continue this going forward. We are all very excited for this season which also marks the 3rd year of running the zip slide at the Soldiers of Killiecrankie re-enactment festival which has proven to be very popular. The minimum age for the swing is 10 years and the bungee 14. If you are over 65 as long as the doctor says you are able to jump then there's nothing stopping you.
The bungee jump and swing although from the same bridge at a similar height they are a very different experiences. Our office located next to the Killiecrankie Visitor Centre is open all year round and the bungee and swing have been popular with locals and tourist alike. 2017 was the first summer since opening we were open 7 days a week for jumping and this proved to
McKays Fish & Chip Shop Refurbishment ed in Winnipeg, Canada and then sold it in 1932 while living in Detroit, Michigan. In 1945 Mrs Margaret Brown took over and ran it as a Guest House until 1959.
2018 brings an exciting new project for the McKays team with the refurbishment of the Fish & Chip shop. The refurb has already started and the design sees a brand new layout with more space to dine.
ing - The site was first leased from the feudal superior Archibald Butter of Faskally in 1864 to Robert McGregor, merchant, Kinloch Rannoch and Peter Morrison, mason, Dalcalpon.
Andrew McKenzie, the General Manager of McKays says; “Plans are coming together perfectly and we can now start to envisage a bigger & better Fish & Chip shop which is exciting to see”.
In 1888 Robert McGregor's eldest son then a farmer and grazier of Minandee Station, darling River New South Wales, Australia sold the lease to Francis Henry, merchant, Pitlochry. His eldest son John Alexander Henry inherited in 1910 and in 1912 resid-
The history of the McKays building is amaz-
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Donald Macdonald, a native of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, and formerly of Struan Inn, Calvine took over then. He created the cafe next door in 1961 and fish and chip shop in 1963. His son Neil became a partner in 1971. Donald retired in 1977. In 2016 McKays Hotel took over and have worked hard to make sure the building has remained a firm part of Pitlochry’s history, without making any major changes until now, we will see a newer more modern building that locals and tourists alike will enjoy more than ever.
Relaunch date will be end of March.
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New Beginnings at the Crannog accredited museum. As such, we now have an obligation to look after the items carefully created by the original Crannog dwellers and keep them safe for future generations. Many of these artefacts are on display in the exhibition area of the museum. This era at the Centre is under the leadership of new Managing Life is often represented in numbers, stages and journeys: the reconstructed roundhouse took 3 years to build; the Scottish Crannog Centre has been open for 20 years and represents life 2,500 years ago. Its journey so far has been that of an awardwinning attraction, visited by people from all over the world. 2018 sees the Centre embarking on the next stage of its journey – that of a fully
to wander the site and engage with the Iron Age Interpreters who will be busy carrying out daily Crannog tasks. We have many special events lined up for the season which highlight daily life in the Crannog. Full details can be found on our website www.crannog.co.uk. The Centre opens to the public on 30th March and remains open 7 days a week until 31st October. We will also be open for a special event in December, a Celtic Yule – details to follow! Our first special event is held over Easter weekend , A Celtic Spring.
Director, Mike Benson. Guided tours will run at 11am and 3pm daily for members of the public – larger group bookings are by appointment. Visitors at other times will be able
The Old Mill Inn—Pitlochry Bar of the Year at the National Pub & Bar Awards held in London! Our kitchen has had a bit of a shake up with a complete refurbishment during the winter and we’re just about to relaunch our menu with an all new look – you’ll need to pop in and see for yourself! Our rooms continue to be as popular as ever and with all the bedrooms and bathrooms the feedback from customers is great!
2017 was the year of the pub awards for The Old Mill Inn. We were recognised by two awarding bodies as Scottish Country Have a sneak peek on our videos which you Pub of the Year at the prestigious Scottish can view at www.theoldmillpitlochry.co.uk Pub & Bar Awards and the also the Scottish We’re delighted to be known as the place to go in Pitlochry for live music and we have some great new bands in the mix for 2018. This year our live music will start from 9.30pm. Finally, we’d like to round off by saying thank you to you all for drinking and dining at The Old Mill Inn. 9
We’d be nowhere without our lovely customers and we have you to thank for that. Here’s to another busy season ahead for us all and we look forward to seeing you soon at The Old Mill.
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Wee Adventures City Big Personality Families and a very exciting abseiling fundraiser with The Birks Cinema on 14 April! We were absolutely delighted to be Runners Up in the Scottish Outdoor Leisure Awards for “The Best Outdoor Adventure Experience” in 2017. What a boost for a small family company! The nominations are based on the volume of public We are bursting with energy here at Wee Adventures HQ. Spring 2018 feels like an exciting time! Momentum is building behind our brand and ethos and we are enjoying the subsequent variety of enquiries and introductions.
votes which made it even more meaningful given the industry heavyweights in our category. Thank you to our brilliant customers and followers are for engaging with our journey and supporting us every step of the way. Get in touch if we can help you, your family, friends, children, school or business get outside for a truly enriching outdoor experience. Email sarah@weeadventures.com or call 07780 675859.
Look out for us at the Breadalbane EXPO at Comrie Croft, the WildHood Children’s Festival, our new Outdoors Column with Small
Paul Newman – Chef & Patron of Thyme at Errichel Restaurant Paul Newman – Chef & Patron of Thyme at Errichel Restaurant is delighted to have been awarded 2 AA Rosettes in November 2017. Thyme at Errichel Restaurant is based on Errichel Farm; a working hill farm managed & worked by Paul and his wife Rebecca on the outskirts of Aberfeldy in glorious Highland Perthshire. Thyme at Errichel’s weekly changing Set Menu runs alongside Paul’s Signature Dishes Menu.
ing hours please visit our website www.errichel.co.uk Errichel offers 4 & 5* Self-Catering and B&B Accommodation, Thyme at Errichel Restaurant and Thyme to Eat the events, Weddings and Outside Catering arm of the business. Alongside a Wee Shop selling Errichel Farm Produce and Paul’s Great Taste Award Winning Preserves and Cured Meats.
ences from around the world. With an accomplished wine & drinks list, friendly informative service and Paul’s delicious menus. All served in the relaxing surrounding of our beautiful Roundhouse Restaurant.
We pride ourselves on rearing & Advise booking is advised. For current opensourcing quality local ingredients which are then prepared by Paul & his team to showcase the best in Scottish products with flavours and influ10
Passionate about great food, great service, conserving our environment and Britain’s rare-breed native animals. We have a strong ethos for quality and care which comes through in everything we do. Fiona Sloan, Tel: 01887 820850 Email: fionasloan@errichel.co.uk
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HOP helps local Pitlochry businesses take on the world Owners of Mckays Hotel, bar and restaurant, Richard Drummond and Jon Erasmus together with IT entrepreneur Ronald Tweedie have launched HOP Software Ltd. They have created a cloud-based PMS system called HOP.
one simple to use solution.
HOP will assist and improve the managing and efficiency of your business, HOP works on any platform smart device or phone. CEO and designer Jon Erasmus said: “We are market disruptors trying to help our own industry. As hoteliers ourselves, we were becoming increasingly frustrated with lots of expensive legacy-based systems de-
signed in the early 2000s, with bits bolted on and run by other companies.” HOP is helping the tourism and hospitality sector run more smoothly. It's a ONE-STOPSHOP for hoteliers, B&BS and Selfcatering owners looking to streamline their operations and maximising their revenue. HOP Software is a powerful, yet affordable cloud-based property management system that combines all the critical business tools an independent hotel, large chain of hotels or a small bed and breakfast needs in
HOP is already being used by hotels owned by the three investors: McKays Hotel in Pitlochry, The Boat Hotel in the Cairngorms National Park and the Glen Mhor Hotel in Inverness. As well as their own businesses, the team are delighted that Awardwinning Ingliston Country club, Scotland’s hotel of the year, East Haugh and a variety of other operators, from a small bespoke self-catering operation, a Glamping site and a hotel as far south as Bristol, have chosen HOP, for its affordability, functionality and its ease of use. Six full-time posts, including three UK-based developers, have been created with 15-20 jobs expected over the next two years. HOP has recently welcomed Alastair Cruickshank from Ballinluig as Head of Sales and Sophie McGown of East Haugh fame to the team. Our team have first-hand experience of the challenges hoteliers face. This experience is what drove the development of HOP and means we are able to address these challenges of the hospitality and tourism business head on. www.HopSoftware.com HOP SOFTWARE, 26 DUBLIN STREET, EDINBURGH, EH3 6NN, UNITED KINGDOM | 01463 630401 | sales@hopsoftware.com
Create at Errichel Restaurant Errichel Farm set in the Heart of Glorious Highland Perthshire – Create Memories, Create Your Special Day.
Plate Experiences. Our series of 'Field to Fork, Nose to Tail' 2&3 day residential Cookery courses.
From ‘Our Wee Shop’, Cookery School, Farm Treks, AA Rosette Dining, Weddings, Events, Conferences and Special Occasions; or just the chance to take a couple of days away from everything - Errichel is the ideal location.
Spend a day on the farm learning about our native rare breed livestock & how they are bred, reared & produced on our Hill Farm before joining 2 AA Rosetted, Slow Food, Chef Alliance member Paul in his professional kitchen for butchery, preparation, preservation and recipes to give you the confidence to break away from plastic wrapped convenience foods & traditional prime cuts.
New for 2018 in conjunction with Chef Patron Paul Newman’s bespoke Cookery School we are introducing True Field to 11
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Struan Inn New kitchen signals a fresh start at the Struan Inn We closed the Inn at end of October to upgrade our kitchen. A big thank you to Bruar Construction, Peter Clint Electrical, Sanderson & Carr Plumbers, Swan Enviro and Waltons Catering Equipment for all their hard work. The Inn re-opened in January and we are now in a better position to cater for Struan Inn named as Luxury Boutique Hotel increasing trade and larger numbers. of the Year 2018 for Perth & Kinross In addition, we will be joined by two new We are welcomGeneral Assistants, Mihai and We are delighted to announce that the Stru- ing a new team Mihaela Nica from Romania. They an Inn has been awarded Luxury Boutique for 2018. Our will be looking after housekeeping, Hotel of the Year for Perth & Kinross in the new Head Chef is helping in the kitchen and also Luxury Travel Guide Awards 2018. Mike Watt, former working front of house. Grampian Chef of the Year, who Since opening in January, the reshas moved taurant has already been busy, from Peterparticularly at weekends with many head to join locals keen to sample our new seaus on a fullsonal menu. time and permanent With both accommodation and basis. function bookings coming in for the new season, we are gearing up for Mike brings yet another busy year. with him a wealth of experience and a passion for New initiatives for 2018 include take-away cooking Scottish traditional food with a fish suppers on weeknights and Sunday After a very busy year building the business lunches and we look forward to welup even more, this was a lovely surprise for coming customers both old and new us all, so well done to the team! this year. We have also been nominated as a ‘Good Shoot Hotel’ in the Guns on Pegs Good Shoot Hotel Awards which is a great boost for us as well.
Struan Inn, Calvine Pitlochry Perth & Kinross PH18 5UB. www.TheStruanInn.co.uk. Tel: 01796 483 714
modern twist. In March, our Second Chef, Anthony Bristol, will be taking up his post. Anthony is a young award-winning chef also from Peterhead.
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BESPOKE HIGHLAND CAR TOURS PITLOCHRY set, exclaiming that it was “truly magical”.
noustie in July which will see another influx of visitors, I have taken booking and am getting more enquiries. I hope 2018 is going to be a great season for everyone, and if I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to contact me.
The Outlander seRonnie Owens, Bespoke Highland Car ries has Tours Pitlochry. Tel: 07979 412831 or also brought visitors and benefits 2017 proved to be another successful year throughout for Bespoke Highland Car Tours Pitlochry. Highland Perthshire, clients looking to visit As well as welcoming new clients, it was film locations from the series. The Standing particularly rewarding to meet up again with Stones at Croft Morag (although not used in returning guests. the filming) always prove very popular. We welcomed clients from all over the world, with a large contingent from the North American Continent. Had a great day in May at the Atholl Highlanders Parade at Blair Castle. My clients, a Mother and Daughter from Milwaukee USA, thought they had walked in on a film
In February 2018 I attended a seminar at the Discovery in Dundee, showcasing the V & A museum, this is going to be a great asset to Scottish tourism. 2018 bookings are coming in quite early this year, which looks very promising, the Open Golf Championship comes to Car-
Drummonds of Pitlochry cooked to order, also they can have half portions off the main adults menu too, if they would prefer. Affordable meals - We continue to offer great value High Teas — two courses for £13 and three courses £15, includes a choice of either tea or coffee. We also offer half portions for those who prefer smaller meals and can provide Gluten free meals. The Kids menu is £6 has fresh chicken and 2018 is our 19th year having opened on fresh fish (not frozen) and includes orange Highland Games Day 1999. or apple juice and a treat at the end of the meal. We are proud to say all our food is sourced locally using the local butcher, it is basic Please remember we take cash and good old home cooking without all the frills cheques only (no credit or debit cards). and fancy twirls of modern restaurants. Our outside seating, is well away from the The kid’s meals are freshly prepared and smoker’s area, is popular with visitors during the warmer days and also those who want their dogs by their side. Drummonds is a family restaurant in every sense of the word, with members of the family working at the front of house and in the kitchen. We take great care in ensuring everything we do is done to the very best of our ability. Opening hours - 10am to 11pm all year round, (Kitchen closes 10pm in summer, 13
winter closes 6pm, we will stay open later for prior bookings). Find us - under the railway arch, just passed Pitlochry War Memorial Gardens. Below, half portion - ideal if you prefer smaller meals.
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Highland Safaris Highland Safaris had a fantastic 2017 celebrating our 25th year in business. It was marked by the unveiling of our new stag exhibit that was built in partnership with The Workshop in Aberfeldy, a beautiful 6ft steel model that looks out majestically over the Tay. As ever we are looking at ways to improve our five star, world class offering to our loyal customers. most delicious produce Scotland’s larder has to offer, from smoked chicken to Dunkeld hot smoked Salmon. Served on a lovely Oak platter board - it is the perfect way to dine on Safari.
We have developed our Taste of Scotland Sharing Platters, filled with some of the
the vistas that surround you at nearly 3000 feet.
They are best enjoyed on a trip to one of our Mountain Bothies - situated in the awe inspiring Perhshire hills, they are a warm and cosy place to take a rest from your adventure. Relax, warm yourself by the fire and treat yourself to a beautiful meal whilst enjoying
CLUNY HOUSE GARDENS
Cluny is a beautiful mature woodland garden and throughout all seasons has something special to offer. Always an amazing sight are our Giant Redwoods measuring over 11 metres in girth and over 140 years old. Beneath a canopy of a large variety of conifers, deciduous trees and rhododendrons grow many bulbs and tubers including American wood lilies, Dog’s tooth violets, European and Giant Himalayan lilies, and exotic Cobra lilies.
Carpets of primulas grow in the damper spots reaching a glorious myriad of colours by mid-May when the candelabras begin to take over the whole garden! Blue poppies flower in May – June while different species of Himalayan Meconopsis can still be flowering into early autumn.
We know from past visitors that Cluny is very much appreciated as a place of peace and quiet where you can imagine yourself away to another place without the stress of today’s busy electronic age.
We are open every day of Autumn is also an especially colourful time. the year and if any guests Cluny is an excellent place to spot different would like to wildlife including numerous red squirrels, visit Cluny brown hares and a good variety of woodland outside our birds including long tailed tits, normal opentreecreepers, bullfinches and great ing times of spotted woodpeckers. 10am to 6pm then please Cluny is on a steep slope with many phone on steps but there is a shorter path around the top of the garden for those 07818 065966. who are less able. There are always walking sticks to hand and a few straJohn, Wendy tegic seats for a little rest! & Fiona. 14
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Victoria's Restaurant—Pitlochry customers in our friendly Victoria’s trademark way. 2017 was a very exciting year for us here at Victoria’s Restaurant. During the year we spent a while lovingly polishing up the business and we hope you love our new look as much as we do! New additions over the course of last year We’re back up and running following our were our Brunch Menu and our healthy annual winter break and the team are really Glow Bowls which were very well received. excited about the season ahead. With a few tweaks here and there, they will be kept on for the season ahead. Our familiar faces of the core team are on hand, as ever, to look after you and your Our Winter Garden was also a massive hit with locals and visitors to Pitlochry. Over the course of the Enchanted Forest, we’ll be bringing back out the fairy lights and the snuggly throws (and the space heaters!) to enchant our diners all over again. We’re also very proud of the video we produced to showcase what we do here at Victoria’s – if you’ve not seen it yet you can
watch it on our website www.victoriaspitlochry.co.uk Lastly, we’d like to say a big thank you to all of you for your custom and for sending your guests and visitors to us. If you’d like some more of our wine cards to hand out to customers, please email me and I’ll arrange for some to be dropped off – fiona@victoriaspitlochry.co.uk We’re 100% committed to making sure you all have a wonderful time at Victoria’s and assure you of our best attention at all times. Hope to see you all soon! Fiona & Angus
What’s On - Events and activities As many of you will know, we have been compiling a What’s On Guide for the area for many years. The rational behind doing this is, no visitor will have the knowledge of where to look to find out the events in the area, let alone trawl through everyone’s web pages, local publications to obtain this information.
another web site, so the events show where your guests want to see it, as opposed to sending them away to another web site.
The monthly What’s On pdf is now organised by date order, all through the month. This means if your guests are here on the 8th and 9th—they can New for 2018—thanks to Marius at Web see exactly which events are on , withSmart Media (based in Pitlochry) is how the out having to try and interpret the What’s On is displayed. We are using a pur- information. pose built What’s On software package, which allows us to organise events by date Also after experimenting how best to show order all through the year. the events, whether we used images or not in the pdf document, we have done back to For example the Pitlochry Festival Theatre keeping it simple—one large image across plays are shown on the dates they are per- the top after feed back from our mailing list formed, as opposed to one entry with when of over 900 addresses. the play is first and last performed. Oh that reminds me when you go to the The difference this makes is massive, as What’s On page you can:you or your guests can now go and look on a 1. Add your name to the monthly mailing particular day and see what the choices are. list. 2. Down load the monthly Events pdf for We have used images to further highlight your guests. each event entry. 3. Add your events. The new What’s On software is really im- As a foot note to this article let me explain, pressive in terms of what it can do — we are why we have two web sites:at the early stages of learning how best it www.Pitlochry-Scotland focuses on all operates for what we need here in Highland those who know this area as Pitlochry, Perthshire. one of the top searched for destinations in Scotland. For instance—it is possible to take a feed to 15
www.HighlandPerthshire.com is the term we locals and few others know the areas as. It is important but, in terms of attracting traffic not nearly as important as Pitlochry.
We market the whole of Highland Perthshire area under our Pitlochry facing web site. We know visitors, do not want to know just about Pitlochry but the whole area they can enjoy when visiting this part of Scotland. Finally if you organise events and want them to be listed, please go to www.Pitlochry-Scotland.co.uk and submit your event—we do not charge anything for this service—we hope it helps make visitors aware of all they can do during their stay to return again and importantly tell others. James Rattray Explore Scotland Ltd.
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Cafe Biba—Pitlochry For great home cooked food and a warm welcome
£16.90 respectively. We continue to use the local butcher in Pitlochry, dairy from Crieff and veg supplier from Dundee keeping it a local as we can.
Yeh micht think ah'm a blether, Whatever the weather, Come in and gee me a try. Tell yir friends and relations, we welcome aw nations And no jist wee Jock Mackay
We serve wee bowls of dishes for those who want a lighter option and of course loads a Scottish staples from Haggis to Whisky.
A punter or a Gourmet, Oh ah can assure yeh, We cater for awbody, You could be a nibbler, A mooth like a tiddler Or maybe hae wan like a cuddy
and Grandmaw and everyone else in between. Open form 9.30 till late a big hit in 2017 was our pre theatre 2 and 3 course menu which got the thumbs up at £13.90 and
So please tak a look in And Try our home cookin' Ayeways tae prove an attraction. We mak nae excuses. Are your gastric juices Ready tae swing intae action?
Our Auld Alliance 12 inch Pizza new to the menu last year is one of the best sellers, see you for breakfast, lunch or dinner, maybe elevenses or afternoon tea - are your gastric juices ready tae swing intae action.?
We look forward to welcoming all our customers in 2018, regular and new.
Brenda and John look forward to welcoming you to Cafe Biba...to book please call 01796 473294 or just turn up!
As always whatever the occasion we cater from bairns (great kids menu) to Grandpaw
The Atholl Country Life Museum The Atholl Country Life Museum has been earning 5-star TripAdvisor reviews from our satisfied visitors. It has been described as the Tardis of highland museums because it manages to include so much in such a relatively small space, the former Blair Atholl school on the village’s main road.
former life, mostly within the last 200 years, of our highland Perthshire community. They look at the countryside, the church and schooling, the crucial staple of farming and associated businesses such as veterinary care, saddlery, blacksmithing, the products of farming and so on. We have an impressive old cruck frame for a farm building, one of the last of its type, a reconstruction of a byre complete with lifesize highland cow, a reconstruction of a but and been parlour and the magnificent old Trinafour post office, complete with old telephone booth and artefacts from its heyday. There’s a well-preserved old engine for driving a threshing machine, a poignant letter home from an exile to Canada on the bark of a birch tree, a full-size sleigh, costumes from the period, a small display on the railway, so crucial to the evolution of Blair Atholl, and many pictures of people and places on display.
The well laid-out displays take you through
This year the opening hours have been extended slightly. We’re open Easter and May weekends then daily in June from 1.30 to 5pm. July/August are 10am to 5pm and September/October 12.00 to 16
4pm We’ve also been developing a facebook page which advertises special events and illustrates items both from the collection and in store so please, even if you can’t visit, like our page and get a flavour of what’s going on.
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Taste Perthshire at Bankfoot beside the A9 All the team at Taste Perthshire are looking forward to another great season ahead.
conditions on the A9. It’s a useful tool for passing on to your customers if they will be travelling up or down the A9 – feel free to share the URL with them.
2017 was a fantastic year and we welcomed thousands of visitors through our doors to eat, shop and enjoy what we have to offer here at Taste Perthshire.
We also now have 2 free electric car charge points available for customers to use at the back of the car park.
As ever, our loyal local team of staff are here to welcome you for all your shopping and dining needs. We were enormously proud of our Restaurant Manager June Goodfellow who reached the regional finals of the Scottish Thistle Awards in their Tourism Ambassador category – we really do have a wonderful team!
We’re eagerly anticipating new baby Highland Cow arrivals from our two mummy cows in the field beside Taste Perthshire. Keep your eyes peeled on our facebook page for news and pics of the wee bundles Our shops are as busy as ever and we have of fur when they get here! a great selection of gifts, homewares, clothAs ever our Christmas shop was a ing & accessories available – many from huge hit and it gets bigger and local suppliers right here in Perthshire. better every year. The teddy decorations for 2017 really stole the Not forgetting our whisky, gin, wine & ale show and we’re currently planning shop which is a real hit with customers – our 2018 display the theme of which will be kept under wraps until the unveil in November. Our hampers continue to be popular and we have a brochure available as well as the facility to take orders on our online shop – have a look at www.tasteperthshire.co.uk/shop where you can see our selection. there are some fantastic local drinks on offer and with regular free tastings throughout the year, what’s not to love!
Remember we’re open from 8am every day for hot coffees and breakfasts and from Easter we’ll be open until 8am each evening (currently 7pm close midweek before Easter). Lastly, we’re very grateful for your continued support of our restaurant and shops and every customer you send to us is truly
appreciated. Assuring you all of our best attention at all times, here’s to a great season ahead for us all.
Our webcams www.perthshirewebcam.co.uk have been a Hope to see you soon at Taste Perthshire. great success with thousands of folk visiting the site to watch our cows and check road Calum & Jane MacLellan - Owners
2018 is the Year of Young People in Scotland. Nature and the outdoors have a real and positive part to play in developing young lives. Biscuit coaches, encourages and inspires young people through a variety of channels from the YMCA/Prince’s Trust personal development courses, our Wee Adventures
Club and Bike Club, Activity Days in the school holidays.
holds his Summer Mountain Leader Award and is a Single Pitch Award Climbing Instructor and Mountain Bike Leader. He has Outdoor learning sessions and activity days a passion for coaching, guiding and leading for local schools to adventures for children expeditions in the great outdoors. with additional support needs. sarah@weeadventures.com Telephone: Children (and adults!) thrive in the out07780 675859 doors, we just need to get them there! Wee Adventures is run by husband and wife team, Biscuit and Sarah. While Biscuit is effortlessly good with people and naturally skilled in all things outdoors, Sarah, who also loves the outdoors, brings the necessary administration skills to get you to the fun bit of getting out! Biscuit is a qualified BCU Level 4 canoe and kayak coach. He also 17
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FOOD IN THE PARK LIVE October 2018. Some big names in the Folk arena have been booked already, namely Nae Plans (Adam Sutherland has just picked up the winning title of ‘Composer of the year’ at this year’s ‘Traditional Music Awards’!) and ‘Tidelines’ (Food in the Park will be part of their September UK Tour!) which owners David Mckenzie and Sally Judd are very excited about!
What a season! 42 nights of live music involving 23 bands and over 5000 satisfied customers enjoying Rock, Pop, Blues, Reggae, Folk, Traditional Scottish and Americana Blues all under the clear roof marquee situated in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park’s gateway village – Blair Atholl!
Food in the Park Live Music Sessions play at Food in the Park Restaurant in the centre of Blair Atholl. Bands are on from 8pm until 11pm and the bar is open until 12.30am on Fridays and Saturdays and until 11pm every other night.
With its 40 foot bar, leather sofas, hay bales and antler chandeliers, the live music venue at Food in the Park delivered superb entertainment, not just for the busy summer months, but for the whole season from the end of May to the end of October 2017.
Other new acts and bands on the 2018 list include Charlie Mckerron (also BIG in the folk arena!), Audiorayz, Boogalusa, SchieFor this coming year the season of live mu- hallion, The New Madrids, Big Tuna, Jenn sic has been extended and will be starting and LB (folk duo girl group), AbFab and The on March 30th 2018 (Good Friday) with live Banned. bands on most weekends until the end of Of course we’ll also have our favourite bands from 2017 joining us again for 2018 namely Red Pine Timber Company, Last Orders, Revival Blues, Yard of Ale, Independence, Journey North, Abandon, The Misfits, Ganked, Suited and Booted and Jericho Hill.
Food available from the award winning Fish and Chip and Pizza Restaurant and take away until late and you can enjoy your drinks from the 40 foot bar, which includes The Scottish Craft Beer Centre! Eat, drink, get dancing! Food in the Park Live, Museum Car Park, Blair Atholl, Pitlochry, Perthshire, PH18 5SP Tel: 01796 481484
You can keep up to date with our full line up at www.foodintheparklive.co.uk or stay in touch with Food in the Park LIVE on Facebook.
Errichel House & Cottages Luxury 4 & 5* Self Catering and Guest accommodation set in the Heart of Highland Perthshire. Based on a family run working farm specialising in rare breeds and conservation stock. Relax in the idyllic setting of Errichel farm and enjoy the convenience of Self catering; each Cottage is unique, enjoys spectacular views over Highland Perthshire and are perfect bases from which to explore the Highlands and the Cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. With everything you would expect in your home from home. Or relax in the luxury of
We are a quality food and hospitality provider. Errichel a small and diverse farm, we make use of our own farm produce in the food we serve. Errichel House and Cottages provides unique luxury guest accommodation here on the farm.
our bespoke Guest Rooms and start your day with our delicious Scottish Breakfast served in our beautiful Roundhouse with views over the Tay Valley and the mature gardens at Errichel. 18
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Spirit Of Wood
2017 proved to be another busy year at Spirit Of Wood. We have added new living & bedroom ranges specifically designed for hotels and B&B’s. Our contract sofa range has also expanded with a new models available in a variety of Italian leathers and Harris tweed. Our bespoke service now includes made to measure sofa options. Tell us what size sofa you need and we can make it!
discounts to local businesses.
Don’t forget we offer free delivery and a wide range of furniture solutions & trade
For more information contact Conor on 01887 829899 or email conor@spirit-ofwood.com.
McKays Hotel Bar & Restaurant Loyalty Card’s We are excited to announce that we will soon be introducing a new 10% off Loyalty Card for the local community as a thank you for all of your support. Details will follow on our website & social media platforms. Opening times
“2017 was a fantastic year for McKays and our reputation continues to go from strength to strength. With the likes of the March into Pitlochry Music Festival and Caledonia Etape Cycling event bringing tourism to an all time high, we were proud to be part of both events and will be part of it all again in 2018 where we see the exciting relaunch of McKays Fish & Chip Shop Our Restaurant & hotel
away from the train station and have a car park towards the back of the hotel. It is a great place to stop off to sample some home cooked food using only locally sourced produce. Live music Thursday – Sunday nights are as popular as ever for our live music and still see many guests travelling to McKays for our famous Steak night Fridays.
With McKays being in the heart of Pitlochrys main street, we a stones throw 19
9am-11pm Sundays – Thursdays, and 9am-12.30am Fridays & Saturdays. Tables can be booked in advance. Walk in’s welcome.
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FOOD IN THE PARK LIVE We offer lite lunches as well as dishes from the full menu, open 12noon to 3pm.
Evening meals from 5pm to 8.30pm from the full menu.
Kids are welcome and have their own menu.
We have an alcohol license.
Menu. We start of 3rd year at the Loft Restaurant – Blair Atholl. Another busy year, with great feedback and a greater customer base. Thank you all very much. We have had 236 reviews on Trip Advisor with 88% giving us ‘Excellent’ and a further 8% ‘Very good’ – this is what some people have said about us:“My wife has some specific dietary requirements and the chef came to our table to make sure he understood and produced some lovely food as a result.” 3rd January 2018
Our menu is based on two years of experience of what people look for when eating at the Loft, we are always looking at ways to refine it.
July and August – open 7 days.
Our Chef’s Specials were a big attraction last year and hope they continue to be this year. A lot of people particularly enjoyed the exotic game and fish specials.
Who comes to the Loft? We have a regular group of locals as well as a whole range of visitors literally from all over the world – it has amazed us how people have found about the Loft Restaurant. September and October 6 days (closed Languages - One of our front of house team, speaks five languages, Italian, Spanish, French, German and English, so if you have any guests who would like speak in their own language and have a great meal, this is the place for them.
Parties, groups and events
and
We cater for everyone, whether you are coach trip, or having a group or Staff Party please get in touch and lets us know what you want and we will do our very best to meet your requirements.
“… fine dining comparable to what one might fine in any major city. The best mussels we have ever had, and the sticky toffee Year Round Open Days:pudding was to die for!” 18th June 2017 Main Season - Open March to 3rd January (closed January and February) and
Mondays) We look forward to welcoming you to the Loft Restaurant, in Blair Atholl, located behind the Tilt Hotel on the way to Pitlochry Golf right. Tel:-01796 481377
“Two days in a row - Fantastic food and excellent service. Very child friendly. Had the same beef dish two days running with truffle mash and the cheese board for dessert was one of the best I've had.” 8th November 2017
Xmas Parties – open 1st December through Adrian and Nicoletta. to Xmas and New Year (closed from 4th January to end of March).
What do we provide?
Open
We are a small family run restaurant.
Open 12noon to 3pm and 5pm to 8.30pm.
Xmas Day Lunches – we will continue to serve lunches, these were very popular last year.
Everything is freshly made on the prem-
March to May – 5 days (closed Mondays ises and we use local suppliers whenev- and Tuesday) er possible. June – 6 days (closed Mondays) 20
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Celebrate at Errichel ting for the spe- Bed & Breakfast cial days in your accommodation life. you and your guests will enjoy The private esFine Food and tate is ideal for relaxed friendly Marquee or service. There are Tipis and the stunning back Roundhouse drops for photoRestaurant & graphs both inside Lounge are also and outside this available for you prestigious venue. and your guests. With luxurious We also offer a Self Catering bespoke off-site Cottages and 4* catering service; if your special occasion involves a Castle, Mountain Top Wedding, Marquee in your own garden Thyme at Errichel brings our delicious menus and bar service to you. You can enjoy the firstclass standards of Thyme at Errichel in your own chosen setting. From Cocktail Parties to full dinner service, bespoke pop-up bars to canapes under the stars Thyme at Errichel will come to cater for you.
Errichel & Thyme at Errichel Restaurant offer a truly bespoke wedding and events service whether you are planning a small intimate family gathering or a Wedding Day for 120 guests. With menus and drink choices tailored especially for you to ensure your day is as special as you have imagined. Set in the glorious Tay Valley with stunning views, Errichel & Thyme is the perfect set-
PRINCE OF INDIA — BANGLADESHI & INDIAN CUISINE.
Centrally positioned just off the main street tive service & a fantastic selection of dishon Station Road, Pitlochry, offering attenes, including authentic Balti dishes, Chef’s recommendation & European dishes (for non-curry eaters in the party). 3-course lunch £7.95, children under 12 eat for £4.95, 12noon to 4.00pm (to 2pm winter). Main menu is served from 5pm to 10.30pm. There is a 10% discount on all Take Away meals. OPEN 7 days 12 noon to 21
10.30pm in season 5-7 Station Road, Pitlochry, PH16 5AN Tel: 01796 472275
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Do you use Social Media to market your business? We found this article, which thought you might find thought provoking. We believe the more Social Media savvy businesses across Highland Perthshire are, the stronger Highland Perthshire as a whole is. We all benefit from each other. ————————————————
Today, people are investing their travel dollars in authentic experiences that immerse them in the local culture and lifestyle. They’re hungry for local secrets, bold adventures and seeing parts of the city that most tourists don’t see. Only you and your local marketing staff can tell a compelling story that will actually drive bookings. Instagram is the ideal platform to showcase the images that make your flagged property unique in the eyes of potential guests and avoid perceived “sterility.”
3. Celebrate past guest experiences By sharing past guest stories, reviews (and best of all videos) on your hotel’s social media channels, you can turn your past guests into a perpetual army of experience evangelists. Harvest their good times! consumers no longer trust advertising… they trust each other. As this article in AdAge so aptly put it: “Your brand is defined by the interactions people have with it.” User-generated content, especially photos, videos and posts about on-property experiences are more authentic, less sales focused… and let’s face it, usually more creative than anything hotel social media folks could ever dream up. 4. Paid Instagram stories In addition to running an ad in the Instagram feed, hotel social media marketers now have the added option of running paid Instagram stories. The 15 to 30-second full-screen experience can showcase still imagery or a video clip, appearing in Instagram’s story feed, alongside the stories posted by a user’s following so that the organic experience is never disrupted for the user. “With paid Instagram stories, properties can reach a much larger audience, including users who aren’t already followers,” Elle explained. Here, properties can promote time-sensitive offers such as a new restaurant menu or a seasonal event to a broader audience than the property’s existing Instagram followers.
2. Monitor on-property problems… Every day, there are good and bad things posted about your hotel on Instagram. You can be reactive and monitor people who comment or tag your hotel’s Instagram “handle” (your actual Instagram account name) in a picture. You’ll receive a notification and you can respond accordingly.
An example of using highly visual Instagram stories from The St Regis in San Francisco. ________________________________________
But there are more proactive ways of monitoring guest sentiment on Instagram. By typing the generic name of your hotel (see illustration above) or property specific hashtags in the search bar, you can discover additional content that guests have posted about your prop.
About Tambourine
3. Celebrate past guest experiences
Using the technology, Tambourine’s social media team can locate relevant photos and stories posted on social media by guests at the hotel and nearby attractions.
Tambourine uses technology and creativity to increase revenue for hotels and destinations worldwide. The firm, now in its 33rd year, is located in New York City and Fort Lauderdale. Please visit: www.Tambourine.com About Tout
“Guest-generated stories, photos and videos are pure marketing If you don’t have the time or resources gold… and now we can mine it all at scale.” to monitor your hashtags and geotags, Here’s how Tout works: Tools like Tout allow you to find and 1. Content Discovery: license the content with ease.
By sharing past guest stories, reviews (and best of all videos) on your hotel’s social media channels, you can turn your past guests into a perpet- 2. Push-Button Outreach: ual army of experience evangelists. Once a guest photo or story has been identified, Tout instantly contacts the guest (via social media), thanks them for their post Harvest their good times! 22
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Celebrate at Errichel and asks for one-click permission to use the content in the hotel’s marketing campaigns.
cial media by guests at the hotel and nearby attractions. 2. Push-Button Outreach:
3. Curation/Usage: Once the guest has given their permission, the content is stored in a private online portal and the hotel has full legal usage rights to use the content in its own social media and any other marketing campaigns, including traditional print collateral. “User-generated photography is diverse, visually arresting and authentic,” says Thomas McDermott, Director of Social Media at Tambourine. “Tout puts a virtually endless supply of compelling photography at our fingertips.” • TURNKEY PROGRAMS https://www.tambourine.com/blog/new-tool-helps-hotels-harvestguest-generated-content/ •
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Once a guest photo or story has been identified, Tout instantly contacts the guest (via social media), thanks them for their post and asks for one-click permission to use the content in the hotel’s marketing campaigns. 3. Curation/Usage: Once the guest has given their permission, the content is stored in a private online portal and the hotel has full legal usage rights to use the content in its own social media and any other marketing campaigns, including traditional print collateral. “User-generated photography is diverse, visually arresting and authentic,” says Thomas McDermott, Director of Social Media at Tambourine. “Tout puts a virtually endless supply of compelling photography at our fingertips.”
New Tool Helps Hotels Harvest Guest-Generated Content https://www.tambourine.com/blog/new-tool-helps-hotels-harvestguest-generated-content/ December 5, 2016 • By tambo
Tout Case Study: Hotel Hugo New York City “When we were engaged to handle Hotel Hugo’s social media channels, management was concerned about our ability to remotely generate authentic, real-time content,” according to McDermott. “We populated Tout with geotags and hashtags for all three of the property’s incredible F&B venues and were thrilled to see Tout instantly start to pull in hundreds of photos…” We’re taking a rare break from our normal weekly thoughtleadership series to announce an exciting new product here at Tambourine called Tout. Tout enables hotels to find, capture and obtain usage rights for guest-generated content on social media. Tout has been tested at various hotels in recent months and is now available to all clients of Tambourine. “Hotel shoppers don’t trust advertising anymore, they only trust each other,” said Rafael Cardozo, President of Tambourine. “Guest-generated stories, photos and videos are pure marketing gold… and now we can mine it all at scale.” Here’s how Tout works: 1. Content Discovery:- Using the technology, Tambourine’s social media team can locate relevant photos and stories posted on so-
“Guests document every aspect of their stay, from artful shots of the lobby lamps and breakfast in bed, to sunsets captured in a wine-glass (See example of content harvested by Tout below). The photography we curate at Hotel Hugo, much like its guests, is always artful, stylish and fun. Not to mention plentiful. We never have to use the same photo twice.” For more information about Tout and Tambourine, please contact Tom McDermott: Tom@Tambourine.com or call: 954-975-2220 ________________________________________ About Tambourine Tambourine uses technology and creativity to increase revenue for hotels and destinations worldwide. The firm, now in its 33rd year, is located in New York City and Fort Lauderdale. Please visit: www.Tambourine.com
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Explore Highland Perthshire Tourism Newsletter 2018
NEW Data Rules are you compliant? Web Smart Media explain—Fines up to 4% of turnover. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) COMPLIANCE
and to let individuals know what they need to do. Realistically this could also be handled in contracts, terms, signups and your privacy policy.
On 25 May 2018, GDPR will be enforced across Europe, including the UK. The law aims to give citizens more control over their data and to create a uniformity of rules to enforce across the continent.
1) WHAT IS THE GDPR? GDPR has been created in order to provide individuals more control over their personal data and to protect their identity. You can break down GDPR into the following rights for the individual: - The right to access any data that you may hold for them. - The right to be forgotten, i.e deleted from your records. - The right to provide explicit consent. - For some businesses it is a bit of a game changer and there are still many grey area’s.
2) WHAT DOES GDPR MEAN FOR A SMALL BUSINESSES? When GDPR takes effect you will need to have a firm understanding of: - what data you have. - why you have it. - where it comes from. - what you do with it. - how you keep it safe. If you don’t keep your data safe you could see fines of up to 4% of annual turnover. You will need to show that you are organised, have a good process and have a good trail. GDPR forces you to prove that the data you ask for is necessary to improve your business or your customers’ experience. You will need to audit your current data collection processes and storage, and update your policies. As a data controller (and/or data processor) you are obliged to be able to answer the following: 1) What groups of individuals do you store data for (employee, supplier, customer,
3) WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR WEBSITE? marketing etc)? 2) Exactly what data is being stored? You will need to be as detailed as possible and list each data field along with the reason for storing it. 3) Do you have actual explicit consent to hold this data including exactly how/when was it provided (and could you prove it)? 4) Where are you storing data (paper, website, marketing software, accounting packages, CRM etc). 5) Who has access to your data? 6) Are your data storage providers and data users compliant? 7) Find out how your third-parties are complying with GDPR and how they might inadvertently have access to your data. 8) Is your data safe? 9) What security and privacy provisions do you have in place? 10) Your employees, extended team and third-parties will need to extend your privacy policy. 11) Are you keeping data up to date and are you removing data that you no longer require? 12) Would you be able to provide an individual with a record of all of their data? 13) You should be able to document all of this clearly in a GDPR data audit. You’ll need to look at all of your contracts, web forms, signups and terms (for all data groups) and check that you have gained explicit consent – nothing hidden or implied – to keep and use this data. If challenged at any time you will need to be able to provide evidence of consent and the date it was provided. Individuals consenting must be provided with details of exactly what data is being stored, where it’s being stored and details of how to have their data amended or deleted. You don’t have to be able to provide an automated system but you do need to have thought about how you can provide this 24
Making your websites compliant may require your website developer to help with the implementation. The golden rule when it comes to your website is to think: Get people to OPT-IN and not OPT-OUT. The 8-step checklist includes: 1. Cookie notification 2. Cookie policy 3. Privacy policy 4. SSL certificate 5. Enquiry & Contact forms 6. Payment processing 7. Chat facilities 8) What third parties integrate with your website (eg Booking Engines, Social Media Feeds, RSS Feeds) Are they compliant and can you prove it? Finally it might be a good idea to email your entire marketing database and ask them to re-opt in to a new list which you will have created to be GDPR compliant. GDPR is a legal requirement, and unless you intend on denying website access to all EU and UK citizens, then it applies to you. All of the information above is provided as a helpful checklist. For more information visit http://ec.europa.eu/justice/smedataprotec t/index_en.htm Web Smart Media are based in Pitlochry and we're lucky enough to work with a variety of clients from all over the United Kingdom, and overseas. We design clean, user and search engine friendly web sites – our portfolio is available on our website www.WebSmartMedia.co.uk, Email info@websmartmedia.co.uk Tel 01796 470 558