We drove around to the other side of the loch to have some lunch at Loch Levens Larder. It is a lovely building with views out over the loch. The restaurant was busy and we had a very reasonably priced lunch then had a look around the shop and deli, lots of nice produce but I resisted buying anything. 
We followed part of the Loch Leven Heritage Trail which takes you past the beautiful and historic Kinross house. There are lots of walks which are all suitable for bikes, prams, wheelchairs etc. The whole trail is over 12km if you were really keen! but you can access different areas from all around the Loch. Kinross House was put on the market last year or the year before, but I don't know if it has sold, there was talk of it becoming a hotel. The gardens at Kinross House are/were open to the public, but I didn't see any sign to indicate they were open at present, I shall have to find out.
LochLeven Castle is run and maintained by Historic Scotland. We had a lovely boat trip across, but the wind was starting to get quite fierce which made the loch quite choppy and the 'skipper' warned us that he might not be able to get along side the jetty for us to disembark, but he did thankfully. Lochleven Castle is probably best known as the place where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner for a year before she escaped in 1568, but the whole history of the castle is fascinating. I have a guide book available for guests. We all had a great time exploring the ruins and had an exciting boat trip back as we got quite wet! 
We went on a trip down to Kinross today, only 40 minutes away. As the children are on holiday I thought it may be fun to go to Loch Leven and get the boat across to the Castle. It is well signposted as to how to get to the pier and we had a wander around as we waited for the boat. Loch Leven is a national nature reserve and further round the loch is the RSPB centre called Vane Farm where you can go and view the bird life from the hides. There are ducks, geese, swans, herons, great crested grebes, ospreys and if your lucky you may see a sea eagle. More than 20,000 birds are supposed to overwinter on the Loch. 
I am pleased to say I was recently accepted as a Cittaslow Perth business supporter and yesterday evening myself and other businesses were invited to Perth to the council offices to receive our certificates from the Provost. Cittaslow is all about taking the time to enjoy life and protecting your environment, conserving your town, getting out and about in your town, buying and thinking local, being part of your community and welcoming visitors.
The Ospreys are back along at Loch of Lowes after their warm winter in Africa. I have been waiting and watching the webcams and following people on twitter to see and hear about the Ospreys return. Yesterday an Osprey landed in the nest but then went away before returning again in the evening. This morning it was confirmed as being the regular female 'Lady', she is also known as 'Marge'. What is more remarkable is that this is her 21st consecutive visit for the breeding season and she is aged at about 26 years old. Last year she was seriously ill in her nest and everyone thought she wouldn't survive but she rallied round and successfully raised two chicks with her partner. Because of her traumatic time last year she probably wasn't expected to return this year, but the grand girl has surprised everyone again, she must overwinter in a magical place that gives her super powers! 
This afternoon my Mum treated us to Peter Pan on Ice at Perth Concert Hall. I have walked past the concert hall many times but this was the first time inside. They have lots of events through the year, full details here. Today's spectacular was performed by a hugely talented group of Russian Ice Stars, pretty amazing what they could accomplice on an iced stage. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. Perth Concert Hall is easy to find in Perth with nearby parking in the multi-storey and it is only 25 minutes away by car or you could easily take the regular bus services into Perth.
Looking at these pictures you wouldn't believe we had quite a bit of snow yesterday, but I promise these were taken today. On the way back from Gloagburn I stopped at the Thistlebrig car park on the south side of Stanley. This car park is very popular with canoeists as the path takes you down to the River Tay and the reason is it is a superb stretch for whitewater even in the height of the summer. There is access further up the river at Burnmouth or at the Kinclaven bridge for the canoeists to start their descent. It was a bit muddy today but a nice stroll all the same.
We are delighted to have been included in The Independent Newspaper's 50 Best B&B's feature which came out yesterday, of course I had to rush out and buy a couple of copies. Click here for the link to the online version. The online picture is of the dining-room which unfortunately doesn't show my lovely new chairs, come to think of it don't think I've shown you yet. I take so many pictures of 'things' to blog about and then I never get around to doing it, catch up time I think!
Had a quick trip over to Gloagburn Farm Shop as my Mum had informed me that they were now growing and producing their own Oatmeal. Naturally this was music to my ears for my Perthshire Breakfast. Their oatmeal comes in Pinhead, fine and medium textures and they also have oatflakes, perfect for soda bread. They are also producing their own chicken feed which I have already tried out on the chickens, they love it. Proud to say my chickens, their house and their feed all come from Perthshire! and of course my ladies produce their delicious Perthshire eggs for your breakfast.
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