Loch Tay – a Cruise by RIB and the Scottish Crannog Centre
A day.
The route
Loch Tay Safaris takes small groups out on Perthshire's largest loch in a fast cabin RIB, a rigid inflatable boat, from a marina near its Killin end, with a skipper full of the loch's history and folklore.
Afterwards, it's a half-hour drive along the shore to the Scottish Crannog Centre near Kenmore, where an Iron Age house stands out over the water, for lunch in its café and a guided tour.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is The House at Dun Aluinn, 6 miles away. Sleeps 18.
Book a Loch Tay Safaris cruise online or on 01887 820071 before you go: the 1.5-hour cruise usually leaves at 10am and 2.30pm and the 50-minute at noon and 1pm, but days and times vary through the year, and it sails from Milton Morenish near Killin.
Book the Scottish Crannog Centre
Book the Scottish Crannog Centre online for the afternoon, in time for the last guided museum tour at 4pm; tickets can be moved to another date but not refunded.
The day
Loch Tay
An hour and a half skimming the length of Perthshire's biggest loch with its stories, then lunch and the Iron Age at the water's edge near Kenmore.
About five hours
Loch Tay Safaris
Loch Tay Safaris, run by Highland Safaris of Aberfeldy, sails from the marina at Loch Tay Highland Lodges, Milton Morenish, near the Killin end of the loch, with free parking and toilets on site. Its boat is Iolaire, Gaelic for eagle, a 12-seat RIB with a heated cabin and open decks front and back. The skipper tells the loch's history and folklore on the way, from how it was formed to how people lived around its dark waters. The 1.5-hour cruise leaves at 10am and 2.30pm and costs £50 a person at the time of writing, and a 50-minute cruise at noon and 1pm is £35. Days and times vary through the year, so book online or on 01887 820071. It suits all ages, but dogs can't come aboard.
29 min by car
The Scottish Crannog Centre
An attraction
It's 29 minutes' drive north-east along the loch to the Scottish Crannog Centre at Dalerb, just west of Kenmore, where a crannog, an Iron Age house on stilts, has been rebuilt out over the water. Start with lunch in its café, which serves food from 9.30am with last orders at 5.30pm, then take the guided tour of the museum and the Iron Age village, where the last tour is at 4pm. It's £16.50 for adults and £11 for under-16s at the time of writing, booked online. Most of the site is level, with ramps. There's a play park and the loch shore, and dogs are welcome. From November to March, ring 01887 440231 before going.
If it rains
The cruise boat has a heated cabin and runs in most weather; at the Crannog Centre the museum, café and the crannog's roof are shelter, though the village is outdoors.
The Courtyard Brasserie & Bar, a restaurant in Kenmore.
Photographs by David Hughes and Araceli via Google