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A Highland calf walks across a lawn before a pink harled house, a stone wall and outbuilding visible behind.
Loch Lomond

Monachyle Mhor

With a hot tub, a sauna, a restaurant and room for the dog.

Book on their website
Welcome

Monachyle Mhor is a hotel and restaurant at Balquhidder, in the Trossachs, on its own 2,000-acre estate overlooking Loch Voil and Loch Doine.

Tom and Dick Lewis’s parents, Rob and Jean, bought the hill farm in 1983. Rob farmed sheep and cattle, Jean did bed and breakfast in the farmhouse, and it grew from there. It’s still a working farm, with black-face sheep, Highland cattle, pigs and Rhode Island Red hens laying the hotel’s breakfast eggs. The restaurant cooks lamb off the hill, venison from the stalkers next door and vegetables, herbs and fruit from the kitchen garden.

There are six Feature Rooms, five Courtyard Rooms and four Farmhouse Rooms in the hotel itself. Around the estate there are a restored 1950s Pilot Panther showman’s wagon with an outdoor wood-fired bath, the Ferry Cabin and its Bothy, a Corr cabin, a Tiny House, and In the Trees, a cabin up among the trees with its own wood-burning hot tub. Calair Cottage, a three-bedroom self-catering cottage with a wood-fired hot tub, is in Balquhidder village beside the Balvaig. Down by the river there is a wood-fired sauna, with a cold plunge in the river or a swim in Loch Voil after.

We've always been a farm. We're really farmers who have diversified.
Tom, Monachyle Mhor
What is here

A restaurant and bar, with the hotel’s own farm and kitchen garden behind the menus.

Hot tub
Sauna
Fireplace
Bar
Breakfast served
Dinner Served
Kitchen
Restaurant
TV
Wood-burning stove
Good to know
Arriving
In from 3pm; out by 11am. Ask ahead for an early arrival or a late leaving.
Rooms
Fifteen in the hotel; five hideaways round the estate.
Dinner
6.30 to 9pm every night, a menu that changes daily; book a table with reception.
Lunch
À la carte at weekends, noon to 2pm; a bar menu every day from noon.
Dogs
Three of the rooms take dogs; ask which when you book. Not In the Trees.
Access
The Tack Room is wheelchair-accessible; it is one of the Feature Rooms.
Sauna
Open 8am to 6pm by the river; pre-book a session.
Signal
Little or no phone signal in the glen; wifi in the hotel and the rooms.
Car
Essential; no public transport reaches the glen and taxis must be booked ahead.
Charging
EV charging at Mhor 84 on the A84, nine miles away.
The farm
2,000 acres over Lochs Voil and Doine: blackface sheep, Highland cattle, pigs and hens.
Where it is

Monachyle Mhor is at the end of the single-track road along Loch Voil from Balquhidder, near Lochearnhead in Perthshire, within Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

The address is Balquhidder, Lochearnhead FK19 8PQ. The owners say it is less than two hours from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. Calair Cottage is in Balquhidder village itself.

Getting hereFrom the A84 at Kingshouse, turn for Balquhidder and follow the single-track road along Loch Voil for about nine miles to its end. The hotel is signposted; check in at reception.

Close byWhere the owners send their guests, nearest first.
  1. Sauna and Swim Experience, Loch LomondThe riverside saunaHeat up in the sauna by the river, then a cold plunge in the river or a swim in Loch Voil. Open 8am to 6pm; pre-book.On the estate on foot
  2. Loch Voil among trees and hills in the Braes of Balquhidder.Loch VoilJust steps from the hotel: guests swim, paddle, or watch the light change over the hills.Steps away on foot
  3. Balquhidder parish church and the ruined old kirk among trees, from the air.Rob Roy's graveThe resting place of Rob Roy MacGregor, by the church where the short walk up Creag an Tuirc, the Rock of the Boar, begins.4 miles 6 min by road
  4. Ben More and Stob Binnein white with snow under a blue sky.Stob BinneinOne of five Munros in Balquhidder Glen; the hotel's team will happily suggest a route.23 miles 33 min by road
  5. Forested hillside curves along a still loch beneath distant mountainsBen Shean and Loch LubnaigA steep path from Strathyre up Ben Shean: from the first knoll, the picnic spot, Loch Lubnaig lies beneath like a mirror.11 miles 15 min by road
  6. A shopfront lettered 'MHOR Bread' displays loaves and pastries in the window, outdoor tables and chairs set beside the entrance.Mhor BreadThe family's own bakery in Callander since 2007: sourdough, cakes, pastries, pies and sausage rolls. Open every day, 8am to 5pm.17 miles 25 min by road
  7. A red-brick building lettered "DEANSTON DISTILLERY" stands beside a taller mill building, a road curving past manicured lawns.Deanston DistilleryOn the River Teith in an old cotton mill, with guided tours; the hotel pours its whisky and can arrange a tasting.road
  8. Glen LyonA lovely drive over the Ben Lawers range into the longest, loneliest glen, with a tea room by the river.road
  9. Gravestones and stone wall beside a church with arched windows and tall yew treesThe Fortingall YewWhere the Glen Lyon road ends, by the church at Fortingall: a yew the owners call the oldest in the world.road
  10. The white Glengoyne distillery buildings below the wooded slope of Dumgoyne.Glengoyne DistilleryThe slowest distillation in Scotland; tours run on the hour, seven days a week.road
  11. Go Ape Aberfoyle, Loch LomondGo Ape, AberfoyleTree-top zip wires in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, two of them among the longest in the UK; book online.road
  12. A lion walking through long grass.Blair Drummond Safari ParkExotic animals, boat trips and adventures for the whole family, open every day.road
Walks from here
  1. Creag an TuircCreag an Tuirc2½ miles, about three and a half hours4 miles away
  2. Glen OgleGlen Ogle6 miles, about five hours9 miles away
  3. Ben LediBen Ledi6 miles, about seven hours14 miles away
  4. St FillansSt Fillans8 miles, about four hours16 miles away
  5. KillinKillin2½ miles, about three and a half hours16 miles away
  6. CallanderCallander4½ miles, about 2½ hours, by the National Park17 miles away
Directions
Suie Hunting Lodge, Loch LomondLuibSuie Hunting LodgePlace to stay · 5.1 miles
The Broch Café's carved wooden sign above spring daffodils.CafeThe Broch Cafe8.4 miles
Wooden jetty on a misty loch surrounded by autumn woodlandAttractionsLoch Earn10 miles
A long loch among the hills from the slopes of Ben Vorlich.AttractionsBen Vorlich11 miles
White water pouring over rocks at the Falls of Leny.AttractionsFalls of Leny15 miles
The view from Ben Ledi's slopes over the hills of the Trossachs.AttractionsBen Ledi15 miles
The Falls of Dochart tumbling over rocks through Killin.AttractionsFalls of Dochart16 miles
The Trossachs Woollen Mill beside the rushing river at Kilmahog.AttractionsTrossachs Woollen Mill16 miles
Village nestled among green fields and hills under a cloudy skyAttractionsBreadalbane16 miles

Recommend to a friend

Days out from Monachyle MhorAll days out from here
  1. Rob Roy's grave and the riverside sauna at Monachyle MhorRob Roy's grave and the riverside sauna at Monachyle Mhor4 miles away A few hours
  2. A walk up Creag an Tuirc above BalquhidderA walk up Creag an Tuirc above Balquhidder4 miles away A few hours
  3. Loch Lubnaig walk on the old railway to StrathyreLoch Lubnaig walk on the old railway to Strathyre6 miles away A day out
  4. The Glen Ogle Trail walk from LochearnheadThe Glen Ogle Trail walk from Lochearnhead8 miles away A few hours
  5. A walk to Brenachoile Point on Loch KatrineA walk to Brenachoile Point on Loch Katrine8 miles away A few hours
  6. Loch Katrine and InversnaidLoch Katrine and Inversnaid8 miles away A day out
  7. Ben A'an and lunch at the Lade InnBen A'an and lunch at the Lade Inn8 miles away A few hours
  8. The Creag Noran viewpoint walk above Loch AchrayThe Creag Noran viewpoint walk above Loch Achray8 miles away A few hours
  9. A walk up Ben Venue from Loch AchrayA walk up Ben Venue from Loch Achray8 miles away A day out
  10. A walk to the Falls of Falloch and lunch at the Drovers InnA walk to the Falls of Falloch and lunch at the Drovers Inn9 miles away A few hours
  11. Ben Ledi, above CallanderBen Ledi, above Callander10 miles away A day out
  12. A walk to St Fillan's Priory and fish and chips in TyndrumA walk to St Fillan's Priory and fish and chips in Tyndrum10 miles away A few hours
  13. The Auchmore circuit walk from the Falls of Dochart, KillinThe Auchmore circuit walk from the Falls of Dochart, Killin10 miles away A few hours
  14. Finlarig Castle and lunch by the Falls of DochartFinlarig Castle and lunch by the Falls of Dochart11 miles away A few hours
  15. The Lochan Spling walk in Loch Ard ForestThe Lochan Spling walk in Loch Ard Forest12 miles away A few hours
  16. Go Ape's Treetop Challenge at AberfoyleGo Ape's Treetop Challenge at Aberfoyle12 miles away A few hours
  17. Breakfast at Mhor Bread and a stroll by the Teith in CallanderBreakfast at Mhor Bread and a stroll by the Teith in Callander12 miles away A few hours
  18. Callander's Three Bridges walk and Samson's StoneCallander's Three Bridges walk and Samson's Stone12 miles away A few hours
  19. A walk to the Fairy Knowe on Doon HillA walk to the Fairy Knowe on Doon Hill12 miles away A few hours
  20. A Day in the TrossachsA Day in the Trossachs12 miles away A day out
  21. Callander Crags and Bracklinn FallsCallander Crags and Bracklinn Falls12 miles away A few hours
  22. Soft play, a swim and the toy museum in CallanderSoft play, a swim and the toy museum in Callander12 miles away A day out
  23. A Loch Tay cruise by RIB and the Scottish Crannog CentreA Loch Tay cruise by RIB and the Scottish Crannog Centre13 miles away A day out
  24. A walk on the old railway from St FillansA walk on the old railway from St Fillans14 miles away A few hours
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