Loch Rannoch & Dunkled

The Scottish highlands seem to have a way of keeping secret the most scenic of locations, hidden deep within valleys and pine forests. They appear non existent, only for them to be unlocked to your consciousness at a given date as if you’ve levelled up your character in a video game. You’ll find yourself glancing at a map and noticing a new body of water that definitely wasn’t there before. Of course it was there all along.

Our most recent discovery, is Loch Ranoch, roughly 20km west of Pitlochry. A fairly sizeable and obvious landmark on the map now I know it's there. Travelling from Edinburgh is roughly a two and a half hour drive, with plenty of opportunities to explore on the way. Nearing the destination, we find ourselves upon the small town of Kinloch Rannoch where the landscape grows in scale as you approach. The view west shows a mirror image of the peaks of Glencoe while Schiehallion watches from the South East. The loch could not have been more still and it felt like there should be rules in place to prevent anyone from disturbing the calm. But when a playing surface of this quality presents itself, rocks must be thrown.

With Autumn now truly upon us, the fiery reds and oranges of the leaves gave the sun a helping hand to deliver temperatures just warm enough for outdoor pints in the afternoon. We spent the next few days exploring the loch, eating and drinking and walking along the banks of the Tay. We got married the weekend before. This adventure was one to savour.