News

What to do in Scotland’s First National Park?

/ Bayleaf

You’ll have seen from the photos and videos on the website that the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park has some of the most stunning scenery in the world. Anyone who has stopped at Rhumhor knows that craggy mountains, rolling green forests and stunning lochs make up the views around here.

However it is not just the stunning scenery that makes Scotland’s first national park a great destination for your holiday or short break. There is amazing wildlife to see and plenty of activities for every age to enjoy.

This new video produced by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Parks highlights just what the park has to offer.

As the video says – it is all closer than you think. Loch Goil is just over an hour from Glasgow airport and while you can enjoy the tranquillity and peace of what feels like a remote glen you also have great facilities all around. In the village of Lochgoilhead you’ll find bars & restaurants, boat hire, canoe trips, outdoor activities and indoor ones too.

Here at Carrick Castle you are in the ideal spot for walks – from a gentle lochside stroll to a hike into the hills.

Jump in the car and you can explore this stunning national park for yourself, what are you waiting for?

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Pet Friendly Places

/ Bayleaf

As dog owners ourselves we know that when you come to a new area on holiday it can be hard to find places to visit where you can take your dogs. With this in mind we have been gathering information on local attractions, places to eat and drink and good dog friendly walks. We are always adding to our information and we are always pleased to hear from guests if they have discovered a new dog friendly establishment.

These are just a few places mentioned – we provide more detailed information in our information pack:

Dog Friendly Restaurants, Bars & Cafes
The George, Inveraray
The Stagecoach, Cairndow
The Coylet, Loch Eck
The Dug Cafe, Loch Lomond Shores

Attractions
Motor Boat Hire – Loch Goil
Loch Lomond Cruises – Loch Lomond
Inveraray Jail – Inveraray

Walks – too many to list here!

Of course Rhumhor is one of a handful of large self catering houses in the Loch Lomond National Park that is dog friendly. We welcome well behaved dog(s) with prior discussion and agreement and we are happy to allow dogs access to the full downstairs area of the house, provided dogs remain off all furniture and beds. We do provide a stair gate as dogs are not allowed onto the first floor areas. We ask owners to agree to some simple terms and conditions for our doggie guests and we’ve found that over the years our guests really appreciate being able to bring the furry member of their family along for the holiday. It’s much nicer for everyone if their dog can join in their short break or holiday rather than be sent off to kennels.

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Time to treat your Mum?

/ Bayleaf

What nicer way to celebrate Mother’s Day than treating your mum to a holiday away from it all? Why not pamper her by offering to do all the cooking, let her put her feet up and enjoy stunning scenery, peace and tranquillity. It’s a chance for her to spend time with her precious family in a stylish, spacious and very comfortable holiday home. Enjoy a Spring break on beautiful Loch Goil here at Rhumhor Holiday Lodge.    Come and enjoy the first signs of Spring in Argyll.

Why not treat your mum to a special Mother’s day break. Rhumhor sleeps up to nine people and is an ideal house for multi-generational families with our ground floor bedrooms and four more bedrooms up on the first floor. The family room is an amazing space for everyone to get together. Those that fancy a moment to themselves can enjoy the stunning loch views from the drawing room or mountain views from the half landing.

Spring arrives on Loch Goil
Spring arrives on Loch Goil
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

A House with Loch Views

/ Bayleaf

If you are holidaying in Scotland you want to be sure that on those days you decide you’d like to stay indoors you can still enjoy the sight of the stunning Scottish countryside.  At Rhumhor you will be truly spoilt as the house has uninterrupted views over Loch Goil and the mountains that surround the loch.   It means that you can enjoy a different picture from every window each day of your stay.  The loch never has the same ‘mood’ and there is always something different to see from the house.  In summer we have dreamy days with the blues of the loch and greens of the Argyll Forest park. In autumn the gold and russet of trees and bracken provide a rich and fiery feel to the scene, and in the winter the snow capped mountains offer a cool winter wonderland.  As the house sits on the shore you can see a variety of sea birds, seals and even the occasional submarine from the front windows and from the windows that face the mountains you may see deer, foxes or even pine martens.  Rainbows are common above the loch, although we have yet to find that elusive pot of gold.

While all rooms facing the front of the house look out over the loch, our upstairs turret room has panoramic views of both loch and the mountains behind the house and this is the room to stay in if you love seeing the sun rise. Rhumhor’s unique picture windows on the half landing provide unparalleled mountain views, and even at the kitchen sink you’ll be distracted by another picture perfect sight of the Loch.

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Winter Watch Back in Scotland

/ Bayleaf

We are very excited to see that Winter Watch is back in Scotland on Monday 20th January. Scotland has some amazing and unique wildlife and it is always fascinating to see them captured by the BBC.

Of course guests at Rhumhor have great opportunities to see Scotland’s wildlife throughout the year. In the heart of the Argyll Forest park we are fortunate enough to be located in one of the last strongholds of the red squirrel in the UK. They can often be seen around the road between Carrick Castle and Lochgoilhead or in the forests around the glen.

Loch Goil has its own seal colony and in the last few months we seem to have our own splinter group at Carrick. A short distance past the castle and you can see them perching on the rocks and as you get closer there is usually a couple who come to take a peek at any walkers passing their shingle bay. As the house has such clear loch views you can sometimes stand in the drawing room and see the seals playing in the loch right in front of the house.

Pine martens, once common across the UK, will be a familiar sight to Winter Watch viewers. This summer we were fortunate enough to photograph and video one in Rhumhor’s gardens, beautiful creatures.

Summer also brings visiting porpoises to the loch. You can see them with binoculars form the shore outside the house, however it is even more exciting to take a canoe trip on the loch where you can find them circling you as they chase fish.

Throughout the year you may see red and roe deer in the glen. In September it is easier to catch site of a stag as they bellow accross the hills at each other during the rut.

Birdwatchers are always spoilt when they stay at Rhumhor as not only do you have resident and migrant sea birds, you also have birds of prey, buzzards, sparrow hawks and if you are lucky you may spot a golden eagle.

Guests this year have also reported seeing an otter in the loch. We have yet to spot this shy creature, however we will be keeping a close eye out during 2014.

This video shows some of the wildlife we have been lucky enough to capture on video over the past year. We hope it gives you a taster of the wildlife you could see if you book your holiday in our beautiful self catering house this year. We look forward to welcoming you to Rhumhor Holiday Lodge and Loch Goil.

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Dogs are welcome in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park

/ Bayleaf

Dog CafeThere is excellent news for our doggie guests this year. A new dog friendly cafe has opened at Lomond Shores, the shopping centre at the head of Loch Lomond.

It offers a warm welcome to dogs and their owners at the entrance to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. The ‘Dug Cafe‘ is a place you can have lunch or just a coffee with your four legged friends. We will be adding this to our list of dog friendly places for our guests at Rhumhor Holiday Lodge.

We also recommend the nearby Balloch Castle Country Park, with its stunning views of Loch Lomond, for a walk with your dog either before or after your visit to the Dug Cafe.

Rhumhor is dog friendly accommodation (with prior discussion) and dogs staying here have some fantastic walks around Loch Goil and into the mountains and forests surrounding the loch. We can always offer advice on walks and places to visit with your dog.

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail