TRAVEL | Lochside Luxury at Loch Tay Highland Lodges – Review

October 21, 2023 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Glamping Site Reviews, Homepage Feature, Lodges & Holiday Parks, Reviews, Sponsored Product/Stay, Travel

Like it? Help us by sharing it!

Recently embarking on a bucket list holiday to the Western Isles of Scotland and Outer Hebrides, we ended our epic road trip with a relaxing few days at the wonderful Loch Tay Highland Lodges in Killin. Read on to find out more…

Loch Tay Highland Lodges Scotland review

Where we stayed

Loch Tay Highland Lodges
Milton Morenish
Estate
Killin
FK21 8TY

From traditional cottages and log cabins to quirky cabins, camping pods and geodesic domes, Loch Tay Highland Lodges is an award-winning holiday park, occupying an enviable location between the stunning Ben Lawers range and Loch Tay, in Killin, Scotland.

Location

We recently embarked on an incredible 17-day Highlands and Islands road trip, something that had been on my bucket list for some 20+ years, and after clocking up well over a thousand miles, moving on every couple of days, I was keen to end the trip with some proper relaxation.

Located just outside of the northeastern border of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, an area I’ve come to know and love, Loch Tay Highland Lodges is a spot I’d actually driven past many times on my way to kayak in Loch Tay and hike up Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers and was delighted to finally stay there.

Accommodation & facilities

After spending almost 2 weeks living out of cases, moving every few days and covering some serious miles, we wanted to stay in something that would allow us to truly rest, recharge and feel at home for a few days.

Tempted by the geodesic glamping domes, we decided to choose a 1 bedroom cabin with hot tub, and what a fantastic accommodation choice it was!

Just a couple of the other accommodation options

Lochside Luxury at Loch Tay Highland Lodges — Just a couple of the other accommodation options

We left our glamping cabin on the Isle of Harris at 4am on Monday morning to get to Tarbert for the ferry back to Skye. From Skye I drove over the Skye Bridge back onto the mainland, back down through Fort William and Glencoe before finally checking in at reception around 4.30pm. After more than 12 hours of travel I couldn’t wait for us to get settled in and chill!

Check in was smooth and fast and we found our cabin to be extremely well appointed with two big comfy sofas, a lovely wood-burning fire, a great kitchen with a decent fridge and full cooker, a really well-sized bathroom with a towel rail (great for drying off my swimming gear) and a good size double bedroom with decent storage.

From an aesthetic perspective, everything was lovely with a nice contemporary vibe and we loved how secluded the cabins felt thanks to clever positioning and landscaping.

The outside space was great too, with a barbecue, picnic bench and plenty of parking space right beside each cabin.

In fact, the whole time we were there, our only gripe was the comfort of the bed which wasn’t great and I actually ended up having to sleep on the sofa for the last 3 nights. So, a new mattress definitely needs to be ordered for Glen Ogle!

That gripe aside, we found fault with nothing else and of course, one of the best things about the cabin was the hot tub which was a great size and something we used at least once every day.

As an open-water swimmer, after a chilly autumn swim in Loch Tay, warming up with a hot drink in my dry robe and then getting into the hot tub was a dreamy experience.

Back inside the cabin, we spent our long evenings playing board games, reading and watching classic horror movies snuggled up in front of the wood burner.

One of the things we really liked was upon arrival, finding everything we needed for the fire, and together with some logs we’d brought with us, we were toasty and warm every evening.

The cabin really did provide us with an almost perfect end to our road trip, and that’s even before we factor in the easy access to Loch Tay, beautiful woodland and the Boathouse restaurant bar, but I’ll get to that in more detail soon.

*The Boathouse Kitchen & Bar at Loch Tay Highland Lodges*

Food & drink

The cabins are perfectly set up to allow for easy self-catering and so we stocked up at the Co-op in Killin (a few minutes drive away) on our way and then were able to cook meals whenever we wanted.

There’s a small shop on site located inside the reception, so if you do forget anything and don’t want to drive, you can try your luck there. Our top tip though is to make use of the on-site restaurant, The Boathouse, whenever you can!

*Enjoying cocktails and food at The Boathouse*

Located right next to Loch Tay, The Boathouse enjoys fantastic views over the Loch and is a wonderful place to sit outside with a coffee on a nice afternoon or to enjoy something a bit more substantial.

Often restaurants in holiday parks aren’t usually great, with low prices and food to match, designed to appeal to families. Whilst The Boathouse certainly isn’t expensive (think average gastro pub prices), the quality of food and indeed the quality of the cocktails exceeded our expectations massively.

Outside of the main tourist season, The Boathouse isn’t open every day, so we kept an eye on when it was open whilst we were there and made the most of it. Everything we chose was fantastic, the service was efficient and friendly and we only wished it had been open every day so we could have eaten there more frequently!

@campingwithstyle We’re now entering the final part of our fantastic Western Isles road trip and we’re now back down near Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, at the beautiful Loch Tay Highland Lodges in an area I love and know well 😍 We’re starting in a gorgeous hot tub cabin and It’s fantastic to have such a comfy base for our few days before we return to reality 🥰 #vacation #roadtrip #lochtay #killin #scotland #travel #ferry #lochtayhighlandlodges ♬ Lofi/Fashionable/Rose Piano/10 minutes(1455693) – nightbird_bgm

Outside of Loch Tay Highland Lodges, Killin provides some great options for eating out. You’ll find hearty traditional dishes at the Capercaillie and excellent smoked salmon dishes at the Falls of Dochart Smokehouse and if it’s delicious coffee and cake you’re after, then head to friendly Shutters – their Empire Biscuits and mochas are a must!

Out & about

The first time I went to Scotland I chose Killin as my base and went there with the goal of hiking up my first munro. That didn’t happen due to snow and lack of crampons, but I returned a couple of years after on a solo trip and did it.

Ben Lawers nature reserve hike — *Ben Lawers nature reserve walk*

Having already hiked to the top of Ben Lawers, this time around we decided to stick to lower ground and instead enjoyed a walk following the burn around the nature reserve which was wonderful.

@campingwithstyle Join us for a slow hike on a beautiful rainy autumn day on the lower slopes of Beinn Ghlas in the Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve in the Highlands of Scotland. #benlawers #scotland #hiking #rain #mountain #slowhiking #getoutsidemore #autumn #naturelovers ♬ Autumn Leaves – Timothy Cole

Of course with hills and lochs within spitting distance, this is the ideal place to stay for those into hill walking, swimming and watersports. You can hire kayaks and more are available from In Your Element and they have lots of other activities they can offer too.

For swimmers, access to Loch Tay is easy and in late September I found the water to be still surprisingly warm, though a wetsuit is probably a good idea much earlier or any later in the year.

The Falls of Dochart (above) are not to be missed, and you’re likely to drive past them on your way in or out of Killin and they are worth a stop. On a calm day, a picnic on the rocks is possible, but whilst we were there, heavy rainfall had turned them into a raging torrent which really was something to behold!

*Loch Lubnaig, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park*

If you’re staying for longer and happy to drive a little, all that the wonderful Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park has to offer is yours to enjoy.

Summary

We absolutely love this area of Scotland and it’s not our first time here and it certainly won’t be our last. Loch Tay Highland Lodges is a beautiful site, in a superb location and beautiful grounds that are neat, tidy and well kept.

It’s the perfect choice for a getaway at any time of year, but we absolutely loved our Autumn visit and wouldn’t hesitate to stay again.

Inside our cabin at Loch Tay Highland Lodges

Our trip

We spent 4 nights at Loch Tay Highland Lodges, arriving on Monday and leaving on a Friday. We stayed in a 1 bedroom cabin with hot tub. Prices for cabins start from £403 for 4 nights.

Learn more about Loch Tay Highland Lodges here.

DISCLOSURE | Thank you to Largo Leisure who invited us to stay. We were not required or paid to write this review.

Follow Shell

Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

Follow Shell

Latest posts by Shell Robshaw-Bryan (see all)