St Fillans

Still at the edge of Loch Earn

A mirrored human figure stands at the water's edge, holding the loch and the hills behind it in its surface. It is called Still, the work of the sculptor Rob Mulholland, and can be seen on optional detours from both of the main walks described here. You are at the eastern end of Loch Earn, seven miles of water running west between the hills, with the River Earn draining out past you toward Comrie. Ben Vorlich, nearly a thousand metres of it, sits across the loch and takes up most of the view.

The village runs along the shore in a single line. Low stone cottages sit beside grander Victorian villas with decorative bargeboards and planted gardens, the loch to the south and the embankment of a closed railway to the north. It is the built record of a fishing clachan that Lord Gwydyr renamed in 1817, releasing land along the shore for development and attracting summer and retirement villas.

Lochside dining

For food and a drink, the Four Seasons Hotel looks out over the water. Seasons Snug is its public bar; Seasons View welcomes non-residents to European and Scottish food, with a beer garden and indoor fire. Highland afternoon tea includes smoked-salmon and cheese sandwiches, handmade fruit scones, shortbread and tablet. Dogs are welcome, and overnight guests can bring them at no extra charge.

Achray House, a little along the shore, pairs loch views with a changing tasting menu rooted in classic French cooking and seasonal ingredients. The restaurant has two AA Rosettes, a wine list that reaches from London to Japan, and conservatory seating for guests with pets.

Coffee and climbs

At the St Fillans Village Store and Coffee Shop, homemade scones and sandwiches sit alongside Danish pastries, bacon rolls and coffee. Shelves hold locally sourced eggs, bread and vegetables, plus licensed wine and beer; the shop also sells Loch Earn brown-trout fishing permits.

Two longer walks offer different climbs from the village. The Dundurn route begins at the village parking area and runs three miles over lanes and the golf course to a faint, steep summit with Strathearn spread below; the final field is often extremely boggy, so wear boots with good grip. The Loch Earn viewpoint walk starts at the lochside A85 layby at the western end of the village, then rises through birch and conifer woods to the surge shaft of the hydro station. Water from Glen Lednock drops to turbines underground, and the walk returns along the old railway past the playpark. A shorter contour path behind the village, the Goats' Path, has loose scree and the chance of red squirrels, deer or osprey.

Golf and wild goats

The nine-hole golf course lies on flat ground across the river, opened in 1903 to a shot struck by the Countess of Ancaster; Sandy Lyle holds its record with a 66. Wild goats live on the hills around Dundurn, and the club took one for its crest.

The crocodile and the quiet

East of the village, painted on a rock on the old railway line, is a crocodile. The Strathearn Herald, in 1964, after the Beatles spent two quiet nights at the hotel, decided the village's chief asset was its peace: "The quiet of St. Fillans is the place to get it."