Chocolate River at the Bobbin Mill

The Bobbin Mill, our very lovely four star self catering house, is on the banks of the River Earn in Comrie, Perthshire. The location is truly wonderful looking like something from a traditional Scottish postcard, and as we live next door we share similar views of the river in all its natural glory. It never looks the same twice and living beside it means that the view from my kitchen window is always interesting. Obviously the size of the river is dependent on the weather and since, remarkably, there has been little rain over the last few weeks, it has been reduced to a very low level. The weir, built to power the mill wheel which cut the wood for the Bobbins originally produced at the Mill, has been exposed almost to summer levels and a salmon which must have died after being stranded on the weir has been clearly visible for the last few days.

Now, overnight there has been a dramatic change. Gone are the bright, sunny winter days and the accompanying hard frosts which turned the landscape into a magical fairyland, and instead a temporary covering of snow and subsequent heavy rain has swept the salmon off the weir and turned the river into a chocolate coloured roaring mass. The ducks which seem to play on the weir have taken themselves off to more accommodating water and the heron has deserted us for an easier standing point. There have been no sightings of otters for a while though their tracks are still around so they are here.

The location of the Bobbin Mill is one of its biggest selling points and is one of the reasons why our guests return regularly. A self catering break in Scotland is always going to be a gamble on the weather, but feedback from our guests tell us that really, when the house is so lovely, warm and comfortable and well equipped, it doesn't matter if it rains or is cold outside. The lucky ones who encounter snow enjoy the beauty it creates in this already stunningly beautiful part of the world and when you do get the sunshine there is nowhere like it.

We offer short breaks between October and April and the fact that we are pretty much always busy is a testament not only to the wonderful house but also to where is is. People come for all sorts of reasons - because we're easily accessible from the larger conurbations of Scotland and their airports; because this is a great area for golf with 33 golf courses in the county including the world famous Gleneagles; for walking because there are so many beautiful walks and and Munroes; for biking with our off road tracks and local challenging mountain bike trails; for water sports since Loch Earn is a short drive away and offers everything from waterskiing to banana surfing; for the history and the culture; to hang out with friends and family in a beautiful and comfortable environment and just for the peace and tranquility, the wildlife, the stunning countryside, and the river which, whatever the weather, can lull even the most confirmed insomniac to sleep.

Last minute off season, low price, short breaks available in Scotland

You get the best self catering rates at the moment. In January many fine properties offer short breaks at less than £8 per head per night. That is fantastic value, B+Bs are three times that.

And the scenery is breathtakingly beautiful. This is the Pap of Glencoe. The famous massacre took place on February 14th on a very cold day, at 5am in 1692. Before Scotland was joined officially to England this was.

The people in the Glen were driven out of their beds by the Argyll soldiers, and they fled over the hills in the dark and cold to where our cottage is situated near Duror, in Stewart country.

39 of them were killed, or died in the snow. But most of the soldiers, far from killing them as ordered, made sure they got away. They fired warning shots and gave the alarm, even though it meant death for the soldiers if they were caught doing it. The commander of the attack was not given his orders until midnight, so they were unprepared for the atrocity they had to commit.

People say, even to-day, that it was a Campbell inspired massacre, but the facts tell us that it was a government plot. It was engineered in Edinburgh to get rid of the troublesome clans, and signed off by William, King of England, though he denied it later when the protests broke out. Ever the same with politics isn't it?

The connection with the Pap is that legend has it that a lone piper escaped to the top of the Pap, and sounded a lament on the pipes. This told the Camerons and Mackenzies and Stewarts that a great disaster had occurred. Many MacDonalds were taken in by these other clans.

Wouldn't you like to have a break from this credit crunch talk, and have some time off in this most peaceful place, well, peaceful to-day at any rate?

If you look at the link below my name you'll find about ten other properties, apart from ours, all over Scotland, and they are all offering you a warm and peaceful welcome to Scotland.

John
ps You will never get any house accommodation at as low a cost as this, it is the finest value for money, absolutely the finest.


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