A little look at our Guestbook so far . . .

It has been a really enjoyable season, albeit a little short. We have had some fantastic feeback which is always really encouraging and appreciated. Here's a few comments to date . . .

Enrico & Michela Gieri, Visited 08/07/08

" We spent a beautiful time here, the place is lovely, the owner is truly kind and the food was gorgeous!"


Saltsmans (Nashville TN) Visited 30/07/08

" Thankyou for everything! It is great here!!"

Ray & Donald, Glasgow. Visited 01/08/09

" Best B&B we have stayed in! You have thought of everything! Congratulations! & good luck! We will recommend you to our friends.


The Halleys, Jedburgh. Visited 02/08/08

" Simply Excellent !"

Suzanne Chong , China Now Embassador & Artist. Visited 07/08/08

" Friendly owner, fantastic food, great place, very clean & tidy too!"

Mr & Mrs MacIntosh, Harrogate. Visited 09/08/08 .

" Wish we were staying longer. Very nice area & very comfortable stay"

Francesco (FG Italia) Visted 10/08/08

" Good. Very, very good! This guesthouse is WONDERFUL!"

Steve Proso

"Charming, wonderful hosts, delicious breakfasts & accommodating in every way. Thank you. "


Vidal ( Paris, France) Visited 13/08/08

" A wonderful stay in your guesthouse. Breakfast was an outstanding mix of tastes and the room was superb. Your single malt dram is excellent. .nice welcome!"


Gaynor, Finland Visited 14/08/08.

"Fantastic setting & warm friendly people.

Canon John Young (York) Visited 15/08/08

" A superb few days. THANK YOU for your WONDERFUL hospitality, we plan to be back!"


The Norris Family, Mingavie Visted. 27/08/08

" Chantelle & Iain - thank you for your hospitality! Lovely food, cosy atmosphere, comfy beds - we will be bakc and also recommend you to our friends!


Brun (Switzerland) Visited 27/08/08

" Ideal pour nous, Fantastique . . tout est sympa et propre!"


Veronica Verharen (Holland) Visited 01/09/08

" Beautiful house, clean room, very pleasant sleep. We woke up to hear the birds singing! Thank you very much. "


Julien Cornet (France ) Visited 01/09/08

"Best guesthouse I've been in after 2 weeks in Scotland! Merci"


A Burrow Visted 07/09/08

" Bloo*y! Good. . Well done!"


Anne & Sandy (Florence) Visited 06/09/08

" A lovely stay, everything great, well done. 5 stars!"

Jane Marx (San Fransisco) Visited 14/09/08

" We had another wonderful stay"


Amanda Worth Visited 14/09/08

" Best breakfast we've had in Scotland! Smoked Salmon & scrambled eggs on toast!) Lovely guesthouse, lovely room, great service. We will recommend to all!"

Colette O'sullivan (England) Vistied 23/09/08

" Excellent hospitality, guest rooms & breakfast"

Planned refurbishments in December . . .

On the subject of re-decorating, I have commisioned an up and coming artist, Lawrence Winning, whose work is full of charcter. I love the subtle tones punctuated by strong bursts of colour and I have already displayed an impression of our guesthouse in the main lounge. I have commisioned another 12 smaller oil paintings that relate to the area and will be hanging these in my hall. Some of them may be for sale but the artist would need to be contacted directly. Details can be provided for interested parties.

http://www.vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk/

Over the past few months I have admired some of the displays at the Arts Centre and in particular the fabrics that have been used in the Beatrix Potter exhibition from Vanessa Arbuthnott. We are closing for a few short weeks to re-decorate this Christmas and some of the designs from the woodland portfolio will work just a treat in our cottage style bedrooms upstairs. I will post some images once the refurb is complete.

Some of my favourite places so far . . .

Well what can I say, it appears that in such a small village there exists a great place that encourages a whole array of activities and that serves to bring the community together for various events or even just for a coffee & chat! It has to be said, and there are no two ways about it, The Birnam Institute (http://www.birnaminstitute.com/) is such an asset to the area. Although there may have been some objections at first to what the funding should be spent on, and there were concerns that such an outlay could have been better served, but I think that can be put to rest in the knowledge that the institute has increased traffic to the area and serves the community extremely well on so many levels. There are so many things going on including concerts, classes, conferences and workshops. They have managed to balance the sophisticated look of the place without it being stuffy or too formal. To best honset and from what I have experienced, it is very family friendly and a great meeting place for individuals and business people alike. The food is excellent, the staff helpfull and the atmosphere relaxed. In fact I can be found most mornings sitting enjoying my morning coffee & home made carrot cake after having finsished breakfast service!

They also have a wonderful Beatrix Potter exibition and gardens, which is great for little ones. The shop itself has some lovely pottery and gift ideas which is always nice to take as a souvenir.

Last month I went to a worshop which was developed in conjuntion with "China Now" and hosted by Suzanee Chong, a wonderfully talented lady. She ran some chinese kite making worshops which the kids appeared to love but aside from that her art is exquisit. She has a very interesting backdround and I would suggest checking out her art which is currently being exhibited in Glasgow.

To view her artwork and for exibition information log on to http://www.necdaf.co.uk/artist-info/88-suzannechong .

"Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty out-values all the utilities of the world." Ralph Waldo Emerson . This sums up my thoughts quite well and I am always happier when I can see fresh flowers in my home! On that note. . .

Flowers by Audrey Rudd, is a lovely flower shop on Dunkeld main street and supplies our flowers, including fresh chinese lilies & beautiful blue thistles. Audrey, among many other talents, does exclusive displays for weddings and such like. Anyone interested I would advise to book well in advance as The Hilton at Dunkeld House and the Dunkeld Cathedrale host many weddings and she is always in great demand. Her hand made cards are fabulous and worth every penny, the only problem is you may want to frame them instead of giving them away!
Tel 01350 728966 Fax 01350 728163

The Taybank is also a favourite place of ours and it has a great atmosphere. The food is really good although service can be a little bit slow but not surprising when you see how full the place gets. It is situated on the banks of the beautifull Tay and looks across the river to Birnam Hill, site of the ruins of King Duncan's Castle (made famous in William Shakespeare's "Macbeth"). It was previously owned by local singer songwriter Dougie MacLean and his wife Jennifer and the current owners have certainly followed in their footsteps with live music being enjoyed most nights. Described as "Scotland's Musical Meeting Place" it is a centre for Scottish Music and Culture with instrumental classes, concerts and spontaneous music sessions.

http://www.thetaybank.com/

Loch of the Lowes, Visitor Centre, Dunkeld

The walk way pictured above at Loch of the Lowes, is great for kids and leads you back to Dunkeld or you can branch onto the Fungarth Walk and up to Birnam Hill, which is a great adventure too, but remeber good boots! The walk around Loch of the Lowes is suitable for prams and bikes as its graveled and not too hilly. There is a nature hide to view the wildlife, such as Osprey, red squirrel, Tag birds etc at the visitor centre but it does cost to access the centre! For more walks you could visit ExploreScotland website as they have lots of information on the area: http://www.explorescotland.net/ .

(http://www.explore-highland-perthshire.com/dunkeld/walks/fungarth_walk.htm)

http://www.swt.org.uk/Loch-of-the-Lowes-visitor-centre/
It was just so beautiful in Birnam today and for once the skies were blue all day! I'm just back from a short trip to Glasgow at the end of last week, where we were previously living, and on the way back up, realised just how green Perthshire is. You are literally bombarded by greenery - it is so refreshing.

http://www.dunkeldandbirnamgolfclub.co.uk/

On a regular basis, I will be profiling some of the local shops, activities, and general places of interest and hope that this gives potential visitors a true taste of what's going on in our area. To start things off here are a few shots of where we went today, which includes Loch of the Lowes & Dunkeld & Birnam Golf Club, which has great food and is open to visitors. I think it costs about £25 for a weekday round, and £30 for a weekend round. It is in a really beautiful setting and is very accessible to all. Definately worth a visit if you're into golf!

Inside The Waterbury

I am a bit of a novice when it comes to blogging but I am determined to get the hang of this as I can see the benefits and I am very keen to share my thoughts about this lovely part of the world. It seems that we may also be the first guesthouse around here to do this type thing. Over the next few weeks (and once Ive figured out how this works) I will be posting some images of the area, our rooms and keeping potential guests informed about offers we have over the coming months. I love this idea of information being instant and easily updated. This hopefully will be a useful and interactive tool for anyone keen to visit the area and indeed for those wishing to stay in a really beautiful guesthouse!

About The Waterbury

The Waterbury Guest House, is situated in the heart of Birnam in beautiful Perthshire, overlooking Birnam Hill, with Dunkeld only a stones throw away. You can be certain of a very warm welcome where your comfort and enjoyment is our main priority. We always offer a welcome drink so you can sample the local whisky before beginning your stay and to warm the pallet after a day outdoors!

We cater to a wide range of needs and welcome everyone from large family gatherings, fishing parties, walkers & cyclists or those who are here just for a short peaceful break. Whatever your reasons for visiting there is something here for everyone to enjoy.

We have 7 quality ensuite rooms and all are equiped with flatscreen colour TV's & DVD's, radios, alarm clocks, hospitality trays, fluffy white towels and complimentary Arran Aromatics toiletries. For those who may be here on business or for those wishing to access the interent we have free wi-fi connection where a password is given on request. Anyone here for fishing will be able to make good use of our drying room and we can also store rods in our secure shed to the rear of the building. We have a secure parking area to the rear for motor bikes and cyclists.

At the Waterbury we pride ourselves on the quality of food we serve and only the best makes it's way to the table. We source our produce locally and where possible use organic. Our breakfast is generous and varied, ranging from our full Scottish breakfast to our to our smoked salmon from Dunkeld Smokehouse. As well as the hot options, we also offer a large breakfast buffet with cereals, fresh fruit & yoghurt. We have a large selection of herbal teas and coffee which are served to your table. We can also cater to special dietry requiremnts providing notice is given in advance.