• A real country inn with a wonderful atmosphere
• Superb food in an attractive dining room
• Great location in Glen Devon in the heart of the Ochil Hills
• Just seven miles from Gleneagles and an hour from Edinburgh
• Excellent drinks selection in a lovely bar

Intro

An Lochan Gleneagles brings to Glen Devon the An Lochan formula which has proved so successful in their lochside hotel at Tighnabruaich in Argyll and their acclaimed restaurant in the West End of Glasgow. Take a traditional country inn on a long established route through the Ochil Hills and serve excellent food made using the very best ingredients. Then combine it with a bar serving fine beers, wines and whiskies, and add into the mix wood fires on cold days, and you have some idea of what An Lochan Gleneagles has to offer. On the accommodation side, the inn offers 12 en suite rooms, either in the main body of the inn, in the old stables, or in a lodge to the rear of the main building.

Character and setting/location

An Lochan Gleneagles stands about a third of the way along the length of Glen Devon and Glen Eagles as they make their way north through the Ochils from Pool of Muckhart to Gleneagles and Auchterarder. The glen at this point is steep sided, and the inn stands on the east side of the River Devon and main road. It started life as a coaching inn, so in many ways has given a continuity of service ever since, providing a welcome break and a chance for food and drink for weary travellers. There is ample car parking to the side and rear of the inn.

Public rooms/spaces

The man entrance on the front of the inn gives access to a lobby from which you progress through to the front half of the bar, which also serves as a reception. Here you find a warming wood fire on cold days, which adds hugely to the atmosphere created by the rough stone walls and wooden beams supporting the ceiling. The main bar area is found through an arch, and the selection of drinks on offer is a real delight. If you do nothing else, try out the “Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted” a superb ale brewed not far away.

The bar opens out into the large main restaurant area. The theme of wooden beams and areas of stone wall is carried through from the bar, and the tables are well spaced, allowing a sense of privacy for diners. Beyond the main restaurant is a conservatory giving an additional seating area and access to an outside patio for warm evenings.

Completing the tour of the public rooms is the breakfast room, accessed back through the lobby by the front door. Another open fire greets you on cold mornings, in another lovely room with bare stone walls and wooden beams.

Guest bedrooms

There are twelve en suite guest bedrooms, all named after distilleries. Eleven of the rooms are doubles, and one is a single. Six of the rooms are on the first floor of the inn itself, including five of the doubles and the single. These offer a variety of outlooks, being located both on the front and rear of the inn. There are also four double rooms in the old stables, which extend to the south of the main inn building, and two more in a lodge on a higher level to the rear of the car park.

The rooms offer comfortable beds, TVs, tea and coffee making facilities, a hair dryer, a clock/radio, and controllable heating. The en suite bathrooms come complete with An Lochan branded toiletries made by Purdies.

Guest services

Staying in an inn rather than a hotel, you would naturally expect a narrower range of the sort of guest services normally found in a hotel. There is no room service, for example, though with the excellent bar and dining room downstairs that is no great hardship, and neither are there facilities such as a laundry service or photocopying. There is, however, free WiFi in the bar area which extends into some of the bedrooms.

Disabled access is possible into the restaurant and bar area, and the toilets are relatively accessible, though not specially adapted. The guest rooms in the main inn are upstairs, so not wheelchair accessible: on the other hand the four stable rooms have good access, though they have not been specially adapted for wheelchair users.

Restaurant and dining experience

An Lochan Gleneagles offers lunch from 12 to 3 every day, and dinner from 5.30 to 9 every day. Dining is at the core of what An Lochan Tormaukin does: and it does it very well indeed.

The dining capacity far outstrips the guest accommodation, reflecting the fact that this is somewhere people are prepared to travel to in order to eat. The menu changes frequently, so it makes little sense to give a course by course account of one particular diner's experience. Instead it is best to highlight what sets An Lochan Gleneagles apart: the strong drive to source locally and to use the very best possible ingredients.

As a result the beef comes from Highland cattle born and raised in Perthshire, on a farm which rarely supplies outside a 30 mile range to ensure the ultimate in freshness. The salmon is sourced from a supplier who has perfected his own 30 hour smoking process, using heather and wild flowers. The venison is all shot in Glen Lean in Argyll by a stalker An Lochan have worked with since they founded their first restaurant. And the free range wild boar, which often features on the menu, comes from a 320 acre farm near Perth. And, perhaps most noteworthy of all, the hand dived scallops come from Argyll and could easily turn out to be the best hand dived scallops you will have ever eaten. Meanwhile, vegetarians are not overlooked, and the dessert menu is simply superb.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in the breakfast room, which is found to the left of the main entrance as you enter the inn. With its open fire on cold days, and its wooden beams and stone walls this is an extremely pleasant and atmospheric place in which to begin your day. The buffet starter is followed by a cooked course with some interesting options. These include peat smoked haddock, scrambled eggs with gravadlax of salmon, Loch Fyne kipper and, perhaps most unusual of all, hand dived scallops and Ayrshire bacon. The toast is made with home made bread, which is an especially nice touch.

Meetings and events facilities

The existence of the breakfast room means that An Lochan Gleneagles is able to accommodate a range of functions, meetings and other events. It is also able to host wedding receptions and can obtain temporary licences to allow weddings themselves to be conducted on the premises.

Leisure

An Lochan Gleneagles is only 10 minutes away from the internationally famous golf courses at Gleneagles. It is also within easy reach of most of Perthshire's 40 golf courses plus better known ones a little further afield such as St Andrews and Carnoustie. Meanwhile, there are three trout lochs in the area on which fishing can be arranged, and the inn can put together pheasant, grouse or deer shooting packages, depending on the season.

Service highs/lows

The main highlights of any visit to An Lochan Gleneagles revolve around its food and drink, and its atmosphere. The service is excellent, the food is superb, and the whole experience of the bar is a perfect way to round off a perfect evening. And if you find yourself sitting at the table in the bow window at the front of the bar as it is getting dark, listen out for the sound of a coach and horses pulling up immediately outside: though don't be too surprised if when you look out of the window you find nothing there at all...

Local points of interest

The apparently remote location of An Lochan Gleneagles belies the fact that it is actually very accessible. Gleneagles and Auchterarder are just ten minutes away, and Edinburgh is within an hour. Meanwhile, Stirling and Perth are each only about fifteen miles away. Golf is an obvious attraction in the area, with 40 courses in Perthshire and many more in Fife. Shooting and fishing also attract many to the area: while the Ochil Hills are increasingly popular with hillwalkers. More specific destinations within easy reach of the inn include Scone Palace and Perth Races, both just beyond Perth; Knockhill Racing Circuit; and Tullibardine Distillery. Find out more from the Undiscovered Scotland guide to the Crieff & Auchterarder Area.

Target/ideal markets

An Lochan Gleneagles appeals to a market that is very definitely food led. Its location within 10 minutes of Gleneagles and in the heart of a scenic area which is home to a considerable amount of self catering accommodation means that it is seen as the first choice for many staying in the wider area who want an excellent lunch or dinner. In terms of accommodation, the inn appeals to a wide variety of different markets, including people on business who want to stay somewhere a little different but which offers good food and drink; plus golfers, shooters, fishermen and women, and walkers.

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