Overview

This was my first visit to this beautiful nature reserve and it was made even more special as this was my first face-to-face Euan’s Guide meet-up since lock-down; it was well worth the trip down the road from Inverness. The reserve is located on the edge of Loch Leven; the island where Mary Queen of Scots was held captive (Castle Island) is visible from here. We were greeted by a very welcoming member of staff who gave us some info about the efforts made to make the reserve accessible, in particular, the Changing Places accessible toilets and the paths themselves. We were then met by her colleague who answered our ‘bird’ questions and both members of staff gave us general info about the paths, the history of the area, the reserve and how to get about. The path we followed was part of the Loch Leven Heritage Trail and I found the path quite accessible in my powerchair although other members of our party felt a couple of parts were a bit more awkward and bumpy. The path is lined by beautiful hawthorn and hazel hedgerows; there is also lots of wild flora all around, not to mention the birds themselves. Some of our party were lucky enough to see swallows, a tree sparrow, swans and geese; we also had a very close encounter with a large bird which was possibly a female pheasant but even if you didn’t see any birds, it’s still a lovely walk. The centre has also beautiful wrought-iron gates which have a specially designed V shaped gap to ensure that the swallows can always access their nests in the courtyard even when the gates are closed. We were very impressed to hear that the gates to the paths and trails are left open after hours so that people can still access the walks in the evening or early morning. As there’s so much to see, the traffic noise from the road didn’t detract from the experience. It might be an idea to warn cyclists on the paths to slow down as we narrowly avoided a collision on a corner with three cyclists who, to be fair to them, didn’t expect to see us there and came flying around the corner where the path was narrower. We then went to the cafe accessed via a long ramp and ‘press- to- open’ automatic doors. There was room to manoeuvre in my power chair and we had an amazing unobscured wheelchair-height view from the window which gave a great panoramic view down onto the reserve and Loch Leven. I also felt Covid safe as the windows were open and hand-sanitiser was available at the entrance. Later, I went up to the picnic area which was accessible for me and we had a lovely view; I also started to follow the ‘Sleeping Giants’ path from here which is pretty steep and a bit gravelly, probably inaccessible to wheelchairs really, so I just turned back and although the part I did access also had a brilliant view, I wouldn’t advise anyone in a wheelchair or powerchair to attempt it.

Transport & Parking

There are seven disabled parking spaces available on-site and we had no problem finding a space. The car park is slightly sloped but manageable for me in my powerchair. As the reserve is located about five miles from Kinross you will need a car to get there as there no direct bus service out to the reserve, however, there are buses to Kinross itself from most major cities and towns in Scotland although you might have to change buses.

Access

Toilets

There was a Changing Places toilet along with an accessible toilet with baby-changing facilities; the toilets were brilliant and spotlessly clean with lots of room.

Staff

The staff were brilliant.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I felt safe from COVID as there were hand sanitiser available at all entrances to indoor spaces. In any case, most of the time was spent outdoors. This venue is well worth a visit for everyone and anyone to enjoy nature; I definitely plan to return.

Photos

Venue Manager responded to this review

Thank you for your great review of our reserve and we are very glad that you enjoyed your visit. It was lovely to meet you and we very much look forward to welcoming you back again!