Kinross, Scotland
This was our first trip on the ferry to visit my brother in Scotland. Here’s what we got up to over the weekend.
We travelled on the Stena Line ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan, a 2.5-hour crossing. Rita stayed in the car, which she’s comfortable with, while I went upstairs. Stena also offers kennels you can book in advance, as well as a pet lounge on the passenger deck. The lounge is really only suited to smaller dogs, since they must remain in their carrier throughout. You are allowed to walk your dog on a lead from the car up to the lounge and into the carrier, and there’s an outdoor space where dogs on lead are permitted too. I might try that option next time and report back, but as a solo traveller it felt simpler to leave Rita in the car this time around. Mum watched us head off from the shore!
The Lomond Hills Regional Park is in Fife, a 20-minute drive from Kinross. We tackled the 9km loop of East Lomond, an extinct volcano. After parking in one of the road-side laybys, we took the laneway that marked the beginning of the hike. A lot of the route consists of tracks through fields, some of which contain livestock, so we put Rita on the lead at these points. Just before the steep incline sits an interesting rock named The Bonnet Stone, featuring a mushroom-shaped ledge. The information board tells of the folklore surrounding the cave that sits within the rock formation, the Maiden’s Bower, involving a runaway maiden and a forbidden love affair. However, it’s likely the name was distorted from “Maiden Bore”, referring to the initial discovery of a mining source.
From here, we continued to the summit. This was a challenging climb, not aided by the 25-degree weather. Rita needed plenty of water breaks. From the top, we enjoyed views across the rolling hills of Fife, and out over Loch Leven. The heather was in full bloom too which made for a colourful scene.
The descent was more sheltered with a stream for Rita to cool down in. The prevalence of red sandstone made us wonder if we’d somehow ended up in Arizona! There were more interesting rock formations on this part of the hike, including John Knox’s Pulpit and a waterfall in the wetter seasons. This path led us through the valley and back to the rock, from where we could return to the car.
The farm-to-table Loch Leven’s Larder welcomes dogs on their covered patio. I had a really delicious artichoke and avocado salad and we all got iced coffees. There were plenty of water bowls with a dedicated tap for the dogs. Rita was happy to lie down and rest after the long hike. Afterwards, I spend time browsing the gift shop. Although Rita wasn’t allowed inside, she benefitted from the wide range of dog gifts on offer.
The Pawmill Dog Park only opened last year and has (unsurprisingly) become very popular. The facility contains 3 enclosed fields for private rental, with online booking. We rented two – Agility Express and Sensory. The latter was particularly suitable for my brother’s 4 months old puppy Murphy, but Rita also enjoyed spending time at it after practising her seesaw in the agility field. The park is perhaps better suited to those who just need an enclosed space to let their dog off in – you can even drive right into your rented field. The equipment and sensory parts only took up a small section of each field, which also come with individual shelters, toys to borrow, and a water butt. After investigating the equipment, Rita was happy to play fetch until she tired herself out.
