The cottage at Moulinalmond really is a stressed-out city dweller's dream. Imagine opening the blinds and curtains in the morning to see a manicured lawn, formal Victorian garden, dozens of specimen trees, a few sheep or cattle, and... that's it! No neighbours. No buildings. Nothing but acres of fresh air, gardens and spectacular landscape. This is Perthshire at its best, and because you're self catering you can sleep late, shop even later (a 24 hours Tesco is a 7 minute drive away !) and just totally de-stress and unwind.

Perth is the very heart of Scotland, and the joy of a stay in this cottage is that you have both the cities and the glorious Perthshire countryside at your doorstep. Why is Perth so special? Moulinalmond Cottage owners, Syd and Katie House, give their own personal view of this part of the world and why they decided to come and live here: 'Perthshire offers much of the best of Scotland in terms of Highland and Lowland mlandscape: wonderful woodlands and lochs, bustling little country towns with their mix of gentry and farmers, outdoors enthusiasts, and incomers from the cities bringing with them new ideas and vitality. Add into this country mansions and historic castles , and then there is Perth itself, the county town, with its own distinct history and feel.You can easily lose a day and a night here exploring the small shops, walking by the river, or visiting the theatre in the evening.

Then there's the rest of Scotland before you if you want to go and visit. Edinburgh and St. Andrews - 45 mins away; Glasgow 1hour 15 mins; Aberdeen - 1 and a half hours; Inverness and Dumfries - 2 hours. For the active visitor, well, you can take your pick. Golf, walking, cycling, fishing and other outdoor activities abound close-by. Gardeners can visit some of the most beautiful country house gardens and designed landscapes in the country whilst the National Trust for Scotland look after some of Scotland's finest countryside and beauty spots in Perthshire.

GOLF
For golfers there is a huge choice of courses in the surrounding area - as you would expect in the homeland of golf - and Gleneagles is only a 15 minute drive away. Although you can play many of the great course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Blairgowrie, much of the attraction of golf in this part of the world is in playing the many country courses where, like as not, you will end up chatting to the locals over a drink in the bar or maybe even be invited into a round to make up the numbers.Taymouth Castle, ancestral home the Earls of Breadalbane is a personal favourite along with Crieff, and Pitlcohry and the lovely little 9-hole course at Comrie. Come in spring when the curlews and black grouse play around the fringes of the muir and heather. (see www.perthshire.co.uk for more information on the excellent weekly golf tickets available at very reasonable prices as well as the leaflet guide to local courses)

WALKING & CYCLING
Walkers are spoilt for choice with something for everyone in the walking stakes. For serious hikers there are numerous 'Munros' (mountains over 3000 feet high are called 'Munros' in Scotland) including Schiehallion, where the principle of contours for mapping heights was worked out, and Ben Lawers, with its rare alpine flowers. There are long distance routes following old drove trails such as the Cateran Trail around Blairgowrie, and over the hills to Crieff. Perhaps one of Perthshire's best walking assets created in recent years has been the establishment of path networks around some of the Highland towns and villages, mainly through woodland and along riversides. The networks around Dunkeld and Birnam, Crieff and Comrie, and Pitlochry offer some wonderful walking for all abilities especially in spring and autumn when the colours are either fresh after breaking out of hibernation or golden read and yellow as the leaves change colour for the winter. There are many other areas to walk such as the Tay Forest Park or in the woods and glens of the historic Atholl Estate. Walking festivals are common in autumn and pubs and restaurants are beginning to cater more and more for this type of market.

Cyclists have a number of excellent places to cycle too. There are even long distance routes passing through the village! In fact you can cycle to Inverness on a long distance route if you feel so inclined. Perhaps the best fun is to be had cycling in the Forestry Commission's forests in the Tay Forest Park. Cyclists are weclome to use the forest roads with the considerable benfit of having to compete with no other traffic (apart from the odd 40 tonnes timber truck!). There are of course plenty of lovely country roads to explore as well if you don't mind the odd steep climb.

GARDENS and GARDENERS
Perthshire has become a bit of a hotspot for horticulturlaists in recent years. If you are into trees ( and we are) there is the 'Perthshire: Big Tree Country' intiative which promotes the numerous historic tree and woodland sites around Perthshire. The oldest, the tallest, the widest trees in Europe all live here! Recent new developments include the Scottish Plant Collectors Garden at Pitlochry which tells the story of the many Scots plant hunters who went to exotic places in search of new plants, many of which now feature prominently in every suburban garden. There are currently plans to have a showcase 'Scotland's Garden' on the outskirts of Perth telling the story of gardens and gardening in Scotland.