Lochend is a beautiful, 38-acre estate at the heart of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, an area steeped in history and striking natural beauty. Hidden away on a tranquil corner of the Lake of Menteith, with spectacular views across the water to Ben Lomond, our waterfront self-catering chalets, log cabins, lodges and cottage have free WiFi throughout, and offer a peaceful countryside escape. Lochend Chalets has been run by the same family since our beginnings in 1974. A perfect place to relax and unwind, Lochend also has a tennis court and games room, a bike park and rowing boats, and is home to the Nick Nairn Cook School as well as wildlife in abundance. Only an hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh, we lie almost right in the middle of Scotland, so it’s a great base if you're looking to tour the wonderful Scottish countryside, with the Highlands and Islands, St Andrew's and Cairngorms all just a daytrip away.

Our family has been at Lochend since 1958, when Grandma and Grandpa Abell set up a park for caravans. In 1974, their daughter Irene, and her husband, Jimmy Nairn, bought the place over, and put in the first self-catering chalets overlooking the Lake of Menteith. Keeping the family tradition alive, Jimmy and Irene's youngest son, Topher, bought the business upon their retirement in 1987, and in 1996, was joined by me, his sister, Victoria, and my husband Chris, a keen woodsman. In 2003, our cousin Kate MacKechnie joined the team, returning to Lochend after a childhood split between Africa and Kent. Not far from our lochside cabins, cottages and lodges, in what had been a piggery when Grandpa bought Lochend in 1962, the internationally acclaimed Nick Nairn Cook School was established in 2000 by our eldest brother, Nick. A stylish, state-of-the-art building and five-star visitor attraction, the Nick Nairn Cook School is well worth a visit when you're here, if only for the small but dangerously tempting shop at reception. We try to do as much maintenance as possible ourselves and as we live on the estate are almost always on hand to help our customers.

You could make your holiday here at Lochend all about Lochend. Many arrive determined to explore the surrounding glens and bens, or to visit nearby Edinburgh and Glasgow, then spend all week cosying up in our comfy lakeside lodges and cabins. In summer, some spend their whole week sunning themselves by the lake, playing tennis, or simply blethering with friends over long, lazy meals. With the Nick Nairn Cook School just 200 yards from the chalets, wildlife in abundance, and our brand new bike trail and skills park, you need never even leave our tranquil shores. However, Lochend lies almost exactly slap bang in the middle of Scotland, so it is a brilliant base for exploring the rest of Scotland – we think, the most beautiful country in the world! It may feel wonderfully remote once you’re here: nothing but swans, ducks and fishing boats to disturb your view across the lake to Ben Lomond and the Menteith Hills. But Lochend is only one hour from Edinburgh and Glasgow, 75 minutes from Glencoe, and only minutes from a myriad of lochs and bens, golf courses and biking trails, castles and distilleries in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.