Book – online in advance or on arrival
Due to the reduced number of visitors expected in September-October, we’ve decided to relax the dedicated time slot sessions. However, we are maintaining physical distancing and therefore still working to a reduced capacity. We reserve the right to reintroduce dedicated time slots if visitor numbers increase.
Visitor centre and reserve remain closed to the public Tuesday and Wednesday.
Please respect centre staff and be kind. Thank you for your patience!
Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve covers 130 hectares near Dunkeld. From early April to late August, the star attraction is a pair of breeding ospreys, which nest just 150 metres from our observation hide.
Click on a heading below to find out more about visiting Loch of the Lowes.
Our visitor centre currently has a timeslot booking system in place. Each time slot is 1 hour 15 minutes in duration. Please arrive at the start of the time slot; 10:30, 12:00, 14:15 and 15:45 to get the most from your entry. The woodland trail leaves from the car park and does not require an admission ticket.
Information we collect from visitors to the Trust, via our booking systems, will also be used to support the NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect service and we will disclose relevant personal information to the service if requested up to 21 days following your visit. For more details, please click here.
Any questions? If you have a question about your ticket or would like information on moving timeslots/refunds, please email lochofthelowes@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk
Enjoy an exclusive opportunity to see winter wildlife at Loch of the Lowes. Bookings last for three hours and are available to one househould (up to four people) for £30.
Information we collect from visitors to the Trust, via our booking systems, will also be used to support the NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect service and we will disclose relevant personal information to the service if requested up to 21 days following your visit. For more details, please click here.
Any questions? If you have a question about your ticket or would like information on moving timeslots/refunds, please email lochofthelowes@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk
- Learning from knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff and volunteers
- Getting closer to the ospreys with binoculars, telescopes and live video footage
- Spotting red squirrels, woodpeckers and other woodland birds from viewing windows
- Joining a ranger-led beaver watch to spot these elusive mammals
- Children’s hide – games, books and bird viewing window. NEW underwater theme
- Quizzes, trails, colouring in
- Live and visual interpretation helps bring the story of 50 years of Lowes to life
- Education activities and school visits
- Regular family events throughout the year
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Gift shop stocking a range of wildlife-themed gifts, souvenirs and birdcare products
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Hot and cold drinks and individually wrapped light refreshments available. Nearest café in Dunkeld
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You are welcome to bring your own picnic to eat at our outdoor picnic area. Please dispose of your rubbish responsibly in the bins provided. Barbecues and gas stoves are not permitted
Please check ahead to make sure the centre is open. It may be subject to temporary closure due to a local lockdown or bad weather. If this occurs and you have pre-booked you will be notified and refunded. Please note that we are open Thursday – Monday, closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
We’re Good to Go
“We’re Good To Go” is the official UK mark to signal that a tourism and hospitality business has worked hard to follow Government and industry Covid-19 guidelines and has a process in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.
A range of new measures have been put in place in line with Scottish Government guidelines to keep you and our staff and volunteers safe. This includes pre-booked entry of limited duration, enhanced cleaning, sneeze screens and hand sanitising stations. Please do not visit if you or anyone in your household has any symptoms of Coronavirus.
Whether you live in Scotland or you’re just visiting please download the ‘Check in Scotland’ app from Google play or Apple app store before you visit. This will speed up our Test and Protect procedure.
We want you to have a safe and enjoyable visit.
During your visit, we ask you to please:
- Keep your distance from others (at least 2m)
- Wear a face covering in hides and the visitor centre
- Use the hand sanitising stations provided
- Wash your hands often
- Pay by contactless wherever possible
Why visit?
Best time to visit?
- Apr – Aug for ospreys
- Apr – Sept for beavers
- All year round for red squirrels
- All year round for wildfowl
- All year round for bird feeders & deer
Visit for:
- birdwatching
- woodlands
- wildflowers
- scenery
- mammals
Other information
The Fungarth path leads from the historic town of Dunkeld to Loch of the Lowes.
Events
Find out what events are taking place at Loch of the Lowes in the coming months by checking out our Events page
Fallow deer (Dama dama) are a medium sized deer who grow up to 1.8m in length. They were introduced into the UK in the 11th century by the Normans. Originally brought over from the Mediterranean, this elegant species are now wide spread across England, Wales and some parts of Scotland. Fallow deer are fairly variable in appearance. Whilst most are a pale gingery-brown with white spots, some fallow deer can be very dark with few or no spots, whereas…
With ospreys off on migration from Loch of the Lowes, we thought it would be a good time to share some of the data we collected during our Osprey Watch this year. Get ready for some graphs! Our male (LM12) and female (NC0) ospreys returned on the 21 and 23 March respectively, and the monitoring began with the Species Protection Officers (SPOs) on 5 April. Our Osprey Watch volunteers and SPOs collect all sorts of data across the eight weeks…
Just like that, our osprey season has ended. Just like many things which have happened over the past two years, our osprey season has not followed its usual patterns. Osprey landing on nest – Kevin Taylor Not only did NC0 stay longer than one of the juveniles, but it appears that LM12, the male osprey, may have left before the second juvenile. Last seen on the nest the evening of the 25th August, it is believed…
Our resident female NC0 has left the reserve, bringing an end to her second successful breeding season at Loch of the Lowes. The last sighting of the season of NC0 at Loch of the Lowes The last sighting of NC0 on the webcam was on Sunday 22 August, just after 8am. LM12 brought a fish to the nest and within a few seconds she arrived to take it from him. She then flew off to enjoy…
Loch of the Lowes has been an eventful place for the last few weeks. The sky has been busy with soaring ospreys and fishing activity has frequently disturbed the still waters of the loch. This is a special time of year, as we have been lucky to witness our two juveniles fledge the nest and join their parents in flight, learning from and practicing their adult behaviours. But this period is also rather short and sweet. Suddenly the busy nest…
LR1 & LR2 Lowes osprey juveniles 2021 In an unusual turn of events our eldest fledgling LR1 appears to have left Loch of the Lowes on migration before the resident female. LR1 was last seen on the webcam on Sunday 15 August at 20:20. In our previous blog (When will NC0 leave?) we speculated about her departure date. Going by the dates set by our previous female LF15 we fully expected she’d have left by now.…
As many of you will have noticed we’re back to occasionally having an empty nest again! Yes it’s that time of year. Both of the osprey chicks have fledged the nest and are taking their time to explore the reserve and the local area. LR1 fledged Friday 9th 17:01 and LR2 wasn’t far behind fledging on Monday 12th at 17:40. They are still being fed by LM12, so they will always come back to the nest for fish. They are…