Martin and Heather Walls’s white-painted Georgian guest house feels ‘blissfully remote’ – robins and red squirrels in the ‘peaceful’ surrounding woodland are your only neighbours – but it is within easy distance of bustling Pitlochry. The Wallses are liked for their ‘friendly welcome’ with visitors invited into the ‘comfortable’, muzak-free lounge to share their day, or to curl up with a book before the log fire, sip a nip of Edradour whisky and enjoy nibbles from the sideboard. Individually decorated bedrooms mix traditional and modern – ‘our family room had everything we needed’: self-controlled heating, shortbread on the hospitality tray. Breakfast provides ‘a great start to the day’ with local honey, fruit (spiced apples, vanilla-scented pears), tattie scones, Dunkeld smoked salmon, French toast with maple syrup (‘perhaps with bacon’). Special diets are catered for with a bit of notice. The hosts have ready advice on activities and dining, in town and beyond, and can also provide a packed lunch. Loch shore walks are within driving distance; historic Scone Place and Castle Menzies nearby. Closer to home, the gardens are a boon for birdwatchers. (SM)