Vane Farm
Kinross, Perth & Kinross
|
Location Guide |
| Part of the Loch Leven National Nature Reserve. The RSPB
reserve covers 3,946 acres and the large shallow loch is a haven for
wildfowl. Annually over 1000 pairs of ducks nest on St Serfs Island.
For numbers of birds it is at its best in
autumn and winter when it becomes a staging post for Pink-footed Geese prior to
continuing further south, numbers have been as high as 25,000 peaking in late
October to early November. However the Greylag Geese do winter on the loch and
around 91,000 birds have been known to winter here.
Sightings of the winter migrants during
December 2008 included:
140 Whooper Swans
700 Pink-Footed Geese
7 Barnacle Geese and a single White-Fronted Goose
amongst others.
During the summer you could see Ospreys.
There are three hides which provide close-up
views of what is about on the wetland and there is an observation room in the
visitor centre with five telescopes. It is considered a good site for first time
bird-watchers to go to. Other facilities in the visitor centre include a tearoom
for light snakes and refreshments, toilets, a shop and education facilities.
There is also a picnic area and two nature trails.
|
Mary and Angus Hogg
 |
The wetland trail has three hides: Gillman 100
metres, Waterston 200 metres and Carden 600 metres from the start of the trail.
There is easy flat walking after a stepped tunnel beneath the B9097 road. The
steps and tunnel have a hard surface and handrails. The steps to the south side
of the tunnel consist of two flights of steps (27 in total). The average
gradient is 26%. The steps to the north side consist of one flight (13 steps) of
the same gradient. There is a third set of steps (13 in total) leading down to
the Gillman hide. This is of a lesser gradient: about 5-10%.
The woodland trail (1.6 km) leads through
birchwoods to a viewpoint at the top of Vane Hill, 248 m above sea level. The
trail is fairly steep in some places and requires suitable footwear. The view
from the top gives good extensive vistas across the loch and surrounding area.
Snaik
|
Location: Vane Farm, nr Kinross |
|
Grid Reference: NT160990 |
Ceremonial County:
Kinross-shire |
|
Map Link:
Multimap
|
Aerial photo: |
|
Getting there: M90 Junction 5 on the B9097,
drive for two miles until you reach the car park on the right. |
|
Access: The car park is surfaced with rolled
stone and has an adverse camber. Access to the visitor centre is on ground
level, however the observation room/coffee shop is on the first floor access
to this is via a long ramp. |
|
Website:
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/v/vanefarm/
|
|
Other Useful Websites: |
|
Email: vanefarm@rspb.org.uk |
|
Address: |
|
Postcode: |
Telephone: 01577 862355 |
|
Opening Times: Trails and Hides open 24 hours
daily except 25th, 26th December and 1st and 2nd January. Visitor Centre
open 10am-5pm daily. |
|
Charges: RSPB Members Free; Non-Members Adults
£3; Children 50p; Concessions £2; Family £6 |
|
Nearby Locations: |
|
Other Location Pages: |
|
Notes: Dogs are allowed, but they ask they are
kept on leads during 1st April-30 June when many birds nests are on the
ground.
|
|
|
Please let us know any other information that we
can add to the Grid(s) or page and any errors that you discover. Before making a long trip to any location it is always
wise to double check the current information, websites like magazines may be
correct at the time the information is written, but things change and it is of
course impossible to double check all entries on a regular basis. If you have
any good photographs that you feel would improve the illustration of this page
then please let us have copies. In referring to this page it is helpful if you
quote both the Page Ref and Topic or Section references from the Grid below. To print the
planning grid select it then right click and print the selected area.
Please submit information on locations you discover so
that this system continues to grow.
|
