Thoughts of Killin brings to mind the powerful Falls of Dochart, a spectacular, well-photographed, show of rapids in the middle of the village, surrounded by irresistible mountains, that attract both amateur and serious walkers and climbers throughout the year.

It’s the perfect spot for a weekend to reconnect with the great outdoors and visitors are well catered for with plenty of hotels and guest houses as well as eat-ooteries and outdoor shops to top up the gear in preparation for enjoying the scenery. 

The village is dominated by nearby Ben Lawers, the highest mountain in the southern part of the Scottish Highlands. Views are spectacular from up top and it is the highest point of a long ridge that includes seven Munros. In short, it’s a walker’s dream here.

If you want to know more about the scenery, the landscape, and the history, then Eternal Mountain, a recently established village tour guide, run by Patrick Phillips, who lives in the village, is the ideal way to get an insight into the area.

Patrick has been a traveller all his life, and now that he has settled here, his need to continue exploring has not abated. In 2019, he set up Eternal Mountain in the hope of inspiring others to be curious about the world.

Patrick’s overarching aim is to see people reconnect with nature, or if not reconnect, find an initial connection they didn’t know they were missing. He wants to bring the history of the region to life, and to give his clients the tools to have a deeper relationship with their surroundings.

Patrick is a self-confessed dreamer, a big thinker, an artist, and he continually challenges himself intellectually. The tours are made up of a selection of short village tours for a few hours, either morning or afternoon, or there is a tour of the surrounding woodland up to Creag Buidhe, or if star gazing is your love, then there is a night walk, taking in the dark skies.

Visit the stone circle, or take a tour to the forgotten village of Glen Lochay, where Patrick will recreate, in your mind, village life and the characters of the 11 families who resided there. As an artist, Patrick also hosts a nature drawing tour.

He said: “I see this eco-tour guide as a way to inspire others. Bringing together, history, people from all over the world that come to visit, and most essentially in the realisation of their part in nature too.

"It is also about having a renewed appreciation of nature, rather than the dogmatic perspective of seeing nature at 'our disposal' and as a way to exploit, serving only our needs. Crucially, it is also about remembering that nature supports all forms of life, each life being essential to the other.

"And, importantly, recognising that climate change is not going to go away – it will remain an issue for some time, until we take real action.”

Having researched the history of the area, Patrick has found some fantastic characters that he is resurrecting as part of his tours. Fionn MacCumhaill, a mythical hunter warrior, features in some of the literature of the area and Patrick is looking to take his clients back to Finn’s time and see this mountain village, and the area, as it was then, and have some fun with telling the story.

Also, he can take your through a closer look at the life of Rob Roy MacGregor, demystifying the many myths surrounding him.

Patrick moved to the area a few years back and was struck by the connection he felt when he was climbing the surrounding mountains. It is this that he wants to convey to visitors.

As well as taking visitors around the area, Patrick is in the middle of trying to organise with both the local council and landowners to allow allotments in the village for locals to grow their own produce.

Taking ownership, getting involved, putting seeds in the ground and watching them grow is the first steps in a healthy connection with the land, which he feels that people have lost. He hopes to get the backing of the council and locals to get the project off the ground.

Patrick feels that his tours are the perfect opportunity to pull on your walking boots and get outside to see Killin through the eyes of a local outdoor enthusiast, with the history, mythology and geology explained as you enjoy the beautiful landscape.

What the tours consist of:

* Tours start from Killin Hotel, see www.eternalmountainguide.co.uk to make bookings. Tours start from £10 for two hours.

* One-on-one mountain challenge tours can be arranged, as well as one-on-one mountain excursion with painting and drawing instruction included.

About the area:

* Killin is a small village at the Falls of Dochart, a spectacular series of rapids, at the western end of Loch Tay, in Stirlingshire.

* The village makes an excellent base for walks in the surrounding mountains of Breadalbane, while Loch Tay is a popular destination for both its salmon fishing and watersports. It sits at the edge of the Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve and the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, so you can enjoy a lovely mix of wildlife spotting, outdoor activities and walking.

* Follow in the footsteps of Rob Roy MacGregor, who lived near Killin, where he roamed the hills of Breadalbane with his clan. Nearby you will find the ruins of the Campbell stronghold of Finlarig Castle and the Moirlanich Longhouse, a rare surviving example of a traditional Scottish longhouse, maintained by the National Trust for Scotland.