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SEPTEMBER
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CONCIERGE
BREAK TIME
ago and for me – never. Thankfully, manager Kerry and
the girls who’d be taking us out put us at ease. They
helped us to board our reassuringly-gentle horses and
managed not to laugh at us as we clambered on in an
ungainly fashion. We were led around on the trek, so
there was no need to have been worried. The team
teach people of all levels, with the more experienced
taking on the trails up on Drummond Hill, overlooking
the estate. We went on a trek alongside the River Tay,
plodding under the trees with the water beside us, and
only the odd low-hanging branch or flurry of midges to
bother us. The girls gave us advice about leaning back
in the saddle to help the horse to balance as we went
down any slopes, but aside from that we just sat back
and enjoyed the ride, lulled into instant relaxation.
We were staying in Granary Court, a four-
bedroomed house with a garden, hot tub and sauna. It
was a little like being in paradise – a paradise that came
with a hot tub, a bottle of Prosecco and a hamper of
local Scottish food from the on-site delicatessen. If it’s
starting to sound a bit decadent, it might help to know
that we also found a stack of jigsaws and I had to beg
Sam to come and enjoy the hot tub with me as she
spent hours transfixed by a huge 1970s jigsaw she’d
laid out on the kitchen table. Jigsaw or hot tub, we were
both in our own version of paradise.
The rest of the house was top-notch, too – comfy
beds, spacious rooms, an enormous lounge – ideal
for a family holiday. Meanwhile, for dinner, you have
your own state-of-the-art kitchen but there’s also a
restaurant on site. The Courtyard gets booked up so
we were glad to have a reservation, and I’d definitely
recommend the mussels and the salmon, although it all
looked good – and reasonably priced, too.
In Aberfeldy and the area, there are several
attractions besides the obvious call of the Perthshire
countryside – known as ‘Big Tree Country’. At
Highland Safaris, you can go on a Land Rover tour, pan
for gold and gems or go red deer or barn owl-spotting,
at Loch Tay Boat Centre you can go kayaking or
boating, while Cluny House Gardens is a wonderful
wild garden where you can see red squirrels.
Fans of whisky should definitely visit Dewar’s
distillery, in Aberfeldy. Established in 1846, Dewar’s has
a new visitor centre and offers an engaging guided tour
around the distillery so you can learn about how the
blended Scotch is created. There are several different
whisky tastings available, too – we got to try some
27-year-old whisky, which, if you were driving, could
be packaged up for you to take home with your own
Dewar’s glass and the ingredients for a simple whisky
cocktail – it’s delicious with ginger and lime.
A fleeting visit to Falkirk
After a hugely-relaxing couple of days in beautiful
Perthshire, it was time to venture back down to
Edinburgh. On the way, we stopped off at Falkirk to
see the Falkirk Wheel, which is the first rotating boat
Below, from top:
The
magnificent Kelpies sculptures
in Falkirk's Helix Park tell a
tale of the region's changing
landscape; The Falkirk Wheel is
another celebration of Scottish
engineering
lift that connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with
the Union Canal. It’s more interesting to the casual
observer, such as myself, if it’s moving, which it wasn’t
when we were there, but it’s a real feat of engineering
and you can see videos of it on YouTube. A short drive
away in the Helix Park are the Kelpies, two magnificent
30-metre-high structures of horses’ heads, made
from metal, representing equine history and Scotland
and Falkirk’s heritage, and the transformation of the
landscape. They’ve been made combining cutting-
edge technology and artisanal techniques. It’s free to
see them and it would definitely be one of my top
recommendations, as they look even more stunning in
real life.
Edinburgh adventure
We were staying at Carlowrie Castle, an exclusive-
hire venue that’s ideal for weddings or corporate
groups, and also has a separate apartment that you
can rent out
( www.carlowriecastle.co.uk ). With its
beautiful grounds, amazing art collection and fairytale
castle-appearance, it’s a very unique place to stay.
Our apartment was all thick, plush carpets and trendy,
art-focused design with luxurious facilities, a super-
stylish living room and, in the main en-suite bathroom,
double sinks and a beautiful metal freestanding bath
overlooking an immaculate lawn. We were looked after