The Glorious Playground At Gleneagles

From trout fishing on the loch, to picnicking with Garron ponies, Gleneagles offers an array of authentic country pursuits like no other.

Arriving at King’s Cross somewhat out of breath, the familiar numerals on the station’s clock reassure me there is, fortunately, still time to find a cup of tea and shake out my umbrella, before boarding the nine o’clock service that will carry me northward.

After heaving my things onto the luggage rack and setting down a steaming cup of Earl Grey and a well-thumbed whodunnit, I sink heavily into a comfortable window seat. Glancing about, I spy passengers in stout shoes and the odd tweed jacket, suggesting they too are travelling the full 400-miles to Scotland’s capital of Edinburgh.

The Journey

Shortly after the whistle blows and we lurch out of the station, a friendly conductor appears proffering more tea and buttered toast with pots of jam, as he takes down lunch orders. Against this happy bustle I turn my attention to the wide window, watching as close-knit terraces give way to open fields, where the breath of hardy cattle catches the air and birds huddle overhead on telegraph lines.

Some time later I glimpse the smoke-blackened tower of York minster, then Durham castle guarding its stone streets, before we chug alongside the low-slung factories of the north-east before making our way towards the the coast. It is that first glimpse of an elevation covered with Nordic pines, that confirms we are, at last, in Scotland.

The Hotel

Once referred to as the ‘palace of the highlands’, beneath the Ochil Hills in the heart of Perthshire, Gleneagles is almost equidistant between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Since opening its doors in the summer of 1924, the hotel has enticed a halcyon crowd of well-heeled Scots and glamorous visitors, who once arrived via the luxury of its own train station.

From this golden era up until the late 1970s the hotel operated seasonally, closing its doors during those notoriously harsh Scottish winters. Today it welcomes guests 365 days a year, with roaring fires, beautiful Christmas decorations and an ice rink in the grounds; making Christmas and those legendary Hogmanay celebrations a hugely inviting prospect.

Across the year the Andrew Fairlie restaurant - the only restaurant in Scotland to hold two Michelin stars - combines French and Scottish cooking to create dishes such as a signature smoked lobster: Infused for five hours over whisky barrel chips and a pear-shaped ganache that so closely resembles a Williams’ pear it has me completely fooled. There is also the renowned luxury spa, featuring an outdoor Japanese-style Onsen, surrounded by pines - the ideal spot to warm up after a day in the field.

The Estate

’It’s a lack of pollution’, Yuri Janssen tells me, the following morning, responding to my enamour at the sheer quality of the light, as we rumble along in his Land Rover Defender. ‘Carbon and pollution act as a haze, preventing the eye from seeing what is out there. Come nightfall it gets pitch black and, in the right conditions, you might even glimpse the northern lights.’

The morning’s route sees us traversing some of the 75,000 acre Drummond Estate, owned by the 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby - or ‘Lady Willoughby’ as she is referred to by estate staff. Partnering with the Drummond has enabled Gleneagles to offer a diverse collection of outdoor and sporting pursuits for their guests, as I discover from peeking into ‘The Snug’ on the previous evening. There, designated ‘Playground Planners’ will arrange everything; from hands-on experience flying the estate’s resident Harris Hawks, to glassing for majestic red deer under the guidance of one of Scotland’s most seasoned deerstalkers.

Something Different

The hospitality industry has seen a change in recent years, with guests’ ideas of what constitutes luxury shifting dramatically. As gold taps, expensive soaps and a turn-down service are now regarded as standard, the industry finds itself having to deliver truly unforgettable memories. Where clay shooting or off-road driving were once occasional requests from a handful of adventurers, today they are an essential part of any leading country hotel’s offering.

Gleneagles foresaw this shift, and rather than outsource experiences, have instead recruited leading experts in each field onto their own team. As Victorian travel comes back into vogue, with requests for walk-up grouse days and tutored whisky tastings, a handful of leading hotels are putting country sports back on the agenda. At Gleneagles though, these adventures never really went away.

Shooting

I visit the Gleneagles Shooting School and meet Scottish champ ‘Smithy’, ex-captain of the national shooting team, and as calm and gentle a character as I could wish for. Beautifully laid-out, the school offers expert instruction for all levels and for everything from ground game to driven grouse in the form of biodegradable clays.

A laugh-a-minute, it is not difficult to see why Smithy is the most-requested of any of the instructors on the estate. Not minding in the least I am a complete novice to his beloved sport, ‘I’d much rather you were honest and comfortable. That way I can work with you from the beginning.’ As I nestle the elegant Beretta against my shoulder and take stance, Smithy utters a barely detectable ‘ignore them, in reference to my fellow guns. I exhale, and to my delight, within thirty minutes his expertise (and calm manner) have guided me to a pretty respectable success rate.

Fishing

To my surprise, even the esteemed Scottish salmon fishing here is not reserved for aficionados. Arrive a ‘naked fisherman’ and the ghillies will do the rest, providing waders, rods and a full day’s instruction on casting at the loch, before taking you out onto the Tay. Surely the ghillies in these parts are used to er, bigger fish, I ask? ‘They may be disheartened about a guest not landing anything,’ Janssen admits, ‘but when one of the children falls in the water and has to stand by the wood-burner to dry off, or the Land Rover gets stuck in the mud, it becomes an adventure that they remember forever.’

Stalking

Soon enough the Land Rover has come to a halt, and Janssen is handing me a Barbour and a pair of Le Chameau boots. Advised by the Gamekeeper that our intended route is ‘a bit of a mire’ this morning, we opt for a less travelled path that he used to take with his Grandfather. During the winter months the red deer venture down from the glens if there is a shortage of food. They are hard to detect amongst the red bracken, and often the only tell is the eerie sounds of rutting stags echoing across the bowl.

Making our way into the ancient forest beneath oaks covered with verdant green moss, amongst waist-high ferns - heavy from the previous night’s rain feels rather like entering a scene from Narnia. More than once I disappear into the undergrowth, each time hurriedly scrambling up, but each time my guide is too polite to notice. Following minute, barely-discernible tracks, eventually we come upon a doe grazing with her fawn. Being upwind the deer, who have an excellent sense of smell, means we are able to get just metres away.

One experience Janssen declares is not to be missed, is meeting the estate’s Garron Ponies. Once the backbone of every working estate in Britain, Garrons are one of hardiest breeds of equine in the world and boasting one of the loveliest temperaments. In Summer, when the ponies are off work and out grazing, a surprise picnic can be arranged for guests: ‘As the ponies see us, they come cantering down which is incredibly special. They all have different personalities and quirks - one has learned to steal salad from the picnic baskets and another goes nuzzling into the back of the Land Rover.’

Just as I am beginning to wonder whether that haggis and tatty scones really was sufficient preparation for this so-called ‘yomp’, I catch sight of another of the hotel’s Defenders up ahead, parked alongside the loch with a tent attached to its roof and a log-burner crackling away.

As we draw closer I spy chairs setup on the shoreline and the most decadent picnic of lobster, locally-smoked salmon and no less than half a dozen single malts for us to try. Just as I am working up the courage to ask, I am handed a steaming cup of tea by a smiling guide. Apparently Gleneagles had me figured out, all along.

For more information or to visit The Glorious Playground, visit https://gleneagles.com/

Kate was a guest of Perowne International.

All imagery courtesy of Gleneagles.