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Falconry, archery, off-road driving and more, at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland

Gleneagles Hotel Scotland, view from room, boldlygosoloHow can you not like a place where you can order cullen skink and Dalchonzie tart  at dinner, have a stare-down with a falcon and discover that you weigh in the single digits?*

I was in Scotland last week reveling in the Scottishness of it all, starting at the The Gleneagles Hotel. Gleneagles is hosting the Ryder Cup in 2014, exciting news for golf aficionados.

The baggage carousel at Glasgow Airport is to golf bags as Denver's baggage carousel is to ski bags. Every other piece of luggage was an odd-shaped case containing clubs. At the falconry school, Gleneagles, Scotland, boldlygosolo

Not being a golfer – except the kind where you rent a single club and putt through 18 Astroturf holes – I was more interested in the country pursuits offered.

Archery. Gun dog school. Off-road driving in the Perthshire countryside, as pheasant and other fowl scoot by.

I managed those three activities all in one day – why lounge around when there are new things to try?

Falconry was saved for a "hawk walk" I went on a few days later at the Cameron House on Loch Lomond.

Which way is croquet, Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland, boldlygosoloAs I sat in the elegant surroundings at The Gleaneagles' Strathearn Restaurant (how often do you see a menu offering "French/Scottish dishes?"), with two traveling companions, I wondered whether I would recommend this high-end hotel to solo travelers.

I looked around and saw women dining solo at two separate tables nearby. Nobody was paying attention to them (except for attentive waiters), and they seemed perfectly at ease.

It confirmed what I believe about travel. Most everything you would enjoy doing with companions likely would also be fun solo, so not having someone to travel with shouldn't stop you.

We, and those solo diners, got to choose from a menu offering grouse, spatchcock baby chicken, Scottish langoustines and Perthshire venison, among other dishes you just can't order up at home. (yes, yes, unless you're Scottish.)

If you're a solo traveler who likes luxury, Gleneagles has plenty to offer, as you try all sorts of new activities and walk the beautiful grounds.

Photos: Ellen Perlman. 1. Gleneagles Hotel. 2. Watching like a hawk…because it IS one. 3. Which way to go for croquet, grass court tennis and more.

*The scale at my hotel was in British stones. One stone = 14 pounds.

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4 responses to “Falconry, archery, off-road driving and more, at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland”

  1. James O'Reilly Avatar
    James O’Reilly

    No doubt after you did archery, gun dog school, and off road driving all in one day, you required more than ample portions of all those delicacies on the Gleneagles menu, all the while keeping your svelte one-digit weight, yes? Good weather, or filthy?

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  2. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    You’ve got it right, James. When you weigh less than 10, you can eat whatever you want!
    As for weather, I considered us pretty lucky. Out of seven full days, we had only two completely gray days. No “smeary rain” or “dreich” (described by one Scottish newscaster as “Scottish onomatopoeia that conveys wet, grey and generally miserable”)–two expressions we learned while there.
    Otherwise, in an hour it could be rain, sun, rain, sun, rain. I considered that fortunate! Five days when the sun at least made an appearance.

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  3. Clark Norton Avatar
    Clark Norton

    I visited Gleneagles several years ago, too. I literally tore up the golf course (my picture is now on the wall — never admit this man again); loved the falconry; ate my first and only haggis (dry, boring); and tried skeet shooting for the first time, taught by some ex-Socttish military guy with waxed mustache. I blasted the first skeet or whatever it’s called out of the air on my first pull of the trigger, and the instructor assumed I was a pro. Then I missed my next 60 straight. He got so mad at me he posted my picture as well. Other than that, it was great fun. http://www.clarknorton.com

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  4. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Clark – 60 misses. That’s talent!
    We didn’t get to try skeet shooting but someone told me it’s not one bullet, but a spray, giving novices a chance? Maybe 61 would have worked?
    Or you could have done like a former U.S. VP and aimed for an easier target.

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