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10 hidden gems to discover in Perthshire and Stirlingshire

10 hidden gems to discover in Perthshire and Stirlingshire <i>(Image: The Herald)</i>
10 hidden gems to discover in Perthshire and Stirlingshire (Image: The Herald)

Whether it’s fun, drama, adventure or even solitude you desire, your needs will be fulfilled by our pick of attractions and events in Stirlingshire and Perthshire...

AUCHINGARRICH WILDLIFE CENTRE

www.auchingarrichwildlifepark.co.uk
01764 679469

Auchingarrich, originally a small hill farm in the heart of Perthshire, is now a thriving and well-stocked wildlife park, zoo, and petting farm.

Its nature trails throughout the wildlife park provide stunning vistas teaming with wildlife and an opportunity to see their herd of red and fallow deer, Scottish feral goats, red squirrels and birds of prey.

Not wanting to lose touch with the heritage of the farm Auchingarrich have the famous highland cows – both the original Scottish blacks and the more familiar blonds. They also have herds of Soya and Hebridean sheep.

The main attraction at the park, however, is the petting barn where you will be able to handle chicks, ducklings, rabbits, and guinea pigs.

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Auchingarrich is a registered Zoo and as such they focus on conservation, protection and education of rare and endangered animals. They are part of the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Program and have three ‘highland tigers’.

The collection includes black and white ruffed lemurs, marmosets, meerkats, and Asian short claw otters.

One of the best features of Auchingarrich is the ‘Australia Walkthru’ where you can walk amongst the emu’s, kookaburras, wallabies, poteroos and bunyips.

Auchingarrich Adventureland is the perfect place for children to expend energy in a wholesome and natural environment with an outdoor play park, crazy golf, crazy football, nerf zone (summer only), tractor park and indoor soft play barns.

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Check out the website or Facebook events for monthly activities.

The dizzy duck cafe is perched on the hillside offering one of Scotland’s most stunning viewpoints. It is open all year around and is well known for the daily home-baked cakes and scones along with freshly prepared lunches. The cafe is open to all – a park pass is not required to visit the cafe.

The cafe can cater for parties and events in their specially designed ‘party room’.

Local artists and artisans display their work in the gift shop making it a great place to pick up a Scottish Souvenir.

If one day isn’t enough to explore all that Auchingarrich have on offer then why not book a pitch in their wild campsite and stay for a few days.

The team look forward to seeing you and the family at Auchingarrich where #thesunalwaysshines

 

HIGHLAND SAFARIS & RED DEER CENTRE

Join your kilted Highland Safaris ranger in a Land Rover and share their passion for nature, culture, history and stunning scenery. Armed with cameras and binoculars, climb aboard your 4x4 vehicle and journey to the high tops through a land sculptured by the elements and steeped in history and breath-taking views, with no shortage of photo opportunities.

You may see the majestic red deer, the famous grouse, the elusive mountain hare or the soaring golden eagle as you travel through forests, mountains and moors on private hill tracks. These safaris will inspire you with an insight into this magnificent natural wilderness and leave you with memories to last a lifetime.

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Or enjoy a Loch Tay Safari. Have fun as you skim over the surface of the waters of Perthshire's largest loch. Surrounded by stunning and dramatic landscape, in an area steeped in history and folklore you will be mesmerised by mystical and spellbinding stories of the people who have shaped the very fabric of this amazing area throughout the ages. Highland Safaris’ state of the art RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) has been named Iolaire - Gaelic for eagle. She has a heated cabin and is fitted with twin 300HP engines capable of speeds of more than 40 knots (45mph) – that makes her the biggest and fastest boat on Loch Tay.

The Red Deer Centre at Highland Safaris offers an opportunity to come face to face with Britain’s largest native wild land mammal. Enjoy some time in the Barn learning about the Red Deer, before getting to stroke, feed and photograph these iconic animals in the company of our knowledgeable safari ranger.

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For a truly unique activity, try your hand at gold and gem panning. Armed with your own pan and bucket of dirt, scoop and swirl in the purpose-built panning flume to hunt for real and 'fools' gold, as well as beautiful semi-precious gemstones. All you find, you can keep!

Highland Safaris Cafe is a friendly, warm and welcoming place to enjoy locally sourced, homemade food, and Highland Safaris Gift Shop presents an inspiring, original, fun and seasonal mix of gifts that you are not likely to see on the high street, and with a lot of the stock being handmade, you'll find some real one-offs.

Dull, near Aberfeldy, PH152JQ
www.highlandsafaris.net

 

THE LIBRARY OF INNERPEFFRAY

Love history and books? Tucked away in a quiet corner of Perthshire, a visit to Innerpeffray is a chance to step back in time and discover the first free, public lending library in Scotland. Founded in 1680, a time when Scotland was moving from civil war to enlightenment, the books at Innerpeffray reflect 400 years of European history and subjects as diverse as witchcraft, poetry, medicine, gardening and travel.

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Walk in the footsteps of the all the local people who made the journey to read from farms and towns nearby, and perhaps your own ancestors: Innerpeffray’s Borrowers’ Register is a unique record of their names, homes and the books they borrowed.

A heritage trail in the grounds follows the route of the Roman road: it leads to a picnic spot by the river and a chance to sit and absorb the peace and tranquillity of the rural surroundings.

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Open for visits, tours and special events – come and explore the hidden history of one of Perthshire’s treasures.

https://innerpeffraylibrary.co.uk/
Innerpeffray, near Crieff, Perthshire, PH7 3RF
01764 652819

 

MACROBERT ARTS CENTRE

Situated on the grounds of the University of Stirling, the Macrobert Arts Centre is packed with lots of cultural treats this spring. A theatre and independent cinema, its film programme screens blockbusters as well as arthouse films and event cinema.

The venue is hosting a range of event cinema classics live from New York’s Met Opera and London’s Royal Opera, Royal Ballet and National Theatre direct to their big screen. These include Falstaff, Cinderella, Der Rosenkavalier, The Marriage of Figaro, Champion from six-time Grammy award–winning composer Terence Blanchard, Don Giovanni, The Sleeping Beauty, die zauberflöte, Il Trovatore, CP Taylor’s Good starring David Tennant and the Best of Enemies.

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On stage, Macrobert is delighted to partner with the world-famous A Play, A Pie and A Pint to bring three new plays to Stirling audiences. For family audiences, Shark in the Park for ages two to seven, join Timothy (and his telescope) on three exciting adventures. Children’s Classic Concerts invites you on a captivating journey to explore how gypsy jazz began. Its intrepid band of musicians embark on an exotic musical adventure with the help of a special feline guest – Django the Cat! An inspiring and interactive concert, perfect for four-12-year-olds and their families, it's sure to have everyone dancing with joy.

Macrobert welcomes Raw Material and Eden Court Highland’s The Stamping Ground, written by Morna Young from a concept by Alan B McLeod. Described as “a big show with a huge heart, full of love, wisdom and energy”, The Stamping Ground is filled with rousing new arrangements of Runrig’s best loved songs and is a story about love, life and coming home.

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Is it too early to mention the P-word? Oh no it's not! From Friday 1 - Sunday 31 December, get ready for a disco inferno. Join the McTwank family in the town that Stirling Stella almost forgot – Discotopia. Here lives widow Marge O'Reen McTwank, owner of the last laundrette in town. Her oldest daughter, Aladdin, is wildly in love with Prince Jasper but can love survive the grease stains and smell of fabric conditioner? And if love's trials and tribulations weren't enough, The Demon King has arrived in town claiming himself to be a long-lost relative of the McTwank family... all he wants for Christmas is some rusty old lamp.

To find out what’s on visit: https://macrobertartscentre.org

 

THE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRAS OF SCOTLAND (NYOS)

THE National Youth Orchestras of Scotland (NYOS) invite you to join them this spring to hear the classical music stars of tomorrow from all across Scotland performing alongside internationally renowned soloists and conductors.

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In April, NYOS Symphony Orchestra welcomes multi-award-winning Scottish guitar virtuoso Sean Shibe performing in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Also in April, NYOS Development Orchestra perform Grieg’s much-loved Piano Concerto in A Minor with the exceptional young Scottish pianist Ethan Loch, a BBC Young Musician 2022 finalist.

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For more details on dates and prices for these magical events, see www.nyos.co.uk

 

PITLOCHRY FESTIVAL THEATRE

Since 1951, Pitlochry Festival Theatre has been the artistic heart and soul of Highland Perthshire.

Attracting over 100,000 visitors every year, it’s more than simply a place to come and see a show – they’re Scotland’s leading producer of musical theatre, a champion of ensemble practice and the country’s only rurally-located, major arts organisation.

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Their vision is to improve lives by sharing Pitlochry with the world and the world with Pitlochry, and the aim is to create life-enhancing experiences in the theatre and environment.

Their home is a glorious eleven-acre campus where the amphitheatre, pavilion and pagoda – nestled within the magical Explorers Garden – provide imaginative outdoor spaces for performance and engagement. Within their newly re-imagined main building, the auditorium, studio theatre, café, restaurant and bar welcome visitors to fully accessible, state-of-the art surroundings.

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In everything they do – from community engagement to creative development, from sustainable practice to artistic collaboration, and from supporting new works to staging timeless classics – they are committed to nurturing an exciting cultural future for Scotland.

https://pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com/

 

SPLASH RAFTING, ABERFELDY

www.rafting.co.uk

Located in the heart of a country famed around the world for its iconic landscape, Highland Perthshire is, perhaps, a lesser known, but no less beautiful, corner of Scotland. With its high mountains rising out of impressive glacier-formed lochs where else could it be?

Over two hundred years ago Robert Burns visited the area we now know as Highland Perthshire and, upon beholding the valley where the River Tay begins its journey from the waters of Loch Tay, he was struck by “Nature’s wildest grace”, as immortalised in verses he wrote in pencil on a wall at the nearby hotel. Today, adventure seekers gliding across the loch on their paddleboards would recognise the same lake stretching out amongst the hills; rafters descending the nascent watercourse pass by the same verdant woods; canyoners jump into the pools of the same deep glens. Such is the landscape, steeped in natural beauty and history, the guides at Splash Rafting have the privilege of sharing this with guests.

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A few miles downstream on the River Tay, Aberfeldy, one of the main towns in Highland Perthshire, is the home of Splash Rafting, which has been providing outdoor activities in the area for over fifteen years. Activities on offer include: white water rafting on the River Tay, a Grade II/III river, or the more challenging nearby River Tummel, at Grade III/IV; canyoning, paddleboarding, river bugging (navigating a stretch of river in a small, single, inflatable craft), abseiling and paintball. White water rafting includes free action photos as a perfect memento of your day!

One of the best things about the great outdoors is that there is something for everyone. Whether it’s a family day out, corporate team building activity, part of a stag or hen do, or a fun excursion for a community group, Splash can offer the activity or combination of activities that is just right for you. And if you want to add other local cultural, historical or gastronomic experiences to your choice of outdoor adventure they can help with that as well.

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At Splash they believe that outdoor activities are all about having fun (and sometimes challenging yourself) whilst being in the heart of nature, be that on the river, in the river, exploring the forest or abseiling down the side of crag. Where the high mountains, far-stretching lochs and deep glens, meet with meandering rivers and verdant woods in the straths, the stunning landscape of Highland Perthshire is waiting for you to discover it. What will your adventure be?

 

THE BOOK NOOK

www.thebooknookstirling.co.uk

The Book Nook is a cosy indie bookshop cafe that has become a well-loved community hub for both the locals and students of Stirling.

Nestled amongst other small independently-owned businesses in Stirling’s often-forgotten Upper Craigs, the bookshop sells a wide selection of new and secondhand books, as well as an impressive range of quirky literary themed gifts and knick-knacks. Their coffee shop serves delicious hot drinks, (including their famous deluxe hot chocolates complete with lashings of cream and toasted marshmallows), a selection of homemade baking, and a menu that focuses on freshly made toasted bagels.

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Opened in September 2020 by best friends (and Stirling Uni alumni) Leanne Brown and Jasmine Forsyth, the idea for the shop was conceived as a total pipe dream over a boozy lunch where they lamented their lack of inspiring career prospects. Lunch lasted until 8pm and culminated in a tipsy trip to Waterstones to buy a book on business to help get them started. Despite the somewhat impulsive nature of their initial inspiration, it’s obvious that a lot of heart and soul has gone into the shop.

There are a lot of truly lovely personal touches that catch your eye as you meander throughout the shop, such as a wee selection of free poems for poetry lovers to take home, beautifully wrapped ‘mystery’ books, fresh flowers on every table, plants at every turn, a ‘local interest’ notice board at the entrance peppered with photos of the (warm and friendly) staff and the shop mid-renovations. The selection of new book stock ranges from beautiful editions of classics to collections of fairy/folktales, poetry, contemporary literature, and progressive/activist non-fiction. The secondhand shelves are a booklover’s dream – all reasonably priced and full to the brim while still being pleasingly curated and organised.

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They have frequent events in the evenings including author visits, monthly trivia nights, an open mic night called ‘Forth Fridays’ (that is hosted by Stirling makar Laura Fyfe on the fourth Friday of every month), and two different book clubs – The Book Nook’s own book club run by the owners, and a True Crime book club that is hosted by leading forensic investigator Jim Fraser.

There is an excellent children’s section complete with a comfy armchair and floor cushions, and a weekly storytime session every Sunday morning at 10am, aimed at kids roughly three to eight years old. Parents are welcome to enjoy the vibes and a coffee while children listen to the staff read from their favourite picture books. With all the wonderful books and board games combined with the variety of different comfy seating, it’s no surprise that it has become a popular place to hang out, chat, work or study.

 

THE COURTYARD CAFÉ AT KNOCKRAICH FARM

Just over the Campsie fells, nestled in the picturesque village of Fintry, The Courtyard Café is a beautiful place to stop for a bite of lunch. Whether you are cycling out from Glasgow or out for a run in the car, the scenery is fabulous, and the homemade cakes are worth the journey.

This little gem of a place is quite unassuming, located on a working dairy farm, the atmosphere which has been created making the most of the courtyard buildings and surrounding them with stunning gardens is quite special.

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At its heart, Knockraich is a family business working hard to adapt to a changing world while maintaining a traditional farm. Milking a small herd of 60 grass fed, British Friesian Cattle, the milk produced is processed onsite not only to be served in the Café but to make Katy Rodger’s Artisan range of award-winning dairy products. Whole milk can also be purchased direct from a milk vending machine within the dairy shop along with natural yogurts, butter, crème fraiche, cheese, and ice cream.

The café itself is full of natural character and serves a delicious menu of coffees, cakes, and lunches, all freshly prepared in the kitchens and using produce from their own kitchen gardens and locally sourced whenever possible. Catherine’s afternoon teas are a real treat – booking in advance is always recommended to avoid disappointment.

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Alongside the café, the soft furnishing and interior design showroom specialises in handmade curtains and blinds but also has a beautiful array of gifts, home accessories, lamps, and wallpapers.

And when you think you have seen it all, there is a little bit more. A secluded wedding venue overlooking the gardens offers a unique wedding space, tailored to individual couples. The emphasis is definitely on being relaxed and personal. ‘The Tin Shed’ is perfect for indoor and outdoor weddings and with accommodation on site, what more could you ask for.

Knockraich Farm, Fintry, Glasgow, G63 0LN
www.knockraich.com
Café Reservations: 01360 860132
General enquiries: 01360 860202

 

STIRLING SMITH ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM

Discover the rich history and artistic heritage of Stirlingshire at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum. Located in the heart of Scotland, the museum offers a unique experience for visitors of all ages. With a collection of art and artifacts from around the world, there is something for everyone.

Explore the fascinating history of Stirling through exhibits, which cover everything from prehistoric times to present day.  See artifacts from Roman occupied Scotland, Stirling’s industrial and agricultural heritage, as well as decorative arts, including glass, ceramics, and textiles.

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Art lovers will also find plenty to enjoy at The Smith. The collection includes works by some of Scotland's most celebrated artists. In addition to their permanent collection, they also host a range of temporary exhibitions throughout the year. From cutting-edge contemporary art to historical exhibits, there is always something new to see.

The Smith is a hub of cultural activity, offering a wide range of events and activities for all ages. Join one of their guided tours or talks, take part in a workshop or class, or simply enjoy a coffee in the café.

If you're looking for a unique venue for your event, The Smith has facilities available for hire. The stunning galleries and gardens are perfect for corporate events, meetings, and other occasions.

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Entry to the museum is free, but donations are always welcome. As a charitable organisation, every donation helps them to continue their work preserving Scotland's history and culture for future generations.

Whether you're a history buff, an art lover, or just looking for a fun day out, you are welcome at The Smith.

https://www.smithartgalleryandmuseum.co.uk/