Activities, sports & attractions

At Duchally Country Estate, our guests are spoilt for choice with a wealth of indoor and outdoor activities and attractions, all within easy access. Sports facilities, the great outdoors, places of interest and guided tours all combine to offer visitors the very best that Perthshire has to offer. The choice is limited only by your sense of adventure.

Our staff will be happy to offer advice and to assist in making all the necessary arrangements for any chosen activity or event.

World Class Motorsport comes to Scotland

International rallying enthusiasts recently received a sporting shot in the arm when Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, confirmed that Perth and Stirling will jointly host the final round of the prestigious Intercontinental Rally Challenge in November 2009.

Hosting an event of this level puts Scotland firmly back on the world motorsports map as the 10-round IRC starts in Monte Carlo and goes on to Turkey, Russia and even China, attracting the top works teams from Fiat, Citroen, Peugeot, VW and Honda along with many of the world’s fastest rally drivers in the 2.0-litre Super 2000 class.

Provisionally named the RAC Rally Scotland, the event will run from November 19-21st, covering 15 timed stages over some of Scotland’s toughest gravel rally tracks. It is expected to attract over 100,000 spectators and millions more on television, making it easily the biggest single motorsport event in the country.

Club La Costa members and guests who are interested in watching the action close-up have the perfect opportunity to stay nearby at Duchally Country Estate. Demand is sure to be enormous, and General Manager Graeme MacDonald says, “ The rally will definitely be the jewel in Scotland’s sporting crown next year. We expect to be putting up the ‘house full’ signs very early, so I advise members to make their plans as soon as they can. This is one not to be missed.”

The rally will build on the country’s rich motorsports heritage, including world champions Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Colin McRae. It has been made possible by a joint approach through EventScotland to the Scottish Executive by the councils of Perth & Kinross and Stirlingshire, and finally gained acceptance due to the strong backing of the Forestry Commission Scotland.

For further information about accomodation over the event, please contact us.

More information about the race: www.ircseries.com

The Great Indoors – Duchally Leisure Centre

Guests at Duchally Country Estate can enjoy sheer luxury in our sumptuous Leisure Centre. Facilities include a heated swimming pool with adjacent children's pool, a Jacuzzi, steam-room and sauna as well as a fully-equipped and air-conditioned gym. Qualified Leisure Centre staff are available for help and advice, and after your swim or workout you can relax with a light snack, coffee or soft drink in the comfortable lounge of the rustic-style Cafeteria.

For further information about the Duchally Leisure Centre, please contact us.

The Great Outdoors – Sport at Duchally

Golf: - No matter what your ability or experience, Perthshire has plenty to offer you by way of golf course challenges. From mighty Gleneagles, only 2 miles away and one of the most magnificent and prestigious courses in the world, to the nine-hole course at nearby Kenmore, arguably one of the most beautiful, you will be thoroughly spoilt for choice.
For golf course ‘collectors’, St Andrews, the "home" of golf, is reachable in just over an hour's drive; while Muirfield, Carnoustie and Turnberry, all first-class championship courses, are also easily accessible.
Locally there are several other excellent courses - Auchterarder, Crieff and White Moss all present a comfortable challenge for any golfer. We can organise tours, tee-times and transport - as well as arranging discounts on some courses.

Water Sports: - Perthshire is awash with water-sport facilities - everything from jet-skis to white-water rafting, sailing on Loch Tay to riding the rapids at Grandtully or high action canoeing in rugged canyons. There are several well-established and experienced centres in the area to make all the necessary arrangements and to provide you with any training required.

Winter Sports: - Within an hour’s drive, you can take to the slopes on skis or snowboards at the Glenshee, Aviemore or Braemar Ski Centres, which between them have thirty-eight excellent runs and all provide daily and weekly lift passes, equipment hire and tuition facilities. The surrounding mountains also offer plenty of scope for snow and ice climbing, or for an altogether more gentle pursuit, venture indoors to the curling rink in Perth and enjoy one of Scotland's traditional winter sports.

Walking: - Duchally lies at the gateway to the Highlands and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful natural scenery that Scotland has to offer. The Sma Glen, Glen Quaich and Glen Lyon, three of the most spectacular areas in Perthshire, are invitingly close and offer ample opportunities for ramblers and hikers of average ability and ambition.
For the more adventurous, Ben Lawers, Schiehallionand the Tarmachan Ridge are among the higher, technically challenging mountain itineraries in the immediate vicinity.
If you simply prefer a gentle stroll, pathways by Loch Tay, Loch Earn or Loch Katrine will provide a wealth of panoramic views and superb photographic opportunities.

Fishing: - Whether you are a novice fisherman or a seasoned salmon angler there are plenty of waters in Perthshire to lure you onto the banks. Some of the finest trout lochs and salmon beats in Scotland are only a short drive away from the estate. Arrangements can, if you wish, be made in advance - obtaining permits, accessing private waters, organising ghillies and preparing your fishing tackle. However, the weather is not included in the package!
For the novice there are a number of casting clinics, clubs and stocked ponds where you can learn to enjoy the skills and thrills of angling.

For further information about fishing at Duchally, please contact us.

Museums, Castle and Monuments

Museums: - The largest Roman station in Britain, the Ardoch Camp, is situated at Braco, a few minutes drive from Duchally. You can also visit the Crannog Centre on Loch Tay and experience life as an ancient loch-dweller in their thatched island homes.
Perth Museum is one of the oldest in Britain and the Black Watch Museum, also in Perth, exhibits nearly three centuries of Military History. There are also clan museums, museums of farming and the oldest public library in Scotland is situated in Abernethy.
The Jacobean battle sites at Killiecrankie and the infamous Bannockburn are in the area as well as nearby Glencoe, always a chilling location with its fascinating and fearful history.

Castles & Monuments: - Scotland has endured a long and eventful history, and there are numerous castles and monuments still proudly standing within the immediate area - Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument of ‘Braveheart’ fame, Glamis Castle, the childhood home of the late Queen Mother or Blair Castle depicting life from the 16th century.
From the impressive and magnificent Edinburgh Castle, only an hour away by car, with its museums and dramatic displays, to the solitude of the Island Castle on Loch Leven where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned, you can experience the lives of your forefathers - or perhaps they were your enemies?

For further information about any of the above attractions, please contact us.

Gardens and Parks, Distilleries, Visitor Centres and Tours

Gardens & Parks: - Not surprisingly, Perthshire has a magnificent variety of gardens to visit. There is Drummond Castle with its formal Italian garden; the natural heather collection at Bells Cherrybank in Perth; the woodland and Himalayan delights at Cluny or the formal gardens in the grounds of the stately home at Kinross.
Why not take a walk in the woodland gardens at the Hermitage near Dunkeld and visit the cathedral or the Beatrix Potter Centre on the same tour.

Distilleries: - No visit to this part of Scotland would be complete without an excursion to one (or more?) of the many distilleries in the area. Duchally is located at the start of the "Whisky Trail" which runs up through the Highlands to Spey-side and passes some of the most recognised names in the wonderful world of Scotch whisky.
The new Tullibardine distillery in Blackford is definitely worth a visit and in the immediate area there are the Famous Grouse and Aberfeldy Distilleries, both with wonderful visitor centres and an opportunity to "tak a wee dram". The Edradour at Pitlochry is the smallest and one of the oldest distilleries in the country. When you get back, why not try some of the other well-known brands in the hotel bar!

Visitor Centres: - There are far too many visitor centres to list them all here, but you can choose from a wide variety including - heather jewellery, crystal, potteries, glassware, knitwear, horn-carving, jute production and power, to name just a few.  The newly re-furbished Stanley Mills, on the banks of the River Tay, presents life in the mill as it was a hundred years ago.
There are numerous wildlife centres - the award winning wildlife attraction set in the hills at Auchingarrich, the deer park at Glengoulandie, bird-watching at the Loch of the Lowes near Dunkeld and the nature reserve run by RSPB at Vane Farm. You can also take a trip with Highland Adventure Safaris in Aberfeldy that will take you off road in search of wildlife.

Tours: - Perthshire is the perfect base from which to embark upon organised and guided tours, either in the area or further afield, and a wide variety of special interests are catered for.
The natural history and Scottish history tours are particularly popular, however, art and crafts, antiques, architecture, food and drink are also well featured on a number of interesting excursions.

For further information about any of the above attractions, please contact us.