Late deals
HAVING celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary back in October, my husband and I decided it was time to book a pre-festive, child-free trip to truly celebrate.
Scouring through websites for winter deals, we stumbled across the quaint Townhouse Hotel in the centre of Aberfeldy – and right away, we knew it was a must-visit.
Travelling from Glasgow, the scenery en route to the Perthshire town was breathtaking, especially with a hint of frost on the trees – and it wasn’t long before we were parked up ready to celebrate.
We checked in and were shown to our deluxe room at the top of the recently renovated building by the lovely Monty, one of the hotel’s managers.
XHXeXwXaXsXexvxexrxsxoxhelpful in providing us withXloxxcaxl tourist information and talking us through the menu for their very own The Restaurant Upstairs, based on the first floor of the hotel.
Deciding we would head out on the first evening of our stay, we asked Monty to book us in for dinner on our second night – but not before sampling a few cocktails and whiskies from the bar.
Waking up refreshed and ready to go, we decided to travel to the nearby Highland Safari range at Dull, Aberfeldy, where we booked a two-and-a-half hour Land Rover mountain trek, complete with a half-hour stop in a mountain bothy with tea, coffee, shortbread and a dram.
We enjoyed glorious views of the beautiful Schiehallion, as well as local wildlife and of course a fabulous tour guide imbuing us with some history and facts.
Afterwards, we visited the Red Deer Centre, where my husband and I got to feed the deer from our hands before meeting and encountering their resident barn owl in a hands-on demonstration.
Making our way back to The Townhouse, we were keen to wash up and head to the restaurant to sample some fine local cuisine – and it did not BY LEONA GREENAN disappoint. I tucked into chicken liver parfait served with red onion and Perthshire oatcakes, while my husband enjoyed pan-seared wood pigeon breast with a lambs leaf and walnut salad washed down again with a local whisky. I also enjoyed a glass of house rose – and this was just the starters.
Next up was my murgh makhani butter chicken curry with basmati rice, vegetable pakora, homemade naan and a tomato and carrot chutney. It was divine.
My other half devoured the four-way fish – fresh battered haddock, calamari, a skewer of sweet chilli marinated prawns and wholetail scampi served with twice fried hand cut chips.
To finish I opted for the hot chocolate fudge cake – and I’m so glad I did. The menu, just like the hotel and staff – in particular Monty – were nothing short of amazing. ● Flying from Glasgow/Edinburgh between March 4 and 25, seven nights all-inclusive at the 4* Pestana Ocean Bay Madeira, Funchal, Madeira, from £559pp. ● Flying from Glasgow on March 12, seven nights all-inclusive at the 5* Aska Lara Resort & Spa, Lara Beach, Turkey, from £399pp. ● Flying from Edinburgh on March 28, three nights B&B at the 4* Hotel Panorama Venice, Venice Lido, from £269pp. ● For these and more, visit www. stewarttravel.co.uk, your nearest Stewart Travel store or call 0800 091 2757.