Mike Allen
Scotland’s newest luxury staycation site is now open just outside Dundee.
Landal GreenParks’ Piperdam venue – its fifth in the UK – is set in 650 acres of Angus countryside and offers a selection of new selfcatering loch-side and woodland lodges accommodating between two and 12 guests.
For dining out there’s an awardwinning restaurant, while nearby activities include golf, with an on-site indoor soft play centre for little ones, and the likes of archery, crossbows, fencing and canoeing for older kids. For adults seeking to de-stress, there’s a spa.
Accommodation features flatscreen TVs and upscale toiletries, with some lodges even having snooker tables, mini casinos and outdoor hot tubs. Prices start from £337 for a week for up to four people. landal.co.uk
The huge zipline, and a bear nabs a salmon
Stretching ahead of me was more than a mile of wire, a deep valley and cloud obscuring my destination. Probably just as well. Welcome to Whistler Mountain. The home of the 2010 Winter Olympics is Canada’s premier ski resort, but when the snow is gone Whistler and its partner mountain Blackcomb become wonderful summer playgrounds.
And I was here to play, starting with a trip down the record-breaking Sasquatch, the longest zipline in North America and a chance to fly at speeds of more than 60mph (ziptrek.com).
Even getting to the Sasquatch can leave you dry-mouthed. Never mind the anticipation of what is to come, the Peak2Peak gondola that transports you there has a recordbusting 1.8-mile span between two of its pylons (tourismwhistler.com).
But now it was time to take the leap of faith.
Our guide Daniel showed us the way, star-jumping over the abyss and disappearing into the distance.
The young Aussie woman who had previously been full of bravado, wiped away the tears and eventually edged herself hesitantly off the launch platform.
Next up it was my turn. There was definitely no star-jump, but the exhilaration of racing into the clouds, suspended from the line by just a harness, miles above the valley below (600ft actually) certainly made me wish I could do it all again – with a bit more finesse. Sadly there was no time, simply because there was so much more fun to be had.
Mountain biking has become big business for resorts in Europe and North America and, to quote a fellow traveller who was spending nine days on the trails around Whistler with his bike: “The cycling here is up a level, and the technique is up a notch on anything I’ve ever done too.”
But fear not. As well as the heavyduty routes on the mountains for the adventurous and energetic, there are electric mountain bikes available as well.
For anyone who is worried about cycling uphill, here is your answer.
There is something surreal about the feeling of a little effort taking you such a long way fast.
My wife Helen and I hooked up with Canadian Wilderness Adventures and were driven to the Callaghan Valley for an hour-and-a-half ride on state-ofthe-art electric mountain bikes (canadian01.com).
My only complaint was that it wasn’t long enough to enjoy the views, never mind the fun of careering downhill... and then careering uphill too!
But for those just wanting a relaxed pedal there are easier paths around the lakes that don’t require you to ride over any rough ground and the gradients are far more manageable (whistler.com/ activities/valley-trail).
We then returned of Whistler to walk to the across top the