Weekend days out 10 best places to buy a Christmas tree in Scotland

1. KILTED CHRISTMAS TREE, BALADO

BRACE yourselves, Christmas is coming. As if you didn’t know: the John Lewis advert is out, twinkly lights have been hoisted up in shopping centres and sales of Brussels sprouts are soaring. The Scrooges among us will inevitably want to avoid the C-word for as long as possible, but for those who want to get in the festive spirit, real Christmas trees are the way to do it. They might be messier than their artificial counterparts but the smell of fresh pine needles just can’t be beaten. Here’s where to get yours.

Tillyochie Farm, Balado, Kinross 01577 865 500 Open every day from November 30, 9am-7pm

It might be best known as the former site of the T in the Park festival, but the Kinross village of Balado also has an impressive Christmas tree farm. The Kilted Christmas Tree Company is a family business that has been growing trees for more than a decade, with the owners taking pride in caring and harvesting their trees to the highest possible standard. The company has a range of Norway spruce, Nordmann fir, Fraser fir and blue spruce real trees, as well as artificial trees and a collection of fresh fir wreaths. And, if you opt for the artificial tree but still want the sense of a real one, it also offers Scentsicles scented ornaments: fir-fragrance sticks that can be hung on Christmas trees or dotted around your home.

www.kiltedchristmastree.co.uk

2. IKEA Stores in Glasgow (99 Kings Inch Drive), Edinburgh (Costkea Way, Loanhead) and an order and collection point in Aberdeen (Wellington Circle, Aberdeen)

Open Monday-Friday 10am-9pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am-7pm (Glasgow and Edinburgh) and Monday-Friday 9.30am-8pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm (Aberdeen)

020 3645 0000

The gargantuan warehouse of an Ikea store doesn’t exactly scream “authentic Christmas” but the chain offers an excellent deal on Christmas trees. If you buy its £25 Nordmann fir tree between November 22 and December 24, you get a £20 voucher which can then be redeemed in store between January 14 and March 3, 2019. In essence, you therefore get a locally sourced, authentic tree for a very reasonable £5. It also offers an array of reasonably priced decorations and even a 21-inch artificial tree for those short on space.

www.ikea.com/gb/en

3. CRIMBO TREES, EDINBURGH Open from December 1, Monday-Wednesday 12pm-6pm, Thursday-Saturday,10am-8pm and Sunday 10am-6pm

Crimbo Trees specialises in growing Nordmann firs, a glossy dark green tree that takes up to 10 years to grow to the ideal height of 7ft. Its trees are grown in Scotland and sold from the Jenners Depository in Edinburgh – although those living in the EH1, EH2, EH3,

EH4, EH11 and EH12 can get their trees delivered to their door. In a scheme that really captures the Christmas spirit, the firm also donates £5 from every tree that they sell to Maggie’s cancer centre in Edinburgh, with last year’s sales enabling them to donate the equivalent of more than one day’s running costs to the centre. And, if you are concerned about the environmental impact of your tree, its website offers detailed advice on how to recycle a tree and put the waste to good use.

www.crimbotrees.co.uk

4. BUCHLYVIE CHRISTMAS TREE FARM Christmas Tree Farm, Wester Auchentroig, Buchlyvie, Stirling 07710579752 Open every day from December 1, 9am-5pm

The star attraction at the Buchlyvie farm is its cut-your-own-tree service, where you are given the chance to roam their 300-acre farm to choose the one that is perfect for you and then saw it down. On arrival you are given a pair of thick work gloves, a saw and a small square of carpet to kneel on, but it is a working farm so wearing welly boots and practical clothing is essential. The trees – which include Nordmann firs,