Kingennie – a Lochside Sauna and Lunch by the Tay
A few hours.
The route
Wild Scottish Sauna's wood-fired cabin sits on the grass beside a stream-fed loch at Forbes of Kingennie, in the country just north of Broughty Ferry, with a jetty for a cold dip between rounds.
Book the quiet session, when nobody talks, or a social hour with friends, then drive down into Broughty Ferry for lunch at Visocchi's, the Italian café the family opened in 1954. It's an easy, restful morning near Dundee.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Airdit, 7 miles away. Sleeps 2; next free Sun 25 Oct to Tue 27 Oct.
Then Guardswell Farm in Inchture, 13 miles away. Sleeps 10.
Book a session at Wild Scottish Sauna at Forbes of Kingennie online before you go: £18 for 55 minutes shared (the quiet session at 11am, the family session for over-12s at 1pm), or £115 for the whole sauna, at the time of writing; shared sessions need 72 hours' notice to change or cancel.
The day
Kingennie
An hour of wood-fired heat beside still water, a cold dip off the jetty, and a warm Italian lunch by the Tay.
About three hours
Wild Scottish Sauna
The sauna is at Forbes of Kingennie, a country resort a few miles north of Broughty Ferry, beside a stream-fed loch with a jetty into the water. There's a free car park a few minutes' walk from the sauna, with changing rooms and toilets on site. Book on Wild Scottish Sauna's website: a shared 55-minute session is £18 at the time of writing, with up to eight people, or the whole sauna for 10 to 12 for £115. The quiet session at 11am is kept free of talk, and the family session at 1pm takes anyone over 12, two children to an adult. Bring swimwear, a towel to sit on, something warm for after and water; no wetsuits in the sauna. Move between the heat and the loch as often as you like; the dip is up to you. It runs in all weather and cancels only when it isn't safe. It isn't suitable for wheelchairs. Dogs are welcome. You can rebook or cancel a shared session up to 72 hours ahead.
13 min by car
Visocchi's
Lunch
Lunch is at Visocchi's, the Italian café the family opened in 1954, on Gray Street in Broughty Ferry, about 13 minutes' drive south; it's the resort's own suggestion for after the sauna. It does pizza, pasta and its own ice cream. It usually opens from 10.30am, until 5pm on Tuesdays and 9pm from Wednesday to Sunday, and shuts on Mondays. Dogs are welcome and it's step-free. There's free parking in front of Broughty Castle, 6 minutes' walk away. On a Monday, the Fisherman's Tavern on Fort Street serves food every day from 11am.
If it rains
The sauna runs in all weather, and Visocchi's is indoors.
Bruach Bar, bar and restaurant, Broughty Ferry.
Gracie’s, café bistro, Broughty Ferry.
Photographs by Jamie Craig-Gentles (St Andrews Golf Camp) and Maria Matveeva via Google