Deanston and Argaty – A Dram and the Red Kites
A day.
The route
Two of the best things around Doune make one easy, unhurried day.
In the morning there's a tour of Deanston Distillery, where the whisky is made in an old cotton mill on the River Teith. In the afternoon the kites come down to feed at Argaty, a working farm in the hills above the town. Whoever is driving gets a driver's dram to take home.
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 Cromlix, 3 miles away.
Book a Deanston Distillery tour on its website for a Tuesday to Sunday morning, one that ends by noon so there's time for lunch before the kites: tours take 12 people with a few places kept for walk-ins, young children can't join (check the age when you book), and there are no refunds if you cancel.
Book the ranger-led red kite feeding on Argaty Red Kites' website for the same day (a few days a year it shuts for farm work, shown on its booking page): it starts at 1.45pm until 31 October and at 1.15pm from 1 November to 20 February, and costs £12 for adults, £5 for children aged 6 to 16 and £29 for a family at the time of writing, with 72 hours' notice to cancel.
The day
Doune
A tour among the stills with a tasting at the end, lunch at the distillery, then an hour and a half in the hide as the kites come swooping down to feed.
About five hoursAbout 0.5 miles on foot
Deanston Distillery
An attraction
Deanston Distillery stands on the River Teith in the village of Deanston, a mile from Doune, in what was once a cotton mill. Park in the distillery's car park and follow the signs on foot to the visitor centre, arriving ten minutes before your tour. Book a morning tour on Deanston's website, one that's over by noon: tours take 12 people, with a few places kept for walk-ins, and there are no refunds if you cancel. You'll see the whisky being made and finish with a tasting, and whoever is driving is given a driver's dram, a small bottle to take home. Young children can't join the tour, so check the age when you book, and anyone who looks under 25 may be asked for photo ID. There are lots of stairs and metal grating floors: wear shoes with a closed toe, and bring a warm layer, as the old buildings are cool.
The Coffee Bothy
Lunch
Lunch is in the Coffee Bothy in the visitor centre, where the tour begins and ends. It serves tea and coffee, breakfasts, soups, sandwiches, toasties and scones, from 10am to 3pm, Tuesday to Sunday, and it's shut on Mondays. Children of all ages are welcome in the visitor centre, the shop and the café, but dogs may come into the visitor centre only, not the café. If it's full, take a picnic on to Argaty: the farm has no café, but it has picnic tables for its visitors.
10 min by car
Argaty Red Kites
Argaty Red Kites is on Lerrocks Farm, 10 minutes' drive from the distillery through Doune, with free parking, accessible spaces and toilets beside the visitor centre. A ranger leads the afternoon feeding, at 1.45pm until 31 October and at 1.15pm from 1 November to 20 February, and the visit lasts about an hour and a half. It costs £12 for adults, £5 for children aged 6 to 16 and £29 for a family of two adults and two children at the time of writing, with under-6s free. A gentle, winding path of about 350 metres climbs from the car park to the main hide, which looks out all round, and the path and hide suit electric wheelchairs. Red kites were wiped out in Scotland by Victorian persecution, and birds released on the neighbouring estates began to gather here in 1996. The farm says the most kites come in autumn and winter. Dogs on a lead are welcome at the feeding, and there's a mud kitchen for children by the visitor centre.
If it rains
The tour and the Coffee Bothy are indoors and Argaty's main hide is roofed and glazed; only the 350-metre path up to the hide is out in the weather.
Where to stay
Photograph by Argaty Red Kites via Google