Willowgate – a Paddleboard Taster and Lunch by the Tay
A few hours.
The route
Willowgate is an outdoor centre on a sheltered lagoon beside the River Tay, just outside Perth, where instructors teach first-timers to stand up on a paddleboard.
A wetsuit comes with the session. Afterwards, warm up by the log fire in its café, the old bothy where the Tay's salmon netters once lived.
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 Murrayshall, 3 miles away.
Book a paddleboard taster session at Willowgate Activity Centre
Book a paddleboard taster session on Willowgate Activity Centre's website for a morning from Wednesday to Sunday, so the café is open for lunch afterwards: £35 a person at the time of writing, ages 7 and over, at least two people to a booking, about an hour and a half with a wetsuit included.
The day
Willowgate
An hour and a half on a paddleboard with an instructor, on a lagoon by the Tay. Then dry off and warm up over a hearty lunch.
About three hours
Willowgate Activity Centre
Willowgate is off Dundee Road, on the east bank of the Tay just outside Perth: follow the brown signs for it near Walnut Grove. The paddleboard taster is on the centre's own lagoon, sheltered from the river's current, with no more than eight people to a qualified instructor. The session lasts about an hour and a half, starting with 15 minutes of kitting up and a safety talk. It's £35 a person at the time of writing, for ages 7 and over, with at least two people to a booking; book online and pick your date and time. Wear swimwear under the wetsuit, and bring a towel and old trainers for the water.
Willowgate Cafe
Lunch
Lunch is at the Willowgate Cafe, on the lagoon beside the centre, in the old salmon fishers' bothy with a log fire. It's open Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 4pm, with breakfast until noon, and is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays. There are soup, sandwiches, toasties, baked potatoes, cakes and scones, and an ice-cream hatch for warm days. You don't need to book.
If it rains
Rain hardly matters once you are in a wetsuit on the water; the café is indoors with a log fire. In high winds or a storm the centre may move the session, so check your booking that morning.
Where to stay
Photograph by Andrew Day via Google