Argaty – Red Kites at the Afternoon Feed
A few hours.
The route
Red kites were wiped out in Scotland by the Victorians, and Argaty, a working farm in the hills above Doune, is where kites released on neighbouring estates began to gather in 1996.
Every afternoon a ranger puts out food and the kites come swooping down in front of the hide. It's a wonderful hour and a half for anyone, and easy for young children and wheelchairs.
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 the ranger-led red kite feeding on Argaty Red Kites' website for a day it is open (a few days a year it shuts for farm work, shown on its booking page): the visit starts at 1.15pm from 1 November to 20 February and at 1.45pm from 21 February to 31 October, 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
An early afternoon on the farm, walking up to the hide for the ranger's talk and the kites coming in to feed.
About two hoursAbout 0.5 miles on foot
Argaty Red Kites
Argaty Red Kites is on Lerrocks Farm, a few minutes' drive north of Doune, with free parking and accessible spaces under 50 metres from the visitor centre, and toilets beside it. The kites are fed every afternoon with a ranger, at 1.15pm from 1 November to 20 February and 1.45pm from 21 February to 31 October, 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; RSPB members pay too. Booking ahead is advised on busy days. From the car park a gentle, winding path of about 350 metres climbs to the main hide, which looks out all round. The path and hide suit electric wheelchairs, and a lift up can usually be arranged if you ask before booking. The farm says the most kites come in autumn and winter, when food elsewhere is scarce, while in spring and summer they are busy feeding chicks. The hide is open all day; outside the feeding time, pay at the honesty box. Dogs on a lead are welcome at the feeding. There's no café: bring a picnic for the tables in the visitor centre or outside, or eat in Doune, five minutes away.
If it rains
The main hide is roofed and glazed with 360-degree views; the 350-metre path up to it is in the open.
Where to stay
Photographs by Gill Brook and Argaty Red Kites via Google