Mythical Scotland: The Magical Warmth of October
by Lauren Kroger, Luxury Travel Advisor and Social Media Manager
My wellies are caked in mud, and my hair is windblown, but I’m not ready to turn back to the warmth of my hotel and the crackling fireplace awaiting me there just yet. The late afternoon sunlight is ethereal, lancing through the branches of the pines above and scattering across a kaleidoscope of colors on the forest floor: green ferns, a blaze of copper heather, and bronze earth. The veil between real and imaginary has always felt thinnest in Scotland, and, in this moment of solitude with my lungs full of crisp autumnal air, I can practically taste the magic.
While there is something to be said for an 11:00 PM sunset in late June, fall is my favorite time of year to explore this country that keeps calling me back to its peaks and glens. The gothic buildings lining Edinburgh’s cobblestone streets seem to have been built specifically for this season, when visitors can wander past Greyfriars Kirkyard with chins tucked into good Scottish knitwear before ducking into the warmth of a coffee shop. Gleneagles’ hip younger sibling, Gleneagles Townhouse, opened its doors in St. Andrew Square to much acclaim this spring. I previewed the intimate property during a hard-hat tour even before the electricity was switched on, and to see it come to life now with a contingent of visitors and locals alike gathered under the domed ceiling of its all-day restaurant, The Spence, begs a hasty return to the city.
The Gleneagles Hotel
From Edinburgh, it’s only a 1-hour drive to Gleneagles herself, voted “Best Hotel” in the world by Virtuoso this year. There are a wide range of pursuits to fill your days in Perthshire, from falconry to horseback riding and clay pigeon shooting. The resort’s youngest guests can even make use of wee Rovers parked just outside the entrance. Last November, I followed a morning in the beautifully renovated spa with an afternoon of fly-fishing with the senior ghillie, Willie. (I caught a rainbow trout!) But my favorite activity of all? Enjoying the view of the meticulously manicured grounds from the alcove of my cozy Whisky Suite, bathtub running and Kindle in hand.
If Gleneagles is country-chic by day, it’s the evenings that truly reveal the resort’s transformation from the stuffy golf getaway of old to today’s stylish playground. Barbour jackets are exchanged for cocktail attire in the 1920s-themed American Bar and the dining room of The Strathearn is abuzz with banter between guests of all ages. It is at once rugged and well-heeled; escapist and lively; welcoming and opulent.
The Fife Arms
To really witness Scotland’s drama, however, you’ll need to head another 90-minutes north of Perth on A93 to Cairngorms National Park. This corner of Scotland has historically been a favorite of Britain’s queens, from Queen Victoria to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who famously retreated to Balmoral Castle often. Base yourself nearby at the whimsical Fife Arms hotel in the village of Braemar. Their 46 rooms were imaginatively transformed by art collectors Iwan and Manuela Wirth and opened to guests in 2019. Here, you’ll find a Picasso hung against a tartan backdrop, and an ultra-modern chandelier of glass, neon, and steel hanging in a Victorian lobby.
“Pony Picnic” across River Fesh
As is the case everywhere in Scotland, however, it’s the surroundings that utterly steal the show. We love to arrange wild walks, 4x4 safaris, foraging, and helicopter journeys to candlelit dinners on the moors. At Glenfeshie, one of several jaw-dropping estates available for exclusive use in the Cairngorms, tweed-clad groundskeepers lead guests on a “pony picnic” across River Feshie in a mountainous setting that can only be described as storybook-worthy.
It's October, and Scotland is at its most resplendent.
Suggestions for a Return Visit to Scotland:
Explore the Hebridean Islands on a “sea safari. Glenapp Castle offers a 4-night itinerary that involves traveling between remote islands by boat during the day and glamping under the stars with a private chef by night.
Go north! Hire your choice of a sports car and drive the North Coast 500, a circuit departing from Inverness that has become synonymous with some of Scotland’s most dramatic and unpopulated scenery. Prefer to stay put? We can arrange exclusive use of a duke’s former hunting lodge in the Sutherland instead, surrounded by unspoiled glens and seascapes that are yours alone to discover.