This 'glorious playground' is as much a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts as it was when it first opened its doors 100 years ago, says Alexandra Henton
I spent our first dawn at The Gleneagles Hotel sodden, semi-sheltering under dripping trees as I prayed that the puppy would decide to pee. An hour later it became apparent that this Scottish dawn was particularly dreich and dire, and that a six-month-old labrador wants to do nothing more at this unsociable hour than frolic endlessly in the deerscented grass. But the early-morning mood soon dissipated as Gleneagles did what it has done best for a century: lavish food, countless activities and elegant relaxation. The Strathearn is super for dinner – all excellent staff, slick service, marvellous food and had been the perfect precursor to a 13-hour day on the hill – but for breakfast it is splendid. The antithesis of the grab-and-go, this is a start to the day that should be lingered over. Some dishes can be made to order for the table – eggs Benedict, French toast et al – but it is the so-called pantry where you can choose from a smorgasbord of sustenance that takes the laurels as the best way to start a busy day at The Gleneagles Hotel.
Royal Lochnagar Suite
The hotel doesn’t wear the sobriquet ‘glorious playground’ lightly. There are countless ways to amuse oneself, or any member of a family gang from the juniors (head to The Trail Yard) to the seniors (golf and/or gin for a start) to the sporting. Marking myself down as the last, I met Iona McKechnie, who oversees the nine dogs at the Gleneagles gundog school, for a morning lesson. McKechnie offers classes to those keen to train themselves with the Gleneagles gundogs but I took the new puppy who, away from home, had decided it was time to falter rather than follow, and received some excellent tips on heelwork and the stop whistle.
Iona McKechnie with a brace of Gleneagles gundogs
After a brief return to the room to tuck the puppy into a thoughtfully provided dog bed (there are excellent kennels at the gundog school for those who’d prefer the hound has its own sleeping quarters), my footsteps were drawn to the new Gleneagles Sporting Club. Director of leisure Colin Farndon is proud of this addition and rightly so. “We’re bringing like-minded people together who love the outdoors,” he declares. It offers a great crossover: a member’s club (which hotel guests can use) with a casual service ethos and relaxed and stylish spaces to congregate. The ambience is spot on. “This building is a hub where people can make connections” he says. There are two tennis courts and three new padel courts, which have proved phenomenally popular. As someone who has fallen foul of an enthusiasm for pickleball, I was eager to see its Spanish rival in action and lucky enough to squeeze in a lesson with the resident professional, who showed me the ropes. Half an hour is enough to grasp the rules if not matchwinning technique. The Sporting Club also boasts a refreshed equestrian school for those who’d like to ride, with useful private changing rooms and showers to slough off in afterwards.
For those keen on the real thing, the Gleneagles shooting and fishing school offers introductions to country pursuits for many guests (there are also testing driven clays at the shooting ground for locals wanting to get their preseason eye in). Head of adventure Yuri Janssen now organises days in the field or on the river for hotel guests with wild sport and sustainability at the forefront: walked-uponly days where the field-to-fork ethos is central as well as deerstalking and fishing for wild brown trout or salmon. A new winter proposition, fishing for grayling has proved popular as have family days spent chasing those brownies. A keenness for the right sort of sport has kept the Scottish countryside at the heart of this splendid hotel. A century on, Gleneagles remains a byword for unruffled, unstuffy service and a Mecca for any outdoor enthusiast. Long may it last.
Spot-on ambience
A proper cocktail. I was hooked by the Gingery: a combination of Macallan 12 double-cask whisky, ginger and lemongrass taht was thoroughly edifying. A super snifter.
A wealth of wellies for loan
