heavily gloved hand. “Nigel!” I shouted. In a blink, the
hawk flapped his wings, traveled the 25 feet, snatched the
beef with his beak and landed on my wrist. “Now what
are we going to do?” quipped the trainer with a quizzical
look. “He wants more.” Burdett had no problem filling the
60-minute session on falconry with (literally) hands-on
lessons and fascinating tales of the hunting prowess of peregrine falcons and golden eagles as well as hawks. We even
learned the history of such terms as “ferret out,” “
tight-fisted” and “fed up,” all rooted in falconry.
Other amenities abound. Gleneagles’ manicured 850-
acre site includes two main buildings with 232 rooms,
several conference areas, an award-winning destination
spa by ESPA, an indoor/outdoor pool, several tennis courts,
a beautifully groomed croquet course and the aforemen-
tioned nine-hole pitch and putt course. And Gleneagles
Equestrian School is equipped to handle every level of
horsemanship; for the younger set, ponies are available for a
half day. For a totally di;erent type of ride, try the Argocat,
an all-weather, all-terrain, semiamphibious vehicle the
whole family can pile into for an o;-road experience in the
Scottish countryside. Further options include Gleneagles’
Shooting School (rifles and shotguns), Fishing School (fly-
casting on nearby streams) and Gundog School (the world’s
first hunting dog school).
A Nearby Town
For us, travel is also about exploring small towns and villages, and we discovered a gem on this trip, Crie;, 12 miles
from Gleneagles (in Scotland distance is measured in miles,
not kilometers). With 6,000 residents, Crie; is the largest
town in Perthshire, or Perth County. “;’ Tis a resart tahwn,”
explained Alistair, our driver for the day. “Luts of auld folks
live eerh.” Maybe it’s best to say it this way: Crie; defines
the word charming. In 1716, Highlanders returning from
the Battle of Sheri;muir burned much of the town to the
UP, UP AND AWAY Virgin Atlantic has a nonstop flight from SFO to London
Heathrow that literally takes the pain out of flying for the eight-plus hours it
takes to get to London. Upper class features individual pods that are a comfy
home away from home with entertainment screens, reading lamps and fully
reclining beds. Timing was such that we took off from SFO just in time for a
delicious dinner, watched a movie, slept for several hours and woke up ready to
embrace the next day in London with only minimal jet lag. Although Scotland
was our destination, we were excited to spend one day in London as it had been
many years since we had stepped foot on British soil.
A QUICK LAYOVER What does a couple from Marin do with 24 hours in London?
Make the most of it. Since we had a birthday to celebrate, we’d booked at the
elegant five-star 51 Buckingham Gate Hotel, a block from Buckingham Palace.
It’s a Taj Hotel, run by the owners of Campton Place in San Francisco and the
Pierre in New York City. With its very English courtyard entrance, this boutique
lodging has 86 suites, all with well-equipped kitchens. But a birthday dinner at
the stylish, intimate (and on-site) 51 Bistro was more what we had in mind — and
it was perfect, down to the chocolate truffle cupcake with a single candle. It was
a great way to end the evening. The following morning broke clear and sunny,
and though you wind up looking like the ultimate tourists, we enjoyed gallivanting around on one of those two-story open-air buses that you can hop off and
on as you wish. Harrods, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, 10 Downing, Hyde Park, the
Houses of Parliament, Paddington Station, the British Museum — we saw them
all. We also made a stop at the palace just as the rather touristy ceremonial “
but-you-have-to-see-it-once” changing of the guard was taking place; wall-to-wall
people craned their necks for a glimpse. We ended the day along the Thames at
the London Eye, the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. The ride ascends nearly 450
feet in a capsule that comfortably holds two dozen people; on a clear day, midair,
you take in all of London from a seagull’s view. We could also see that the sun was
starting to set. Time to head for Heathrow to board a Virgin Atlantic Little Red
flight to Edinburgh; from there, on to Gleneagles. Our trip had only just begun.
Getting There
Is Half the Fun
Destinations / JOURNEY
This page: 51
Buckingham Gate
Hotel in London.
Opposite page,
top to bottom:
The grounds of
Gleneagles Hotel;
a room at the
resort; the bar
won’t disappoint.
