Outdoor-types can enjoy a weekend of river-deep, mountain-high thrills in Aviemore. Spend day one shooting the rapids by taking a Full On Adventure tour on the River Findhorn, site of some of the UK’s best white water rafting. Get back on dry land for day two and hold your nerve on a vertigo-defying climbing and abseiling adventure with the experts at Craggan Outdoors. No need to worry about roughing it in a damp tent in between, enjoy a combination of glamour and camping with a night in the unique pods of Aviemore Glamping.
If a weekend of country pursuits fit for the landed gentry is more your group’s style, you’ll find the luxurious Turnberry Resort is a one-stop shop. After a day of male bonding on the golf course, quad-biking or horseback riding on the beach, you can relax with pampering treatments in the hotel’s spa. Then choose from one of the hotel’s six restaurants and bars to refuel with fine dining and drinks before retiring to your luxurious suite to sleep like a laird.
Men who love to discuss “peaty notes” and “hints of honey” can spend the weekend sipping some of the world’s best whiskies. On a trip with Rabbie’s small group tour company you’ll enjoy not just tastings, but also distillery tours as well as learning about the history of Scotch-making while traveling through the scenery of the Cairngorm Mountains. They organize all the accommodation and you don’t need to worry about a designated driver.
As a major European metropolis, Edinburgh is the front-runner for city slickers looking for a stylish stag weekend. Start as you mean to go on by checking into one of the trendiest hotels in town -- Le Monde, just a five minute stroll from the designer mecca of the Harvey Nichols department store. Start your sophisticated evening with cocktails at the upscale Tonic Bar, before being escorted to your private dining room at the Castle Terrace restaurant and ending the night with champagne service in the VIP Sunken Lounge of the Opal Lounge nightclub.
If the peace and quiet of messing about on the water is more up your alley, then a boat trip along the Caladonian Canal to Loch Ness could be just the ticket. Rent a boat from the Inverness-based Caley Cruises and after a lesson on lochs and a safety briefing, you’ll be on your way to a relaxed weekend of fishing and mooring at lochside eateries like The Boathouse.
