Five minutes down the road from the Cairn is the British School of Falconry at Gleneagles. You can partake in an ancient pastime that could easily be the highlight of your trip. The Falconry School has been based at Gleneagles since 1992. They instruct over 4000 people each year.

THE BIRDS AT GLENEAGLES – at Gleneagles they have 24 birds in their mews. The oldest of the birds is an impressive 26 years old. The largest of the birds weigh in at 5kg.

If you decide to give falconry a go at Gleneagles, then you will be flying Harris Hawks. In the wild, Harris Hawks hunt in family groups, which is why they are easy to train as hunting partners. They are intelligent birds that learn quickly, making them excellent partners. They are, in fact, the most popular hunting bird in the world.

ACTIVITY OPTIONS - There are a few options when it comes to falconry at Gleneagles. Which option will suit may depend upon a mixture of your own experience, your comfort with hunting and how much you are willing to spend.

The most basic option is their introductory lesson, which is 45 minutes long. It will teach you the basics of handling and hunting with a hawk. You can extend this to a 2hr 30 minute session by including some actual hawking. You can try out the skills you have just learned, hunting for rabbits and game birds.

If you want to go all-in, you can do a full day of hawking, which includes a lesson and then a trip to a local estate for a longer hunting session with the birds. This lasts between 5 and 6 hours.

If you are travelling as a group, you can book a group session. In these sessions, you will be able to learn about and watch flying demonstrations of a range of eagles, hawks and falcons, before having some time handling the Harris Hawks.