KAREN & THE CONSTABLES

The weather hasn’t been great here lately, so when we woke up to a sunny Sunday we knew we had to take advantage of it. I remembered that I had received an email from Itison with an offer for the Red Deer Centre in Aberfeldy, so I gave them a call and booked a time for us to visit.

The centre is set in the beautiful Perthshire countryside and the scenery on the drive there is amazing. There are so many nice little town and villages around there including Dull, twinned with Boring, Oregon, and this was where we were headed.

Highland Safaris was easy to find, had plenty of parking and is wheelchair accessible. We checked in at the reception counter where a lovely lady told us everything we needed to know.

Our experience was with Safari Ranger Colin, who gave us lots of information on the red deer and the barn owl, Ossian. Colin brought Ossian into the barn and told us all about her, including what she eats and how owls’ eyes work as she flew from his hand past us to her perch and back. Our girls sat quietly and listened intently which is always a great sign!

We each got a cup of pellets and headed outside to feed the red deer. Colin gave us lots more information while we fed them and got our hands covered in deer saliva! We managed to pet them too, feeling their new antlers still covered in fur.

After our session we went asked along the Discovery Trail (a short informative walk with great views) before heading to the cafe for lunch.

The restaurant is nicely decorated and we got a nice comfy sofa and a couple of chairs for us to sit on. I had a haggis burger which was a great vegetarian option, Allan had a burger from the local butcher, and the kids had a burger and macaroni cheese. With tea and cakes altogether it cost about £40 but we had a £20 voucher as part of the offer to put towards it.

We took a look around the shop where the girls fell in love with a plush deer and owl, then headed to the maze, ride-on tractors and play area before heading home.

We had a brilliant day at the Red Deer Centre. The girls couldn’t wait to tell their friends at school that they fed red deer, and they felt really included by the team there, all of whom were were really friendly. Colin especially engaged with them and encouraged their questions. We would definitely recommend a trip here if you’re looking for a fun family day out.