The Land Rover Experience in Dunkeld is one of the jewels in the crown of Scotland’s off-roading scene.
Located on the shore of Butterstone Loch near Dunkeld, the centre has a fantastic backdrop.
It has a 280 acre off road park in Dunkeld, and access to 150 miles of private tracks in the Highland Perthshire hills.
Lead instructor and director Will Cox invited me to be part of their inaugural Under the Stars Weekend Trek.
This involved a 20 mile route through the wild country above Dunkeld followed by a hog roast and a campout at Dunkeld Park.
Participants could bring their own off-road vehicle or hire one of the centre’s Land Rovers.
A trek rewarded with stunning views
My old Audi A4 not exactly being suitable for this kind of activity I was kindly loaned a new Defender – Land Rover’s most capable off-road vehicle.
Equipped with a map and some emergency phone numbers, videographer Blair and I set off into the hills.
Our route started with a gentle climb through woodland, dappled sunshine dancing through the leaves.
After a time we emerged onto more open hillside and made our way along the edge of Mill Dam, a small but beautiful loch.
Heading westwards, we entered another forest stage before curving round a hillside and being rewarded with a majestic view of the River Tay snaking along the valley floor with the sharp point of Schiehallion jutting from the horizon.
Route suitable for most off road vehicles
A steep and dusty climb marked the beginning another large hill section that eventually led us to the shores of Loch Ordie.
We stopped for lunch here, eating sausage rolls and swigging coffee and tea beside the burbling mountain stream that feeds the loch.
Much of the route was suitable for any off roader but there were red sections that could only be tackled by vehicles with high ground clearance and low range gearboxes.
A challenging rock crawl
At each of these points alternative easier routes were offered for less capable vehicles.
Our Defender is one of the best off-road vehicles in the world, however, so we had a go at everything.
By far the most challenging was the rock crawl – a steep stone face packed with loose boulders.
Tackling this required the assistance of Tom, one of Land Rover Experience’s newest off road instructors.
From outside the car he guided me using hand signals and we made it to the top without putting any holes in the car.
As afternoon turned to evening and the sun began its slow descent we came off the hills and made our way to Dunkeld Park.
Land Rovers were parking for the evening, tents were going up and people were cracking open a beer.
Our mud-spattered Defender sat a few yards away, a reminder of the good day we’d had
Tantalising cooking smells were coming from a barbecue run by James Robb and Bonnie Colburn of Bonnie Mountain Coffee, a fantastic mobile café made out of an old Land Rover Defender.
As the golden hour descended, Blair and I sat on the grass with a plate of barbecued pork, coleslaw and salad, and a can of juice.
Our mud-spattered Defender sat a few yards away, a reminder of the good day we’d had.
Land Rover Experience Scotland offers full and half day adventures.
The Under the Stars overnight event is something the centre is keen to do at least annually.
If they do it again next summer I’ll certainly be back.
For details go to: scotland.landroverexperience.co.uk
Take a look at the full gallery from the day here.
