Scotland’s top five wild dining experiences to try in 2026
Scotland often lets us down in the weather department. Surprise rainfall, brisk winds and early evening darkness don’t really scream “let’s eat our dinner outside”. But we are bored of sitting indoors with the curtains drawn and the heating on. It’s nearly spring, after all – we should be soaking up the warmer air and the sunshine.
In reality, it’s a bit chilly, but we can still enjoy fine food in the open air. Take notes from estates like Straloch (Highland Perthshire), Inverlonan (Oban), Monachyle Mhor (Trossachs) and Glen Dye (Cairngorms), who host year-round wild dining experiences that would have al fresco old-hats on the Amalfi Coast quaking in their boots.
Billy Connelly once said, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.” So let’s layer on some appropriate clothing, venture outdoors and enjoy great grub on the banks of glassy lochs, on heathery hillsides and in leafy forest plains.
These luxury wild dining experiences in Scotland include whisky flights, wine pairings, eight-course tasting menus and the freshest locally-sourced ingredients. Ith do shàth (that’s the Gaelic equivalent to bon a petit)!
Wine Safari at Monachyle Mhor
Where: From Mhor 84 restaurant to Monachyle Mhor Hotel in the Trossachs.
When: The next safari is Sunday 29th June, but they run throughout the year. Keep an eye on the Moncachyle Mhor Instagram and Facebook pages for announcements.
There’s no animal stalking or game drives during this Scottish safari. Instead, you’ll spend a morning wandering through Balquhidder, stopping for some hilltop bites and lochside drinks along the way.
All dishes and their drink pairings are hand-selected by Monachyle Mhor’s owner and executive head chef Tom Lewis. Tom is always foraging for the restaurant, chatting and tending the kitchen garden. He designs and leads every Wine Safari, packing the day with laughs, local insight and of course, good food.
This wild dining experience begins at Mhor 84 for breakfast with a glass of something from Tom’s stash of world-class wines. Next, you’ll embark on a two-mile stroll (including a light incline) up to Creag an Tuirc for tearjerking views of Balquhidder and Loch Voil. You’ll rest for a while with an outdoor food demonstration and, of course, a wine pairing. Next, walk two miles to the pebbly shoreline of Loch Voil, where you’ll sample a dish cooked over fire, with a glass of wine in hand.
After the final two miles you’ll gather in the Dutch Barn at Monachyle Mhor, fires lit, for a hearty Perthshire produce lunch, a little more wine and an opportunity to purchase the bottles you sampled along the way.
Visit the Monachyle Mhor website | Follow Monachyle Mhor on Instagram
Private countryside dinners and parties at Glen Dye
Where: Glen Dye Estate Office Bridge of Dye Steading, Cairngorms.
When: Dining experiences are tailored to your party and are often run through The Seed Store, an exclusive private restaurant on Glen Dye Estate. Inquire with the team directly here.
Luxury wild dining experiences at Glen Dye are reserved for private parties and special occasions only. If you request a wild dining experience, the team will deliver luxurious yet playful banquet settings that feature elegant crockery, pillar candles and ribbons with colourful chairs, cushions and blankets for comfort.
If you’d rather be close to nature as opposed to in it, The Seed Store is a fabulous alternative. The on-site contemporary restaurant is lowkey and cool, but the food is fine dining standard. All Glen Dye houses are celebrated for their enchanting closeness to nature, so you may be sat indoors at The Seed Store but you’ll still feel at one with the Scottish countryside.
Your experience needn’t end after dessert. For the whole ‘luxury wild dining’ thing to work, you need a warm, stylish and clean sanctuary to retire to. The estate’s handful of luxury accommodations (from two-person lodges to eight-person cottages and a riverside cabin) provide just that. Why not stay for a while?
Visit the Glen Dye website | Follow Glen Dye on Instagram
Wild Picnics at Straloch
Where: Pitlochry, Highland Perthshire.
When: Year-round. For a speedy response on booking enquiries, menu details, availability and pricing, please contact chef Penny by filling in this online form.
Straloch Estate‘s fully remote lunch hut is surrounded by 3,000 acres of dramatic heathery hills accessible by a one-hour walk or 30-minute Land Rover tour. The teeny wild dining space is elegantly decorated with a rustic candle chandelier and handpicked floral arrangements. Sheepskin throws (sourced from Homer in Aberfeldy) add comfort. Artisan pies, sandwiches, salads and soups will be laid out for your arrival, as well as delicious brownies and pudding pots freshly prepared by Penny, Straloch’s resident chef. This wild dining experience is suitable for families and friends – and the lunch hut is no stranger to proposals and milestone celebrations.
Your Straloch experience doesn’t need to come to a close after the final sip of champagne. On Straloch Estate, you’ll find two luxury accommodations – Keeper’s Cottage (sleeps four) and Stalker’s Lodge (sleeps six) – as well as the River Cabin (sleeps two), an off-grid bolthole that boasts all the swagger of a boutique hotel. There’s another spot under construction, so keep an eye on the Straloch website for eventual launch dates and booking details.
Visit the Straloch website | Follow Straloch on Instagram
Eight-course Wild Dining Experience at Inverlonan
Where: The 1,000-acre Inverlonan estate near Oban.
When: Reservations are open all year round.
Tim Kensett, a chef once found in the kitchens at London’s River Café and the Fife Arms in Braemar, lives on the 1,000-acre Inverlonan estate, growing its produce and cooking for those who book his wild dining experience.
An eight-course menu is served in Inverlonan’s oldest building, a 500-year-old bothy. Inside, candles flicker in the nooks of its thick stone walls. The floor is cushioned with hay. It’s unspeakably romantic. The ‘wild’ part comes from how the food is cooked: outdoors over an open flame in a partially sheltered lean-to kitchen. Tim wanders in and out, switching seamlessly between roles. He is chef, waiter, dishwasher.
Again, at this rural destination, you can continue your wild dining experience with a stay at one of three modest cabins that sit in the dip of a grassy hill overlooking Loch Nell. Book online.
Visit the Inverlonan website | Follow Inverlonan on Instagram
The Hide at Lindores
Where: Lindores Hill beside the River Tay in Fife.
When: Year round, direct enquiries required. The team will design a lunch experience depending on your group size, tastes and budget.
Enjoy a hilltop five-course meal cooked over fire with a private chef, sommelier and astounding views of the River Tay. Drinks pairings are selected by experts at Lindores Abbey Distillery, the birthplace of Scotch Whisky which distils with barley grown on Lindores farm. If the rain makes an appearance, you can seek refuge in The Hide, a Scandinavian inspired hut decorated with blankets and low lighting that make you feel instantly at home. The wild dining experience is built through partnerships with local artisans and producers, ensuring every meal benefits Scotland’s own. Menus include homebred Lindores Lamb and other seasonal, honest ingredients.
Eat a hearty meal before enjoying a wee wander on Lindores farm, surrounded by rolling barley fields; or have a go at horse riding before paying the Highland Cows a visit.
Visit the Lindores The Hide website | Follow Lindores on Instagram
Honourable mention: Wild Kabn Kitchen
Where: Ardkinglas Estate near Loch Fyne.
When: Re-launching late 2026 to early 2027.
Wild Kabn Kitchen celebrates the connection between food, fire and the landscape. William Hamer created the innovative wild dining model in 2023, hosting ever-evolving hidden dinners on the edge of Loch Fyne. Seasonal meals are served in the Greenhouse on the Ardkinglas Estate but William is currently taking a hiatus to assemble a new kitchen team. He is committed to crafting a refreshed dining experience that remains grounded; still celebrating the finest seasonal Scottish ingredients cooked over an open fire.
On the horizon is a new menu with the same soul. Keep an eye on the Wild Kabn Kitchen website for updates about one of Scotland’s best wild dining experiences. Tom writes beautifully curated menus with genuinely tasteful surroundings and an unmatched appreciation for produce.
Visit the Wild Kabn Kitchen website | Follow Wild Kabn Kitchen on Instagram
