Revel in mellow mists of autumn

It is that time of year again when the summer (or what there was of it) draws to a close and the leaves start to turn a colour that heralds what feels like a long, wet descent to the dark days of winter. Autumn does not have to be all about doom and gloom, though, as there are plenty of great places and autumnal experiences guaranteed to make you feel proud and glad to be living in Scotland.

Doon the Watter

The Spanish Costas may have replaced the Firth of Clyde islands for Scots looking for a summer holiday, but these gems are ideal for an autumnal getaway.

Arran has always been the star attraction and “Scotland in Miniature” just got better. This year saw the opening of the impressively revamped Douglas Hotel (www.thedouglashotel.co.uk). Step off the ferry and you are practically in the reception of this sleek, boutique haunt with its minimalist rooms, modern Scottish restaurant and the welcoming embrace of its whisky-themed bar with great views.

Just along the road the Auchrannie Resort (www.auchrannie.co.uk) has for years managed to be all things to all people, but it just went up in the estimation of the nation’s youngsters with the opening last month of the Play Barn. This soft-play oasis keeps the wee ones going for hours with real food for mums and dads too. Residents get free entry, while day trippers can currently pick up a Play Barn and ferry package.

Camp Like a Lazy Duck

With proper tents and cosy sleeping bags never cheaper to get hold of, don’t let the sinking mercury put you off heading for the hills for some stylish cool camping. My wife and I wrote Cool Camping: Scotland (www.insiderscotland.com/coolcamping.htm) and there are dozens of great sites in there. Our autumnal favourite is the Lazy Duck (www.lazyduck.co.uk), so named as the owners had to get in substitute mother ducks as the resident Aylesbury ducks were too lazy to hatch their own eggs.

Humans tend to feel similarly sop-orific at this bijou four-pitch site on the edge of the Rothiemurchus Forest in the Cairngorms National Park. If the hammocks gently swaying in the heather don’t do it for you there is the Tarzan swing for slipping into second childhoods, a sauna that is soothed by essential oils and an unusual outdoor “bush shower”, the latter a defiant attempt to bring a slice of Africa to the Highlands. That might be a touch ambitious for September, but it is a great place to appreciate the native Caledonian Forest that spreads off all around, taking on its autumnal sheen.

Head to Big Tree Country

Perthshire is renowned as “Big Tree Country” so what better venue for an autumnal escape? The mass of trees explode in an orgy of smouldering oranges, fiery reds and melting golds at this time of year, even from the A9 as you head north from Perth. One of the best places to really appreciate the forested grandeur is at the Hermitage (www.nts.org.uk) just north of Dunkeld. Wordsworth, Mendelssohn and Turner are amongst those who have been impressed with the woodlands here.

Heading west, the famous Birks o’ Aberfeldy were immortalised by Scotland’s national bard and you can see why. A path snakes up this gorge as the thundering Moness River provides a dramatic backdrop to an explosion of both native and more exotic trees. Burns himself sits revelling in the scene on a bench deep in the forest, while a cosy retreat the great man would no doubt have approved of awaits just at the entrance to the Birks at Moness Resort (www.moness.com).

Grab a Glen

This autumn I’m filing travel diaries at www.visitscotland.com/grab-a-glen twice a week on how to get active in the great Scottish outdoors. One of my favourite glens is Glen Finglas in the Trossachs. It is at its best in autumn. The Woodland Trust Scotland have done some brilliant work here regenerating the Caledonian Forest. You’ll need to be up there quite early to complete the whole circuit up and around Glen Finglas, but there are plenty of shorter and no less dramatic options.

Sir Walter Scott was a big fan of Glen Finglas and it is easy to see why. Its remoteness and big-sky Highland atmosphere belies its proximity to the Central Belt. Reward yourself for your efforts with a scenic drive north to the world-class Monachyle Mhor (www.mhor.net), a most memorable hotel and dining experience.

Take to the Seas (Or not...)

It takes a bit of guts and a lot of vision to reinvent an oil industry white elephant in the middle of nowhere as a state-of-the-art marina that has put the West of Scotland back on the sailing map.

That is exactly what the people behind Portavadie Marina (www.porta vadiemarina.com) have done with their 230-berth marina, which opened in 2009. It is not just all about the sailing here in this epically beautiful corner of Argyll’s Cowal Peninsula. On the shore rises an elegant, glass, steel and wood oasis, with a restaurant, bar, a chic shop, treatment room and viewing tower. New for 2011 is The Lodge, 11 family friendly bedrooms and another restaurant. The most spectacular place to stay is on one of the split-level apartments, with designer kitchens, flat screen TVs, iPod-powered speaker systems and private saunas.

The floor-to-ceiling windows really show off Kintyre across the water and the impressive crags of the Arran Hills. Autumnal sunrises and sunsets are spectacular with the rugged panorama exploding in raging reds and deep oranges across the water.