Alternative ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day

IN AN IDEAL world, it wouldn’t take a nominated day in the calendar year to encourage a romantic gesture from your other half - every day, you might contend, should be a perfume-scented whirlwind of chocolates, flowers, candles and other February 14-related ephemera. In that spirit, scotsman.com looks at some extra-special and imaginative ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the love of your life (or whoever you’re going out with come the 14th).

One-day chocolatier courses

Boutique Edinburgh chocolatier Coco offer a small selection of intimate, one-day courses throughout the year to educate “delegates” (that’s you) on the basics of making chocolate, including a lesson on the history of the cocoa bean, after which you get to try your hand at making some yourself. Each class is limited to four attendees; so long as you book early enough, such a small class guarantees an intimate and informal setting in which to make (a mess of) your tribute to the cocoa bean.

Coco Chocolate

0131 228 4526

Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh

A cinephile’s delight

If that doesn’t satisfy your sweet tooth, then further chocolatey sojourns are to be found at the venerable Cameo cinema in Edinburgh. The venue will host a Valentine’s Day screening of off-beat French film Romantics Anonymous, whose central character is, yes, a chocolatier. Hotel Chocolat host a chocolate tasting session beforehand to get you in the mood for the imminent choc-a-thon. Not to be outdone on the film front, the Glasgow Film Theatre are screening David Lean’s timeless Brief Encounter on February 14, and it’s probably worth mentioning that the GFT is located on Rose Street - truly, the most romantic-sounding thoroughfare in Glasgow.

Cameo

0871 902 5723

Home Street, Edinburgh

GFT

0141 332 6535

Rose Street, Glasgow

Falling in love - at 10,000 ft

Skydiving may seem like a rather extreme way to profess your undying love, but what could be more expressive of the lengths - and heights - you would go to make him or her happy? Skydive Strathallan, based near Auchterarder, offer a range of training courses for budding skydivers to prepare for solo or tandem jumps. Participants are expected to demonstrate a reasonable level of fitness, and also bring “loads of enthusiasm.”

Skydive Strathallan

077 468 6161 / 0176 466 2572

Strathallan Airfield, near Auchterarder

Shot till you drop

Whisky distillery tours not only provide a distinctive treat for the senses, but they also offer an opportunity to explore some of the most picturesque - and romantic - locations in all of Scotland. Distilleries such as Laphroaig, located on the Isle of Islay, come highly recommended for its sumptuous scenery. For those living in the Central Belt who might wish to venture somewhere closer to home, the Tullibardine Distillery in Blackford, Perthshire is as good a shout as any.

Laphroaig Distillery

01496 302 418

Port Ellen, Isle of Islay

Tullibardine Distillery

01764 682 252

Blackford, Perthshire