One of Scotland’s Greatest Escapes

A unique agritourism foodie experience in Fife has been named one of Scotland’s greatest getaways in a BBC Scotland TV series. 

Lindores, which offers self-catering accommodation and a bespoke food and drink experience in its BBQ hut, made it through to the final of the second series of Scotland’s Greatest Escape, after coming top in the Foodie category. 

Lindores is situated on a working farm which prioritises low-waste production methods through partnerships with local artisans and producers, such as providing the barley for the local Lindores Abbey Distillery. Last year, the business took Best Self-Catering Accommodation Experience at the Central and East Scottish Thistle Awards. 

During their stay judges, Fiona Campbell and Masood Khodadadi, had a dining experience in The Hide, a BBQ hut sitting on top of Lindores Hill. 

Judges called it “an entirely immersive foodie experience” when awarding full marks in the Foodie category. 

However, it was The Broch on the Isle of Harris – a three-storey drystone building with a turf roof, inspired by Iron Age structures – which was ultimately crowned the 2024 series winner. 

Scotland’s Greatest Escape saw expert judges visit 21 getaways across Scotland under seven categories – ‘Unique & Unusual’, ‘Luxury’, ‘Budget Friendly’, ‘Lochs, Glens & Bens’, ‘Foodie’, ‘Adventure’ & ‘Island & Coastal’ – over the eight-part series, presented by Grado. 

Each experience was scored on four key criteria: accommodation, activities on offer, customer service and overall experience. Those with the highest score went through to the grand final held in East Neuk of Fife on Wednesday (17 April). 

Judges had previously whittled down 1400 public nominations to a shortlist of three for each category. 

Agritourism refers to working farms which have branched out into providing visitor experiences, whether it be through food and drink, interactive activities, or accommodation. 

The sector is growing in popularity in Scotland, driven by visitors interested in food provenance and sustainable tourism. 

Caroline Warburton, Destination Development Director at VisitScotland, said: “Lindores is a great example of an authentic and sustainable visitor experience. Visitors are looking for an immersive experience and we know that the provenance of what they eat, and drink is an important part of that. Taking top prize in the Foodie category is a testament to the hard work they have put in creating a unique setting to promote local food and drink. 

“The popularity of agritourism is growing, reflecting a shift in the farming sector which sees the economic potential for expanding into tourism. Businesses like Lindores, which has sustainability at its heart, are playing an important role in helping rural communities and supporting our national goal of creating a world-class sustainable tourism destination that benefits all.” 

Anna Black, who runs Lindores with her husband Richard, said the team felt “incredibly excited” to be shortlisted for the series and were told judges wanted to be treated just like any ordinary customer during their stay. 

She said: “Richard and I were blown away and rather shocked when we discovered we’d won the category and made it to the final. We knew our experience was unique and authentic but opening our doors to share our story – how we collaborate with locals to build a sustainable rural economy – and receive that kind of feedback has given us so much confidence as a business. We felt a wave of reassurance that our team, and our local chefs and artisan producers, were doing something right.” 

She added that they had a huge spike in views to the website after the programme was broadcast and customers are regularly requesting The Hide brochure and using the venue for bespoke dining experiences for events like birthdays and anniversary celebrations. 

She continued: “Over the winter we’ve been bringing back to life and refitting our original farmhouse built in the 1800s as a new space for guests to use for small events or talks on the farm. This week alone we’ve welcomed guests from across Scotland, Israel, Australia, USA and Italy.”  

Narrated by Dawn Steele, Scotland’s Greatest Escape the full eight-part second series - made by Red Sky Productions for BBC Scotland - is available to view on BBC iPlayer.  

The judges were: Fiona Campbell, Vanessa Kanbi, Masood Khodadadi, Zakia Moulaoui Guery, Stuart Kenny, Raj Gill and Head Judge Marina Huggett. 

The seven Scotland’s Greatest Escape finalists were: 

• The Broch at Borve Lodge Estate, Isle of Harris (Ep1, Unique & Unusual) 
• Cromlix, Dunblane (Ep2, Luxury) 
• The Bus Stop (Ep3, Budget Friendly), East Lothian 
• Glenorchy Farm, Dalmally (Ep4, Lochs, Bens & Glens), Argyll 
• Lindores, Fife (Ep5, Foodie) 
• Benmore Estate Island Pods, Isle of Mull (Ep6, Adventure), Argyll 
• Duisdale House, Isle of Skye (Ep7, Island & Coastal), Highlands 

For more on Scotland’s Greatest Escape: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ckjdls 

ENDS 

For more on Scottish agritourism: https://www.visitscotland.org/about-us/what-we-do/working-in-partnership/agritourism-strategy