Angus businesses helping Dundee residents to Go Rural

Scottish Agritourism members look forward to welcoming more urban visitors to farms during the Go Rural campaign.

Angus rural businesses will be heading into Dundee this weekend to encourage residents to make some new discoveries on their doorsteps with the challenge to Go Rural.

Go Rural is the consumer facing brand of Scottish Agritourism, the official body for the agritourism sector in Scotland, and is used to promote a wide array of farm based activities. The focus on Dundee marks the launch of a campaign that will target residents from 20 Scottish cities and towns, encourage them to be ‘home town tourists’ and explore the rural activities on offer from farms within a 60-mile radius of their urban centre.

The event will showcase farm-based businesses offering activities for all the family, from play centres to distillery tours, with farm shops, cafés, glamping and everything in between.

Agritourism business owner Louise Nicoll, of Newton Farm Holidays near Forfar, said: “It;s fantastic to see this campaign underway which will help farm businesses like ours increase visitor numbers and welcome more people than ever to experience a working farm and the countryside. All farms and farming hosts are different so there are great opportunities to help locals and tourists visit multiple farms in the Go Rural network across Scotland.”

Caroline Millar, Scottish agritourism sector lead, added: “We want people to look beyond their urban environment, escape to the country and try something different. The circumstances of the past couple of years have been an opportunity for many to connect with their rural community and we don’t want that to end. There are farm shops right on the city boundary, with fresh food and the lowest possible food miles; farm tours that allow young and old alike to learn about the life of a farmer and the hard work that goes into the food they eat and there are farms that simply offer nice walks, free play for kids and the opportunity to just enjoy the countryside. There really is something for everyone.

Anyone taking up the invitation to go rural, and recording their visit on social media, is asked to use #GoRural to help us identify the different routes that Dundonians took over the weekend.”

Over the weekend, Dundee-based activity will include farm tours broadcast live on social media, blogs, proposed itineraries for going rural and social posts highlighting various farm businesses within 60 miles of Dundee. The launch coincides with the redevelopment of the Go Rural website which lists agritourism businesses throughout Scotland and gives suggestions of the various rural activities people can enjoy without having to travel too far.