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Nick Nairn Cook School is an hour's drive from either Glasgow or Edinburgh. DETAILS From $255 a day; 011-44-1877-389-900 or nicknairncookschool.com.

WHERE TO STAY

Lake of Menteith Hotel Nairn is a part-owner of the hotel, a five-minute drive from his school. Accommodations are basic. The hotel's restaurant is more ambitious, with dishes like seared smoked salmon with pickled beets. DETAILS Doubles from $140 (cooking-school students get a 10 percent discount); 011-44-1877-385-258.

WHERE TO GO

Gleneagles Home to Scotland's most famous golf courses, Gleneagles is a 40-minute drive from the cooking school. Chef Andrew Fairlie, who has an eponymous restaurant in the Gleneagles Hotel, was just awarded a second Michelin star for dishes like lobster smoked for 12 hours over whiskey barrels. DETAILS 866-463-8734 or 011-44-1764-662-231; gleneagles.com.

Glengoyne This distillery, a 20-minute drive from the school, offers hourly tours. VIP Master Blender Tours, which let visitors create and bottle their own blended whiskeys, must be reserved in advance. DETAILS 011-44-1360-550-254 or glengoyne.com.

Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Nairn recommends hiking the 2.5-mile Ben A'an trail or doing the five-mile trek to Ben Ledi. DETAILS 011-44-1389- 722-199 or lochlomond-trossachs.org.
—Jen Murphy