From treetop Tarzan to a dram beside the fireside

But just for a second that unmistakable whiff of panic took hold and I had to steel myself for the task in hand - which happened to be plunging forwards off a small wooden platform, swinging across a wide clearing and bouncing to a halt in a large net stretched vertically between two pines.

Apart from the small queue beginning to develop behind me there was another good reason for overcoming my acrophobic moment as quickly as possible. That was the sight of my 10-year-old daughter Anna and wife Jane launching themselves fearlessly off the same ledge without a downward glance. "Of course I wasn't scared," I reassured us all later.

And the best was yet to come. Once we had traversed the various walkways, swings, ladders and trapezes that make up the treetop course it was time for an exhilarating slide along one of Britain's longest zip wires, skimming downwards on a 400m-long cable with the valley floor 150ft below before landing safely, if somewhat inelegantly, in a pile of wood chippings.

This was my family's first experience of Go Ape, an outdoor activity billed as the UK's No 1 Forest Adventure, which promises to "get you in touch with your inner Tarzan". Founded in 2001 by Tristram Mayhew and his wife Rebecca, who had experienced a similar adventure in France, the company now has a contract with the Forestry Commission and operates 28 separate adventure courses in forests across the UK.

Though not an activity for anyone without a good head for heights - and participants have to be a minimum of 1.4m tall, at least 10 years old and weighing less than 130kg - we all thoroughly enjoyed the two hours spent swinging around in the trees, despite the more challenging sections.

And while there was an absolute premium on safety, with thorough briefings on the equipment and techniques required to stay safe and plenty of vigilant staff in attendance around the course, what gave the experience a genuine sense of adventure was the fact there was enough freedom for those taking part to really feel they were going it alone.

Aside from Go Ape, the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park is a great place to go for a family day out with plenty of clearly-marked walks of different grades ranging from easy to strenuous, which can all be accessed from the Lodge Forest Visitor Centre on the A821 just north of Aberfoyle. A particular highlight is the centre's array of live webcams where visitors can watch osprey nests, red squirrels, water voles and other wildlife.

After lunch in the Lodge cafe, the weather began to close in so we scaled back our plans for a longer afternoon walk and drove to the shores of Loch Ard. There, we took a short stroll to a hilltop which took in some breathtaking views of the snow-capped peak of Ben Lomond to the west and the distant Gothic tower of the Wallace Monument far to the east.

As the rain intensified and the clouds rolled in, we called it a day and headed for our base for the weekend, the Macdonald Forest Hills Hotel and Spa overlooking Loch Ard on the B829.

When Scotland is at its most dreich, the silver lining is often to be found in a warm spot beside the fireside with a book to read or a game to play and a drink at one's elbow and so it proved. After checking into our spacious and well-appointed family suite we got changed and sat in the hotel lounge playing cards.

The hotel was excellent, the staff friendly, helpful and professional and the facilities, from the gym, squash courts and swimming pool to the spa, were all of a very high standard.

After pre-dinner drinks we were ushered through to the Garden Restaurant, where our table overlooked the terraced lawns and flower beds and the lake and hills beyond. The food was of a very high standard with freshly baked bread with our starters of smoked salmon and warm goats cheese and main courses of tender shoulder of lamb with a puy lentil jus. Anna was just as delighted with her macaroni cheese.

After desserts of orange panacotta and a selection of cheeses we finished off the evening with coffee and a dram by the fireside. (The bar is expensive, however: with a gin and tonic setting us back just shy of £8, the Macdonald will not suit all pockets.)

We woke on Sunday morning to the sounds of persistent rain on the window, so after an excellent cooked breakfast we decided to stay under cover and headed to the Glengoyne Distillery nestling beneath the unmistakable hump of Dumgoyne at the western tip of the Campsie Fells.

Scotland has a plethora of distilleries in wonderful locations, but it would be hard to imagine a more beautiful spot than Glengoyne, or a more picturesque collection of whitewashed buildings with their distinctive pagoda roofs.

After a dram of the delicate, but sprightly 12-year-old in a lounge overlooking a waterfall at the rear of the distillery, we learned some of the basics from a short film and then set off on the tour. The weather had given many people the same idea as us, but although the tour was busy the guide knowledgeably took us through the various processes from barley to bottle.

We finished the tour with a special tasting, pairing the 15 and 21-year-old whiskies with different chocolates from rich dark to sweet caramel. But the special treat was a taste of the distillery's exceptional £300-a-bottle single cask 26-year-old with a fruity rum nose and a honeyed orange and lemon peel taste, which brooked no other accompaniment. A perfect way to end a great Scottish weekend.

Andrew Denholm was a guest of the Macdonald Forest Hills Hotel, Aberfoyle (rooms for a family of four start from £125 per night bed and breakfast http://resorts.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/forest-hills). B&B and excursions were gifted by Go Ape (www.goape.co.uk) and Glengoyne Distillery (www.glengoyne.com)