Picnic Time: Fine Outdoor Places to Eat Finely

Best Place For A Lunchtime Quickie

Blythswood Square, Glasgow

There was a time, not so long ago, when you were more likely to go to Blythswood Square for a midnight lumber than a midday lunch. Times change and these days the area is awash with numerous recruitment agencies, law firms and stockbrockers. When the Georgian architects designed the square atop Blythswood Hill, the hope was that it would become the new centre of the city; in hindsight, it is probably a good thing that George Square retained all that popularity and traffic.

Blythswood Square has a rare lawn of fine grass, quiet roads and is largely pigeon-free, perfect for an urban lunch-hour picnic. When approached from Waterloo Street or Buchanan Street, the slope leading to Blythswood Square can be rather daunting, but the burnt thighs are worth it. It’s a pleasure to find a calm, clean patch of grass where you can throw down your jacket (a word of warning: there are no benches) and turn your face skywards. Packed out with hungry suits between 12-2pm, take along a sandwich, your CV and a winning attitude and you might just come away with a new job.

Stock up at: On Sauchiehall Street, alongside the tried-and-trusted Greggs and Blue Lagoon Chippie, the Noodle Bar does great Chinese food at reasonable prices. Or pick up some Nuclear Beans and a Tell Me About The Rabbits George bagel from Where The Monkey Sleeps, the eclectic café on West Regent Street run by ex-Glasgow School of Art students. [Alan Gillespie]

Best Places To Avoid The Crowds

Edinburgh Off The Beaten Track

Victoria sponge? Lemonade? The thock of leather on willow? Or a Frisbee, some cider, and blackened soles of feet? A beach and disposable barbeque? The Picnic is a wondrous and many varied thing - all we can be certain of is that an outdoor location is required. There are obvious choices in Edinburgh, but where to go if you don’t want to be trampled by the Edinburgh University Shinty Society on The Meadows or sixty year-old hill runners in short shorts on Arthur’s Seat?

Panic not! The guerrillas amongst us may want to jump a fence and snatch a furtive bite in the private gardens of the New Town, or infiltrate the picnic-intolerant botanic gardens. Active types might consider joining the kite-flyers east of Holyrood Palace, or head north from the centre to the playing fields of Inverleith Park.

An outing makes for more of an occasion and a trip south to Blackford Hill (the location of the Royal Observatory) rewards with views north over the capital, sans tourists. The Water of Leith deserves attention: head west past Dean Village and ignore the sign which diverts you up some steps to the Dean Gallery. Under the bridge round the corner a triangular spit of land opens up- this is for evenings, fire, and meat. There are more places to lay down that red and white checked mat than you might think.

Stock Up Your Basket: Stockbridge, the gentrified village-in-a-city, makes the perfect pitstop before plonking yourself down at Inverleith Park or striding along the Water of Leith. Herbie of Edinburgh’s Food Emporium on Raeburn Place has over 2000 goodies to choose from, including fresh pesto made with local basil and flourless Belgian chocolate cake, whilst around the corner superstar cheesemonger I J Mellis is stocked to the brim with all the truckles you could wish for. [Barnaby Seaborn]

Bellahouston Park, Glasgow

Sitting in the colourful suntrap that is the walled garden in Bellahouston Park, it’s easy to forget that you are within spitting distance of Ibrox and the M8. On the Southside of the city but easily reached from the city centre by underground or train for all you scaredy cat West Enders, it’s ideal for a spur of the moment picnic on an all-too-rare sunny day in Glasgow. Picnic in a civilised fashion on the benches in the Victorian walled garden or sprawl on the grass in the surrounding areas. If the weather fails House for an Art Lover provides a welcome refuge. Don’t spend an age searching for the intriguingly named ‘sunken garden’, as all to be found is some trackied-up neds drinking Buckie sitting on the ‘Glasgow Roots’ sculpture.

If you fancy a change from crowding into Kelvingrove Park and listening to people talk very loudly about how they haven’t been to sleep yet then escape to the Southside and tune into Sunny Govan, 103.5 FM. It’s certainly more entertaining.

Stock Up Your Basket: Cherry and Heather Fine Food, on North Gower St is a Scottish/Japanese hybrid deli where the food is indeed fine. Sandwiches include kaffir lime & lemongrass chicken with roasted red peppers and excellent veggie options such as chargrilled courgette, parmesan and organic toasted almond, plus sushi boxes and homemade cherry brownies. If you are battling a hangover these and a roll and sausage can be found next door at Jamiesons Home Bakery for the bargain price of 85p. [Laura Paterson]

Best Places To Escape The City

Arrochar Forest

For the most wholesome train journey you’ll ever have in Scotland, jump aboard the Glasgow-Oban line and sit yourself amongst the cheery German tourists, lycra-clad cyclists and ruddy-faced, card-playing teenagers. Get off at Arrochar & Tarbet Station - from here, you can either walk 20 mins to the beaches of Loch Lomond, or head out into the forests on one of the easily-navigable trails. Surprisingly quiet (I’ve been there on scorchingly hot and blue Saturdays and met only a handful of people), instead of turning off the trail to go into Arrochar village, head onwards towards Glen Loin. After about ten mins you can go off-track and picnic on a lush green clearing you'll likely have all to yourself.

Stock Up Your Basket: It’s not Fortnum & Mason Food Hall, but we’re talking post-hike picnic here - what could taste better than a no-nonsense cheese sandwich and homemade flapjack, either from Tarbet Village Stores or the biker-friendly food van in Arrochar.

Getting There: First ScotRail runs three trains a day from Glasgow Queen Street. Tickets from £9.50 return [Ruth Marsh]

East Neuk

Take your pick from the postcard-perfect fishing villages dotted around the East Neuk in The Kingdom of Fife, accessible from Edinburgh and St Andrews by bus.

Arrive early to the adorably-named Pittenweem for its daily fresh wet and shellfish market - perfect fodder for the barbie you can fire up later on the sandy beaches along the coast at Earlsferry. If you need more than lounging on hot sands to make your day, you can grab a bench with a view at St Monan’s or Anstruther harbours and watch the boats come and go, or go on a cliffside scramble along the physically demanding Elie Chain Walk. The latter is recommended pre-seafood platter (as in, definitely not post-seafood plater...), particularly if this is a date, and make sure you watch for tides - vomit and an air-sea rescue do not a good first impression make.

Stock Up Your Basket: Tasty homemade quiche at the dainty Mrs P’s Delicatessen at Anstruther, smoked local trout at Ru An Fhodar in St Monan’s and dressed crab at Reilly’s by Crail Harbour.

Getting there: Stagecoach buses depart regularly from Edinburgh Bus Station www.stagecoachbus.com [Ruth Marsh]