Eating Out on Arran

Having visited Arran for the last 20 or so years we have become quite familiar with the places to eat out at. We have patronised the Brodick Brasserie which is situated in Alma Road, just off the sea front. The establishment is run by Iain MacFadzean and his family and was run by his father before he took over. In the time we have visited it, it has been completely re fitted.

The Brodick Brasserie

If you look on "Trip Advisor" you will see that in nearly all cases it gets a very good write up, both for the quality and quantity of its food. It is, perhaps a little pricy compared to some of the other establishments on Arran, but, you get what you pay for, and where The Brodick Brasserie is concerned you will get a well cooked, beautifully presented, tasty meal. I have never tasted a more delicious Pizza than the ones prepared at the Brodick Brasserie! The bases are cooked by the resident chef - (none of you Pizza Hut rubbish) and the coverings of either salami and pepperoni or chicken and sweetcorn are mouthwatering.

However there are three or four comments which criticise the attitude of Ian to his customers. We have never had any reason to complain at his attitude, in fact during the times we have visited we have been engaged in conversation with him many times, and discovered he has friends who live in Baildon. This year when we were there he told us he was going down to their sons wedding. 

The dining area in the Brodick Brasserie

The well stocked Bar

There is a wide selection of starters, main courses and sweets displayed on a large blackboard at the end of the dinging area. This is regularly changed and updated.

The selection of food available on the blackboard

If you are looking for a slightly less costly meal, then the place to visit is the Pierhead Tavern in Lamlash.

The Pierhead Tavern in Lamlash

The Pierhead Tavern is your "friendly local", with a dining area which is
adjoining the bar area, although meals can be taken in the bar. The meals here can be best described as "wholesome" as well as tasty.

An unusual feature of the end wall in the dining room is that it is completely built of large pebbles. (See the right hand side of the photo above.)


For a cuppa or a less substantial meal you can visit The Coffee Pot, situated in Whiting Bay. Here you will get good home cooking at a reasonable price. 



The Coffee Pot in Whiting Bay

The Coffee Pot has an outside seating area where you can take your cuppa and relax whilst admiring the view of the sea (which is across the road) and mainland Scotland.

The outside seating area at the Coffee Pot

All around the dado shelf on the walls of this establishment are a collection of coffee pots of all shapes and sizes. There is a large coffee pot above the garden entrance to the cafe too!

The Coffee Pot above the garden entrance

It was whilst we were on the Isle of Arran last year that we came across a newly opened bijou restaurant on the front at Whiting Bay. The establishment was called Coast, and is aptly named as it is quite literally on the coast!

The view from the conservatory of Coast

As usual, we got talking to the owners of Coast, and discovered that they both had been employed in high powered executive posts in Glasgow, but had decided that the stresses of their jobs were not for them, so they decided to look elsewhere for employment.

One of the owners came from Arran, and it happened that a property had become vacant on the front at Whiting Bay. The co owner had chef qualifications, so they decided to purchase the property and open it up as a restaurant.

Russell Lee & Mark Currie the co owners of Coast

From the moment you walk into Coast, you sense that you are going to enjoy the experience. Mark acts as the "greeter" and he has a very welcoming and bubbly personality which will very soon put you at your ease. He shows you to your table, where he will take your drinks and food order.

Either he or Russell will return within a short space of time and bring your drinks and a plate of freshly baked bread and butter. The bread is the most delicious I have ever tasted, and I learnt that it is baked by their resident lady cook. It is her speciality tomato bread.

Starters, Main Courses and Sweets are tasty, well cooked and beautifully presented. The Brodick Brasserie used to be our number one choice of eating place, but this year it has been overtaken by Coast!

Corrie - A Million Miles from the ITV Soap Opera

If you travel round the Isle of Arran, sooner or later you will come across the picturesque village of Corrie. Most of the cottages at Corrie are painted white, and are well maintained by their owners/occupiers, who go in for flower baskets and pretty gardens.

Corrie also has the unusual facility of two harbours. The one on the photo above is situated in the centre of the village, and among other things it contains a life size replica Viking Boat.

The other harbour, at the southern end of the village is known as the sandstone quay, because it was from here that sandstone used to be transported from the nearby quarries.

If you look closely at the harbour wall you will not be mistaken if you think you can see some sheep there! The are cast iron ones, so that the craft can be safely secured to them.

One of the curios at Corrie is the Doctor’s bath. This is a bath carved into the sandstone rock on the shore by a Doctor McCredy, who stayed in “Cromla” at the time of Waterloo. He believed that bathing in the sea water had beneficial effects!

The bath is complete with steps down into it!

Fancy a bathe in the refreshing sea water at Corrie?

Holiay Retrospective - Pipers Cottage Lamlash

We have visited the Isle of Arran for more years than I care to remember [somewhere in the region of  20+ years] and for the first few years we stayed with a delightful couple called Robin & Ann Whitla. Robin was one of the resident doctors on the island, and his wife Ann had been a nurse. The had met out on Ascension Island some years before, and as Anne originally came from Sanquhar (which is not too far away from the Isle of Arran, but on the Scottish mainland), it seemed that settling on the Isle of Arran was a good idea.

The ran a bed and breakfast establishment in a large detached house in Brodick called "Auchenard," and we stayed with them for three or four years, until they decided to retire from the B & B business. About twelve years ago they decided to move house and bought a small bungalow called Pipers Cottage on Shore Road at Lamlash. We have always kept in touch with them when we have visited Arran and called in to see them.

We have stayed with various other people in Brodick, but four years ago when Ruby arrived on the scene it necessitated us finding another place to stay which would accommodate a dog. I looked on the Internet, and chose a self catering establishment, a studio cottage at Prospect Hill, which turned out to be up a short hill nearly at the end of Shore Road in Lamlash. 

I rang Robin & Ann to let them know that we would be on Arran during 17 - 24 September and would be calling in to see them (we had missed them last year as they were away on holiday in Spain!) and Ann broke the bombshell - that they had decided to sell Pipers Cottage and move to some accommodation similar to a McCarthy & Stone complex, but on the mainland near Hamilton. It really felt like an era gone as we have known Robin and Ann and visited them for 20+ years.


These are photographs of their property featured by their estate agents on Arran. If only we had the money we would love to have been able to have bought it!

 Pipers Cottage, with conservatory overlooking Holy Isle

 Pipers Cottage - Conservatory with view of Holy Isle

 Lounge

 Dining Room looking towards the kitchen

 Dining Room looking towards the conservatory

Bathroom & Toilet

So if you know anybody who has the odd £285,000 knocking about and doesn't know what to do with it, point them in our direction!

 Robin & Ann outside Pipers Cottage

 Robin & Ann outside Pipers Cottage

Robin Dot & Ann outside Pipers Cottage.

Holiday Retrospective - A Diversion via Charity Shops & Barter Books

During the times we have visited Arran, Peebles, Kelso, Berwick upon Tweed, Wooler and Alnwick I have visited the various charity shops which are situated in these places. I have often been able to purchase CD's DVD's and Books which I have wanted for sometime, at greatly reduced prices.

For the last four or five years, some weeks prior to our departure for our holidays, it has been suggested to me, in fairly definite terms, that it was time I sorted out, and got rid of some of the cassettes, CD's, DVD's and books which I had accumulated over the preceding year.

A search and selection of cassettes, CD's, DVD's and Books which I really didn't need to keep were packed into cardboard boxes, and these were taken with us and donated to the ARCAS Charity Shop (Arran Cancer Support) in Brodick. However, having been in the shop I was always tempted to buy other CD's DVD's and Books!

The usual high street charity shops have been supported - Chest Heart & Stroke, Sense, Help the Aged, British Heart Foundation, Sue Ryder, R.S.P.C.A. and Oxfam, but there are one ore two which I will single out and mention due to their quirkiness, or for other factors. 

In Berwick upon Tweed is a charity shop called B.A.R.K (guess what - it supports dogs as well as other animals!] Berwick Animal Rescue Kennels to give it its correct full title. The shop assistants are a motley crew of animal lovers and the shop contains all manner of cast offs and throw aways, as well as lots of CD's DVD's etc.

Kelso has a charity shop which has stickers on its goods with the letters C.B.A.H. [come on - I'm sure if you think hard enough you can work out what they stand for - answer at the end of the blog if you don't work it out!]. This establishment appears to be run by two or three elderly Scots ladies and sells some excellent classical CD's at 50p each plus all manner of intriguing goods!

In Kelso & Berwick upon Tweed you will find the British Heart Foundation Shops which always have an excellent selection of good quality classical CD's and DVD's.

I mustn't forget to mention another shop, which is not a charity shop, but is well worth a visit, and this is Barter Books in Alnwick. Barter books advertises itself as "one of the largest  second hand bookshops in Britain"

In 1991 Mary Manley decided to open a second hand bookshop, based on the swap system, called Barter Books. Her husband, Stuart, suggested that she open the shop in the front room of what was then his manufacturing plant, located in the old Alnwick Railway Station. From that time a joint partnership was formed which has grown into what is probably the largest second hand bookshop in Britain!

Here a few photos I took of the establishment:

 The writers mural was commissioned by the owners of Barter Books and painted by Peter Dodd.

 A model railway runs around the top of the bookcases in the first part of the shop.

.

 There are usually two or three different trains running on the layout!

In 2009 Stuart Manley discovered a rare original of the long forgotten World War II poster in a box of books which had been sold at auction. His wife Mary had it framed and put up in the shop, where its uncluttered graphic design and compelling slogan made it an instant hit. A year later the shop began selling facsimile copies, which were soon copied (and parodied!) in their millions. The poster has now become one of the iconic images of the 21st century.

The main part of the bookshop.

Last year I brought up two box fulls of books and was "given" £54.00 to spend in the shop. After making some purchases last year and some more this year I now have 80p left to spend!

So what did I finish up with from the Charity shops & Barter Books?

Without listing the items individually, I came home with  37 music CD's, 12 DVD's 8 Story CD's and 6 books.

I have a shrewd suspicion that not too long before next years holidays someone in our house will be suggesting that I go through my collections of books, CD's DVD'S and story CD's to take up to some of the above mentioned charity shops!

By the way C.B.A.H stands for Charity Begins At Home!

Holiday Retrospective - Lamlash

Having left Blackwaterfoot and Kildonan we moved on to Lamlash. Lamlash has the lifeboat station situated there, next to the harbour, and a shop called Johnsons Marine Store which sells all manner of goods for yachtmen, motor boat owners and the like.The harbour at Lamlash, and the jetty are usually full of yachts and boats of all shapes and sizes. It is also the place where you can go across to Holy Isle from.

Boats and Yachts in Lamlash Bay. (Holy Isle is in the background)

The shop window of Johnsons Marine Stores, with its display of yachts, but as well as these quite expensive, and very accurate "Toy" yachts all things to do with yachts, boats, marine engines etc. can be purchased.

From the end of the harbour wall you can look back at the whole sweep of Lamlash which is situated along the bay, and also see the yachts lined up along the sides of the harbour.

There are usually a couple of swans swimming around the harbour area.

It is in Lamlash that you will find the Pierhead Tavern, which is situated just at the end of the short road that leads from the harbour. During our visits to Arran we have dined here quite a few times, and the meals have been good value for money and very filling!



The Pierhead Tavern

I mentioned earlier in this part of the blog, that it is at Lamlash that you can sail across to Holy Isle from the harbour. The small caravan parked on the harbourside acts as the booking office!

The Booking Office for trips to Holy Isle.

The RNLI lifeboat Station

Lamlash Church and shops.

There is a memorial at Lamlash, to all the residents of Arran who were "cleared" from their homes when the landowner decided it would be more profitable for him to use the land for sheep and deer.

The Arran Clearances Memorial

The row of houses behind the memorial is known as Hamilton Terrace and it epitomises the Victorian charm and gentility which makes up Lamlash..



Hamilton Terrace.

Arran Holiday - Continuing our Circumnavigation of Arran

Moving on from Lochranza, we passed through the tiny hamlets of Catacol, Thunderguy, Imachar and Pirnmill. Pirnmill was named because some years ago there was a mill here which manufactured the "pirns" or bobbins for the woollen mills in Scotland. Just south of Pirnmill is a super pebbly beach and it is here that we usually gather some pebbles to take back home and place in our back garden around the small pond that we have.

About three quarters of the way down the west coast is the village of Blackwaterfoot, which has a small, picturesque harbour.

Blackwaterfoot harbour looking out across to the Mull of Kintyre.

Blackwaterfoot harbour looking upstream.

Swans in the harbour at Blackwaterfoot.

Moving to the south east corner of Arran we arrived at the small settlement of Kidonan, which is reached via a detour from the road which circumnavigates the island.

The village of Kildonan in the distance.

Looking out to sea from Kildonan you can see two islands. The nearest and smallest island, which has a lighthouse built on it is Pladda. The much larger and further away island is called Ailsa Craig, and is known by the nickname Paddy's Milestone. This is because it is reputed to be half way between Arran and the coast of Ireland!

Pladda

Ailsa Craig (know as "Paddy's Milestone")

Holiday Retrospective Part 2

Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny and after a lazy start to the day, Dot took Ruby for a walk along Shore Road, whilst I had a shower. When she returned she told me that she had seen a hawk. I assumed that it was a wild one, but on going down Shore Road I discovered that it was one that was being trained by a man who was on holiday!

He told us that he had two hawks, and this was the daughter of the hawk he had left at home, but that it needed regular training, and he couldn't leave it at home, so he had brought it on holiday with him!

After spending some time chatting to the man, we decided that the weather was too good to waste mooching around Lamlash, so we went for a drive round the whole island. It was well past dinner time when we arrived at Lochranza, which is on the northern tip of the island.

The last time we were in Lochranza a little shop called the Sandwich Station had opened up and so we decided to patronise them.

Dot (at the left hand side) relaxing outside the Sandwich Station

A small vehicle ferry runs from Lochranza across to Claonaig, on the Mull of Kintyre, and whilst we were at Lochranza the ferry arrived.

The Lochranza - Claonaig Car Ferry

There is the ruin of a castle at Lochranza, which you can see to the right of the next photo.

Lochranza with the castle on a promontory at the right.

Whilst we were relaxing at Lochranza we also saw a para glider flying over the hills on the Newton Shore.

You can see the para glider just above the clouds at the centre of this photo.





Our Holidays - A Retrospective - Journey and Next Day

We set off for our Annual Holidays on Saturday 17th September, heading for Ardrossan, to catch the CalMac Ferry "The Caledonian Isles", on a damp miserable rainy day. Driving up the M6 was like driving up a riverbed in fog. By the time we got to the Gretna Green turn off (on to the A75) the rain had just about stopped. (Thank goodness!) The route from here is pretty straight forward - continue on the A75 to Dumfries [although there is a by pass built round Dumfries now] continue on the A76 to Kilmarnock, cross the A77 and join the A71 towards Irvine then join the A78 to Ardrossan.

We had to check in at Ardrossan for 17.30, to catch the last ferry of the day - the 18.00, which arrived in Brodick at 18.55.

The CalMac Car Ferry MV Caledonian Isles

Our first "port of call" was the Brodick Bar & Brassserie where we had a meal.

We have visited this establishment for nigh on twenty years and have never been disappointed at the quality and tastiness of the meals served, and we were not disappointed this year! I participated in one of their their pizzas, which I can honestly say are the best pizzas I have ever tasted. None of your Pizza Hut mass produced rubbish. They are made to order and the bases are cooked by the resident chef. There was the usual choice of salami & pepperoni, or chicken and sweetcorn. Dot decided to have one of the vegetarian choices.

Then we moved on to Lamlash - Prospect Hill Studio Cottage on Shore Road to be exact.

Prospect Hill Studio Cottage

The Studio Cottage is situated on Shore Road, which runs alongside Lamlash Bay, and overlooks Holy Isle. The view from the cottage, early in the morning, just as the sun has come up is quite stunning.

Holy Isle in Lamlash Bay viewed from Prospect Hill Studio Cottage

I went to open the car door on the Sunday morning and the temperature guage read 26.5 degrees, and this was the week BEFORE the predicted "Indian Summer!"

Why can't Life be Straighforward?

Some weeks seem to degenerate into chaos. This week has been a perfect example.

I had purposefully tried to keep the week as free as possible, so that the necessary preparations could be done before we go away on holiday.

Car - check tyre pressures, oil level, water in radiator, water in screen washer etc.

Clean car inside and out.

Pack suitcases (and assorted goods to donate to ARCAS Arran Charity Shop.)

Mow Lawns - (so they are not like a jungle when we get back!)

Cancel Papers and Milk.

Purchase food for self catering, and dog food for Ruby.

Put some money on my mobile phone.

Charge batteries on camera, camcorder and mobile phone.

Sort out timer switches and set for lighting during the evening. etc. etc. etc.

Leave keys with neighbours

Then, as they say, the best made plans of mice and men..............

So let's go back to last Sunday morning.

I turned the organ on and hey presto I had instant bagpipe sounds! Notes were playing all on their own as if by magic! Fortunately this was only on one of the rows of keys so I could manage to play for the service on the other two rows of keys, in a sort of limited fashion. The was another problem though.  I have a wedding to play for on Friday at 12.00 noon, and then, lo and behold. I opened the weekly news sheet to discover that the Bradford and District Association of Organists had decided to have their Annual Recital at All Saints on the day following the wedding!

Frantic phone calls to the organ tuner. Reply "I'm up to my neck in work dismantling an organ in Sheffield. The only time I could come would be one evening, and the state of the organ I can't promise anything." Frantic phone call to the Organists Association to tell them of the state of the organ and a promise to get back in touch after the wedding I will (hopefully) be playing for on the organ on Friday.

My deputy is playing the following two Sunday services So a quick phone call to him to alert him of the possibility that he might be playing on the electric piano! - and a promise to get back in touch with him after the wedding I will (hopefully) be playing for on the organ on Friday.


Phone call - can you play for a funeral at Nab Wood on Monday?
 
Another phone call- can you play for a funeral at Nab Wood on Wednesday?
 
Another phone call- can you play for a funeral at Nab Wood on Thursday morning?
 
Another phone call - "I'm the vicar of St Margaret's Frizinghall, I got your number from Rev Stuart Hacking. Can you play for a funeral on Thursday afternoon?"
 
Oh! and did I tell you I am playing for a wedding on Friday at 12.00 noon (assuming the organ has been fixed!)
 
Roll on Saturday when I will be away from it all for a week or two. at least that is if the CalMc Ferries are running!
 
Just to cap it all I have been on their website, and the Ardrossan - Brodick ferry was cancelled for all the sailings yesterday due to the high winds, and today two further sailings were cancelled. I don't fancy having to row, or swim across!

Mick the Merry Sewer Cleaner

Well the much awaited for drain clearing vehicle finally arrived this morning at about 10.00am.

Two wonderful characters called Nimmy & Mick appeared. (Mick was your typical Irishman - Irish brogue so thick you could cut it with a knife, totally laid back, and happy with his work of clearing the "you know what" from the sewer) He took great pride in his work, and explained in great detail what was in the sewer and what he had to do to clear it.

After first using a narrow low pressure hose to no effect, he decided he would use the thicker, higher pressure hose, and with a cry of "Watch out for blowbacks!" he turned up the pressure.  There were great gurglings and swooshing sounds, much sludge spewing out of the inspection chamber and down the next door but ones drive, but no signs of the blockage clearing.

He then resorted to rods and explored every nook and cranny of the insepction chamber, before coming up with loads of entangled "Wet Wipes"

"To be sure," he said , in his thick Irish Brouge, "Them's yer problem!" He then continued to "rod" every pipe he could find explaining. "Dis'll shift de Buggers!"

More high pressure hose work and suddenly "SWOOSH!!" and the sewer was clear.

A high pressure jetting of the next door and next door but ones drives, followed by a liberal spreading of disinfectant, and Mick and his mate went on their merry way.

There's a Strange Smell Round Here!

I don't want to put you off your meal, but the picture above is of raw sewage! Why on earth, you are probably asking, have I put this picture there?

Well, lets go back a litle bit in time. ( By the way, it's not our raw sewage!!!)

As regular readers of my blog will know, we had a new kitchen fitted a little while ago, and this involved all the necessary plumbing and pipe work fitting as well. All has gone well, except for the last few days I have noticed a strange gurgling sound as the dregs of the sink emptied.

So this morning after I had taken her ladyship to the hair salon I said I would investigate the gurgling. It just happened to be in the midst of a torrential downpour! The first thing I noticed was that the drain outside the kitchen seemed to be full and almost overflowing, so I took the grate off it and proceeded to proddle down it with a long crowbar. Five minutes proddling produced no tangible results, so I lifted the sewage inspection cover, because the water from the kitchen drain drains into this.

I got quite a surprise as the inspection chamber was almost full to overflowing with baby wipes, disintigrating toilet paper and lots of other associated goodies!

The inspection chamber is between two and three feet deep and there was no way I was going to be able to unblock it, so I rang for a drainage clearing company to come and rod it out and high pressure clean it.

Thirty minutes later, and with little success the drainage cleaning guy informed me that he was unable to clear the blockage due to a) the amount of it, and b) the fact that the pipe was blocked at least two houses up and two houses down from ours. He had lifted their insepction covers and found they too were just about to overflow!

He told me that he had been back to a house further up the road twice to unblock their drains, and it was suspected that the adjoining property were flushing non disposable nappies down the toilet.

He suggested I call Environmental Health. I did, and reported the information I had been given, pointing out that we had a health hazard on our hands. The gentleman who took my message promised that, "We will be out within 24 hours."

I suggested that he might like to try and make that sooner or he may be wading up a drive covered with brown sausages!

Our next door neighbour has two children under 3 years old and he has also been in touch with Environmental Health. Demanding that something is done about it very quickly. I've got to say I don't hold out much hope!