Roaming around

From the lochs to the sea - Rannoch to Helmsdale 1

On 3 September we headed to the Dunalastair Hotel in Kinloch Rannoch. It's in a great spot on the square, just a stone's throw (literally - if you had strong arms) from Loch Rannoch and overlooked by Craig Varr.

 

Kinloch Rannoch is a lovely peaceful village at the head of Loch Rannoch, from which you can walk, cycle or drive round the loch. We drove round it to go to Rannoch Station, said to be one of the most isolated in Britain. But that doesn't mean you have to go hungry - there's a cute little tearoom which sells drinks, cakes and gifts (open 1st March - 31st October); there's also The Moor of Rannoch Hotel.

The loch itself was really dark and still; made a lovely mirror for the surrounding mountains.

Dinner at the hotel was good, with an extensive wine list. I had a vegetarian meal each of the two nights we stayed there and both strongly featured goat's cheese - once in a starter and once in the main course. Not that I don't like goat's cheese, and it was very nicely done, but sometimes you long for a change... Hubby had some really good local beef, as I remember. The hotel manager and his staff were friendly and hospitable, chatting away to us over malts in the snug bar afterwards (we had the malts, that is) and even on mid-week nights, the restaurant was bustling and atmospheric.

Islay and Jura - part 1

Just back from a brilliant long weekend in Islay and Jura.

Accommodation

We stayed in the lovely an taigh-osda (literally 'The Hotel') in Bruichladdich. It's just opened but already feels like a well-established...establishment.

Owners Paul and Joan know Islay really well (Paul's an Islay native) and they've completely renovated the building, making a beautiful but comfortable hotel with stunning views over Lochindaal.

* Update 20/08 *

Thanks for your comment, Ron - yes, first one on my new blog :-)

Things we did - Bruichladdich Distillery

Our hotel was such a short distance away from the Bruichladdich Distillery we went there on our first day as soon as we'd checked in.

We were on the lookout for its web cams - hubby had checked one of them out the week before our trip and seen an elderly gentleman meander along to the rocks on the shore with his shopping bag, gaze out at the loch and stop a while. Half an hour later, he checks the web cam again - the gent's still there, relaxing (and yes, the image had updated). Something told us we'd enjoy Islay's relaxed pace of life.

The tour of the distillery was done by Mary, a character and a half who was born in Bruichladdich. She was full of fun and stories and by the end of the tour had gathered biographies from most of the group - "Hope your foot's better soon", "Good luck for the marathon tomorrow", etc. The tour was similar to a few others we had been on but did feel more personal. Maybe the fact that it's still independent, but also there were nice quirky touches - a converted milk lorry to transport the whisky around the site, no computers to run the manufacturing side, staff members featuring on the whisky packaging. Plus we got a sneaky peak at the thousands of casks sleeping peacefully side by side and waiting for their lucky owners to wake them...