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Category: Scotland (Page 2 of 2)

Port Charlotte Hotel Restaurant: “Good food”

4th August 2017 / / 0 Comments

I called Port Charlotte Hotel Restaurant in advance to make sure there was a table for four available. The friendly lady at the phone said there would be a table available at about 8.15 pm. This turned out to be a little too optimistic: when we arrived at about 8.05 pm the restaurant was fully booked and the lady who welcomed us, said our table wasn’t ready yet. While we waited, they offered us seating in the bar, which was also quite crowded. Since we knew finding another restaurant at this hour wouldn’t be that easy, we decided to wait it out while studying the menu and enjoying a glass of white wine.

We all ordered some fish dishes. Finally our table was ready at about 9 pm. A bit later then we had hoped, but by that time we were so hungry that any meal would have been great. I had ordered the Chef’s Hot Seafood Platter, which was a bit on the expensive side, but really value for money. The fish was great and I loved it very much. Service was also really friendly.

In the future I guess, I wouldn’t make any last minute reservations at ort Charlotte Hotel Restaurant and try to go for an early dinner.

Information
Port Charlotte Hotel Restaurant
Main Street
Port Charlotte PA48 7TU
Isle of Islay
Argyll
Scotland
+441496 850360
info@portcharlottehotel.co.uk
http://www.portcharlottehotel.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/The-Port-Charlotte-Hotel-108624752587131/

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Port Charlotte Hotel Restaurant also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

Glenashdale Falls: “Gorgeous falls”

27th June 2017 / / 0 Comments

Very beautiful falls you shouldn’t miss when on Arran. The walk to the falls takes about 2 hours when you walk slowly. The path is easy and takes you through a beautiful forrest. There is a lookout post from which you have the best views on the falls. Highly recommended on an sunny day!

Information
Glenashdale Falls
Whiting Bay
Isle of Arran KA27 8PZ
Scotland
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/arran/glenashdale-falls.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eas_a%E2%80%99_Chrannaig

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Glenashdale Falls also on TripAdvisor.

Cafe Bluebell: “Nothing special”

27th June 2017 / / 0 Comments

The Bluebell café can get rather busy. When we wanted to have lunch there we had to wait in line for about ten minutes. When the wait was over our waitress brought us to a nice table at the window.

Expectations are high when so many people visit a place, sadly those weren’t met. The jacked potato with prawn Marie Rose I ordered was mediocre at best, the shrimps were drowned in so much sauce they were hardly visible. The little salad with dressing was nice though. The ham and cheese toast and the burger my companions ordered were nothing special either.

Very plain food, to be honest. And the service wasn’t as friendly as we’ve gotten used to in Scotland.

Cafe Bluebell, 6 Hall Street, Campbeltown PA28 6BU, Scotland
+44 1586 552800

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Cafe Bluebell also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.

Springbank Distillery: “Very authentic distillery”

27th June 2017 / / 0 Comments

Springbank distillery established in 1828 sure has a lot of history. What makes this distillery definitely worth a visit is the fact that Springbank uses traditional production methods and 100% of the whisky making process (including the malting) is done on site. It was very nice to learn more about the malting process and see how the barley is processed with our own eyes. The distillery has a real old and authentic vibe, which a liked a lot.

The guide was really nice and very knowledgeable. I could hardly believe he was 78 years old! He told us he was thinking about retiring as a guide, but I doubt he will do this anytime soon, since he was so passionate when speaking about Springbank.

After our tour in the Springbank distillery we visited the Glengyle distillery (we bought a combi ticket). This site was brand new and not as interesting as Springbank. Not really worth the extra money, if you asked me. Just stick to Springbank.

When the tour ended we had a little tasting in the shop. The shop was a strange mismatch of different rooms joined together throughout the years, which gave an special feel to the place.

Information
Springbank Distillery
85 Longrow
Campbeltown PA28 6EX
Scotland
+44 1586 552009
info@springbankwhisky.com
http://springbankwhisky.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springbank_distillery
https://www.facebook.com/officialspringbankwhisky

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Springbank Distillery also on TripAdvisor.

Fiddlers Music Bar & Bistro: “Great food, lovely bar with a pleasant vibe”

27th June 2017 / / 1 Comment

We had an excellent meal at Fiddlers’ Music Bar & Bistro. The food that Fiddlers’ serves is fusion, with influences from all over the world, but also with a local touch, because they use local produce in all of their dishes. One of the dishes on the menu was balontine of chicken filled with haggis and wrapped in Parma ham. The menu options are rather limited, but even so I found it hard to choose between the different options, everything sounded nice.

When our main dish arrived we weren’t disappointed. My parmesan and herb-crusted haddock fillet was lovely presented and very tasty. Really excellent! The other dishes were equally as good. We loved the food so much that we simply couldn’t resist ordering dessert. The panna cotta was nice, but a little bit of a disappointment after the really outstanding main course. Should have gone for the Arran cheeseboard! I finished off my meal with a rum (the fact that I ordered it straight was kind of confusing to our waiter).

Service was excellent and very friendly!

We sat at a lovely table at the window, my only complaint is that is was rather chilly sitting nearby the window. Wouldn’t have mind some better insulation!

Information
Fiddlers’ Music Bar & Bistro
Shore Road
Brodick
Isle of Arran
KA27 8AJ
Scotland
+44 1770 302579
bookings@fiddlersmusicbar.com
http://fiddlersmusicbar.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fiddlersmusicbar

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Fiddlers Music Bar & Bistro also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.

Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park: “Beautiful gardens”

27th June 2017 / / 0 Comments

Sadly when we visited, Brodick Castle was closed for renovation, so we only could visit the gardens. The gardens in itself were very lovely though. Really worth a visit. We went in April so there were lots of daffodils blooming. The little pavilion on the inside from walls to ceiling decorated with pineapples was very charming. Loved walking around in the gardens, enjoying the scenery and the sea views. The castle itself is also very beautiful. It’s too bad we didn’t get to visit the interior of the castle.

Tip: there are some nice picnic tables right in front of the castle. An ideal place to stop for lunch and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery.

Information
Brodick Castle, Garden & Country Park
Brodick, Isle of Arran
KA27 8HY
Scotland
+44 1770 302202
BrodickCastle@nts.org.uk
http://www.nts.org.uk/Visit/Brodick-Castle-and-Country-Park/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brodick_Castle
https://www.facebook.com/BrodickCastle

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park also on TripAdvisor.

Wineport Bistro: “Good local food”

27th May 2017 / / 0 Comments

The Wineport is a friendly pub which serves local pubfood with an emphasis on local produce from Arran. We went here for a quick lunch. I had the creamy garlic mushrooms on toasted homemade bread topped with goat’s cheese, the men in our company really enjoyed the pork & chorizo burger with arran cheese and my female friend had the crab roll with lemon mayo. The food was decent and the service really welcoming. You can also try the local beer, brewed in the Arran Brewery next door.

Wineport Bistro, Cladach Brodick, KA27 8DE, Scotland
http://www.wineport.co.uk/
+44 1770 302101

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Wineport Bistro also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

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