2019 Holiday in Inverness: Days 1 and 2: Journey Up, Dunkeld, Findhorn and Croy

Rob, Brock and I were on holiday last week, staying at The Bothy, near Croy, Inverness.

We set off at 9.30 am, stopping just up the road at Johnstonebridge Services for coffee and a dog walk.

Lunch was at Dunkeld, a convenient half way point for us. It was warm and sunny so we decided to have a picnic in the park overlooking the River Tay, with food from The Scottish Deli. I had a hummus and sundried tomato salad; Rob had the same in a roll.

[Please click on any photo to see a larger version].

Findhorn was our next stop (via a 'Google Special' back route). We had a walk by the sea, then afternoon tea at The Bakehouse Cafe, again sitting outside - all four of the outside tables were taken on this sunny day. This was one of our favourite places to eat on our previous visit, and it was as good as we remembered, with fresh 'real' bread baked daily, homemade food and cakes, including gluten free options. I had a GF cranberry slice and Rob had the citrus cheesecake - both were delicious.

It was time to head to our holiday cottage, and we were soon in and lighting the wood burning stove to warm it up, before giving Brock a walk nearby. I saw a roe deer, and heard another crashing about in the gorse. The Bothy looked to have had a make-over since our last visit, and had a new bathroom and kitchen. All very nice and cosy, with a vase of yellow tulips and a packet of shortbread awaiting our arrival.

The countryside surrounding the holiday cottage is quite flat, and you can see distant views of the mountains and sea. The photo above shows the fields and trees nearby.

On Sunday we headed to Culbin Forest for our morning walk. There are dozens of small trails to follow, including ones that go down to the sea. The pine trees are growing on an area that was once sand dunes, and run to many acres.

Our next stop was at the Findhorn Foundation. We always enjoy looking at all of the eco houses on the site. There are also craft studios, a wholefood and craft shop, two cafes (I recommend heading into Findhorn itself to the Bakehouse Cafe, rather than eating here, however) and The Moray Art Gallery on site.

We headed back to the Bakehouse Cafe for a filo vegetable pasty for Rob and a GF chocolate brownie to takeaway. There was a mixture of bright sunshine and heavy showers, so we could not leave Brock in the car, nor sit on the wet seats, so bought some tomato soup to take home for lunch at the holiday cottage. We had a quiet afternoon reading the Sunday paper, walking Brock, watching tv and generally relaxing.

 

Ennerdale Water, The Lake District

Rob, Brock and I went to Ennerdale Water in the Lake District today. There is a path right around it, and we walked for about an hour, starting in an anti-clockwise direction from the carpark.

We had lunch in Cockermouth afterwards, in The Lanes Cafe. An enjoyable jacket potato with cheese, beans and side salad with peppermint tea to drink, for me; scrambled eggs, toast and chips with coffee for Rob, and two takeaway cakes, came to a very reasonable £15. On the downside, the staff were not particularly friendly and they forgot one item that we had ordered. On the whole, since it is dog-friendly, I would go back if we had Brock with us.

The Green Tea House, Moniaive

Rob and I had a trip out to Thornhill and Moniaive today. We had coffee and cakes at Thomas Tosh and Lunch at The Green Tea House (above) at Moniaive.

Thomas Tosh is an art gallery, shop and cafe all rolled into one and is well worth a visit. The staff are very friendly and the coffee and cakes are excellent. It is a large, bright, high-ceilinged room with a lively atmosphere. There are paintings on the walls and food, toiletries, crafts and gifts on sale. We had two cappuccinos, a huge slice of coffee and walnut cake and a gluten free macaroon, for around £7.50.

The Green Tea House sells homemade food, locally sourced and organic, where possible. It is quite a small cafe with an outdoor seating area. The walls are decorated with the work of local artists and there are a few cabinets with craft work for sale. The cafe has wi-fi if you ask for the code. The staff are helpful and friendly and we have enjoyed eating here on quite a few occasions.

Today I had stuffed vine leaves with houmous and salad, plus mineral water; Rob ate lentil cottage pie with salad and a green tea. Mine was very nice, Rob's was, unusually for this place, not so good. The aubergine slices were a bit tough and it was not hot enough.

I would still recommend the cafe, as the drinks are very reasonably priced and some are fairtrade. There is a huge range of food available from soups, to sandwiches, daily specials and a good range of vegetarian (and some vegan) choices available. The cakes and puddings are also very good - although we were too full up to sample them today. Our bill came to £14.40.