Moniaive and Bardennoch Hill Walk

Rob and I are just back from a beautiful (if rather taxing!) walk.

It is found on P88 of this book:-

The book claims that it is a 7.5km walk, but our sat nav tracker made it over 10km, so be warned that it will take more than the two hours stated.

Here are two photos Rob took, of the old School Master's House in Moniaive and a cockerell and young chick that we saw on our walk.

 

The walk takes you out of the picturesque village of Moniaive, up through woodland and over two hills (Bardennoch), back down, skirting some more forest, through farmland and back to a single track road which leads back to Moniaive. There are several steep slopes to negotiate (going up Bardennoch Hill and again when you reach the single track road), but some beautiful views of green fields, trees, hedgerows, streams and the occasional farm building or folly. (See photo collage below. Click for a larger image.)

 The weather was lovely - lots of sun early on, with some white clouds appearing to give some dappled shade later in the walk.

The Green Tea House was our lunch venue, where we ate:- lentil & tomato soup, followed by mango meringue (me) and goats' cheese quiche, potato wedges & salad, followed by pecan tart (Rob). We both had coffee and a cold drink. The bill came to £24.20. The coffee and other drinks were good; the food was quite nice, and the cafe is certainly more spacious than at its old location, with outdoor seating, too.

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.