Voyage to the middle of everywhere

Dunstanburgh Castle

When I was a kid I always wondered where people who lived at the seaside went for their holidays.  Now I live at the seaside I know the answer – or at least I know the answer for us – we usually head for Scotland.  Over the past few years we’ve explored huge chunks of the country but there is still so much more to see – and we haven’t even started on the islands yet.

This trip began just south of the border at Alnwick (and a trip to the rather lovely Dunstanburgh Castle) before heading up to Dunbar, Biggar and finally Moffat. I’m simply not one of those people who can keep returning to the same place time and time again – there’s just too much to explore.

John Muir

In Dunbar we learned about John Muir who was born there before emigrating to America when he was just a child and going on to become one of the founding fathers of conservationism. We also spent a fun day in Edinburgh journeying back to the Big Bang (courtesy of Dynamic Earth).

After all that activity a change of pace was called for so we parked up Delores for a lovely night in the Tinto House Hotel – it’s an absolutely perfect spot for accessing loads of wonderful walks (including the Tinto Hill) and is a great base for seeing lots of the sights in this very pretty corner of Scotland.  It's only an hour from Dunbar, 40 mins to the Edinburgh park and ride (free), 40 mins from the glorious walk up to Loch Skeen (at the top of Grey Mare's Tail) and a short 30 minute tootle from Moffat, home of the toffee, “miraculous health giving spring” and a number of very pleasant and not too taxing family walks.

Tinto Hill

The only downside to life on Delores is the lack of a bath so I made the most of our room with a long hot soak in the huge tub – surrounded by bubbles in the tub and in my glass!  The hotel is a lot like The Haweswater Hotel but bigger and a bit posher with a stunning Art Deco stained glass window half way up the main staircase.

Had the weather been a little warmer we could have enjoyed pre-dinner drinks in their lovely gardens but instead we headed straight for the restaurant.  There’s a good range of food on offer with an excellent selection of vegetarian and vegan options (they even have a vegan night once a month when the chef whips up an array of vegan delights).

After the obligatory whisky and a good night’s sleep we dragged ourselves back downstairs for more food – this time a full Scottish breakfast – after which I couldn’t manage another thing until tea time.  All of the food is sourced locally and cooked just how you like it.

Tinto Hotel Gardens

We reluctantly bade them farewell and continued off on our adventures...  I can’t resist a good roadside monument so we screeched to a halt just after a particularly large one we spotted near the Devil's Beef Tub (awesome name!).  The monument is for two postal workers who died in 1831 trying to deliver the mail during a particularly vicious snowstorm.  You can discover the full story in the small, but perfectly formed, Moffat Museum and their graves are in the local churchyard.

As I write this I’m sitting in the sunshine on Delores with two snoozing cats beside me – it may sound idyllic but we’re actually waiting for someone to give us a jump start as our battery has died...  But it’s not all bad news - for me the very best thing about living “beside the seaside” is that fact that I never dread going home in the way I used to when we lived in a town – it’s so lovely to return home from holiday and feel, just a little bit, like the holiday never properly ended.

PS Delores sorted and now safely home again.  😊

Biggar and Bettar

Loch Skeen

From our house we can head north and be in Edinburgh in a little over 3 hours thanks to the modern wonders of the M6 & M74 but life isn’t always about how fast you can get from A to B (though you’d be forgiven for thinking that if you saw some of the lunatic overtaking manoeuvres we’ve witnessed over the past few days...).  We are heading for Edinburgh, eventually, but thought we’d take a few detours along the way.

Instead of racing up the M74 we headed off at J15, took a quick look at Moffat, which was OK but a bit touristy, and continued on to Biggar.  As it was our wedding anniversary (13 years – that romantic “textiles and furs” anniversary of which everyone speaks...) we thought we’d treat ourselves to a night or two in a nice hotel and were booked into the lovely Elphinstone Hotel in the middle of the town. 

I am absolutely convinced that wherever you go you can always find something interesting to see and do, so here are my top 5 things for Biggar

• 1.        The Town Trail – at the top end of town is the smart & modern museum where you can buy a town trail for £2.50.  This fabulous wee guide will take you on a stroll through the town, pointing out the things to watch for along the way – the sorts of things that require you to peer around the backs of buildings and spot things you wouldn’t otherwise notice.  I love stuff like that!
• 2.       Cadger’s Brig – the pretty bridge at the bottom end of town is reputedly where William Wallace once sneaked across dressed as a cadger (beggar) to snoop on English troops.  There’s a pretty bench on the old fording point and a cafe/ pub next door where William Wallace stopped for a pie and a pint on his way back.  (I may have made that last part up)

  

  Cadger's Brig

• 3.       The closes – Biggar reminded me a lot of Kendal with its broad main street and dozens of closes winding off to each side.  Definitely go off and explore as there are some pretty little nooks, and so nice that it’s all still much as it has been for hundreds of years.
• 4.       Boghall Castle – it’s tempting to say that there’s bog-all to see at Boghall, but some ruins do remain – just enough to make you wish you’d been around to see the place in its former glory.

• 5.       Grey Mare’s Tail – OK this isn’t in Biggar, but it is only a short drive away and it’s a great hike.  If you’re not feeling energetic you can just take the short walk to the waterfall, but if you’re wanting to work up a good appetite for a big dinner, take the signed walk all the way up to Loch Skeen at the top.  The views are superb and you’ll be able to polish off a pudding later with no questions asked!

Back at The Elphinstone (which itself has an interesting history and plaque on the outside) we freshened up and headed down for dinner (I can neither confirm nor deny that we polished off the biscuits in the room while we readied ourselves.)

The menu is huge with something to suit every taste and the dining area cosy & informal.  We tucked ourselves away in a corner and splashed out on a bottle of Prosecco which was divine.  (I mean it, wine can be a bit hit and miss but this was superb).  I had the Cullen Skink – a creamy smoked haddock soup & local delicacy before moving on to salmon in a pink peppercorn sauce with plenty of chips to soak up the sauce (I am *so* classy!).  Steve opted for the breakfast stack – a mini breakfast piled up on his plate) and the steak and ale pie which appeared to contain half a cow but which Steve effortlessly polished off and promptly followed with the rhubarb crumble (seriously, where does he put it?  He’s so lovely and slim & I swear I gain weight by osmosis when I hug him after a large dinner.)

After that there was nothing left to do but roll back up the stairs and crash out on the huge bed and check out how many medals we’d won that day in Rio.  It did seem odd, sprawled there utterly stuffed to the gills while we watched perfect athletic specimens in the peak of their condition compete on the global stage. To be fair we didn’t end up watching much – the pleasantly full tummy and large cosy bed meant I was drifting off to the land of nod in no time at all.  In fact if it were an Olympic event I definitely fancy my chances of a medal.

Corn Exchange

Can anyone spot Delores?