We are coming to the end of our time up here in Inverness. It has been great and our gang of mini people have really enjoyed it. We have done much searching and seen lots of invisible things … Nessie, dolphins, easter bunnies and pirates. We managed, albeit with some difficulty, to retrieve a bottle that was almost completely buried in the mud, deep in the river Ness. It had obviously fallen overboard from a pirate ship and when we got it cleaned up we discovered the pirate’s name engraved in the glass …. Arthur Guinness, arrr!

Stubborn cow

Today, however, we are in search of out-of-the-way scones. Hence, we are in Tomich, it’s pretty out-of-the-way! Having successfully made our way through Drumnadrochit without having to visit Nessieland we eventually ended up here having successfully negotiated miles of single track road and a large herd of cattle. These cows definitely had the “we were here first” attitude and were in no hurry to move off the road. But who cares when you are not rushing to get anywhere … and the mini people loved it. Tomich itself consists of about five houses, a hotel (closed) and the Coach House café in what used to be the Post Office.

More than 101 golden retrievers

Now you could be forgiven for thinking that nothing ever happens in Tomich but you would be wrong. In 1868 the first ever Golden Retriever gun dog was bred here by Lord Tweedmouth. Last year they had 150th anniversary attended by no less than 361 golden retrievers. There’s also a tea plantation. They have 500 camellia sinensis plants in cultivation and although they haven’t produced enough for a single cuppa yet, it’s still early days. For all you wild swimmers there is also the Plodda Falls … we didn’t have time! Along with all the beautiful Glen Affric scenery what more could you ask for? A scone … that would be good!

The people who have the Coach House are wonderfully friendly and welcoming. We soon had ourselves sorted with some lunch and Pat and I had a scone to share. Everything was great … apart from the scone! Early promise soon dissipated along with the scooshie cream which simply dissolved into a watery white liquid. The scone itself was a bit dry and crumbly. No topscone but did it spoil our visit? Not at all, this is a lovely quiet spot and we would love to return.

We normally speak in fairly disparaging terms about land ownership and landowners in Scotland. Danish billionaire, Anders Povlsen, owns more than anyone else … almost 350 square miles. The news that he lost three of his four young children in the Sri Lankan bombings is desperately sad and beyond imagination. Our hearts go out to him and his wife.

IV4 7LF   tel: 01456 415459        The Coach House TA

///rinsed.fountain.dragonfly

ps: This K6 in Tomich is fully functional but unusually did not have a manufacturer’s badge and instead of simply “TELEPHONE” it had “email,text,phone”. Not sure how that works?