Let us begin 2024 by wishing all our readers a very happy and healthy year. May your troubles be few and your scones be many! Traditionally it’s a time for reflection on the past year and making ambitious resolutions for the new one. Apart from all the horrible stuff going on in the world, 2023 was good. We had over sixty scones and topscones in such diverse locations as Busta House on Shetland and Coll Hotel on the lovely Isle of Coll. Our most important New Year resolution is not to have any and just enjoy whatever comes along. 
Memories
And talking of enjoying ourselves a few days back we visited Crieff Hydro Hotel and Spa with some of the family. Crieff is a Perthshire town we know quite well. We have lots of family connections and many happy memories were made here. Over the years we’ve visited Crieff Hydro several times but always just fleetingly for lunch with relatives. This time we’re staying over with family.
In 1868 it became Scotland’s first hydropathic establishment where people could go “to take the waters”. It may seem a bit odd these days, however. back then when good clean water was hard to come by, places like this flourished. A favourite for wealthy Victorians. Today it’s still run by the same family. It’s still labeled as a ‘spa’ hotel but nowadays it’s more for massages, saunas and luxury therapies rather than the waters. With over 200 rooms, 50 lodges and over 900 acres of hills and forests, it’s more like a small town than a hotel. It has a swimming pool, tennis courts, ice skating, a couple of golf courses and off-road driving experiences … oh, and don’t forget the funfair.
Family, family family
It’s a family hotel and probably not the kind of place you would book for a quiet romantic weekend away. There are kids everywhere! Not that we could complain, we had brought some of our own. We decided to try the scones in the Wintergardens … a large dining area with magnificent views over the Perthshire countryside. And this is only one of several restaurants.
The Wintergardens is all self-service. They had three different types of scone, all freshly baked. 
Predictably, perhaps we chose a fruit one to share … obviously we had to save ourselves for dinner later. We loaded up our tray and found a nice quiet table by a window. Surprisingly perhaps, there was no cream and the jam and butter were all prepackaged. The scone itself was very good but taking everything into account it failed to gain topscone status.
Having dabbled in hospitality ourselves we are slightly in awe of this place. With its 850 staff and multitude of facilities it must be a logistical nightmare to manage. And yet it has done so, apparently without a hitch, for over one hundred and fifty years … amazing!
Virtual reality
We are thankful that none of our grandchildren are having to experience anything remotely like what is happening in Ukraine and Gaza or any of the world’s other disaster areas. Their life experiences are so vastly different from some others, and here at Crieff Hydro it’s almost as if we are living on a different planet. And, of course, they do have the best grandparents in the world 😀
PH7 3LQ tel: 01764 655555 Crieff Hydro
///trainer.amicably.callers
What can one say? Life at the top is tough ….. how far did you have to travel to visit this magnificent place? Who cares about the scones when in a place like that?! Looks as though there would be plenty of options…. Have you tried a lamington?.
Happy New Year!
We had to travel almost 35 miles which admittedly isn’t terribly far if you live at the Earth’s bottom and have to go hundreds of miles in search of a scone. There was lots to do. I wanted to take the grandkids axe-throwing but I was out voted by my fellow less adventurous grown-ups. Lamingtons may be a thing down under but they wouldn’t be suitable for the rather more genteel society we have up here on top of the world. Still got two kangaroos on our Christmas tree though. Happy New Year to you too!
Hello to you both,
SO, i’ll be the first to admit that starting a message with an apology, perhaps isn’t ideal, but here goes anyway, I find myself in an embarrassing situation, due to the fact that Ann and I have had the pleasure of sharing your hospitality on several occasions , however, if my memory serves me right, this is the first time that I have replied to any of your humorous and informative scone blogs, on that note , please accept my sincere apologies . unfortunately I have no excuses , other than I have failed miserably, to get my arse into gear. you have my word that I will endeavour to put this right throughout 2024.
kind regards
Paul
No apologies necessary but we are looking forward to you getting your arse in to gear!
A good time was had by all, especially our granddaughters, oh, maybe their Mummy too as they skated around the ice rink. They also wanted to take alpacas for a walk, then axe throwing, (that doesn’t bear thinking about). As Billy has said a nice scone but not a top one.
Happy New Year everyone keep hale ‘n hearty.