Tag Archives: Colin Nicholson

Scones, Top

Mingary Castle

8 Comments

After having all cobwebs unceremoniously removed at Arnamurchan Lighthouse we retraced our route back to Kilchoan and Mingary Castle. Returning on the same road (the only road) we felt the sheep looked even more indignant.

External view of Mingary Castle
Built in the 13th century as a MacDonald stronghold, Mingarry Castle, with its nine foot thick walls looks difficult to get into. That was the whole idea. One ship from the Spanish Armada laid siege to it for several days before giving up.
External view of Mingary Castle
From the seaward side it looks just as impenetrable (picture Mingary Castle)

First impressions of Mingary can be slightly off putting. There doesn’t seem to be any windows and you have to walk round to the western end to find a small door. Once through the door, however, you come in to an inner courtyard and everything changes.

Internal courtyard at Mingary Castle
The inner courtyard
How do they do it?

Sheltered from the wind it is warm and cosy in the summer sunshine. We were staying over in the MacDonald suite which ranged over two floors under the roof to the left of the above picture. This place is almost impossibly remote yet recently it has been showered with awards … AA Hotel of the Year, and chef/owner Colin Nicholson, Chef of the Year. Incredible!

Pat preparing for afternoon tea

We had to be careful. Dinner in the evening meant that we had to have our afternoon tea early enough not to spoil our appetite. Afternoon tea at Mingary CastleThese are the problems with which sconeys like us have to wrestle. The young girl  looking after us (she had a university degree in Gaelic) was fantastic. Firstly she brought us a delicious variety of sandwiches and later presented us with three tiers of goodies. Savouries on top, sweet things in the middle and fruit and plain scones on the bottom layer. All the while keeping us continuously supplied with fresh hot tea.  What about the scones? You can probably guess by now that they were absolutely perfect. Just the way we like them. Accordingly, an easy topscone and another serious competitor for Fonab Castle’s title of “best scone in the world”.

Battlements at Mingary Castle
View from the battlements towards the Sound of Mull
Battlements at Mingary Castle
Pat ready to repel invaders
The media

You do feel remote here and far away from the travails of the modern world.  It’s an extraordinary place. Reluctantly we looked at the news and discovered that the wall to wall coverage of Kamala Harris had been replaced by news of Janet Jackson’s upcoming tour. How fickle is the media? Which is more exciting … Kamala or Janet?

Tomorrow we head back home via the Corran ferry that brought us here. That will complete a little circular tour of this fantastic part of Scotland.

PH36 4LH          tel: 01972 614380             Mingary Castle

///isolating.reconnect.liberated