Tag Archives: Crossrail

Ordinary, Scones

Landmark Forest Adventure Park

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We got shrunk deckchair at the Landmark Forest Adventure Park, CarrbridgeWe still have lots of miniature people to keep occupied. Having failed to spot Nessie at the Dores Inn, today, we decided on another outing to the Landmark Forest Adventure Park in Carrbridge. It was a master stroke decision. We were able to make our miniature people even smaller and easier to handle, as this picture testifies. This place is actually a fantastic for kids especially if you want to tire them out. It has treetop walks, waterslides, climbing walls, zip wires and a butterfly house to name but a few.

Millipedes and waterslides

Just watching their boundless energy was enough to make Pat and I feel pretty exhausted and in need of sustenance. We thought the Forester’s Restaurant would do the trick.

As in many such places this eatery trades on the fact that it is the only one around and it suffers accordingly. Relatively poor service at the self service counters and generally lack lustre food at fairly high prices.A scone at the Forester's Restaurant at the Landmark Forest Adventure Centre, Carrbridge We were able to get everything we needed, however, including a scone. Once again there was no local produce in terms of jam and butter and no cream at all. The scone itself was okay if a little soft and bland. No topscone today. An unforeseen downside was that, having fed the wee ones, they had even more energy. This meant us having to venture out once again onto these hair-raising attractions – Wild Water Coaster, the Runaway Timber Train and the Tarzan Trail. Phew, we should really stick to scones.

The news seems to be mostly about the £56 billion Crossrail project in London. It may not be operational until 2021 which would make it several years late. This is of little consequence for people in Scotland who, apart from paying for it, receive no benefit whatsoever. Heyho, twas ever thus. The sooner Scotland can stop funding crazy projects like Crossrail and HS2 the better … and there is only one way to make that happen, isn’t there!

PH23 3AJ        tel: 01479 841613          Landmark

///girder.extent.horn

Scones, self-service, Top

The Orangery – Hopetoun

A pineapple wall decoration Orangery tearoom at New Hopetoun Garden CentreThis is becoming a habit. Eating scones in orangeries that is! It’s not that long ago since we were at an orangery at Ham House in London and here we are at it again. Life can be hard. Today we were actually trying to track down Shapes auction house which had notified us of a move to Port Edgar from Edinburgh, when we came on this place. It’s in an excellent garden centre which we have known for many years. It started life in the walled garden of nearby Hopetoun House but twenty years ago moved a mile or so to its present site. And became known as the ‘New’ Hopetoun Garden Centre. A sign at New Hopetoun Garden CentreOn the way in you are greeted with this sign which makes you wish you had been here on Sept 5 1792, it must have been quite a day. It was a Wednesday!

Not to be confused with Sept 5 forty years earlier in 1752. Not only did nothing happen, it didn’t even exist. That year, in order for Britain to catch up with the rest of the world which used the Gregorian calendar (we know, it is hard to imagine Britain being out of step .. but just try), it was decreed that the day following Sept 2 would be Sept 14. Just like that, eleven days just vanished! You thought time travel was just a figment of the imagination but the entire population of Britain was actually doing it centuries ago!

Good mood

We digress. The Orangery is everything you would expect from a garden centre tearoom … spacious, bright and with a good range of food and drink on offer. Internal view of the Orangery tearoom at New Hopetoun Garden CentreIt is self service but, even though it was busy, we were quickly attended to by some very friendly staff. Pat decided on our traditional choice of a fruit scone but I opted for cherry … hey, why not? Both scones came with loads of jam, butter and cream. A scone at the Orangery tearoom at New Hopetoun Garden CentreThey had really crunchy exteriors with soft middles which made them delicious but a bit difficult to manage. They tended to crumble very easily. We thoroughly enjoyed them though … topscone. Because service is usually a factor we don’t normally give topscone awards to self service establishments but the self service here was great. The sun was shining and we were in a good mood … well done The Orangery!

Pilgrimage

A little bit further along the road we came to Port Edgar near South Queensferry. The ‘Edgar’ bit comes from Edgar Aetheling, the brother of Queen Margaret of Scotland who set up the ferry crossing in the 11th century to help pilgrims on their way to St Andrews. It operated until 1964 when the road bridge was built.

The old Forth Road Bridge over the river Forth with the Forth Railway Bridge in the background
The Forth Road Bridge from Port Edgar with the Rail Bridge in the distance

Originally a naval base it is now a leisure marina. Visitors to Port Edgar are now treated to an excellent view of the new Queensferry Crossing … opened only a few months ago.

The Queensferry Crossing over the river Forth
The Queensferry Crossing from Port Edgar
Costs

It is a magnificent feat of engineering and now, with Boris Johnston talking of a bridge across the English Channel, it is perhaps worth explaining some facts about this one. It was built by the SNP government on time and under budget. Obviously Carillion was not involved. It was opposed by all other political parties who promptly fell over themselves to take credit when it was completed. There was no funding from Westminster. Something to remember if the Channel Bridge ever gets the go ahead. Scotland will undoubtedly be saddled with 10% of the costs of HS2 and Crossrail for little or no benefit. Anyway, we did find the new premises of the auction house which was massive but shut. Not opening until the end of the month apparently. Heyho, we had thoroughly enjoyed our day!

EH52 6QZ    tel: 01506 834433         New Hopetoun Gardens

p.s. our Trossachs correspondents sent this picture. We thought they had been quiet recently. Maybe they just can’t get out .. or are just too busy building snowmen!A snowman at Kinlochard

topweird

Brodies Vintage Tearoom

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Blackboard message at Brodies, Linlithgow Today we are back in Linlithgow having had all our cobwebs removed by storms Gertrude and Henry .. thankfully it has now calmed down a bit.  This time, on the recommendation of several friends, we’re looking for Brodies tearoom. Not as simple as you might think. Decoration at Brodies, LinlithgowIt turns out they are in the process of revamping the tearoom and currently don’t have a name outside their premises. So instead of putting up our usual external header view we have given you a view of some the items in the loo. Apparently the plan is to take over another cafe further along the road. It will be ‘modern’ and this one will be their ‘vintage’ tearoom. From the decor you can see that it is already fairly vintage.

Less is more

Pat decided to have a fruit scone and I opted for a walk on the wild side with the white chocolate and pear. A new one on me. Both were very good but, yet again, not quite topscone material! Brodies 09Mine, however, was good enough to get a ‘top weird scone’ so at least we have been able to make an award. For those wondering,  a weird scone is usually one that is not plain, fruit or cheese .. okay! Sometimes when you go into to a cafe like this you just know it is going to be good. So it was with Brodies. The food, the service were everything it should be. We hope though that when they finish their refurb the end result is not quite so cluttered. Or if it is that is more thoughtfully cluttered .. less is more kind of thing.Brodies 08

What’s in a name?

Just along the road from Brodies is a 13th century pub called The Black Bitch .. a name which is a trifle unusual in our modern, politically correct world. There is a perfectly logical reason, however, for the name. And indeed why anyone born in Linlithgow, man or woman, is referred to by the same name.

Fidelity

In times gone by, the King sentenced a thief to be tied to a tree on an island in the middle of the loch .. to starve to death. It would, of course, only have been a matter of time had it not been for the intervention of the thief’s big black greyhound dog (not the one made famous by Billy Connelly). It took it upon itself to swim out and keep him supplied with food. Maybe even the odd scone or two?  When the King discovered what was going on the dog was tethered to a tree on another island until they both perished. Happy days! Linlithgow

The town’s folk felt the dog’s fidelity and generosity of spirit pretty well summed up their own character so they adopted for the town’s coat of arms. Henceforth anyone born in the town was referred to as a black bitch. Told you it was logical!

We think that George Gideon Osborne may have been born in Linlithgow. He certainly deserves the title but perhaps for different reasons! His eleven personal meetings with Google resulted in a 3% tax burden being levied against the corporation. Of course it would have been embarrassing to charge them more. His own family business doesn’t pay any tax on their property deals after all? This week he also managed to provide Aberdeen with a ‘super generous’ rescue package. Coincidentally, it exactly equals one month’s rental of the Crossrail tunnel boring machine. Like everything else, it is being built on the proceeds of Aberdeen’s oil .. collapsed or not!

Is that island in the loch still available? We’ll make sure no animals are endangered this time! In the meantime we look forward to Brodie’s expansion. Another report may be required?

EH49 7EJ           tel: 01506 843036        Brodies