Tag Archives: Wanlockhead

Ordinary, Scones

Bridge 49 Cafe Bar

You will never guess how this place got its name – Bridge 49 Cafe Bar? Okay we will tell you. It’s right beside bridge 49 on the Union Canal … imaginative, or what?

External view of Bridge 49 Café beside the Union Canal
Bridge 49 Café from Bridge 49
What’s in a name?

The instantly forgettable bridge is only a stone’s throw from the extremely impressive 26m high Avon Aqueduct. Built in 1821 to a Thomas Telford design. It could have been called Ristorante Aqueducti. Or something a bit less prosaic than Bridge 49 Cafe Bar! Not to worry, we take our hats off to the folks who have built this enterprise in the middle of nowhere and obviously taking a sizeable gamble with a big investment. So they can call it whatever they like, we just eat scones after all. The logo for Bridge 49 Café beside the Union CanalIt has a large inside restaurant but, with today being absolutely beautiful, we opted for an ‘al fresco’ fruit scone overlooking the canal while watching the boats drift by. Life can be tough, but not today. In fact, it has seldom been so toughless!

Service could best be described as ‘adequate’ and our coffee was good but the same, unfortunately, could not be said for the scones. We like them a little bit crunchy on the outside but these were just hard and dry. They were either over-baked, or, they were yesterday’s. One of the worst scones we have had in a while. A scone at Bridge 49 Café beside the Union CanalShame really because, with its outside play area for children, this is a good place for families to come and enjoy a relaxed meal without worrying too much about the kids. So don’t let us put you off. Based on our experience however the scones need a bit of a rethink.

Trump says

A rethink is exactly what’s needed after the Grenfell Tower disaster. Theresa May’s lack of empathy during her unfortunate visit to the site only served to make people angry. It reminded Conservatives that she should not be allowed out in public. Though, to give her her due, in recent times, she herself has done everything possible to avoid meeting the public. This is the third scone since the General Election and she is still desperately hanging on. It is also eleven days since the election and she is still trying to reach agreement with the ten MPs of the DUP. What chance the Brexit negotiations starting today? Perhaps she should simply restrict herself to that most wicked of pastimes – running through fields of wheat when no one is around. As Trump would say, “bad”. Or maybe his other word “sad”. The latter is probably more appropriate?

EH49 6LW        teL: 01506 846536           Bridge 49

ps Readers will distinctly remember the excruciating excitement as we reported on the highest scone in the land (1531 feet) at Wanlockhead in the Leadhills. Little did we know that we were throwing down a gauntlet. Recently we received a report from happy wanderers, our intrepid Trossachs correspondents, on a 38,000 feet high scone …eh? That’s not just a mile high scone, that’s over seven miles high! Boeing 7777

Fluffy interiors

Of course they cheated, they were on a plane heading to that Caribbean idyll, Saint Kitts & Nevis … poor dears! After several glasses of champs and having just finished watching Ken Loach’s highly poignant film “I, Daniel Blake”, about life under the Tory benefit cuts, this happened. “Flying at 38,000ft with an outside temperature of minus 56 Centigrade, and 53 minutes before Antigua the moment arrived. Afternoon tea was served – not just sandwiches and cakes but also scones! We cannot possibly formally judge the scones but they were warm, crisp on the outside with fluffy interiors and were served with Rodda’s Classic Cornish Cream and Wilkin & Sons strawberry jam. As we enjoyed them we could not but think of how fortunate we are in contrast to the next generation of Daniel Blakes”.

Intergalactic scones

Fortunate indeed! But when will our correspondents learn? If they want their scones judged formally they have to to take us with them?

Scone at 38,000 feet
A seven mile high scone

We were tempted to go one better and book a Virgin Galactic space flight. We’ve had some nice light scones but never completely weightless ones. At over 60 miles high that would have to be a new record! When we phoned them however they could not give a definitive answer on whether or not they would be serving scones. Heyho, we won’t bother! In the meantime we eagerly await further reports on Caribbean scones being filed.

Ordinary, Scones

Museum of Lead Mining

Lochnell Mine sign at WanlockheadOkay, here’s the question – where would you go if you wanted to get your hands on some gold? You know, just you and your shovel. South Africa, Australia, North America? These are all good bets but where would you go if you wanted to get your hands on some of the purest gold in the world? None of that rubbish stuff? What about Wanlockhead, just south of Glasgow?

Inside the Lochnell Mine at Wanlockhead
inside the Lochnell mine
Old photo of miners at Wanlockhead
Hardy souls

 

Gold at 22.8 carats was mined here for years along with silver, copper and lead. In fact, people still come here to try their hand at panning for gold. If you find it, it’s yours.  The principle metal mined here was, of course, lead, and considering the village is located in the Leadhills perhaps that’s not too surprising.

On our visit they took us to the furthest extremity of the mine then switched the lights off and lit a candle to let us see what the working conditions were like back in the day. It’s dark, very dark! What’s more, the miners had to buy their own candles which, at that time, were very expensive. However, if you were holding a giant chisel all day while your colleague belted it with a sledge hammer we don’t think you would have thought twice about buying the brightest candle possible. Even if it cost a lot of money. They just placed the candle in the rim of their hats. Doesn’t bear thinking about! Railway sign at Wanlockhead

What else is Wanlockhead famous for? Well it is the highest village in Scotland and maybe even the UK. A position hotly disputed by the village of Flash in Staffordshire which also claims the title. But we think that they are just being a bit … flash! Whichever proves to be true we think the Museum of Lead Mining may well be the location of the highest scone in the land. Or at least that is what we are claiming until someone proves otherwise.

Presentational problems

The village is so high that when we were there it was completely enveloped in cloud making it seem a wee bit spooky and sombre. The approach to the tearoom didn’t do anything to lift the spirits but once inside it was a different story. It was bright with cheery welcoming staff … and scones. Interior view of the visitor centre at WanlockheadWe’ve had soft scones, hard scones, fruit scones, cheese scones, treacle scones, woeful scones and topscones but this scone was going to be the highest. Was it going to be any good though?

Perhaps they thought the altitude might have weakened us

 

As it turned out they had all been baked earlier in the day by a lovely young waitress called Leagh. It always pleases us when young folk just attempt making any kind of scone. Never mind a fine collection of plain, fruit and cheese ones. Well Leagh’s scones were very good indeed.A scone at the visitor centre at Wanlockhead We briefly considered a topscone award but reluctantly decided that some presentational problems and a lack of local butter and jam just let it down … shame! An all too common problem where the management cannot be bothered to source local produce.

Silly academics

In fact, in our opinion, the academics have had far too much say in the running of this entire museum. It has a very complicated pricing structure and the whole place seems to be held in a kind of straightjacket of rules and regulations.

Miners Library

There’s the Miner’s Library. The second oldest subscription library in the world. You can look at manikins reading books but you are not allowed to do the same. No one is allowed near the books. Exterior view of the miners library at WanlockheadAlso the museum sounds more like a spaceship with all its air conditioning and dehumidifiers. These are not particularly rare books and it has had a multifunctional past. It has survived centuries of village meetings, birthday parties and generally enlightening the minds of miner’s children. Now it has been preserved in such a way as to render it completely useless. Really stupid!

No more miners

Almost as stupid as the result of the general election in a few weeks time  which looks increasing like it will go to the Conservatives. Miners will be having to buy their own candles again! Sorry, of course that won’t be necessary, miners were done away with years ago … by the Tories.

Interior view of the miners library at Wanlockhead
The library set up in 1756 by miners to educate their children.

Don’t let our minor irritations with some aspects of this museum deter you from visiting. It is fascinating and very much worth a visit … and almost a topscone!

ML12 6UT           tel: 01659 74387         Lead Mining Museum