Tag Archives: Tyndrum

Green Welly Stop

We’re off on a bit of a road trip! The idea is to make it to the Isle of Skye.  Haven’t been there in a long long time so we’re excited at the prospect of visiting old haunts. However, unable to leave until mid afternoon the distance was going to be too much to reach our destination before dark. We are almost nostalgic for the days of just a few months ago when you could still drive around in daylight at 11pm. Now it’s dark about 4.30pm … boo!

Logo of the Green Welly StopThe solution was to stop off about half way at Ballachulish Hotel. And half way to there is the Green Welly Stop where we took a break from driving after an hour or so. We are very aware that our Aussie readers are scratching their heads in. disbelief wondering why on earth we need a break so soon.  Okay, Scottish roads are small and winding, there’s a lot of traffic and, most persuasively, our aging bladders leave us no option.

Locusts

When we used to hitchhike to Glencoe every weekend many of our lifts would turn off here in Tyndrum to go to Oban.  We had to go straight on so we would get dropped off here at what  was just a wee shop with a petrol pump. There was nothing much else in the village. Now, the wee shop has been transmogrified into the Green Welly Stop, a huge supermarket type place selling everything a tourist might conceivably want. It has a huge car park to cater for all the cars, coaches  and motor bikes that also stop here. The West Highland Way passes close by, so lots of walkers frequent the place as well. It is extremely busy in the summer months and, of course, it has a cafe/restaurant to cater for people who descend like a plague of locusts and move on just as quickly.Internal view of the Green Welly Stop

For those not in the know, green wellies (rubber wellington boots) are associated with wealthy upper class people who  like to visit the countryside. They wouldn’t be seen dead in anything else. The “green welly brigade” is a term that kind of  pokes fun at them. The Green Well Stop, however, is anything but posh. It simply caters for loads of people who are just passing through. And the shop sells wellies in pretty much any colour you want!

A scone at the Green Welly StopWe last reviewed this place back in 2015 and it hasn’t changed very much. A fruit scone and some coffee was the order of the day. A bit on the big side for our liking, the jam was extra and there was no cream. That said it was perfectly acceptable and exactly what you would expect from this sort of place. 

Golden sunsets

Tyndrum has a gold mine but we couldn’t find anything in the shop made out of local gold. We left and headed on towards Glencoe.  We did find local gold, however in the sunset as we started out across the expanse of Rannoch Moor … fab!

Looking from the Black Mount with Loch Tulla to the left

It was fabulous to drive through mountainous Glencoe in the evening light. We just caught the last of it as we arrived for our stop-over at Ballachulish and a catchup with an old friend.Sunset from Ballachulish

Terrorists?

A trip like this  makes you realise how fortunate we are to live in a country like Scotland. Wars and disasters elswhere in the world make us feel even luckier. Israel will eventually learn that eradicating Hamas simply won’t work. Traditionally, Britain has always labeled everyone who disagrees with them, ‘terrorists’. That is until the ‘terrorists’ are eventually proven to be right. Then they are invited for tea with the Queen.  Britain tried to eradicate the IRA and although there is peace at the moment, the IRA is still there and always will be until the fundamental problem created by Britain is resolved. It’s the same in the Middle East

FK20 8RY          tel: 01838 400271                Green Welly

///conclude.mended.patrolled

ps: our wonderful Utah correspondents have sent us news. It’s about as far away from Utah and Tyndrum as you can get. Recently, they were adventuring in East Grinstead and came across  Bench RH19 and this rather delicious looking scone. They are hoping to return next year for more scone adventures … yeah!.A scone at BenchRH19 in East Grinstead

RH19 3AS        tel: 01342 322 333          Benchrh19

///flags.many.starts

 

 

The Artisan Café

The Artisan Café lies halfway between Crianlarich and Tyndrum in what used to be the Old Church.  It could easily be described as being in the middle of nowhere and as a consequence, you could easily think that nothing much has ever happened here. However, you would be wrong!

External view of the Artisan Café, TyndrumThe glen is Strathfillan, so-called because Fillan brought Christianity to the area in the 8th century from Iona. He had come from Ireland and had run a monastery in Fife before retiring to this area.

Dunking mad folk?

Apparently he was quite a guy. His left arm glowed which meant that he could write scriptures in the dark. He’s also the patron saint of the mentally ill. Such people would be dipped in St Fillan’s Pool in the Fillan river just behind the church and left tied up naked overnight. A cure had been achieved if the bonds were loosened by the morning. If not the process was repeated. He also persuaded the wolf that killed his ox to pull his plough instead of the ox. Where is St Fillan now, in our time of need? He would have made short work of a puny virus. And no, even after a prolonged period of self-isolation, we are not here to be dunked and tied up naked. Just a scone. We are not here at all, of course, all this was before the lockdown.

A sign at the Artisan Café, TyndrumHaving said that we could also be here to pan for gold. Considering the stock market has gone through the floor and the price of gold has rocketed, that’s not such a daft idea. The nearby Cononish gold mine is Scotland’s only commercial gold mine. In 1306, Robert the Bruce was given sanctuary here after he had murdered his rival for the crown, John Comyn, in a Dumfries church . He was tracked down, however, and had to flee when encountering vastly superior forces at nearby Dalrigh, the King’s Field. So, over time, quite a lot has happened in this tranquil little Highland glen but the most recent development has been this Artisan Café. It first opened about two years ago.

Internal view of the Artisan Café, Tyndrum
A view showing the original church organ to the right

Fresh food

The interior is as you would expect of a disused church. Lofty ceilings and plenty of space. There could easily be a mezzanine floor if they ever wanted to expand. It’s called the Artisan Café because it has lots of craft type things for sale, mostly by local artists. There’s stuff all over the place which tends to give it a slightly cluttered appearance. We were given a warm welcome though and shown to a seat beside the log burning stove. Everything is freshly made here on the premises so we were looking forward to sampling some of the food.

A cheere scones and a fruit scone at Artisan Café
Pat’s carrot and coriander soup with cheese scone and my fruit scone

Pat opted for ‘soup and a scone’ which turned out to be absolutely delicious. I had decided on caulifower and brocolli soup with a sandwich followed by a fruit scone and coffee. It was also delicious. We have to hand it to folks who start up a business like this in these remote parts. Their business will have been closed for several weeks now because of the coronavirus which must be heartbreaking. They got a topscone though so hopefully we will be able to look in again at some future date and get another one.

Confidence in government?

As the date for the return to normality recedes ever further into the distance we have little choice but to knuckle down and get on with it. It doesn’t help though when this lamentable government resorts to outright misinformation. Yesterday, the even more lamentable Michael Gove tried to blame the lack of COVID-19 testing on a shortage of the necessary reagents. Something which the industry point bland denies. No shortage Michael, just a government asleep on the job.

Habit

Talking of sleep, strange things happen when you are in lockdown. Every night before bed I take the change from my pocket and place it on the bedside table. Every morning I lift it and put it back in my pocket. It’s a habit! I just noticed, however, that the total amount is £10.36 … two £5 notes, one 20p, one 10p, one 5p and one 1p. It’s been that for almost three weeks. Self-isolation is cheap if nothing else! So why do I still do it? Answers on a postcard.

FK20 8RU.     tel: 01838 400391            Artisan

///brightens.confused.blackouts

ps: We are indebted to some of our Aussie correspondents (these ones are from Perth)  who have sent this movie of a live scone review caught on camera. This is footage which we think David Attenborough would be proud of. Filmed by the intrepid Mairi in the Café Red at Ricardoes tomato & strawberry farm near Port Macquarie in New South Wales. Strange in that we were, very recently, at Lachlan Macquarie’s grave on the Isle of Mull.

Elaine’s date and ginger scone definitely got the thumbs up. However, although an acknowledged expert on lamb chops and banana splits, John’s lack of experience with scones showed when his initially 10 out of 10 rating for his pumpkin scone was later downgraded to ‘rubbish’. Let that be a lesson. You can’t rush a scone tasting!

The Restaurant FVRH

We would not suggest that you actually come here just for a scone, heaven forbid. However, if you have to come here for whatever reason then it might be worth knowing if the scones are worth a try. Forth Valley Royal Hospital was opened in 2010 in Larbert as a replacement for both Falkirk and Stirling Royal Infirmaries. It covers a geographical area stretching from Tyndrum in the NW to Bo’ness in the SE and serves a population of 300,000. It’s very much a state-of-the-art facility with much of the work being done by robots. If you need an operation, however, it will still be carried out by highly intelligent human beings. Phew!

Therapies

Amongst the wide variety of therapies available is retail therapy. Marks & Spencer, WH Smith, Starbucks, StockShop are all present and ready to remedy your shopping cravings. Interior view of The Restaurant at Forth Valley Royal HospitalWe were just here visiting, and having some time to spare, we ended up here in what is imaginatively called ‘The Restaurant’. It has received a Healthy Living Award so we wondered what form a healthy scone would take? At the self service counter there is plenty of variety on offer. We by-passed all the healthy stuff and went straight for a scone. It has to be said it did not look any different from any other. A scone at the Restaurant in Forth valley Royal HospitalIt didn’t taste much different either, but it was perfectly acceptable. Nothing more or less than what you would expect in a place like this.

Running the NHS

Fortunately NHS Scotland seems able to cope much better than NHS England with the financial stresses and strains of running a modern Health Service. There is no mention in the media but one half of the UK is getting on just fine with it’s junior doctors. The other half however is driving their doctors to take full strike action without even emergency cover. It has to say something about the governance of the ‘United’ Kingdom. Let’s hope  the threatened strike by doctors south of the border gets resolved without mishap. We hope that none of you ever have to come here. As hospitals go, however, Forth Valley Royal Hospital is up there with the best in the world. The scones aren’t too shabby either but probably not any healthier than any other.

FK5 4WR    tel: 01324 566000    Forth Valley Royal Hospital

The Green Welly Stop

Green Welly Stop logoBecause it is situated in Tyndrum at a bifurcation in the road, one road takes you north to Fort William and the other west to Oban, this is a an extremely busy stop-off place for cars, motorbikes and tour buses. Just as well it has a huge car park to cater for all the traffic. There are several shops as well as the Green Welly Stop which is correspondingly big and must cater to thousands and thousands of tourists. Hence you can get pretty much anything you want on a self service basis. Needless to say it was the scones we were after.

A Green Welly scone!
A Green Welly scone!

 

To be fair they were better than expected. But struggling to get above average … which is pretty good for someplace so busy. Jam was extra. All in all it was pretty much what you would expect from a place like this. Did the job and that is what the Green Welly Stop is set up to do.

Main meal items produced in the main kitchens are hearty affairs. We always have a selection of traditional Scottish dishes on offer, as well as the internationally recognised Lasagne and macaroni. Pasta dishes do feature on our all day menu – these are so popular with the customers who have been hill walking, cycling or whatever healthy pursuit they have been doing!

Always trying to improve quick-to-eat, snack items, you don’t want to miss our range of home made pastries. These are a crispy delight! There is a vegetarian cheese and onion option, and the meat pastries vary daily between Steak, Haggis and Steak Mince. Enjoy these in the restaurant, or purchase them at the Snack Stop! A cracking meal deal is available here – a pastry and a soup to take away and enjoy!

Haggis and Steak

Our home baking continues going from strength to strength – once again, all of our baking is available for you to take home – The Snack Stop and the Filling Station have baking selections and we highly recommend our Fruit, Banana and Date and Walnut loaves – these are all baked fresh for you.

FK20 8RY     www@thegreenwellystop.co.uk     tel: 01838 400271