External view of the Solway Tide tearoom in Kirkcudbright

The Solway Tide Tearoom

Before you say it, yes, we are off galavanting … again! This time we are in Kirkcudbright to inspect a new bell-mouth on a forestry road … exciting! It really would take too long to explain! Being forced to travel down this way, however, is no great hardship. Quite the opposite in fact, especially on a beautiful day like today. It is a wonderful part of the country, overlooked by many as they speed up and down the M74. In 1931 Dorothy L Sayers, the crime writer and poet wrote the immortal words:

If he can say as you can
Guinness is good for you
How grand to be a Toucan
Just think what Toucan do

said “In Kirkcudbright one either fishes or paints” and, believe it or not, that is still as true today as it was then. It’s not known as ‘The Artist’s Town’ for nothing. Many artists have made their homes here and it has art galleries aplenty. Picture of fishing boats at Kirkcudbright harbourIt also never ceases to amaze us that Kirkcudbright supports a flourishing fishing industry. Still plying it’s trade from the harbour … four miles from the sea!

Anyway, after a fairly lengthy drive, squinting into the low winter sun, some sort of refreshment was definitely called for. It looked like The Solway Tide Tearoom might do the job. We have been here before but always in the summer when you can sit out in the back garden. Internal view of the Solway Tide tearoom in KirkcudbrightAlthough the sun was shining brightly it was not exactly sitting-out weather so this was our first ‘sit-in’, so to speak. The interior is okay but has a slightly tired look about it.

La confiture

A bit like our waitress … welcoming but in a rather low key Scottish way that could be completely missed by your average tourist. Picture of a scone at the Solway Tide tearoom in KirkcudbrightCombined with ‘music to slit your wrists to’ by Jim Reeves , the atmosphere could never be described as jolly or vibrant. The scones however were pretty good, plenty fruit and plenty cream. Plenty jam as well but it had come all the way from France? Places like this are largely dependent on the summer tourist industry so we can never understand the decision not to use local produce. We are pretty sure the tourists won’t understand it either. Even the ones from France!

Equally we cannot understand putting the wifi password up on a noticeboard without the name of the provider. It becomes a process of elimination where you have to try them all. Not a bad scone but not the best scone experience we have had. Much better when you can sit in the garden.

Picture of MacLellan's castle at Kirkcudbright harbour
MacLellan’s Castle

Towering over The Solway Tide Tearoom is the magnificent ruin of the 16th century, MacLellan’s Castle. Sir Thomas MacLellan built it using the stones from a convent which he demolished. It never saw any action so the purpose seems to have been simply to show off his own power and importance. The Trump Tower of it’s day. There were many battles in Scotland and Ireland in which the MacLellans had difficulty picking the right side. With the family fortunes sorely depleted, they eventually ended up as lowly glovers in Edinburgh.

Calexit

Picking the right side has not got any easier with the passage of time. Now that Trump has promised to make the USA great again, California wants to leave (Calexit) more in a protest against the electoral system than anything else. With an economy bigger than that of France they are seriously miffed that, having backed Clinton, they never get what they vote for. Scotland knows exactly how you feel California!

We were amazed to see what looked like flooding down by the harbour. It turned out to be high tides caused by the recent ‘big moons’. One of the local fisherman we spoke to was totally unfazed “och aye, we’ve had them going right into the Post Office”! Only in Kirkcudbright? The bell-mouth was perfect by the way.

Picture of high tide at Kirkcudbright harbour
Very high tides down by the harbour

DG6 4HZ            tel: 01557 330735             The Solway Tide Café

3 thoughts on “The Solway Tide Tearoom”

  1. I’m pleased to have visited Kirkcudbright today and at last to see this forestry road. At last I know what everyone is speaking about. The poor Solway Tide could do with a little help.

  2. Agreed “Bell mouth” looks good.
    I have been riding national cycle route 7 which runs right past this new road end.
    I parked in Kircudbright on 31st October, took old military road through Twynholm to Gatehouse then back following route 7 through Borgue into Kircudbright. A fairly pleasant day for a cycle and light lunch on bench beside car park before doing the loop into Castle Douglas and back to Kircudbright to collect the car.
    Have since completed the Scottish section of route7 Inverness to Gretna, and on to Penrith, 520mls leaving only 81 to go, unfortunately over Pennines to Sunderland (probably 2017)
    By the way nice scones in Powfoot Golf hotel near Annan, I would not normally bother with scones, but all these posts got to me, thanks they were delicious.
    Ah Donald and a new world, I think California like Scotland will just have to lump it, life can be tough in a democracy. Though my grandson tells me I am wrong we are in a Kingdom.
    Anyway today’s a paint day so I had better get back to it.
    cheers
    DIR

    1. Impressed with all the biking stuff and the fact that you have actually passed the bell-mouth … the road is so good you could probably cycle up it no problem. If you ever fancy doing that (or driving), get in touch and I will give the combination for the gate. As you say life can be tough in a democracy … but it doesn’t stop you having a good rant about it. All the best, B&P

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