Glendevon must be one of Scotland’s loveliest glens. It’s not rugged or majestic like many other glens. It’s a gentle, soft glen following the River Devon, with green, rounded, bracken-covered hills on either side..One such hill is Tormaukin (hill of the hare), and today we are at its foot in the Tormaukin Inn. Originally built as a drovers’ inn in the 1720s, it’s still going strong, welcoming wanderers like us. Tormaukin is not that far from Mona’s, where we were last month.
We’re no strangers to this part of the country. For about twenty years, Glendevon Castle (next door to Tormaukin) operated a very lively pub and nightclub in the 1960s. It was called The Dungeon because that’s where it was located. Very atmospheric and very trendy. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, folks felt they could let their hair down, and they had lots of that back then. Those were the days! Perhaps the introduction of stricter drink driving laws saw its demise. Today, it’s uninhabited and looks sadly neglected.
The bar
Out the window
However, don’t imagine that Glendevon was always so idyllic. The Earls of Douglas, who owned the Castle in the 15th century, became too powerful for their own good. In 1452 relations between the Douglases and King James II could best be described as ‘strained’. The King summoned the Earl to Stirling Castle in an attempt to resolve some issues. The Earl was promised safe conduct. However, when the Douglas refused to bend to the King’s demands, the King stabbed him and, according to the Auchinleck Chronicle, “struck out his brains with a pole axe” and his body was thrown out of a window. Those were the days!
That’s all in the past, and we were welcomed into the cosy interior of the Inn. It’s very olde-worlde with lots of antique furniture and dark oak beams. There are lots of warm, cosy sitting areas; however, we chose a conservatory which, in contrast, was bright and airy. As usual, we just wanted a fruit scone to share and some coffee. The scone was wonderfully warm and came with lovely Chinese soup spoons filled with jam and cream. Everything was delicious, and it was nice to know that the lady serving us had made the scones earlier. Forget everything we have said earlier … these are the days! Topscone!
Stupid?
Pat had her eye on this.
If you think King James II must have been a nasty sort of chap, spare a thought for the people queuing for ages to get some food, only to be shot at and killed by Israeli forces. The excuse this time was that they targeted a Hamas terrorist, but there was a technical glitch. Why do they not realise that by trying to eliminate one terrorist, they create an entire nation of what they would refer to as “terrorists”? It is unbelievably stupid.
This was a lovely scone, nice and crispy, easily a top scone. It’s been quite a few years since we were in this hotel and it was nice to be back although I think it’s a lot different now from when we used to come here. The girl who owns it likes to sell a few antique things together with candles, sweets and other bits and bobs. It was a nice visit.
That’s all in the past, and we were welcomed into the cosy interior of the Inn. It’s very olde-worlde with lots of antique furniture and dark oak beams. There are lots of warm, cosy sitting areas; however, we chose a conservatory which, in contrast, was bright and airy. 
As usual, we just wanted a fruit scone to share and some coffee. The scone was wonderfully warm and came with lovely Chinese soup spoons filled with jam and cream. Everything was delicious, and it was nice to know that the lady serving us had made the scones earlier. Forget everything we have said earlier … these are the days! Topscone!
The conservatory looks lovely,the scone also.
The conservatory is a complete contrast to the rest of the place, but it was all lovely
Thanks for this post. I remember The Dungeon. I sprained my ankle there and couldn’t get to work the next day. Memories 🫶🎉🍾💙
I’m sure there were lots of people straining their ankes there Irené 🥴
This was a lovely scone, nice and crispy, easily a top scone. It’s been quite a few years since we were in this hotel and it was nice to be back although I think it’s a lot different now from when we used to come here. The girl who owns it likes to sell a few antique things together with candles, sweets and other bits and bobs. It was a nice visit.