Gleneagles Townhouse

Posted on March 18, 2026 by bennetmcinnes

Last Sunday dawned grey and wet, but it felt like a day for adventure. A relatively new 5 star hotel, the Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh, seemed to be calling us, and we heeded the call.

Gleneagles Townhouse (middle building with flags), St Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh.

Following a five year renovation, Gleneagles Townhouse opened as a hotel in 2022, the building having previously been owned and inhabited by the Bank of Scotland. The property was originally built as a mansion house in 1781, for the 8th Earl of Dalhousie and his wife, the Countess. Following the Countess’s death in 1807, their only son, the 9th Earl of Dalhousie, sold the property to the British Linen Company (a precursor to the Bank of Scotland) for £5,000.

Some years later, in the 1840s, a grand banking hall was created inside the building, which now houses The Spence restaurant. The exterior was also redesigned, and Corinthian columns with large statues atop them were added to the front of the building.

We learned all this about the property’s history from a helpful leaflet given to us by our waitress. Lorna remembers going into the building many years ago when it was a Bank of Scotland branch, and being very impressed by the interior. The hotel has kept the original architectural details, which makes for a magnificent setting in which to dine.

The old banking hall, now The Spence restaurant in Gleneagles Townhouse.

Cupola, ceiling and cornice details inside The Spence restaurant.

We hadn’t realised when booking a table by phone on Sunday morning that on Sunday lunchtimes the restaurant serves a set 2 or 3 course menu, rather than the usual a la carte. Lorna came to sit beside me on my bench seat to discuss the menu, and a kind waitress offered to move two tables together so that we could sit next to each other at a table for four, rather than opposite each other at a table for two. We were happy with this arrangement, and quite surprised by the suggestion since the restaurant was busy.

A table for two turned into a table for four made for a comfortable dining experience.

Having a small appetite, I chose my two courses from the starters and desserts, while Lorna opted for a main course and a dessert. My starter was onion soup, which came in a large-rimmed bowl, as a pale lump of something or other sitting by itself in the dish. The waitress then poured hot brown liquid over it to create the soup. It was the most peculiar soup I’ve ever seen, but it tasted very good. It was served with a small block of toast smothered in melted cheese and topped with grated black truffle and edible flowers.

Onion soup, brought together at the table.

Cheese-smothered toast with grated truffle.

Lorna opted for the vegetarian Sunday roast alternative, a vegetable pithivier with large Yorkshire pudding, a jug of gravy and a dish of roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots and cabbage. The pithivier was stuffed with a mixture of vegetables and vegetarian haggis, and she was very pleased with it.

Vegetable pithivier with Yorkshire pudding and a dish of Sunday roast trimmings.

We both chose the same pudding, apple crumble, but I asked for ice cream rather than custard. Lorna was delighted when my dessert came with a jug of custard as well as a blob of ice cream, because it meant she got twice the usual amount of custard. In her opinion two jugs of custard was the right amount to go with the crumble. As with our savouries, we both greatly enjoyed the dessert, and rounded our meal off with excellent decaf Americanos.

We spent about three hours in the hotel, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant and the interesting mixture of dining parties. There were several tables of family groups, some with babies and young children, and smaller groups of adults sipping cocktails. A lady at a table near us was brought a small cake with a candle in it by her waitress, presumably to mark her birthday.

We made our way home through a notable selection of weather conditions, including bright sunshine, torrential rain and strong winds. I dozed for part of the journey, but thankfully Lorna stayed awake at the wheel. It had been an unusually long day out for us, but a most enjoyable one that exceeded all expectations.

Folded pink linen napkin at the Spence, with the restaurant’s signature ‘S’ logo embroidered on it.

Spring lunch at Ballathie

Posted on February 26, 2026 by bennetmcinnes

Yesterday, on a dull but mild day, Lorna and I took ourselves off to nearby Ballathie House Hotel for a spot of luncheon.

Their soup of the day was celeriac, served with homemade granary bread, and we both opted for that.

Celeriac soup and homemade granary bread at Ballathie House Hotel.

The soup was deliciously hot and creamy. The bread, too, was excellent, but quite substantial in portion size, so we wrapped up what we didn’t eat and took it home with us for later.

Lunching at Ballathie on a weekday means either sitting in the bar area, or the drawing room. The bar is cosy and pleasant, and yesterday there was a wonderful fire burning in the grate.

The lounge bar at Ballathie, with a roaring fire.

We generally prefer the drawing room, because the seating arrangements are easier for eating. We also like the airiness of the room and the magnificent views from the large windows. As has often been the case in the past, we had the entire room to ourselves, and the staff very helpfully brought a higher table for me to balance my soup on.

Comfortably seated in the drawing room at Ballathie House Hotel for lunch.

When we’d finished our soup, we plumped for a cream tea a-piece. At Ballathie, this consists of a hot beverage of your choice, served with a plain scone, cream and strawberry jam, and a homemade shortbread biscuit. The cream had two succulent blackberries nestling in it, which were a welcome addition to proceedings.

After a most relaxing and pleasant lunch, we drove slowly along Ballathie’s long driveway, which is something we always enjoy doing. Little white snowdrop rugs were to be seen between the large trees lining the drive.

Snowdrops along the driveway at Ballathie.

On the way home, we paused at the edge of Kinclaven Bluebell Wood, so that Lorna could have a brief leg-stretch. I stayed in the warm car, snoozing peacefully.

Winding path through trees at Kinclaven Bluebell Wood.

Two days, two soups

Posted on October 21, 2025 by bennetmcinnes

Yesterday, Lorna and I had lunch out at Dunkeld House Hotel, on our way to House of Bruar for a bit of shopping. The weather had started dull and misty, but the sun came out and we enjoyed our 25 minute drive through the turning colours of autumn.

Once we’d settled ourselves in the warm lounge bar of the hotel (which was fairly busy with other diners and a couple of well-behaved dogs), we both ordered the soup of the day, which we’d been told was pea. It came with very soft white bread, little packets of butter, and a bowl of chips.

Pea soup with soft bread and a bowl of chips at Dunkeld House Hotel. I was being distracted by a dog at a nearby table when the picture was taken.

The soup was an attractive vibrant green, and I tucked in joyfully. Lorna was suspicious of the lumps floating on the top, and hoped they were croutons. She tentatively bit into one, discovered it was a bacon lardon, and proceeded to pick the rest of them out of her bowl. I didn’t even notice them, and consumed my soup happily unaware of the meat element. (Not that it would have bothered me if I’d known, since I’m not averse to such things myself.)

Blissfully unaware of floating pig, and happily peaceful with my hearing aids out.

We enjoyed sitting in the lounge bar, with the background buzz of other diners in a warm, comfortable environment. After polishing off our meals, we decided against having anything further, and decided to push on to House of Bruar, where we would have hot drinks and a snack. Lorna forgot to take any photos at Bruar, but she did take a couple in Dunkeld House Hotel grounds as we were leaving.

Autumn colours in the car park at Dunkeld House Hotel.

One of the delights of Dunkeld House Hotel is the long private driveway leading from the main road to the hotel. It’s a mile long and has numerous gentle humps to keep traffic at low speeds. It’s almost entirely single track with passing places, and every time we go up or down it we pass other vehicles travelling in the opposite direction. The little waves we exchange with fellow drivers, and the leisurely pace of the drive, make coming and going along the driveway a special part of any visit to the hotel.

View towards the village of Dunkeld, along the driveway at Dunkeld House Hotel.

Today, I had an appointment at 12:31 for my seasonal ‘flu and Covid jabs in the local hospital. Since the appointment was at lunchtime, we decided to continue on to a local eatery instead of going back home for lunch.

Successfully jabbed, and ready for lunch out.

We drove the short distance to the Dalmore Inn, on the outskirts of Blairgowrie, a handy place we visit from time to time when we don’t want to go far.

Having put in our order and received our drinks (milk for me, water for Lorna), we prepared ourselves to receive cauliflower and roast almond soups, served with warm rolls.

Lorna was relieved to find that her soup came topped with snipped chives, rather than lumps of meat, and we tucked in.

Cauliflower and roast almond soup with a warm roll and butter at the Dalmore Inn.

The soup was nice and thick, and the almonds were clearly noticeable as tiny nibs within the soup.

After our soup, we were looking forward to dessert. We’ve noticed before at the Dalmore Inn that they’re pretty good at puddings, so our hopes were high. We had both ordered their daily special: autumnal spiced parfait with orange segments, spiced biscuit crumb and orange sorbet. It certainly looked very appealing when it arrived.

Autumnal spiced parfait at the Dalmore Inn.

There was a good range of textures within the dessert, and the orange sorbet was exceptionally delicious, having a strong citrus tang.

Lorna agrees with me that, despite her off-putting topping, the pea soup was the tastier of the two soups on two days. However, life is all about variety, and we appreciated different aspects of our visits to both Dunkeld House Hotel and the Dalmore Inn. We often comment on how marvellous it is that so many eateries exist within a short distance of where we live, and that we’re able to support their noble endeavours.

On returning home, after tucking me into bed for an afternoon nap, Lorna popped out for a walk and enjoyed some autumn leaves still on trees, and carpeting the ground.

Autumn leaves above and below, Blairgowrie.

North Queensferry

Posted on October 11, 2025 by bennetmcinnes

It was a gloriously sunny day in Perthshire yesterday, and we fancied a trip out somewhere. We settled on the coastal village of North Queensferry, about an hour’s drive south.

The sky was an almost cloudless blue all the way down to about Inverkeithing, but as we neared the Firth of Forth the cloud became much thicker. When we climbed out of the car, a cold wind blasted us with surprising force, and we hurried indoors as quickly as we could.

We’d decided to have lunch at The Shore restaurant, within the Double Tree Hotel, in North Queensferry. We’d been there once before, many years ago, and remembered that it had a good view of two of the Forth Bridges.

The sun was shining through the large windows of the restaurant, and the cold wind was soon forgotten.

The Shore restaurant in the Double Tree Hotel, North Queensferry.

We were seated by a window, with a fine view of the newest of the three bridges that span the Firth of Forth at this point. As we sat looking out at the Queensferry Crossing, we remembered the occasion, in 2017, when we walked across this bridge after it had just been opened. It was designed exclusively for vehicles, and pedestrians are not normally permitted to cross it. However, an opportunity was granted, through a public ballot, to celebrate the opening. The fortunate 50,000 of us who obtained tickets traipsed across it over a weekend in September. The walk was 1.7 miles (2.7km) long.

After perusing the menu, Lorna and I both opted for the Tuscan vegetable soup, which was served with sourdough toast.

Tuscan vegetable soup with sourdough toast.

The soup was packed with vegetables, including a lot of peas and different types of bean. We both enjoyed it, and found it hearty and filling.

Hearty Tuscan vegetable soup at The Shore, Double Tree Hotel, North Queensferry.

It was a very slow meal, and before we ordered pudding I needed to visit the facilities. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sign with this wording on an accessible toilet.

Accessible toilet at the Double Tree Hotel, North Queensferry.

Inside, it was roomy, and very well equipped with grabrails.

Inside the accessible toilet at the Double Tree Hotel, North Queensferry.

Back at the table, we both chose the same pudding: tiramisu. It looked unlike any tiramisu I’ve had before, and wasn’t particularly appealing on first inspection, but in fact the taste far exceeded our expectations. It was light, creamy, and quite delicious.

Surprisingly tasty tiramisu at The Shore restaurant.

Although we didn’t have a view of the old Forth Road Bridge from our dining table, it was clearly visible from outside the building.

This was the bridge that carried all traffic across the Firth of Forth here, prior to the construction of the Queensferry Crossing. It’s still operational, but open only to buses, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians.

Before leaving this neck of the woods, we felt it only right to admire the third and oldest bridge in this area, the Forth Rail Bridge. It took 8 years to build, and was opened in 1890. It’s a majestic structure, and one of the country’s great landmarks.

The Forth Rail Bridge, seen from North Queensferry.

Lunch at the Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry

Posted on September 28, 2025 by bennetmcinnes

A few days ago, Lorna and I set off in beautiful, sunny autumn weather to meet my other daughter, Flora, for lunch at the Atholl Palace Hotel in Pitlochry. Lorna was able to park in a handy disabled bay, and Flora and I paused for a photo outside the grand entrance.

Flora and Bennet outside the Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry.

There are two dining options in the hotel: the Verandah restaurant, and the Stag’s Head Bar. We chose the bar, which has a lovely outlook onto the tree-filled grounds and the hills beyond.

View from the Stag’s Head Bar, Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry.

The bar serves both light meals and larger options. Flora went for fish and chips, Lorna had a vegetable curry, and I chose pea and mint soup.

Fish and chips with a little salad for Flora.

Vegetable curry with rice, naan bread and mango chutney for Lorna.

Pea and mint soup with soda bread for me.

To pad out my meal, I ordered a basket of French fries. The difference in size between my chips and Flora’s was very noticeable.

Small, thin French chip with large British chip.

Not having any chips of her own (and being very willing to help), Lorna assisted both me and Flora in consuming our potato elements. As a result, she was too full for pudding, but Flora and I felt we could manage a little something.

I plumped for a coconut and Biscoff cheesecake, and Flora opted for a fruit scone.

Breakfast tea was ordered for Flora, Earl Grey for Lorna, and a decaf Americano for me.

Puddings and hot drinks in the Stag’s Head Bar at the Atholl Palace Hotel.

When we’d finished and settled up, we made our way through the thickly carpeted corridors of the hotel.

The building was opened in 1874 as the ‘Athole Hydropathic’, a kind of spa, containing accommodation, Turkish baths, and treatment rooms for those wishing to take the health-giving waters of Pitlochry. New owners took it over in 1913, upgraded the building, installed electric lighting and re-named it the Atholl Palace Hotel.

One of the attractive features of the hotel is the variety of seating options throughout the ground floor. There are many armchairs and sofas, nicely positioned to allow observation of the comings and goings, and engage in a bit of people-watching.

Armchairs for people-watching in the Atholl Palace Hotel.

Sofas around a fireplace in the Atholl Palace Hotel.

It had been a very relaxing and enjoyable visit to the Atholl Palace, and as we left we enjoyed the floral displays outside the front of the building.

Floral abundance outside the Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry.

Third Hotel Lucky

Posted on September 18, 2025 by bennetmcinnes

Yesterday morning Lorna had a hankering for adventure, and fancied a bit of big city buzz. Since London was too far away for a day trip, and Edinburgh and Glasgow a bit further than she wanted to drive, she plumped for Dundee.

She’d heard of a hotel near the city centre that served weekday lunches in its rather swanky-looking bar, and the building had some architectural interest, being the site of an old jute mill. The mill had opened in 1822, and the modern bar had been given the name ‘Eighteen22’ as a nod to its history.

We arrived after a circuitous journey which included a long diversion for a very short piece of closed road in the city. The diversion signs seemed to be taking us further and further away from our destination, but the car’s navigation system came up with an alternative route, which very satisfyingly took us where we wanted to go.

There was a little light rain when we arrived at Hotel Indigo.

Inside, the lobby was comfortably laid out in a minimalist style, with artwork on the walls relating to the building’s past.

Soft seating in the lobby of Hotel Indigo, Dundee.

We walked through this area to the bar, which was empty, with no sign of any staff.

‘Eighteen22’, the bar at Hotel Indigo, Dundee.

Having checked with the receptionist that lunches were indeed being served in the bar, we chose a seat, sat down and got settled for our meal. I removed my jacket, put on my bib, and waited for someone to appear.

Ready for luncheon at the Hotel Indigo, Dundee.

After a while, Lorna peered over the bar to see if there was anybody about, but all was silent. She went back to the lobby and explained to the receptionist that there were no staff in the bar. The receptionist left her desk and went on the hunt for the barman. She said he would be about somewhere, but after a while of searching she came back and told us he had vanished. We sat there a little longer, and eventually decided we should go elsewhere for our lunch as it was getting close to 14:00 by this time. The receptionist was very apologetic, so we left on a pleasant enough note.

Lorna remembered another Dundee hotel she had once had a meal in when I was in hospital, and we decided to go there instead. She couldn’t remember the name of it but she knew it was near the Botanic Gardens, so we went off in search of it. We found it, got parked, and got ourselves out of the car. We had seen diners through the restaurant window as we drove into the parking area, so we felt pretty confident of obtaining a meal there.

Arriving at the Invercarse Hotel, Dundee.

Once inside the warm and welcoming lobby, Lorna spoke to the receptionist, who informed us that we were too late for lunch as they stopped serving at 13:45.

Back we went to the car, and wondered what to do next. The Scottish Antiques and Arts Centre was a 15 minute drive away, and we knew it served food all day. It happens to be one of our favourite lunch spots, so we were happy with the idea of going there.

As we were driving along the busy A90, Lorna accidentally turned off the road one junction too early and we found ourselves in the village of Inchture. That was no problem as we could simply drive through it, re-join the main road and come off at the correct junction. As we drove along the main street, Lorna remembered that there was a hotel in the village, and she was interested to investigate it. Moments later we came upon it, parked outside, and Lorna popped in to ask if they were still serving lunches. She reappeared from the hotel entrance with her thumbs up, and out I got.

Inchture Hotel, joyfully open for lunch.

Meals were served in a restaurant called The Priory, built onto the side of the original hotel building. There was a ramped entrance I could use with my rollator, and we were warmly welcomed by a helpful waitress who showed us to a table near the window. We settled ourselves in, very glad to have found a lunch spot at last.

Happy and relieved to be settled in for lunch at The Priory in Inchture Hotel.

They had quite an extensive menu, and I opted for a small portion of battered haddock with chips and peas.

Small battered haddock at The Priory, Inchture Hotel.

Lorna chose the grilled goat’s cheese and roasted beetroot salad, which came with a little bucket of chips.

Grilled goat’s cheese and roasted beetroot salad at The Priory, Inchture Hotel.

We both very much enjoyed our meals in The Priory. Despite the late hour, there were quite a few other diners in the restaurant, and the atmosphere was warm and convivial.

Enjoying lunch at The Priory, Inchture Hotel.

The day had not worked out as planned, but we felt pleased with ourselves for having an adventure, particularly as it had ended in a tasty and satisfying lunch.

New wheels out and about

Posted on June 26, 2025 by bennetmcinnes

In September 2024, I acquired my first rollator, or walking frame, as mentioned in this post.

My first rollator, in Ferrari red, September 2024.

Having become increasingly unsteady on my pins using walking sticks, this piece of equipment made a positive difference to my life.

For the past few months of using it I’ve been walking more confidently, but its design has meant that I was often pushing it away from my body as I walked. On one occasion this resulted in a fall, which led Lorna to wonder if there was something else on the market that would better suit my needs.

She discovered a different design with curiously backward-facing handles, that seemed to address the issue I’d been having. We had a look at these rollators, tried a couple of them out, and ended up purchasing what claims to be the lightest rollator in the world. My first rollator weighs 8kg, whereas the new one is only 4.8kg, so there’s quite a noticeable difference. There were 8 colour options, and I plumped for red again.

My original rollator on the left and my new one on the right.

I’ve been joyfully using it for the past couple of weeks, and finding it to be an improvement on the previous one. It’s also more compact when folded, and easier for Lorna to lift in and out of the car.

Yesterday, we took it for a spin to one of our favourite lunch spots, Ballathie House Hotel, a few miles from where we live.

Me with new rollator outside Ballathie House Hotel.

After a short walk in front of the hotel, we settled ourselves into the otherwise empty, and extremely quiet, drawing room for a relaxing luncheon.

Relaxed and ready for lunch in Ballathie’s very quiet drawing room.

As usual, the food, drinks, ambience and service were top notch. I selected tuna mayonnaise sandwiches, which came with excellent chips, and a freshly dressed salad.

Tuna mayonnaise sandwiches with chips and salad at Ballathie House Hotel.

Lorna went for the grilled vegetables sandwich, which was also served with chips and salad. She gave her sandwich 10/10, and we both agreed that the meal was perfect.

Grilled vegetables sandwich with chips and salad at Ballathie House Hotel.

The new rollator has been out to a few places, including The Causerie, a recently opened wine bar in Blairgowrie about half a mile from our house. The premises had previously been occupied by a succession of cafes and we were keen to see what the new incarnation was like. An attractive stained glass window panel had been inserted above the front door.

Inside, we found a peaceful haven of wood and wine, and exceptionally courteous and helpful staff. Seated comfortably, we perused an interesting menu, which offered virtually every savoury dish as either a starter or main course size.

Happily seated in The Causerie wine bar, Blairgowrire.

We both opted for vegetarian starters. I had hummus with roasted chickpeas, tomatoes, pickles and focaccia.

Lorna chose a dish of roast beetroot, scorched aubergine, feta cheese, walnuts and seasonal greens.

Roast beetroot, scorched aubergine, feta, walnuts and greens.

Both dishes were tasty, and small enough for us to have room for puddings. I went for their version of a pavlova, which contained yoghurt rather than the usual cream. The berries were huge and succulent, and the whole dish was light and refreshing.

Lorna couldn’t resist trying the hot Cape brandy pudding, which she described as a cross between sticky toffee pudding and Christmas pudding. It was served with creme fraiche ice cream, and doused in brandy.

Our first visit to this new neighbourhood eatery was a great success, and we’re looking forward to returning before too long.

Fingal

Posted on June 1, 2025 by bennetmcinnes

One bright and sunny Sunday morning in May, when Lorna and I both felt unusually alert and ready for adventure, we decided on a last minute trip to Edinburgh to fulfil an ambition.

Our destination was Alexandra Dock in Leith, permanent home to Fingal, a ship that once serviced lighthouses but now sits quietly awaiting visitors to its 5-star hotel rooms and restaurant.

An old chap standing in front of a considerably younger lady.

Fingal, looking resplendent at just over 60 years of age.

Earlier that morning, while wondering how we might fill our day, Lorna had the bright idea of going to Fingal for lunch. She had recently found out about the ship/hotel and we had both developed an interest in visiting it. We had been imagining an overnight stay, but perhaps lunch was an alternative way to experience its atmosphere.

When she looked on the website, Lorna discovered that they didn’t serve lunches, but they did offer afternoon teas. She phoned up to ask if there was any chance of a vegetarian afternoon tea for two that day, despite the website stating that they required 48 hours’ notice for special dietary requirements. The helpful lady she spoke to popped off to chat with the chefs, and then rang back to say that they had enough ingredients to prepare two such afternoon teas, and would be delighted to reserve a table for us.

The ship was accessible by wheelchair, or rollator, although with quite a steep gangway to get into it.

The doors into the ship, at the top of the red-carpeted gangway.

Having successfully made it onboard, we were shown to a circular glass lift that took us up to the top deck housing the Lighthouse Restaurant.

The Lighthouse Restaurant, onboard Fingal.

A courteous receptionist in the restaurant showed us to our table. It was a little tricky for me to negotiate, but she pulled it out so that I could shuffle into a padded bench seat. Throughout our time on Fingal, the service from all staff was exemplary. We were brought glasses of tap water and an extensive menu of teas and a few coffees.

Seated on a comfortable padded bench seat.

The tea menu listed more than 20 different teas, and we were invited to try as many as we wished throughout the meal. Not being much of a tea drinker these days, I opted for a decaffeinated Americano, while Lorna started off with a Japanese Kukicha tea.

The vegetarian afternoon tea consisted of 5 hot savouries, 4 sandwiches, 2 scones and 4 cakes for each of us. It seemed to be rather a lot when we read the menu, but the portions were small and delicate, and surprisingly easy to consume. We started off with one of the tastiest dishes of the day, the amuse-bouche, a smoky tomato and red pepper soup.

Delicious mugs of smoky tomato and red pepper soup.

When our soups were finished a waitress took the dishes away and soon brought the next course, a three-tiered stand filled with hot savouries on the top two levels and sandwiches ‘downstairs’.

In Lorna’s opinion, the hot savouries were the star of the show. They consisted of an asparagus and ricotta tart, vegetable pakora in a spicy chilli dressing, feta cheese cube with tomato chutney, and pumpkin arancini.

Beneath the hot savouries sat the sandwiches, which I enjoyed but Lorna wasn’t so keen on, although she did appreciate the Coronation celeriac option.

When we had first arrived in the restaurant, at about 13:15, it was a little less than half full, but during our time there it filled up considerably. The staff were kept busy with so many afternoon teas, but were very good at appearing at our table at the right moments. After draining her pot of Kukicha, Lorna ordered a Black Forest Gateau tea, which was a blend of black teas with fruit pieces and chocolate. She thought it might be a good pairing for the dessert course. I stuck to my decaf Americanos.

The dessert course came on another three-tiered stand, with the top two levels containing our cakes, and the bottom level the scones with their accompaniments.

The dessert course of afternoon tea onboard Fingal.

There was one plain scone and one fruit scone each, and we both opted to start our sweets with the fruit scones. We used up all the cream on these two scones, but I’m sure the staff would have brought us more if we’d asked for it. We decided to take the plain scones home with us, so we were pretty generous in creaming up our fruit scones.

Fruit scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream.

The cakes consisted of a lemon mousse dome, raspberry mouse covered in dark chocolate, banana and toasted coconut cake, and an apple mousse dome.

To finish off our meal, Lorna ordered a peppermint tea, which came rather strangely in a cafetiere rather than a teapot. We were told we could take away any of the food items we didn’t want to eat during the meal, and we opted to take home the two plain scones, and two apple domes. They were put into a branded box tied with a black ribbon.

It had been sunny and windy on our arrival, and remained so on our departure some three hours later. We walked back to the car (which had conveniently been parked in Fingal’s own private car park) across a stretch of cobbled stones that were an interesting challenge for me and my wheels. We looked up at the ship’s flags as we passed, and felt pleased with ourselves for having spent an afternoon onboard such a splendid vessel.

Gleneagles

Posted on April 13, 2025 by bennetmcinnes

On Friday 11 April, Lorna and I felt like having lunch out. The sun was shining and we agreed that a trip to Gleneagles was just the ticket. It would be our first visit there of 2025.

We arrived to find it standing majestically under blue skies, ready to welcome us in.

Lorna had thought it would make a nice change to dine inside the hotel, rather than at our usual eatery, The Dormy, which sits in a separate building next to a golf course.

We made our way through the pleasantly lit, softly carpeted, reception area, greeted with smiles and courteous welcomes by various members of staff. We were heading for the Garden Cafe, reached via an elegant shopping arcade.

According to the hotel’s website, the arcade is ‘inspired by the beautiful and historic arcades of London and Paris’.

The shopping arcade in Gleneagles Hotel.

A boutique window in the arcade at Gleneagles.

A gentleman of advanced years wheeling through the Gleneagles arcade,

When we reached the Garden Cafe we found it was fully occupied and there was a 20 minute waiting time for tables. Lorna suggested we go instead to the Century Bar, also within the hotel, back near the reception desk. The helpful chap in the Garden Cafe checked his computer and found that there were indeed free tables in the bar. We wandered back through the arcade feeling encouraged and ready for a spot of luncheon.

As we’d noted on previous visits, The Century Bar had an Art Deco feel about it, and favoured jazz as its background music.

We chose comfortable sofa-type seating, with cushions at our backs.

We both opted for roasted tomato soup, served with croutons, basil oil and mascarpone. The soup portions were surprisingly large, about twice the volume one would normally expect as a starter course, and they came with thick slices of soft, floury granary bread.

The bread was served in an open wooden box, accompanied by a fat butter pat from Netherend Farm. We’ve had this butter before, and always enjoy reading the little rhyme on the packaging: “The richest dairy pastures lie…betwixt the Severn and the Wye.”

Fresh granary bread with Netherend Farm butter.

It took us quite a while to work our way through the soups, but we were in no hurry. We sat comfortably, enjoying the atmosphere and the variety of customers in the bar. As we’ve often noticed at Gleneagles, there were quite a few children around, no doubt enjoying the freedom of the Easter holidays.

As we discovered on a previous visit, one of the attractions of the Century Bar was their menu option of buttermilk scones. The portion consisted of three dainty plain scones with a generous tub of clotted cream and a little jar of strawberry and Champagne jam. Feeling quite full of soup and bread, we ordered one portion between us to share.

Portion of buttermilk scones in the Century Bar.

Lorna ordered a pot of Earl Grey tea, with which to wash her scones down. The solid silvery pot was so heavy I was unable to lift it off the table, even when it was empty of tea

In the interests of fair representation, we layered up half a scone with cream first and then jam (as they favour in Devon) and the other half with jam first and then cream (as the Cornish prefer). I can’t say I noticed much difference between the two, but Lorna is of the opinion that the Cornish way tastes better, while the Devon way looks better.

Devon and Cornwall represented in scone form.

After lunch, we wandered back through the hotel to visit the accessible toilet located part of the way through the arcade. It was spacious and well kitted out with golden grabrails, a large sink and small, individually folded towels for hand drying.

A spacious accessible toilet at Gleneagles, with golden grabrails and chequered marble floor.

One of the shop windows in the arcade was celebrating the 250th anniversary of English jewellers, Mappin and Webb.

Window display celebrating the 250th anniversary of Mappin & Webb.

Various items of jewellery had been displayed in amongst little models of afternoon tea services. The characters in the scene were curiously non-human.

A giraffe-headed lady in the Mappin & Webb window.

A tiger-headed gent in the Mappin & Webb window.

Lorna popped me back into the car for a snooze, while she had a short walk in the hotel grounds. It had been a most enjoyable day out, and we returned home well satisfied with our day’s adventures.

Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry

Posted on March 23, 2025 by bennetmcinnes

At the end of my last post I mentioned that we were soon to be visiting the Pine Trees Hotel in Pitlochry for Lorna’s birthday. This post has been somewhat delayed by a spell in hospital for me, and subsequent recovery at home. I’m certainly on the mend, but not yet quite up to full speed. My trusty ghost writer is assisting me as usual, by posting this on my behalf.

On 31 January, Lorna and I drove the 45 minutes or so north to Pitlochry, to meet my other daughter, Flora, for lunch at the Pine Trees Hotel. It was my first visit to the hotel, which was reached by a lengthy private driveway flanked by pine trees. Although it was a dull, cold day, the building had a welcoming appearance from the outside.

Exterior of the Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry.

We were warmly welcomed and led to a table set for three, which had a green velvet sofa on one side and a chair on the other. I sat on the chair while my two daughters took up their places on the low sofa (Lorna was behind the camera in the picture below).

Sitting with Flora in the dining room at the Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry,

After perusing the interesting menu, both Flora and I opted for battered haddock with chips, minted peas and caper mayonnaise. The batter was light and crisp, and the fish fresh and perfectly cooked.

Fish and chips at the Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry.

Lorna went for a vegetarian dish of pumpkin and sage ravioli with harissa, kale, candy beetroot and amaretti crumbs. She was impressed by the range of flavours and textures incorporated into the dish, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Pumpkin and sage ravioli at the Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry.

Following our very satisfactory savouries, we all three chose the same dessert: warm pear frangipane with caramelised apple, and bramble sorbet.

Warm pear frangipane with caramelised apple, and bramble sorbet at the Pine Trees Hotel.

It was a nice pudding, but we didn’t detect the pear, and the tart was slightly dry. It seemed to be crying out for a small jug of pouring cream. The bramble sorbet and blobs of caramelised apple, however, were excellent, and perhaps a more generous serving of those accompaniments would have made up for the missing cream.

We spent all our time in the restaurant itself, but were interested to note some soft seating areas that looked as if they’d be pleasant places to sit with a drink.

Soft seating in the Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry.

When we came to pay for the meal we noticed that one of the desserts and two of the drinks had been missed off the bill. When we brought this to the attention of the waiter, he explained that they had deliberately reduced the bill since we were celebrating a birthday. We were surprised and delighted by this, and it rounded off a happy occasion very nicely. We departed with the happy thought of a return visit some time in the future.

Bennet McInnes

Musings of a nonagenarian

Category Archives: Hotel