Recommendations

For anyone who knows how much I like my food (in other words, what a pig I am! 😉 ) I’m starting this page off to share places I’ve eaten great food or great places I’ve stayed! 🙂 I’ve also now added other recommendations, e.g. mountain guides etc. Links to the various websites now added at the foot of each entry… Don’t forget to let them know ‘mountain coward’ recommended them! 😉

First off:
Cannich Caravan & Camping Site (Glen Affric) – also do bike hire
A peaceful and beautiful campsite for either caravans (touring or static) or tents – or you can hire a little wooden ‘pod’ – very cute! The camping end is situated among lovely old sparse pine forest with a few small and pretty broadleaves thrown in. You can put your car and tent wherever you want and it’s possible to get some very secluded spots among the trees in your own little clearing. There is a cafe if you can’t be bothered to cook your own breakfast… Then there is a very well-equipped toilet block with hot showers, some cubicles with private sinks and even a hairdryer and baby-changing area should you want one. There is a laundry room with coin-op machines or just sinks, a small shop and even a TV room. Also you can hire mountain bikes – very handy in that area.
Cannich Camping & Caravan Site

Ledgowan Lodge (also bunkhouse) have been my favourite place to stay for years now (and Richard’s too for that matter). The hotel isn’t particularly cheap but the bar is cosy, the food is great, the rooms are superb, the staff are really friendly and there’s often some good chat and banter in the bar from the locals when they’re in. The foyer is a wonderful huge place with an open fire, comfy seats, and a real ‘big-house’ atmosphere from when it was a hunting lodge. It’s my favourite place in the whole hotel. There is also a lovely lounge if you want peace and quiet. The bunkhouse is cheap and comfortable and I’ve spent many nights there.
Ledgowan Lodge

Swallow Falls Hotel, Betwys-y-Coed, N. Wales
Very cheap for hotel accommodation but good standard of clean and pleasant rooms, very comfy beds and friendly staff.
Swallow Falls Complex

Glengarry Guest House, Callander
Lovely ‘large house’ B&B in it’s own grounds. Large, light, tastefully furnished rooms and very friendly proprietors. Reasonable rates. Quiet and restful stay. Just on the edge of town so not far to walk for evening meals, pubs, shops etc. Only a few short miles from the very popular Trossachs! Lovely breakfast featuring my perennial favourite to start (if you don’t want cereal) – fresh fruit salad. The home-made potato scone which came with my egg and tomato was great too.
Glengarry Guest House

Suie Lodge Hotel, near Crianlarich
Great, comfortable, friendly hotel between Crianlarich and Lix Toll/Killin. The staff here couldn’t do enough for me and were exceedingly helpful throughout my 3 night stay. The evening meals were superb and there were many good vegetarian options for the likes of myself. The hotel is just far enough away from the main road to be nice and quiet and the location is very handy for Munro (or, in my case, Munro Top) bagging. Their rates are extremely reasonable too.
Suie Lodge Hotel

The Grasmere Hotel
This is the most luxurious and comfortable place Richard or I have ever stayed – period! Not cheap but true luxury and the owners are very helpful. The food is great too so well worth booking the full package instead of just B&B…
Announcement! this hotel has just come top of all the Lake District Hotels in 2016 on Trip Advisor!
The Grasmere Hotel

The Brook House Inn, Eskdale
This is becoming a strong favourite of Richard and myself. Partly due to the superb location as we’ve decided that Eskdale is our favourite Lake District valley due to the superb scenery and the sheer variety of walk types available there. But, on to the hotel…
The beds are exceedingly comfy – as we now both have bad hips, this is becoming a priority! It’s one of the only places where I don’t have to sleep on TOP of the duvet!
The food is superb, especially (for me), their vegetarian menu and the superb puds.
For Richard and other real-ale lovers, there is a great selection which changes all the time.
The owners and staff are friendly and helpful.
Brook House Inn

Glenridding Daytime Eating – unless you have lots of money, the best cafe to visit, doing food at sensible prices, is down at St. Patrick’s boating jetty. This is a couple of hundred yards out of Glenridding towards Patterdale Village. The only drawback is that the tables are outside with only some of them under shelter if it’s raining. They make good basic packaged sandwiches, lovely toasted teacakes, traybakes, hot breakfast rolls etc. They are also the place to hire rowing boats…

Broadford Eating – The Waterfront last summer Richard and I checked out various cafes in Broadford as we were starving after a walk – most of them were not what we were looking for… Then we found The Waterfront just across from the sea and right on the corner of the Elgol junction. They sell a huge variety of satisfying food… there’s a fish & chip shop – this stays open into the evening. The cafe proper has a few indoor tables should you not want to sit beside the seaside and feed the seagulls and sells: hot and cold sandwiches, pies etc., and the most delicious cakes I’ve ever tasted! Decent portions too and cheap – don’t bother with anywhere else if you’re in Broadford!

Mountain Guide this is the guy who guided me for the scary Cuillin Munro Tops (much scarier than the Munros) and I found him superb!
Andy Ravenhill of
Alba Mountaineering

Skye Mountain Guide
Jonah Jones of Skye Mountain Fever.
Just been guided by him for the In Pinn and Am Basteir and he was great. Several reasons why:
1 – he didn’t make you carry the rope or any other equipment – many do
2 – he doesn’t make you pay if the weather is cr*p and you can’t do the In Pinn on the chosen day (or any other peak)
3 – he does a good assessment of your skills on the way up the hill (unobtrusively to the uninitiated but I noticed) and he gives a lot of good advice prior to your peak
Jonah Skye Mountain Fever

Mountain Guide (a guy who can persuade mountain cowards up Skye Cuillin!)
Ryan Glass
Ryan Glass Mountaineering

🙂 Want to contribute to medical research without hurting animals?
The Lord Dowding Fund for Humane Research fund (via grants) non-animal medical research, all of which benefits people but without the animal suffering. Their research page, with their current projects on is at:
Lord Dowding Fund