June 2012

Celebrating Dumfries and Galloways Food and drink – Flavour fortnight

Posted on June 28, 2012 at 8:33 pm in

Flavour Fortnight runs from 25th August to 9th September 2012

It is said to be one of Scotland’s most exciting food festivals

This is a 16 day food and drink festival and is the best possible way of discovering the food, drink and flavours of Dumfries and Galloway.

There’s a wide range of opportunities for you to find out more about the food and drink in this area and to sample it too…. more importantly! From Beltie Beef to Real ale to relishes and Chutneys, tartan chocolate, Sausages, Fudge, Cheese and lots more.

There are Markets, dining occasions and many many people passionate about Dumfries and Galloway produce. This event is organised by Savour the Flavours, which is Dumfries and Galloways organisation for local food and drink.

It just so happens that here at Kirklauchline cottage we have had a cancellation  and now have availability from 1st September to 15th September – an ideal time to catch Flavour fortnight here in Dumfries and Galloway.

We are ideally situated to go along and enjoy the Lochinch Castle Food and Drink Festival, Castle Kennedy, near Stranraer on 2nd September from 10am until 4pm where there will be a wide range of stalls  including home baking, cakes, pork, bacon, beef, cheeses, real ales, jams and chutneys, fruit and vegetables. I can personally say that the stalls there will be fantastic There will be taster sessions, samples and demonstrations. I think I may go there too myself, it sounds too good to miss!

Here are a full list of events all across the Dumfries and Galloway region celebrating Flavour Fortnight available to visit and enjoy.

 

It is also important that I tell you the remaining dates for the popular Portpatrick Farmers Market. They are:

Sunday 15th July, 19th August, 16th September and 16th December.

Each event is in Portpatrick Village Hall, near the harbour between 1pm and 4pm. There’s free ample parking in the village and its free entry in to the market too. Everything you find here is locally produced and delicious and you can even sit and relax with a cream tea.

So if I have tempted you along  to Portpatrick in Dumfries and Galloway for Flavour Fortnight then please get in touch for full details of Kirklauchline Cottage and how to book.

 

 

 

 

 

Portpatrick Lifeboat week 2012

Posted on June 24, 2012 at 10:21 pm in

 

Well, that’s it for another year. Portpatrick RNLI Lifeboat week has now ended after a mixed week of weather, great too that the Harbour works and the new pontoon were completed in time to improve the launch times of the Lifeboat.

The week long event started last Sunday with the Rib raid from Ireland. It was a beautiful sunny day here in the Rhins of Galloway and the crowds were out to see the Ribs arriving into the harbour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Village was buzzing with people and the atmosphere was fantastic. The crowds were sat outside The Crown, The Waterfront and the Harbour House enjoying lunch, the sunshine and a few drinks. Smugglers cove, Port Pantry and Lighthouse Pottery gift shops were busy with people browsing their lovely ranges of gifts, things for the home and Jewellery.

 

 

During the week there was live music from Elvis (yes, I said Elvis!) and Life O’ Reilly, family events such as “Catch the crab competition”, Race night, Treasure Hunt, Pet show, fun run and even “Portpatricks got talent”! ( I might add that I did not enter!), Golf competitions at the Portpatrick Dunskey golf course and lots more.

I took a trip into the village to watch the Raft Race. It was looking pretty doubtful during Friday afternoon as the weather was not too good but the sun came out and with it came the crowds. As ever, it was a great fun event to watch, not sure how I would feel about participating though, looked pretty arduous and cold to me! The teams have to row their raft from Portpatrick beach into the harbour and back again, the first team to run and put their flag into the container on the beach wins. Rafts are sponsored by local businesses and teams are made up of 6 people. Anyone fancy it next year?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday , for me was change over day at Kirklauchline cottage so I was busy getting the cottage prepared for our new guests arriving. I got finished in time to head into Portpatrick again for the HM Coastguard and RNLI Lifeboat demonstrations. Always a great event to watch. Whilst some areas had rain we had sunshine with a few spots of rain but nothing to worry about. It certainly didn’t affect the turn out.  Just as the Portpatrick Lifeboat was about to start the demonstration and minutes before the Royal Navy Helicopter arrived they were called out to a real life emergency so off they went.

The Royal Navy arrived and Stranraer inshore Lifeboat demonstrated the air sea rescues along side them and what a fantastic display it was.

A new event for this year was the Newfoundland Dog Sea rescue demonstration on the beach. Beautiful dogs that gave us a wonderful demonstration of safety at sea.

 

The Royal Navy Helicopter landed near The Portpatrick Hotel after the demonstration and luckily enough I had parked near there so I was fortunate enough to get up close to it and stand there whilst it took off again. Abiidoodle was not too sure about the big red noisy bird though!

Enough excitement was had for one afternoon, just enough time to go home, empty the car, put the washing machine on, feed the cats and Abii doodle, put the hens to bed then off again to the finale of the whole event – the Portpatrick Lifeboat week crew BBQ, bonfire and Firework display (and I do believe Elvis made yet another appearance!).

Again , Portpatrick was so busy for this popular annual event. We parked near The Portpatrick hotel and walked down the cliff path to the village. The sun was just starting to fade and Portpatrick looked beautiful.

We had a Hot Dog cooked by the RNLI crew, very tasty! and mingled with the crowds. There were lots of families there and the children were running around with glow sticks waiting for it to get dark. At this point we decided a trip to Portpatrick would not be complete without a drink so headed to The Crown! Life O’ Reilly were just setting up for live music and it was standing room only. The sun was going down and the atmosphere fantastic.

Then the grand finale of a very successful and busy Lifeboat week for 2012. The Bonfire and amazing fireworks display.

All in all, a brilliant annual event in South West Scotland and for a very worthwhile cause – Lifeboats – The RNLI the charity that saves lives at sea.

So, see you here next year, same time same place?

Don’t forget RNLI Park Fest in Stranraer  August 17th and 18th – I do believe one of the band members from the Bay City Rollers will be performing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other news…….

And, of course we now have the new Lifeboat too “The John Buchanan Barr” and the naming ceremony was watched by crowds on 26th May 2012. Click here to watch a video of the naming ceremony.

The Duke of Kent visited the Portpatrick Lifeboat station  on 25th May.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gardens in the Rhins of Galloway

Posted on June 24, 2012 at 9:48 pm in

Today has been another lovely day here in the Rhins of Galloway. It was looking a bit doubtful first thing but we got our blue sky and sunshine eventually. The blue sky and potting a palm for the garden inspired me to tell you about our gardens in the Rhins of Galloway.

You probably won’t realise but the Rhins of Galloway at the far South West of Scotland is a hammerhead penninsula stretching 25 miles from north to south with over 50 miles of coastline. Due to the seas surrounding the land the Rhins sees a significant effect of the  North Atlantic drift which ensures that the land maintains a stable temperature. Severe frosts are few and this allows the Rhins Gardens to grow numerous tropical palms and flora which otherwise could not exist this far north.

Guess what? We have six beautiful Gardens within the Rhins and a seventh Wetland Garden too. What other area can boast that fact in such a small area.

So here goes! We have Logan Botanic Gardens at Port Logan, which is said to be the country’s most exotic garden. Warmed by the gulf stream palms and tropical plants and flourish here. Open daily from 15th March until 31st October you really need to set aside a good half day to explore this garden thoroughly. The last time I went I ran out of time so a trip back there is necessary! There are lots of events for all the family throughout the season and the Potting Shed Bistro supplies a lovely lunch or snack. Visit The discovery centre to learn more about the gardens and the history.

Logan House Gardens opened to the public in 2002. This is a tranquil Victorian garden with lawns and woodland areas. Rhododendrons take centre stage in March, April and May followed by Azalea. Logan House Garden features seven United Kingdom and fourteen Scottish champions trees and don’t miss the Monkey Puzzle Avenue.

Ardwell Gardens surrounds an 18th century country estate house and here you can see the most stunning views across Luce bay. The walled garden grows a wide range of summer bedding plants and produce including potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries and other seasonal treats, all available for visitors to buy. Woodland walks and a walk around the Lake here are not to be missed (allow at least half an hour for the Lakeside walk – you need to keep stopping to take in the wonderful views and surroundings).

Dunskey Gardens, near Portpatrick is a spectacular garden with walled and woodland gardens, lochs and stunning Victorian glasshouses. There is a tour of the gardens each Wednesday at 11.30 with the gardener, a hedge maze great fun for the kids (my niece loved it!), a lovely tea room with some fantastic murals painted on the walls as well as delicious food. There are a small selection of plants to purchase and seeds as well as local books, cards and produce.

Glenwhan Gardens is on my “to do” list this summer. I have never visited this garden, although I am hoping to within the next two weeks. Here you can take a walk on the moorland wildflower walk and go wildlife spotting – you can see red squirrels and lots of different birds ( I am so looking forward to visiting). Open daily until 31st October with a tea room and plant sales. There are guided walks with Tessa (the owner and lady who restored the garden from bracken and gorse to the 12 acre garden it is today) every second Thursday at 11am.

Castle Kennedy Gardens, near Stranraer, surrounded by water and comprise 75 acres of terraces and avenues. Described as ‘one of the showpieces of Galloway’ this is one of Scotland’s most well-known historical gardens. Here you can explore the two acre circular lily pond, rare and exotic plants, 21 Champion trees, family trails, peaceful woodland and loch-side walks and wonderful displays of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. You can view wildlife on the shores of the Lochs and spot Red Squirrels and Otters and a new bird hide gives the opportunity to see lots of wonderful bird life. A new attraction here are Landrover safaris – half day safari trip exploring the local countryside and moorland. There is a lovely tea room with indoor and outdoor seating with a delicious varied menu. This year there are two open air theatre productions at the gardens – “The Railway Children” in July and “Emma” in August.

And if you can’t resist and you just must visit all of then during your stay in the Rhins of Galloway then you can. You can visit all six within two to three days – they are so close to each other. Join Scotlands Garden Route and Visit them all. Palm trees and lush plants at the Logan Botanic Gardens

The seventh garden that must be mentioned and is well worth a visit is the Aldouran Wetland Garden in Leswalt with a bird hide, community garden and woodland walk.

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