Adventures Archives - Scottish Outlander

27/12/2016This post may contain affiliate links.

Rules, the Oldest Restaurant in London

27/12/2016This post may contain affiliate links.

When one of my best friends and her Mum visited the UK recently, I travelled down to the capital to spend a few days with them. While I was there they treated me to lunch at one of London’s Oldest Restaurants, Rules. Established in 1798, Rules restaurant serves classic British food in traditional Edwardian surroundings.

You might recognise the interior from appearances in Downton Abbey and the James Bond film Spectre.

The walls play host to hundreds of drawings, paintings and cartoons which provide an insight into the history of the restaurant and those who have dined there. Over the centuries Rules has been frequented by some of the biggest names in literature and the arts from Charles Dickens to Laurence Olivier.

Upstairs is the cocktail bar with dark wood walls and plush red seating. Known in certain circles as one of London’s best kept secrets it’s a beautiful place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city with a world class cocktail.

Rules is famed for its game but since I’m a big fan of seafood I decided to start with Uig Lodge Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs. The smoked salmon was delicious and the eggs were light and fluffy, cooked to perfection.

For my main course I opted for the Cod, Mussel & Prawn Curry with cauliflower, coriander & pilau rice. Visually stunning this curry was full of flavour and tasted as good as it looked.

To finish we shared the Plum, Blackberry & Apple Crumble with vanilla custard. The crumble was beautifully presented and much lighter than I expected.

Overall the food was excellent, as you would expect from a restaurant commanding a higher price point, but it’s the service and surroundings that make a visit to Rules a truly special experience. Thank you so much Lauren and Gina.

Uig Lodge Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs, £14.95
Cod, Mussel & Prawn Curry with cauliflower, coriander & pilau rice, £24.95
Plum, Blackberry & Apple Crumble with vanilla custard, £7.95

Rules can be found at 35 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, WC2E 7LB and you can make a reservation on their website.

19/10/2016This post may contain affiliate links.

Culzean Castle and Country Park, Ayrshire, Scotland

19/10/2016This post may contain affiliate links.

I have lots of fond memories of visiting Culzean Castle and Country Park as a child and I was keen to share them with John. I got my chance on a beautiful warm summer’s day, perfect for exploring the extensive estate.

Since I knew where I was going we decided to park at the swan pond at the bottom of the park and work our way up towards the visitor centre at the very top. The pond is home to ducks, swans and a wide variety of other birds and is often covered in lily pads. It’s also right next to a huge adventure playground called Adventure Cove that was making me very envious of the children allowed to play on it!

Circling the pond only takes around 20 minutes and there is plenty of wildlife to enjoy.

The park boasts coastal views and on a good day you’ll be able to see Arran, Alisa Craig, Kintyre and on a great day you might even see Northern Ireland.

The park even has its own resident heard of deer!

Perched on the cliffs by the sea the 18th-century castle is absolutely stunning. There are guided tours of the castle at 11.00am and 2.30pm daily and family tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 11.30am and 2.00pm. I remember them well, they used to hide a Lego man in every room for children to find which kept my brother and I busy as we were shown around the lavish rooms.

This time we had our puppy Maisie with us so weren’t able to explore inside any of the buildings but it really was the park and scenery we were most interested in.

Culzean Castle and Country Park is owned by The National Trust so is free for members. If you’re a non-member you can choose to visit the castle and the park for £15.50 per adult or simply visit the park for £10.00 per adult. Although it is on the pricey side there is enough to keep you busy all day, especially if you’re visiting with children (they won’t want to leave that playground in a hurry!).

03/08/2016This post may contain affiliate links.

Caer Beris Manor, Builth Wells, Wales

03/08/2016This post may contain affiliate links.

We had planned to camp the night before we collected our little Cairn Terrier puppy but we decided the stress of bringing our new arrival home from Wales would be enough without adding putting up our new tent into the mix. Instead we treated ourselves to a stay at the beautiful Caer Beris Manor in Builth Wells.

The historic manor house has 23 bedrooms which are almost as impressive as the stunning exterior.

We booked a Heritage Double Room and were given The Harcourt-Wood Room (Room 18) which features a large, authentic leaded window and boasts views out over the courtyard.

The room was beautifully decorated and had everything from a flat screen TV to fluffy towels to use in the modern bathroom.

The courtyard makes it easy to see why the Manor is now a listed building after being restored by its current owners.

Set in 27 acres of parkland and with The River Irfon winding through its grounds the Manor’s gardens are perfect for an evening stroll.

It even has its own suspension bridge with a sign that warns only one person should use it at a time, making it a little bit nerve wracking!

The next morning we headed to breakfast early so we had plenty of time for another walk before we checked out.

I decided on a cheese omelette while John went for the traditional full Welsh Breakfast with a pork and leek sausage, bacon, fried egg, tomato, mushroom, black pudding and wedges, all of which he said was delicious!

We paid £74.00 for bed and breakfast which we felt was very reasonable especially considering the sheer beauty of the surroundings and the attentiveness of the staff who were all curious about our journey to collect our new puppy. They were quick to point out Caer Beris Manor is a pet friendly hotel so maybe one day we’ll head back to let Maisie explore the extensive grounds and swim in the river!

19/07/2016This post may contain affiliate links.

Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore, Scotland

19/07/2016This post may contain affiliate links.

When my parents told me that the Highland Folk Museum was used as filming location for one of my favourite TV programmes, Outlander, I knew I would have to pay it a visit.

Situated in Newton More, just off the A9 to the South of Aviemore the Highland Folk Museum is open 7 days a week in the summer and is free to enter.

The museum gives visitors a taste of how people in the Highlands lived from the 1700s right through to the 1960s.

Each building is fully furnished with period pieces and wandering from one era to another is a fascinating way to spend a few hours.

You can even learn a thing or two in the old school house.

We practised our writing with pen and ink and spoke to the school master who explained where the building had been moved from and how the children taught in it were disciplined.

The collections at the Highland Folk Museum feature everything from agricultural equipment to domestic
items such as laundry and even a traditional Steam Engine.

Many of the buildings have been saved from demolition and preserved for future generations.

The 1700s Township was the thing I was most looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint!

The 6 houses are stunningly authentic and if you’ve watched Outlander you’ll recognise the village from the first series when Jamie and Dougal travelled around their clan’s land to collect rents.

Although the museum is free to enter I’m sure you’ll want to leave a donation and maybe even purchase something from the gift shop to ensure it’s around for years to come.