An Argyll Adventure

Welcome back foodie, and welcome to my very first travel post!

My husband and I love to get about, and this year, after recovering financially from a trip to New York, we decided to finally get ourselves to sunny Scotland.

We wanted to go somewhere we could take the dog, but still have a nice relaxing holiday. We initially started looking at camping, something we're both really keen on and aware that Scotland has a 'right to roam' policy meaning we could set up almost anywhere we wanted. It became very apparent when looking at various camp sites online that there was a particular target market that categorically did not include 20 something year old fun-lovers... try geriatric caravaners who could win gold in the deck-chair-sitting olympics... Definitely not for us. So we kept looking, and my wonderful husband discovered Forest Holidays - offering short breaks in luxury log cabins, complete with personal hot-tub. That's more like it! We picked our dates, decided on their Ardgarten Argyll location and booked. We went for a Golden Oak for two that was dog friendly.

When the holiday finally arrived we made a great day of the drive up, stopping in Gretna for some lunch and admiring the spectacular loch views north of Glasgow. Having recently acquired our brand new car, we filled up our swanky CD changer with some new stuff. The soundtrack of our trip consisted of 70s and 80s rock, best of Queen and Blur; an eclectic mix!

When we arrived in Argyll, we couldn't quite believe we were only in Scotland; it's just so beautiful! We have been to some spectacular places but I wasn't prepared for how stunning the highlands were going to be. Add in a heatwave and we could have been shoreside in the Mediterranean! With mountain air and views, forest adventures to be had and a loch shore teaming with sea-life, this was absolutely our kind of place.

Loch Long - Forest Holidays Ardgarten Argyll

Fresh mussels - Loch Long

I pretty much fell instantly in love with our cabin. Cosy and cute, but deceptively large and fantastically well equipped. A big private, raised deck with a little picnic table and a huge hot-tub, as well as robes and slippers, complementary cosmetics in the bathroom and most importantly... a fully functional kitchen!! 

Forest Holidays Ardgarten Argyll - Golden Oak log cabin

I knew the cabin was self catering, so I went well prepared with two huge shopping bags bursting with fresh groceries, a cool bag filled with all of our fridge essentials (kept cool with frozen Lucozade Sport bottles - worked an absolute treat!) and a full array of spices, herbs, stock cubes and condiments. I just couldn't wait to get cooking.

Cooking in my cabin!

On our first day there, we arrived just after 4pm so had pretty much half a day to enjoy. We explored the loch, took our dog, Sully on loads of little trails around the park and got to grips with cabin life. Cabin life is easy going, relaxed and fulfilling. A late afternoon sun-drenched deck is the ideal place for relaxing with a glass of wine, a bowl of crisps and your favourite novel! 

After mooching around my new kitchen for the week, I decided on pasta shells for dinner, with a rich, delicious sauce made with tomatoes, courgettes, red onion, chorizo and red wine. Simply divine, and the perfect way to spend our first evening in paradise. I was so proud to have made something so tasty in a strange kitchen with strange tools and *horror* an electric hob...

Chorizo and Tomato Pasta Shells

Much of the holiday consisted of long, hot walks, exploring new places and enjoying the local food. The cabin park had a little shop for essentials, including delicious wine and locally sourced goodies such as honey and jam. We massively enjoyed spending time in our cabin, so much so that I cooked in our little kitchen every single day. There was no need to venture out to find a restaurant - with home cooked food, a hot tub and sensational mountain views, why would you go anywhere else?!

Here's a low down of some of our holiday eats!

Salmon fillets fried in garlic 'butter', served with garlic and feta cheese risotto - Mr H's favourite meal of the trip! Prosecco was on the cards this day, what a delightful meal.

Turkey Chilli full of peppers and sweetcorn, served with Mexican style rice, spicy tortilla chips and garlic and coriander soya yoghurt dip. This time we ate indoors for holiday movie night!

Breakfasts mostly consisted of Bacon Sandwiches, with one glorious morning seeing the birth of the Peanut Butter Bacon Toastie, which is also full of Scottish honey laced with malt whiskey. A taste sensation!

Breakfast with a view!

We also enjoyed a fabulous day trip to Oban on the only drizzly day, where we found an amazing little harbour-side fish shack serving freshly cooked fish 'n' chips of various descriptions. We went for haddock caught that morning, breaded and served with proper chips, peas, homemade tartare sauce and a Hebridean style slaw. 

 

We also did a few proper hiking trails which, in the extreme heat, required the proper provisions. We gorged on crispy maple syrup oat bars and trail mix, full of juicy raisins and mixed nuts. This also doubled up as the perfect afternoon snack with a hot cuppa on the deck, reading and relaxing and just generally loving life. If we were lucky, we would catch the train rattling through the trees on the other side of the loch. It was such an amazing sight, like something out of James Bond or Harry Potter!

Here are some more wonderful pictures from our wonderful trip!

Long day, buddy?

When we had to check out, I was in no way ready to go home and give up my holiday feeling. So we decided to extend our trip for the day and headed east towards Edinburgh, and then south down the coast with Seahouses and Beadnell as our destination. Beadnell is my childhood holiday retreat and a very special place to my husband and I. We spent the day wandering on the beach until the dog was too tired to walk anymore, and went for dinner at our favourite pub in seahouses; the Bamburgh Castle Inn, right on the harbour.

Mr H had scampi and chips, and I had pan fried hake with kale, sauteed potatoes and baby onions in a sweet, reduced red wine sauce. We also had a big bowl of coleslaw on the side and onion rings. Followed by sticky toffee pudding and coffee. Perfect.

 

When we finally returned home I was incredibly sad, and actually spent an entire day moping around the house wishing I was back in my lovely cabin. To keep in the holiday spirit I made some delicious little banana muffins full of Scottish oats, the Scottish honey we bought in Argyll and topped with pistachios and cranberries leftover from our hiking trail mix. Very, very tasty but somehow not the same when eaten in my Pepsi-Cola pyjamas on the sofa rather than a summery dress on the deck.

I hope you've enjoyed a peek into our Argyll adventure! All we know is, we will definitely be going back. Forest Holidays was the most perfect getaway for us and our beloved pooch. Everything that we love in a break, in a fabulously beautiful and exciting place with a touch of luxury and the convenience of a 'staycation'. We had the most magical time, and I'm so happy that I get to share it with you lovely readers. I can't quite believe how much we managed to eat in just a few days! Amazing how much our lives revolve around food. For me, that's just how it is.

Where have you guys been on holiday this year? 

Did you eat/cook anything particularly wonderful? 

As always, I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment below.

~Til next time, may your lakes be lochs and your muffins full of memories. Col~