Basics - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 30

Food and drink
The remoteness of parts of the Highlands
and Islands will inevitably restrict your
eating and drinking choices. It's often a
good idea to plan meal locations ahead
as you might find serving times restric-
tive or popular restaurants booked out,
particularly in summer. Stocking up on
picnic food from a good deli is also
worthwhile.

5 CAMPSITES NOT TO MISS
Long beach Knoydart. See p.226.
Camusdarach Campsite Camusdarach.
See p.223.
Red Squirrel Glen Coe. See p.194.
Rubha Phoil Armadale, Skye. See p.274.
Glenbrittle Campsite Glenbrittle.
See p.277.

expect to pay in the high season is around £250
per week for a place sleeping four, but something
special, or somewhere in a popular tourist area,
might cost £500 or more. Such is the number and
variety of self-catering places on offer that we've
mentioned very few in the Guide. A good source
of information is VisitScotland is self-catering
website ( W visitscotland.com/accommodation/self
-catering), updated frequently and listing more
than 2700 properties. Alternatively, you could try
one of the websites listed below.

Breakfast

In most hotels and B&Bs you'll be offered a Scottish
breakfast , similar to its English counterpart of
sausage, bacon and egg, but typically with the
addition of black pudding (blood sausage) and
potato scones. Porridge is another likely option,
as is fish in the form of kippers, smoked haddock
or even kedgeree. Scotland's staple drink, like
England's, is tea , drunk strong and with milk,
though coffee is just as readily available every-
where. However, while smart coffee shops are now
a familiar feature in the cities, execrable versions of
espresso and cappuccino, as well as instant coffee,
are still all too familiar.

SELF CATERING AGENCIES
Cottages and Castles W cottages-and-castles.co.uk T 01738
451610. A range of self-catering properties, mostly in mainland Scotland.
Cottages4you W cottages4you.co.uk T 08452 680760. Hundreds
of reasonably priced properties all over Scotland.
Ecosse Unique W uniquescotland.com W 01835 822277. Carefully
selected cottages across mainland Scotland, plus a few in the Hebrides
and Orkney.
Landmark Trust W landmarktrust.org.uk T 01628 825925. A very
select number of historical properties, often in prime locations.
LHH W lhhscotland.com T 01381 610496. Attractive homes across
Scotland, including mansions, castles and villas.
Mackay's Agency W mackays-self-catering.co.uk T 01315
501180. A whole range of properties in every corner of mainland
Scotland (plus Skye and Orkney), from chalets and town apartments to
remote stone-built cottages.
National Trust for Scotland W nts.org.uk T 01312 439331. The
NTS lets around forty of its converted historic cottages and houses.
Scottish Country Cottages W scottish-country-cottages.co.uk
T 08452 680801. Superior cottages with lots of character, scattered
across the Scottish mainland plus some of the Inner Hebrides.

Lunches and snacks

The most common lunchtime fare in Scotland
remains the sandwich . A bowl or cup of hearty soup
is a typical accompaniment, particularly in winter.
A pub lunch is often an attractive alternative. Bar
menus generally have standard, filling but unambi-
tious options including soup, sandwiches, scampi
and chips, or steak pie and chips, with vegetarians
suffering from a paucity of choice. That said, some
bar food is freshly prepared and filling, equalling the
à la carte dishes served in the adjacent hotel restau-
rant. Pubs or hotel bars are among the cheapest
options when it comes to eating out - in the
smallest villages, these might be your only option.

CLASSIC SCOTTISH DISHES
Arbroath smokies Powerful smoked haddock (see p.98).
Cullen skink Rich soup made from smoked haddock, potatoes and cream.
Haggis Flavoursome sausage meat (spiced liver, offal, oatmeal and onion) cooked inside a bag
made from a sheep's stomach. Tasty and satisfying, particularly when eaten with its traditional
accompaniments “bashed neeps” (mashed turnips) and “chappit tatties” (mashed potatoes).
Porridge A breakfast staple, this is properly made with oatmeal and water, and cooked with
a pinch of salt. Some prefer to add milk and honey, fruit or sugar to sweeten.
Scots broth Hearty soup made with stock (usually mutton), vegetables and barley.