A nice day out
We took a little run up to Loch Earn today, for no good reason other than it’s a fun thing to do. We stopped in at Camper King Scotland in Falkirk to get a light changed and to shoot the camper van breeze with Martin, Barry and Jeremy. We left with new advice and good ideas and that good feeling you get when you talk to like-minded folk about something you all share a passion for.
Second stop was the Smiddy Farm Shop at Blair Drummond for a browse. They have Belhaven Smokehouse produce there as well as other proper Scottish goodies. Try the Belhaven treacle hot smoked salmon – it’s wonderful. The restaurant at the Smiddy seems to be good but we wanted to try Mhor 84 along the road at Balquhidder (“not the middle of nowhere, the centre of the universe” according to the sign outside) for lunch. Now, that was well worth the trip. Brie and rainbow chard chutney toastie, and a stunning pastrami and pickle loaded sourdough, from the specials menu were as tasty as they were beautiful. If you are visiting the Mhor 84 for food, don’t neglect to pop into the super-cool “Mhor in Store” shop next door. It’s one of those quirky places full of interesting things to buy, great music (I Shazamed at least two of the tracks playing) and a vibe that makes you feel better about yourself just for being there. They had just the penknife I’d been looking for for months – a neat little alpine Opinel.
We drove along the south side of Loch Earn, taking notes of overnight potential and enjoying the beauty of this place. It seemed quite busy with families and fishermen camped out along the shoreline, paddleboards and canoes, fires and the smell of fish smoking in the summer air.
I sketched a bit on the excuse of sharpening a pencil with my new knife, and we enjoyed cakes bought at Mhor 84, sharing crumbs with some passing ducklings.
We remembered (for once) that we had the drone with us, so we sent it up for a “drone selfie” and a couple of elevated views.
Memories of days like this stay with you for a long time. The drive, the stops, the food, the new experiences, all form deep roots in our pshyche, don’t they? Better yet, they seem to be far from the ordinary worries and routines of daily life that can erode a soul. Days like this are restorative with a capital “aaaahhh”.
