Cullen Skink in Kenmore

So after the excitement of Friday you might expect that I spent Saturday relaxing in my bed, on the couch or in my hammock. Not so! Cat and Alasdair had other plans for James and me. Keen to tick off his hundredth Munro, Alasdair persuaded us to drive up past Killin so that he could climb the Tanarchan Ridge, comprising five Munros. This was a big seven hour walk, made feasible by me dropping Ally, Cat and James off at what was once the Ben Lawers visitor centre car park, and later picking them up 15 km along the road. 

The visitor centre has long since been demolished, so I had to seek my morning cup of coffee elsewhere. Instead of driving back to the pretty but touristy Killin, I decided to press on another twenty minutes to the equally pretty but quieter Kenmore. I was so glad that I did - Kenmore is an absolutely lovely village beside Loch Tay with a pleasant beach, a couple of boating centres and a couple of cafés and shops. I parked went for a walk in the warm sunshine to explore. By this time it was almost lunch time and I chose the Tayview Marina. What a find! The people there were so friendly and I had delicious Cullen Skink for lunch. It was so warm that I had a coffee sitting outside on the terrace where I alternately read my Kindle and gazed at the beautiful view of the loch, with the Scottish Crannog Centre in the foreground and the village beyond. It was blissful and I felt myself beginning to unwind from work. After another walk along the shore it was time to collect the intrepid (and rather sun-burned) hill walkers and drive the hour and a half home. It was a great way to start my holidays.