Latest news with #Cumbrae
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former national water sports centre to be auctioned off
A former national water sports centre on Cumbrae is to be auctioned off. The facility has been closed since September 2020 and will now go under the hammer later this month with an asking price of £275,000. Plans to transform the building into a luxury lodge with glamping pods was approved earlier this year. However governing body Sportscotland, which owns the site, said it had not received any formal offers. The auction is being organised by Shepherd Chartered Surveyors in Ayr. More stories from Glasgow & West Scotland More stories from Scotland Kevin Bell, partner at the company, said: "This is a unique opportunity to acquire a purpose-built facility with potential for conversion or redevelopment and we anticipate much interest in this lot." While in use the centre provided coaching in a range of water sports, across all levels, including dinghy sailing, cruising, windsurfing and sea kayaking. It hosted summer camps for children and teenagers each year, having been opened in 1976. Attendees over the years included double Olympic gold medal winner Shirley Robertson OBE, who often praised it for helping her sailing career. The facility comprises a principal building together with four residential chalets, workshops/stores and yardage. There is undeveloped land to the west, while the main building includes offices, a kitchen, gym, a sauna and classrooms. In March 2020 Sportscotland announced plans to close the centre following that summer's programme of activities, following a review of the facility. The emergence of Covid-19 then forced the summer plans to be scrapped, and the decision to close it was then confirmed in September 2020. Some of the courses for children offered there were then moved to Largs on the mainland. In March, North Ayrshire Council gave planning consent for 34 glamping pods, the creation of a kiosk and campervan parking. Mr Bell said interested parties should make their own planning inquiries with North Ayrshire Council. The auction will be held online on 21 August at 14:30.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Former national water sports centre on Cumbrae to be auctioned off
A former national water sports centre on Cumbrae is to be auctioned facility has been closed since September 2020 and will now go under the hammer later this month with an asking price of £275, to transform the building into a luxury lodge with glamping pods was approved earlier this governing body Sportscotland, which owns the site, said it had not received any formal offers. The auction is being organised by Shepherd Chartered Surveyors in Ayr. Kevin Bell, partner at the company, said: "This is a unique opportunity to acquire a purpose-built facility with potential for conversion or redevelopment and we anticipate much interest in this lot."While in use the centre provided coaching in a range of water sports, across all levels, including dinghy sailing, cruising, windsurfing and sea hosted summer camps for children and teenagers each year, having been opened in over the years included double Olympic gold medal winner Shirley Robertson OBE, who often praised it for helping her sailing career. The facility comprises a principal building together with four residential chalets, workshops/stores and yardage. There is undeveloped land to the west, while the main building includes offices, a kitchen, gym, a sauna and classrooms. In March 2020 Sportscotland announced plans to close the centre following that summer's programme of activities, following a review of the emergence of Covid-19 then forced the summer plans to be scrapped, and the decision to close it was then confirmed in September of the courses for children offered there were then moved to Largs on the mainland. In March, North Ayrshire Council gave planning consent for 34 glamping pods, the creation of a kiosk and campervan Bell said interested parties should make their own planning inquiries with North Ayrshire Council. The auction will be held online on 21 August at 14:30.
Scotsman
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
I adore this Edinburgh restaurant and its new £30 lunch is the steal of the century
Contributed There have been a few changes at this one-year-old venue Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... In Edinburgh of late, there seems to have been a move away from tasting menus. Instead, the set menu has come back into vogue. Hooray, is my opinion. I'm 30 per cent skinflint, and 70 per cent bargain hunter. Prix fixe is my favourite two word phrase in the world, along with second helpings. It's even better than 'pay day' or 'love you'. That's especially when it's only a cheeky £30 for three courses, or £26 for two, and is available at Montrose - the Abbeyhill sister restaurant to Edinburgh's beloved Timberyard. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I've been here before. I've tried the five-course tasting menu upstairs, and loved it, and I've hung out in the casual whitewashed wine bar downstairs. However, I get that multitasking restaurants can be confusing, to some. Since my last visit, they've unified those concepts, and now both spaces are softened with pegged caramel-coloured linen curtains, Ercol chairs, pillar candles, and the scent of palo santo. You can also now have either menu - a la carte or tasting at dinner, or, from Friday to Sunday, the new fixed lunch deal - across both areas. Choose your deck - top or bottom. We bagged the downstairs window seat, with its view to the Regent Bar. There is the option to sit outside Montrose now, too. Not today though, as the July rain was lashing sideways. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The other covers were hiking-gear-clad tourists, who'd been driven indoors by the inclement weather. You only have two decisions to make, said our server. Do you want two courses - starter and main, or main and dessert - or all three? The latter, obvs. And, would you like to add any snacks? Hell yeah. We added three of those, each to serve two, from a choice of five that included Cumbrae oysters, horseradish and elderflower (£4) or Curing Rebels aged ham (£16). The first to arrive was two thick slices of crusty, warm and heavily seedy bread (£4) with a large quenelle of Burberry-mac-coloured fluffy whipped sesame, honey and miso butter. It was so good that it put the 'oh!' in carbohydrates. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Then there were two pretty trout rillettes (£4). Each fluffed-up dollop of peppery and smoky pink fish was gussied up by delicate nasturtium leaves, a chiffonade of chives, and borage flowers, and served on the lightest and crispiest sea-salted and seed-studded crackers ever. Contributed Our third snack was the cuttlefish empanada (£3). On a typically Scottish summer day like this, you could put these crimp-edged pasties in your pockets, like hand warmers, and take them up Arthur's Seat. They were toasty, with the crispy pastry and a fishy and fragrantly saffrony vegetable mixture in the centre, and a velvety sweet date emulsion on the side. After that sparkling introduction to proceedings, we were onto our three courses. First up was the St Bride's Chicken and ham hock terrine, which resembled a slice of malachite. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There were cubes of poultry in there, and pieces of ham, as well as a spring flashback courtesy of a bright green creamy wild garlic emulsion. It was rather lovely - a lighter and wetter version of your average protein-heavy terrine chew fest. The malted onions and pickled cucumbers worked better than a dollop of chutney ever could, and there was a shard of melba toast on the side. The Americans at the table near us were already discussing how they could recreate this at home. I enjoyed watching holiday memories be created. Next was the mussel spaghettini, which featured datterini tomatoes, fat and wobbly terracotta-coloured mussels, and a salty crumb made of anchovies, parsley, fennel seeds and other delicious bits. Our final course was the blackcurrant pavlova. It was, of course, Montrose's typically interesting, slightly feral, sustainable and sophisticated take on this confection. There was the chewy-middled cloche-shaped meringue, but also a berry jus, aniseedy shiso leaves, which curled on top like fortune-telling miracle fish on your palm, a herbal-tasting marigold cream, and a goat's curd ice-cream. Gaby Soutar Gorgeous. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We finished our drinks - a salted lemon gimlet (£11) and a coffee and fig leaf old fashioned (£11) and did some earwigging, while waiting for the rain to stop, or at least for it to start falling horizontally. I heard one of the tourists saying that this was one of the best lunches they'd had all year. And, my other half's mind was blown, when he belatedly spotted the price on the menu. '£30 for those three courses. Really? No way.' What joy. See, I told you that prix fixe is the best phrase ever invented. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 1 Montrose Terrace, Edinburgh (0131-605 0088,
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Council forced into second homes climbdown after ‘fiery' residents' revolt
A Scottish council could be forced into reversing its second home tax raid after a revolt from residents. North Ayrshire Council is reviewing the impact of the policy on the island of Great Cumbrae after residents complained it would harm their economy, which is reliant on tourism. The SNP-led authority imposed a 100pc council tax premium on second home owners last month, sparking an opposition movement among its 1,400 residents. The majority of Scottish authorities introduced similar charges after being given the power to do so in 2024. More than 200 authorities in England also launched a second homes raid this year – something The Telegraph is campaigning against. There are 450 second homes on Cumbrae, a small island situated one mile – or a 10-minute ferry – from the Scottish mainland. Its close proximity to the mainland makes it an attractive destination. One in three properties on Cumbrae are a second home while around a quarter of residents work in tourism-related jobs.
The Courier
05-05-2025
- The Courier
St Andrews views and star soufflés at The Road Hole Restaurant
After a major refurbishment that has reimagined The Old Course Hotel's fourth floor, the legendary Road Hole Restaurant in St Andrews has reopened – and it's not just the views that dazzle. This three AA Rosette gem boasts a contemporary new look, a kitchen that's front and centre, and a menu that turns local Scottish produce into high culinary art. I went along on a warm spring evening with my young nephew, Marley, to see if the food and experience lived up to the promise. The Old Course Hotel is one of those places I'll take any excuse to visit. Whether it's afternoon tea, a trip to the Kohler Waters Spa, or simply soaking up the atmosphere of this iconic St Andrews landmark. So, I was excited to finally experience the rooftop Deck Bar with those sweeping views over the course and the sea. Where you know you're in for some top-notch champers the moment you sit down. We emerged onto The Deck, now open for the summer season and with the sun still warming the air after a scorcher of a day, we perched on bar stools sipping our drinks. Marley enjoyed a vibrant mocktail called Scratch, which included a lime wedge, mint leaves, crushed ice and Peroni 0% and I had a lovely full-tasting champagne. We watched golfers finishing their rounds on the Old Course while being mesmerised by the view across the West Sands – the very definition of a St Andrews golden hour. This was our introduction to the newly transformed fourth floor. The refurbishment celebrates Scottish coastal colours – think sea blues, golden sands and rich burgundies – and we felt that warmth throughout the space. When it was time for dinner, we were escorted past the opulent Road Hole Bar, a whisky lover's dream with more than 300 varieties lining the shelves. And into the spacious Road Hole Restaurant – named after the famous golf course's 17th hole. The most striking change? The open kitchen has been made even more visible and is now a live, copper-clad stage where the chefs cook just metres from diners. It adds a theatrical buzz that complements the refined yet relaxed vibe of the room. Our evening kicked off with oysters – six Cumbrae beauties with a custom Bloody Mary dressing that was kindly made gluten-free. Plump, chilled and already loosened from the shell, they were effortless to enjoy and absolutely delicious. Starters followed: I had grilled Wye Valley asparagus with fermented wild garlic emulsion. It was elegantly simple and full of flavour, the emulsion reminiscent of a green-hued hollandaise. But I would've preferred to see a local asparagus on the menu. Marley went for the St Andrews Bay lobster ravioli – a beautifully plated dish topped with a crunchy coral tuile. 'It's like nothing I've ever had before,' he said, enchanted by the creamy filling, perfect pasta, and the fresh crunch of green vegetables. Before our mains, a surprise palate cleanser arrived – green apple sorbet with white chocolate crumble. It was a revelation. Marley declared it 'the best sorbet ever,' and I wouldn't disagree. He even said if they sold tubs of it he would happily buy some to take home. For mains, I chose the butter-poached St Andrews Bay lobster tail, served with velvety potatoes and delicate watercress. Meaty, perfectly cooked, and bathed in a rich sauce, it was every bit the indulgence I hoped for. At £56, it was the priciest item on the menu, but the generous portion and quality helped it live up to the splurge. Marley's choice was a standout – the braised leek with sprouted wild rice, nori, sesame and tofu. Visually stunning, the dish resembled a floral sushi arrangement. The flavours were complex and earthy, with a piping of soft tofu lending a creamy balance to the sprouted wild rice. The chef even came to our table to explain the technique behind the dish. We were both captivated. Throughout our meal, the service was impeccable: warm, enthusiastic and never overbearing. Staff were eager to share the story behind the menu and the local ingredients that inspire it. It is clear that the restaurant's fine dining ethos is as much about hospitality as it is about flavour. We'd been advised to save room for dessert – a tip we were glad to take on board. Marley, lured by the promise of pistachio ice cream, went for the rhubarb and custard soufflé. It arrived puffed to perfection, with our server ceremoniously cutting a cross in the top and nestling the ice cream inside, where it slowly melted into the fluffy centre. A spoonful was like biting into sweet rhubarb-scented air. At £12, it was not only exquisite but excellent value for such culinary theatre. My dessert, the Blacketyside strawberry and basil Vacherin, was a more complex creation. It had layers of champagne jelly, lime curd, strawberry sorbet and shards of basil meringue. Beautiful and bold, it was perhaps a touch too involved for my taste. I longed for something a little simpler – but every component was delicious, especially the tart, vibrant sorbet. The meringue-smashing ritual at the start added a playful note. After dinner, we retreated to the Road Hole Bar, where we sank into plush armchairs and watched the sky darken over the links. As the last golfers disappeared into the St Andrews night, it was hard not to reflect on just how special this place is. From the tactile luxury of the refurbished interiors to the confident, creative cooking on the plate, this is a restaurant that has found its rhythm – blending tradition with modern finesse. Yes, prices lean toward the premium – this is, after all, one of Scotland's most iconic hotels. But the experience justifies the price and many of the dishes weren't prohibitively expensive or dissimilar to other high-end establishments. I'm already thinking of an excuse to return – and next time, I'm not missing out on that soufflé. Address: Old Station Road, St Andrews KY16 9SP Telephone: 01334 474371 Website: Disabled access: Yes Dog-friendly: No Scores: Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Surroundings: 5/5 Price: £140 for two people having three courses (not including drinks)
