Reviews of the community run campsite on which we were staying, introduced us to a reportedly very good mainly seafood restaurant in Kirkcudbright with the intriguing name of “Swally n’ Scran”. The restaurant is right beside a wet fish shop called Skippers which is where its supplies come from. We were keen to investigate so it was one of the first ports of call on our wander down into Kirkcudbright.
I found the wet fishmonger just a tad disappointing ‘cos quite a bit of its fish came from elsewhere; it wasn’t all local. We had treated ourselves to some King Scallops, however, to make a dinner chez Fodo on Thursday evening – Scallops with Red Peppers and Linguine. With such a well-reviewed opportunity on our doorstep, though, we couldn’t resist making a reservation to eat at Swally n’ Scran on Friday evening. Francine made the reservation online.
On the adjacent harbour is the Skippers “Scran Van” offering seafood lunches. This also should have been an opportunity too good to miss. The van is a shiny metal caravan looking for all the world most like an American Airstream but it isn’t; this is a built-in-Britain look alike. We wandered around for a while waiting for midday, when the Scran Van opened. We were sorely disappointed: the chalk board menu mentioned “half a pint of grilled Langoustine tails” but what turned up were boiled/steamed Langoustine tails that tasted less like Langoustine than any I have ever had. Maybe the order should have specifically mentioned “grilled” even though no other option was on the menu. Be warned, be specific.
It must now be time to explain “Swally” and ”Scran”. We had no clue about the meaning until researching. The easiest to work out is scran which is Scottish slang for food – a bite to eat. A little less easy is swally, which is also a Scottish slang term, this one meaning a drink, a bit like bevvy. Fortunately, if you don’t consult the internet, the printed placemat in the Swally n’ Scran restaurant helps you out with an explanation.
Passing a gathering of wedding guests dressed in kilts – the men, at least – we repaired to the recommended Masonic Arms pub to wash down our seriously disappointing lunch. This was a classic Scottish drinking house where a gathering of locals sat chatting and drinking on chars that clearly fitted their backsides perfectly.
On our earlier gin-soaked visit to the Moffat farmers market not only had we invested in a bottle of Moffat gin [actually only a 50cl bottle, darn it] but we had also invested in a bottle [70cl this time] of Dark Arts Distillery’s Sky Garden gin. In our view, the Dark Arts offering trumped the Moffat offering. As it happens, Kirkcudbright is the home of the Dark Arts Distillery. Well, we liked their Sky Garden gin so much that we had finished it and couldn’t resist visiting the distillery itself for a replacement. Rude not to, really.
The chap in the distillery was the very same man who had served us at the Moffat Farmers’ Market. We renewed our acquaintance. There are tours of the distillery available, though in truth there is very little to tour – just one room with the only relevant piece of equipment being the still. Francine and I were the only customers in the shop and our friend ushered us into the still room to introduce us to Peggy, the copper still itself. Peggy is named after the owner’s grandmother. It is said to be traditional to name stills after ladies. Could this be anything to do with mother’s ruin?
The patterns on the copper of the still were fabulous. The still had been shipped over from Germany but, being 2021 and in the time of Covid lockdown, the Germans could not come over to perform the installation, which involved welding. Instead the proprietor had engaged the local trawlermen to do the welding for him. Given the situation, I’m sure the trawlermen were more than happy to have the work,
Dark Arts also make a couple of vodkas, which I had been remiss in not tasting at the Moffat Farmer’s Market. Today I corrected that oversight. Oh dear, the Dark Arts “standard” vodka [Merrick at 38° proof] was excellent. We purchased a replacement Sky Garden gin and a Merrick vodka. It was pleasant but a little expensive to renew our acquaintance with Mr. Dark Arts.
There is a wood behind and above the campsite. the wood boasts a Red Squirrel hide which held a certain appeal for someone who thinks of himself primarily as a wildlife photographer. Finished with the attractions of the town, we went to take a look.
We walked along woodland tracks and roads, eventually following signs to the “RS Hide”. Arriving, I was a little perturbed to see the hide door sporting a padlock with a sign saying that you could phone to gain access. It’s bit bloody late to make that point, I thought. We found some tree stumps and boughs to patiently sit on instead. We’d lost the sun and the sky was now overcast. Clearly the reason that this was called a Red Squirrel Hide was that the Red Squirrels were hiding. As compensation, though, I got closer than I’d ever before been to a Treecreeper. We have them on our trees at home but I’d never been this close with a camera.
Our table was booked at Swally n’ Scran for 19:30. We sauntered down to take our places and peruse the menu. A lot of the seating was very German in style with shared refectory-like tables. We could, however, grab two high stools at the window of the restaurant looking out at the sunset. There was a starter of soft-shelled crabs which I couldn’t resist and which were absolutely excellent. Francine chose the salmon sashimi, pickled in our beloved Sky Garden gin, with wasabi and pickled ginger. This, too, was excellent. My main was grilled lemon sole, good but not stunning, whilst Francine opted for a scallop concoction with nduja. Kirkcudbright is one of the main scallops ports; Francine chose well.
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