Places to Eat

Aberdeenshire

The Bank, The Square, Huntly

  • Cafe & Restaurant (licensed)
  • Open daily for breakfast, lunch, coffee, and evening meals!
  • Great selection on the menu, lovely staff and a great place to relax enjoy a meal out in cosy warm surroundings!

The Pitstop Tartan Bus (Roy’s Bus), A96, Inverurie

  • Cafe and takeaway
  • Open Wednesday – Saturday 8am-3pm and Sunday 8.30am-3pm
  • They serve a cracking breakfast as well as main meals and snacks.

The Larder Gordon Street, Huntly

This is where I get my lunch from on work days!

  • Takeway
  • Open Monday – Thursday 10am-2pm Friday 10.30am-2pm
  • Amazing range including cakes, pies, savoury pastries, soups and made to order sandwiches
  • Dog Friendly

The Soo’s Lug Main Street, Alford

  • Cafe and takeway
  • Open Friday & Saurday 9am-3pm Sunday 10am-3pm
  • Cracking bacon rolls made with Piggery Smokery bacon and coffee

https://piggery-smokery.co.uk/


The Market Cafe, Huntly Mart, Huntly

  • Cafe
  • Open Tue & Thur 8.30-3pm, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun 8.30-4pm
  • They serve lovely wholesome homemade breakfast, lunch and coffee’s & cakes

Places to Eat

Moray

Threaplands Garden Centre, Lhanbryde IV308LN

  • Cafe/Restaurant (Takeaways also available)
  • Open 7 days
  • Lovely breakfasts, meals, snacks, cakes and coffee
  • Dog friendly area in the large gazebo at the front

https://www.threaplands.co.uk/


19 Crepes & Coffee, 19 Batchen Street, Elgin

  • Cafe
  • Open daily Monday – Saturday
  • Amazing sweet and savoury crepes and waffles, breakfasts and coffee

https://19crepescoffee.business.site/


Grampian Hotel, Regent Square, Keith

  • Restaurant, Hotel and Bar
  • Open daily Tuesday – Sunday for breakfast, lunch, afternoon teas and dinners
  • Great pub grub and homemade cakes.
  • Dog Friendly

https://grampianhotelkeith.com/


The Humble Burger, Munro Place, Elgin

  • Takeway
  • Wednesday – Saturday 12pm-3pm & 4.30pm-9pm Sunday 12pm-3pm & 4.30pm-8pm
  • Very tasty range of burgers, fries and burritos

https://www.thehumbleburger.co.uk/


WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre Cafe, Speybay

  • Cafe
  • Lovely soups, sandwiches, cakes and coffee

https://dolphincentre.whales.org/cafe/


Lily’s Kitchen Cafe, Seafield Street, Cullen

  • Cafe
  • Open Tuesday – Saturday 9am-4pm & Sunday 9.30am-4pm
  • Winner of the world Cullen Skink championship they also service breakfast and a good selection of meals, snacks and cakes.

Willow & Birch, Millbuies Country Park, Fogwatt

  • Takeaway/Outside Seating
  • Open Thursday – Monday 10am – 3pm
  • Lovely coffee, hot chocolate, soft drink and delicious tray bakes and cakes.
  • Dog Friendly

Portknockie Fish and Chip Shop 7 Union Street, Portknockie, AB56 4LF

  • Takeaway
  • Open Thursday – Sunday 4.30pm – 7.30pm order ahead to avoid disappointment from 10am.
  • Traditional fish and chips, their famous pop pop chicken as well as your usual chip shop favourites.

https://portknockiechipshop.co.uk/

Places to Eat

Highlands and Islands

Oregano Mobile Catering, Banks of the River Ness, Inverness and various other locations.

  • Takeaway
  • Locations and days vary see social media for updates
  • Delicious food served such as macaroni, breakfast rolls, soup, paninis and homebakes

The Seaforth, Quay Street Ullapool

  • Restaurant and fish and chips takeaway.
  • Reopens 27th of February
  • Great range of pub grub and seafood (seafood platter is amazing). Lovely fish and chips served in the takeaway next door.

https://www.theseaforth.com/

Latest Blog

What is in my bucket for 2023…..

This is definitely not a list of New years resolutions that are usually totally unrealistic and you end up feeling even worse cause you have failed to achieve anything. So I have decided that a 2023 bucket list would be a great idea to motivate me and what ever I don’t manage I can roll over 2024 or just simply write off.

This may sound totally selfish but I am starting with myself. Precovid I looked after my skin, I ate sensibly, I went to the gym a few times a week. Covid hit and it all turned into a disaster although I did walk I took more photos then started blogging everything else took a backseat. We are heading to Iceland at the end of March which gives me the perfect target to get myself into a routine and get me fitter again. I have compiled a list of realistic looking after me tasks! Some of it is loosely based on the soft 75 challenge that some of you have maybe seen on social media.

  • Look after my skin by using the tonics, creams and serums that I own and not just treat them like ornaments by dusting them. This takes like 2 mins a day so no excuse.
  • Walk at least 10k steps a day, this used to be so easy but due to changing jobs the only walking that happens is walking the dogs or doing housework. So I just need to make more of an effort if it’s walking to the shop rather than taking the car and staying out longer when I do go out.
  • Use my 2 gym memberships at least 4 times a week so it is worth having both. At least one of the sessions should be swimming.
  • Try to eat healthier by cutting back on sugary snacks and cakes. I don’t want to start calorie counting so I will trial a few weeks so see how much progress I get purely by cutting back.
  • Drink 2 Litres of water or squash a day. This is easy to achieve once I get into the habit.

Where do I want to go in 2023?? We have already booked to go to Iceland but there are plenty of places in Scotland I want to visit too. Some of these places will depend if I achieve some of the first list, some are really easy just places I have not got round to and some I need to speak nicely to Mr C see if he will take me!

Blue Lagoon, Iceland 2016
  • Since I bought my ebike I have always wanted to do the Burma Road trail in Aviemore but just never got round to it so I plan to do this in the Spring. The Burma Road loop is a 42km trail that rises high above Aveimore with views of the Cairngorm national park.
  • I don’t often visit Aberdeen but for so long I have wanted to visit the Winter gardens at Duthie park I thought it was too far to walk from the train station but it turns out it is less than a 3 mile round trip so no excuse really.
  • I would really like to return to Harris and Lewis this year hopefully in the summer holidays but I would like to do some research before hand so we make most of our trip.
  • Not sure if I can achieve this one but I will try – Get closer to completing all the sub 2000 hills in Aberdeenshire, Cairngorms and Moray. I have 21 left of 43 that there are so if I get to 30 I will be doing pretty good.

How do I want to use my brain??? Not only do I want to sort out my fitness I want to use my brain more rather than mindless scrolling I’m wasting so much time on things that have little or no stimulation to my brain or my mental health.

  • I would like to read more which I have already started, I don’t expect miracles as I don’t always have but if I can read a book a month I will be happy. That is only around 15/20 pages a day so can be easily achieved. I will definitely share my reads on my social media and will be looking for recommendations.
  • I would like to write more and expand my website, at least 1 post a month sounds like a good plan but i would like more but best not to put too much pressure on myself.
My first book in long time!

Lastly money which we can’t do much without it. Like most of us I try my best to keep my eyes on my pennies and spend sensibly but sometimes I go rogue and splurge on things I don’t need.

  • How much clothes do I actually need??? Not as much as I have anyway, my plan is to only buy items I need, if I do try my best to shop small businesses online or local. Failing that shop second hand on Vinted, Marketplace, Ebay or charity shops.
  • Make the effort to use the items I have spent my hard earned money on like my Ebike, Camera, 360 Camera and Paddleboard.
  • Be more mindful when food shopping so food items don’t go to waste.
  • Don’t be tempted to buy random stuff on Amazon just cause it looked good on a Tiktok does not mean to say it is good!!!
  • Lastly make sure I am using all my subscriptions like gym memberships, Netflix etc
The Balloch at Sunrise

This is all going to be a work in progress and I add to it as the year goes on, my plan is to update quarterly so my next bucket list instalment will be before I go to Iceland at the end of March. I really hope I have achieved something. I hope this may inspire others to do the same or even give you some ideas or motivation.

By the way I still have not bought a diary and no one gave me one for Christmas but I did get some rather nice notes books that I am sure help along the way!