Cove, Kilcreggan and The Green Kettle Inn

knockderry house coveGlasgow folk are so lucky as just a short drive can take them to a vaiety of attractive places. On a summer evening it’s often tempting to take a run down to the Ayrshire Coast or to Loch Lomond; yesterday we opted for a wee trip to Ardardan in Cardross. We’re not the world’s best planners and spent so long browsing in the garden centre that we missed the tea room.

By the time we’d had a stroll through the farm and half way round the peninsula, along the banks of the Clyde, we’d worked up a fair appetite, so we headed on to Helensburgh. We ran into major road works on the main street so continued on the road through Rhu and Shandon and past all the wee villages on the Gare Loch until we reached Cove.

We enjoyed the run and it was lovely looking out over the Gare Loch. Very picturesque with plenty of boats anchored. Although, there didn’t seem to be a lot of sailing going on. Apart from the views across the loch to Gourock, what I particularly like about Cove are the amazing houses and Every second home must be a listed property, including, Knockderry House, which is a pretty swanky hotel. A great spot for some fine dining.

We stopped off at Knockderry and had a wee look round – it’s impressive – and we were tempted to eat there; we checked out the menu but we had arrived after the light bites and before dinner. Maybe just as well as we would have blown our week’s pocket money – so one for another day. 

 

The Green Kettle Inn

We ended up at The Green Kettle Inn, just above Garelochhead on the Arrochar Road – what a great place.

the green kettle innIt’s a wee bit off the beaten track but nonetheless it was busy. It opened four years ago and has gathered a loyal clientele. It’s neither slick nor sophisticated but it’s a very welcoming place. The decor has a bit of everything, and plenty of it, with nick nacks and nostalgia galore.

We received a warm welcome from George, the Northern Irish owner, and he explained the ins and outs of the menu, calling back to Sandra, the cook, who was busy in the kitchen, to check what was still on.

The menu is varied and I was tempted by the venison burger but opted for fresh mackerel. There was a wee wait but nothing upsetting and the bonus was freshly cooked food. I had the best mackerel I’ve tasted, line caught, – possibly earlier that day – new potatoes and heaps of crunchy vegetables. The plate of food was huge and very reasonsbly priced at around seven pounds. Jim had vegetable soup, which came in a big bowl with lovely brown, nutty bread and lots of butter. He followed this with trifle, which came in a half pint tumbler, and I had homemade chocolate cheesecake.

The Green Kettle is the type of place where you can relax and we sat on over a pot of tea. We checked out the various old photos on the wall, the display cabinets, full of retro and vintage jewellery to buy, and some of the many books.

We both loved the food and the atmosphere and will certainly go back. Worth checking out. (They also do b and b – G84 OEP – Tel. 01436 810000, email

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Avatar of PatByrne Publisher of Pat's Guide to Glasgow West End; the community guide to the West End of Glasgow. Fiction and non-fiction writer.

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