The Willow Tea Rooms – Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

July 1, 2010June 10, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

If you have heard of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and recognise his style, then, like me, you will want to visit the Willow Tea Rooms in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. Sauchiehall is Gaelic for ‘Alley of Willows’ and is the inspiration behind the building. The very distinctive patterns he incorporated into his designs are beautiful in their own right, but when you consider that he was born in the 1800’s, the clean, almost stark lines were way ahead of their time.

The tea room was designed entirely by Mackintosh, including the building which houses it. Every detail was included from the tables and chairs down to the teaspoons – and even the dresses worn by the waitresses were designed by him. I found it hard to concentrate on the food surrounded by so much of this living art. As it happens, the traditional Scottish cakes and tea were delicious too and the whole experience was a delight.

By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is a member of our admin team.

Pierhouse Hotel, Port Appin

May 20, 2010May 20, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

I just had the most splendid weekend at The Pier House in Port Appin, based on the West Coast of Scotland. We often take a weekend out at this time of year to enjoy the spring weather.

The Pierhouse is a 12 bedroom property with owners who are passionate about service and quality. We sat and enjoyed a glass of wine while watching the wee ferry coming and going to the Island of Lismore on Loch Linnhe (one of a few sea Lochs in Scotland). The scenery is utterly amazing; the West Coast truly has the most spectacular and breathtaking views. More so, the Hotel has a renowned Scottish Seafood Restaurant; locally sourced seafood – its only when you dine at such a place as the Pier House do you realise what a difference in taste there is when fish are caught and cooked in the same day!

A little bit out the way for those playing golf in Ayrshire – but so very much worth the 2 hour drive from Glasgow to spend a couple of days relaxing, enjoying wonderful food, and seeing the most dramatic of Scottish scenery. Port Appin is a 20 minute drive from the town of Oban – the gateway to the Isles – with a number of ferries going to Mull and the Outer Hebrides.

Add a few more days to your trip and try the Inner or Outer Hebrides, you will dine out on that experience for many years to come!

By Anne Filshie. Anne is the Group Director of Operations at PerryGolf.

The West End of Glasgow

May 4, 2010April 21, 2010 Mhairi

Should you find yourself staying in Glasgow’s West End, it would a waste not to take a stroll along the bustling Byres Road. Staying in the luxury boutique hotel, Hotel du Vin & Bistro (a 15 minutes drive from Glasgow Airport) means you are but a minute’s walk from one of the most eclectic and intriguing streets in Glasgow.

Full of boutiques, pubs, bars and restaurants; there really is something for everyone. Only just this weekend a friend and I decided to head there to the new Italian-style tapas restaurant, La Vita Spuntini, for lunch. After several delicious mini-dishes of meatballs, frittatas, one-too-many slices of homemade Italian bread and a fantastic bottle of wine, we wandered up and down the busy street window-shopping at the clothing, home-ware and music stores.

For something a little different, visit Òran Mór for a Play, a Pie and a Pint – a spot of lunchtime theatre with a difference.

As a rule, if you are in the West End of Glasgow, you are ‘morally obligated’ to take a trip along the cobbled back-road of Ashton Lane; a small passageway, only about 170 feet long, but which houses the best bars and pubs in the area. Naturally, we did not want to ignore this tradition and so resolved to visit another couple of bars before heading home.

Well…it would have been rude not to!

The Scottish Golf Show

April 26, 2010April 2, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

I had an afternoon free in Glasgow this weekend and so I went along the Scottish Golf Show. I was very impressed and spent an enjoyable afternoon there. All of the major manufacturers were present, and many were offering to custom-fit golf clubs. Each company also had a number of test bays available to try out new clubs.

Alastair & son James with the Claret Jug

Some of the top courses in Scotland, such as Kingsbarns, Castle Stuart and Spey Valley had their own posts. There were various challenges which one could take part in, from chipping and putting, to a simulation of the 16^th green at Augusta where players were invited to replicate Tiger’s amazing chip in back in 2005 in the hope of winning a set Nike irons. There were also facilities for junior golfers and my son was able to have a lesson from a pro and try out the new clubs…which I then inevitably had to purchase for him! A real treat was also having our picture taken with the famous Claret Jug trophy.

All in all a very enjoyable afternoon. Click here for further details.

By Alastair Niven. Alastair has been with PerryGolf for over 9 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

Pollock House and The Burrell Collection

February 20, 2010January 12, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

For an insight into elegant family life in Glasgow, spanning over seven centuries, regular visits to Pollock House on the outskirts of the city is a must for me. The house and surrounding park cover a lot of my interests. I love the hunting scene paintings in the Billiard Room and always include a viewing in my visits. The park is full of unusual trees and shrubs and includes a huge collection of rhododendrons and azaleas. There is always something in flower, but if you visit in May or June the colours are breathtaking and I rarely have to share the woodland walk with anyone but the dog!

The Burrell Collection is housed within the park; a purpose-built building about ten minutes walk from the main house – or you can use the shuttle service. There is something for everyone in this vast art collection, but it’s the reconstruction of some of the Burrell family’s rooms, from their castle home in the Scottish Borders, that is particularly appealing to me.

A trip I would recommend to anyone staying in (or passing through) Glasgow.

By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is part of our Admin team.

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