WHEN you leave the Port of Cairnryan and turn left you’ll come along the windy A77 fringed by pine forests and deep ravines; without doubt Scotland is a beautiful country.
And the view coming into Ballantrae is gorgeous, the sea sparkling in the sunshine, the little town below and Ailsa Craig, a volcanic ‘plug’ rising in spectacular fashion out of the sea.
The island is known as 'Paddy's Milestone', as apparently it’s halfway between Belfast to Glasgow. Today, apart from the colony of puffins and gannets, it’s most famous for the granite that’s mined here to fashion curling stones, one of only two sources of all stones used in the sport; the other location is in Wales.
I sound like a tour guide.
For me, having crossed from Larne in the morning and arriving at Cairnryan at midday, it was a case of calling somewhere to gather my thoughts and have some lunch. That place turned out to be in Ballantrae itself, down the hill, another left turn, up a narrow road and you arrive at Glenapp Castle.
Announce yourself, the huge wrought iron gates open and you’re admitted to a mile-long approach lined with bluebells. Then round the corner and there’s the baronial castle, a sandstone building glowing in the sun that's now a 20-bedroom hotel. The staff have four and a half minutes' warning that the car is on the way and so they are on the doorstep to greet their guests. So far so good.
Then came the surprise – happenchance or was I guided there for a reason? The general manage comes to say hello. He’s John Orr who went to Rockport preparatory school, Craigavad, and Bangor grammar school, grew up in Holywood then studied for an HND in tourism in Dumfries. He was heading for the NI Tourist Board but instead decided to make his career in Scotland – and what a career.
We had such a good chat. We talked about Belfast, about the new hotels, how he originally worked in the Ulster Bank in Waring street, aptly now the Merchant Hotel, his background in the catering industry, people we both know, his regular trips home...
It was lovely just to sit in the comfort of the grand drawing room, laughing and learning.
Although he lives within the estate with his wife and two children, John comes home as often as possible. He has a boat which has to be serviced every 100 hours of use, so an excellent reason for crossing the Irish Sea to Redbay boatyard in Cushendall.
“When all the family are on board we’re quite safe as we’ve four Orrs to fall back on.”
The boat is also available to take visitors out to picnic on Alisa Craig which lies 10 miles off the coast.
John and his staff of 52 are used to welcoming people from all round the world. The visitors book contains names from Australia, the USA, Japan, all over continental Europe, Britain and Ireland – Belfast, Antrim and Newtownards feature heavily.
After lunch in the Old Tea Room and a chat with Leah, who prepared the meal, and my guide Siobhan. I took a walk in the walled garden and there I met Annmaree Mitchell, the head gardener, who told me how, in more recent years, the castle and the 40-acre estate have been restored from a virtual ruin to a stately home as it was in the days of the original owner, the Earl of Orkney.
With their namesake in the background I talked to Annmaree about my newly planted Alisa Craig tomato plants, got some advice on planning the garden and working with the seasons, during the autumn taking a note of what has to be done over the winter months, and then maintaining and enjoying the fruits of your labours during the summer. Easy when you have three burley helpers.
The Swirl O’ The Pipes
Walking back to the castle past the herb garden, the wedding cake tree, the glass house with peaches and nectarines among the fruit being brought on, the exotic flowering plants and the smell of jasmine filling the air, a gentleman pheasant strutted across my path to the croquet lawn and the sound of bagpipes drifted across the grounds, a piper celebrating the marriage of a very young couple, Romeo and Juliet, who have apparently eloped to be married at Glenapp.
I was only there for just over five hours but it was an idyllic stop off on my onward journey and a joy to meet a young man from Co Down who is running such a prestigious establishment.
I could have travelled on to many of the places on the Visit Scotland brochure, even Trump Turnberry a few miles up the road – no thanks – but to meet John was certainly an added bonus to my day.
:: Details at glenappcastle.com and visitscotland.com
MUCH MORE THAN A STAGE SHOW
A SERIES of monologues written by American playwright Eve Ensler 20 years ago has developed into a global phenomenon staged every February. It’s recognised as an important presentation offering the audience an insight into issues of woman’s health, status and serious social issues via the stories told.
The Vagina Monologues has been performed twice already in Belfast this year – in February when £800 was raised to fund the Rape Crisis helpline and again in April, such was the demand for tickets. Now it returns to the Lyric Theatre to be performed on June 1 and 2 at 8pm by 11 professional actresses, all ages and backgrounds.
Actress Melanie Clark Pullen sums it up: “Whether it’s understanding our own anatomy, dealing with trauma or experiencing pleasure, these monologues lay bare the reality of the female experience with humour and poignancy.”
:: More details at lyrictheatre.co.uk
