Alastair/ The Best Pancakes in Scotland /Trislaig

alastair serving pancakes

Alastair serving pancakes

This gentleman is called Alastair, and he is this year's treasured find. Alastair volunteers his time to help un a wee tea room in he crofting community of Trislaig. Trislaig is directly across Loch Linnhe from Fort William on the Ardnamuchan Peninsula. Aside from parachuting there are three ways to get there: driving around the single track road with passing places ( and as those roads go this one isn't bad) from either the Corran Ferry or hanging a left at the bottom of Loch Eil. The third way i is much more fun : catch the passenger ferry across from Fort William its self ( Carnnog Pier) . The views are magnificent, you get a wee sail on the loch and a cup of tea ( in a china cup) charm, excellence and a wee taste of the real Scotland at the end. The building its self is the old school and now converted to a hall for the cummunity.

 

Now that I have told you where to find Alastair let me tell you why you should find him. Alastair, as I have said runs the tea room , the proceeds of which go to run the community hall for the entire year. Alastair makes the best pancakes in the whole of Scotland. I am not talking about those French or American skiddly half baked crepe things, I mean the full-blown Scottish Pancake, and no I will not shorten the title for the English purists , these deserve Scottish Pancakes and not Scotch. These are bigger, fresher , more moist and most definitely much tastier than the shop bought rubber variety. I got mine hot, not long out the pan.

 

The school come tea-room come village hall. The school come tea-room come village hall.

 

The passanger ferry with Glen Nevis ( hill) in the background

The passanger ferry with Glen Nevis ( hill) in the background

So is it worth going all that way for just a pancake ( or six)? Well I would say so but then pancakes are my favourite form of tea-bread. However for those who need more. Alastair is a mine of local historical knowledge. Raised and educated in this community he was fascinating to listen to. The 1872 Education Act Scotland ( referred to else where on this web site) decreed that all children must have an education and made it compulsory for them to attend school. The practical application of this in the highlands was that they government built a school every six miles. They decreed that three miles was the farthest a child should be expected to walk. According to Alastair the government were very strict about this policy and every six miles, where there was a population a school was erected . If the population was less dense a hut was put up.

 

The curricular areas studied were.... English, Arithmetic, Sewing and Knitting (for both sexes), The Bible ( still the only subject to be taught by law in Scotland) and the Catechisms. Coming from the west of Scotland this one had us dumfoonart. THE CATECHISMS ! These were non denominational schools. I was not only educated in a non denominational school, I teach in them, I wouldn't know a catechism from a catalyst. Indeed I distinctly remember being told as a child ( and a few times as an adult too) that the reason Kafflics were so stupid was because they spent all their time in school learning to pray and not how to read. I do realise that statement presupposes all Catholics to be stupid, I would at this point like to remind the reader this is a symptom of the sectarianism of the area I live in and a further demonstration of why, even to this day, the catechisms could never be taught in a non denominational school.

 

The single track road with the biggest hazzard clearly shown

 

 

The Corran Ferry as seen from the road.

However back to the curriculum, a lady from the ministry of education came every so often to teach " the girls" the more practical topics like , how to skin a rabbit . She brought a calor gas cooker with her and taught cookery.

Alastair talked very knowledgeably about elements of crofting life and a living in a small crofting community. .. oh and he fed me some more pancakes.

Also on sale in the hall ( I should mention) are some local craft work, bonnie bonnie knitting , walking sticks and wooden bowls. They also sell second hand books.

So if you have a couple of hours to kill and fancy a taste of the real Scotland, not that Visit Scotland : haggis, shortbread and whisky type stuff take a wee trip to visit Alastair during June, July and August.

And Alastair, thanks for a wonderful visit, terrific pancakes and some real Scottish hospitality.... and as for the history and the memories. If you want a web site, you write it I'll build it, do please get in touch.