HOTEL OF THE WEEK ELPHINSTONE
BIGGAR, SCOTLAND
WHEN Andy Murray became the first player north of the border to win Wimbledon for 107 years, barely anyone in this tiny Scottish village even noticed. That gives you an idea just how sleepy Biggar, with its population of 2,000, is.
What was even more bizarre was to spend a couple of days in a place where the temperatures were more South Africa than South Lanarkshire.
Warm weather up here is rare. So much so in fact, that this charming coaching inn, known locally as “the Elph”, doesn’t even have air conditioning.
This 400-year old inn has only 11 bedrooms and is a microcosm of its home town; unpretentious, serene and pleasant.
The spacious en-suite rooms have huge beds with fluffy towels and Arran toiletries. Three of them are family rooms with bunks and Z-beds for the children.
This homely pub, with wooden beams and a roaring fire in the winter, felt rather like Biggar’s version of EastEnders’ Queen Vic or Coronation Street’s Rovers Return. Everyone here, including the locals, were welcoming and friendly.
Our meals, served by attentive staff, were chosen from a surprisingly varied menu. They were satisfying and tasty without being spectacular.
Its location is handy to explore the quaint village and its obscure museums (one dedicated to gasworks, another showcasing “two centuries of quilts, tapestries, embroidery and sewing”) and a Victorian puppet theatre.
The highlight was a 90-minute ramble to the coulter reservoir, but you’d need a car to get within rambling distance.
The inn delivers more than it’s two-star status suggest, and as it is only 30 minutes from Edinburgh and just a little further to Glasgow, it makes for a restful, stopover in a historic Scottish village.
RATES: doubles from £78.00.
www.elphinstonehotel.co.uk
SHAUN LIVINGSTON