Vegan Highlands

[The Lurker]

There seems to be a dearth of info on vegan Scotland outside of the usual Edinburgh / Glasgow places - not saying we're particularly well catered for up here (I've had my fair share of baked tattie with beans / green salad with no dressing etc) but there are a few places scattered about where you can have something other than a bowl of chips.

Just spent a couple of days in Aviemore - thanks to gogle I identified the mountain cafe as vegan friendly:

http://www.mountaincafe-aviemore.co.uk/

which it was - I wouldn't have found it if I hadn't googled though - it's a cafe above a mountaineering shop and does a great vegan breakfast (2 days in a row, greedy pig) and has vegan cakes etc etc.

Otherwise it was a baked potato and beans at the Winking Owl and veggie fajitas at the Roo's Leap. I ate at the Pizza Restraunt at the High Range resort a couple of years ago and didn't starve either so there are options . . .


Most tourist places like to cater to foreign tourists with 'Traditional Scottish Fayre" i.e. any part of an animal cooked inside another part of another animal but Aviemore's not bad.

[harpy]

That's a good idea for a thread - thanks for the tips. I would love to to the Highlands again. (Were you skiing in Aviemore or has the snow gone now?)

What are the islands like? I seem to remember there being a few places in Skye but it's ages since I've been there.

[The Lurker]

I'm not a skier myself but we went up the Cairngorm funicular and it was mobbed - plenty of snow still around (in fact I think it was snowing this weekend).

I've not been to the islands for years but I think they will be quite testing - I've heard of a few places on Skye as well so there is hope. As the saying goes, you're never more than 4-foot from a major supermarket these days so I doubt there's anywhere in the UK you could go and be in danger of starvation . . .

[harpy]

Sounds fun, going up the funicular. Were you able to walk around at the top? (I'm not a skier either!)

Coincidentally someone was just asking me about getting vegetarian food on Skye the other night as they are going there and one of the party is vegetarian. Having looked it up on happycow it looks as if there are some possibilities. I'll try and find out how they get on and report back here. I don't remember there being any major supermarkets there when I went but no doubt things have changed quite a bit since then.

[The Lurker]

You can't walk around at the top if you take the funicular up - health and safety in the interest of preserving the flip flopped japanese tourists etc - there are 2-hour guided walks available which are an option. I'm a munro bagger anyway so I've seen the top of plenty of mountains.

Re. Skye - there are a couple of B&B's/Guest Houses that advertise in the back of the vegan and vegetarian society magazines - might be worth a look.

[harpy]

Thanks, but they're booked into a youth hostel apparently. I would have thought you could get vegetarian food in one of those, if nowhere else!

Quite fancy the vegan B&Bs for myself though, one of these days.

Had to look up "Munro bagger", looks rather like hard work, though satisfying when you've bagged one I'm sure! How many have you bagged so far?

[The Lurker]

I was up in the mid 70's out of the 283 munros until I got married and moved overseas. When I came back I started again so I'm at 25. A wife and kids makes it harder to spend time wandering about the wilderness . . ..

[harpy]

That sounds pretty impressive to me - are they all walkable or do some involve climbing?

[The Lurker]

There's only 1 Munro that requires ropes - The Innaccessible Pinnacle (InnPin) on the Skye Cuillin. Others do require an element of 'scrambling' along ridges etc.

I'm not actually very good with heights which could be a problem - I prefer nice round hills

[harpy]

Me neither - and I don't think I would do too well on the ridges actually! Round hills are OK.

Do you have to take someone with you to confirm you've done them or do you take one another's word for it?

[The Lurker]

Other than the hundreds of photos I take on each trip, a gentleman's word is as good as it gets.

check out www.scottishhills.com for an overview of the industry pursued by many who like to tick things off on a list

[harpy]

Blimey! No danger of running out of things to bag, by the look of it.

[kikifromscotland]

My dad has bagged nearly all the munros, he still has a few corbetts to do though! I was up Ben Nevis aged 4, that's how much my dad is into hillwalking! I'm much lazier now though :P

[graham]

I was on Skye a few years ago and I do seem to remember seeing Tesco in a few places, though not large ones. Unfortunately I wasn't vegan at the time so can't offer any help.

However while there I was up the Innaccessible Pinnacle, but lack of ropes and of course excessive wind meant I never actually made the peak. Have been up a few munros myself but don't keep count, just go out and enjoy it as much as possible

[Simon]

Been to Skye a few times and there are a few good Co-op supermarkets. One in Portree and the other in Broadford. Don't know if there is anywhere that caters well for vegan meals though.

There is also a little grocers / health food store in Dunvegan called the fruit and nut place. Sells a few good bits in there. There was an easily missed health food store in Portree last time I went too. They had a few good bits and came away with some vegan haggis.

Highly recommend walking the Quirang, old man of Stor and also spending some time at Neist point if you head to Skye.

As for the other islands, I have been to the outer Hebrides a few times. They have a co-op on each island chain so can get a few bits from those. There is also a health food store in Stornoway. Last time I was up there I was cycling from one end of the Hebrides to the other and managed fine for food. You just have to stock up when you get the chance.

[Roddy]

no tesco's on skye, Co-op is great for vegan stuff, plenty of them in the highlands