Retreat, The

It may be at the back of beyond but The Retreat in Glen Esk is well worth the journey. About 3 miles north of Edzell you turn off the B966 and drive along a well marked, ungraded, but surprisingly good road for 8 miles.

The Retreat was built in the 1840s by Captain Wemyss, as a haven away from his life at sea. It has been extensively renovated and extended, exposing the original building, which at one time was a small, stone built, single storey cottage.

The Retreat is now run by the Glen Esk Trust, a community run charity, and stands on an elevated, south facing site looking through tall silver birches to the hills beyond. Inside you pass through a spacious craft shop selling gifts, including the work of the Angus Crofters’ Association, to the tea room. It is fresh and bright with tables laid with green and white table cloths (no plastic here!) and crockery. The seats are covered in brown leather and can be somewhat embarrassingly noisy, if you know what I mean!

The menu includes soup, sandwiches, toasties, filled rolls, home bakes as well as main courses like mince in a Yorkshire pudding with skirlie, battered fish, steak pie and an all day breakfast. All the main courses can be upgraded to High Tea with toast, scone, pancake, cake, shortbread, tea or coffee for an additional £2.75. They certainly have hearty appetites in the glens.

The trust is currently extending the building to accommodate the artefacts from their museum, which pays tribute to the lives of the people in the area, their homes, children and work.

 
Why should I go there? The solitude, peace and good fare.

Any negatives? Take care how you move on the seats.

Before or After?
1. Enjoy the museum
2. Lots of places to walk 


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