By Barbara I’Anson

June 4^th 1974

4^th June 1974 was a very special day, the date is easy to remember but the first few days following are somewhat hazy.

Destination: Trareoch Hotel, Largiebeg, Isle of Arran. (there were no postcodes then)

Telephone, Whiting Bay 226

Occupation: Joint Hotel Proprietor

Age 21 married to Michael I’Anson for just 7days! 

This was a life adventure.

It was about two months earlier when my then fiancé and I, with my future mother-in-law drove up from Worcestershire to the Isle of Arran, to view Trareoch Hotel. It was a first time visit to Arran for all of us. We were smitten immediately with the island and the hotel was exactly what we were hoping to find.

We put in an offer, and it was accepted. Start date 4^th June Just 6 weeks to get organised!  Mike and Irene were joint owners of their home and it needed to be sold to fund this adventure. Word of mouth soon spread in that small hamlet, and it never even got to market. 10 days later an offer was received and accepted.

Also we all needed to give a month’s notice to employers, but what about a wedding? It seemed a bit unreasonable to expect friends and family members to travel 450 miles to attend our wedding, so this was rapidly organised for May 28^th in Oddingly, Worcestershire. A few days honeymoon in Windsor, then a drive back to collect a hired furniture van, upload the contents of Irene’s house and we were on our way.

CalMac features early in this adventure. Irene driving a Mini Cooper got a ferry booking for Ardrossan, but Mike and I with the big van were told there were no spaces available and to travel via the Claonaig- Lochranza ferry. Had we known better we would have sat in the un-booked queue, but we didn’t and so we drove the long drive to Claonaig.

We were the only vehicle waiting, soon the ferry was in sight. Great excitement as it drew near, but that was short lived. As the ferry got closer the sea was quite choppy and a cheery crew member shouted

“Sorry folks, we will be back in the morning”! 

There was not a lot going on in Cloanaig, however we walked along the coast road and found the post office, the very tall postmaster was most helpful, we got to phone Trareoch to let Irene know we were delayed, and there were guests there. The previous owners had taken a crossover booking for a couple. It was a baptism of fire for Irene. Arrangements were made for us to get use of a very small caravan in the middle of a field full of sheep for the night. Next morning the wind dropped, and we caught the early ferry.

Arrived on Arran At Last

The road/track leading to Trareoch is a half mile long and winds down a steep incline, the top third is tarmac. The council adopted the road to the last but one property (this applied to all roads) the tarmac stopped at Seabank home of the Speirs family.

A short white fence halfway down stopped anyone or any vehicle from plunging down the hillside, it was a tight spot for any commercial vehicle.

The first view of Trareoch was at this point.

Three majestic Rowan Trees stood proudly in a row. Clearly planted many years before with the purpose of keeping evil spirits away.

We soon got to know suppliers, equipment and worked out new menus and routines, the hotel quickly filled with guests.

Irene took charge of housekeeping; I ran the kitchen and cooked all the meals. This had always been the plan as I was a qualified caterer and had worked as cook/manageress for a large catering company after leaving college. Mike helped where needed and also did maintenance and bookkeeping.

There was also a steep learning curve when we turned on the tap one day and there was no water! not even a trickle. We knew the water was from a spring below the Gerry high up the cliff. Our neighbours from Seabank, The Spiers family allowed us to use their spring water to tide us over until we restored ours. It was a long walk with buckets and an unsuccessful car trip because most of the water spilled out before we reached the carpark. Our helpful neighbour Mr Johnny Thomson from the top of the hill, with the immaculate hedge, knew almost exactly where the spring was. He pointed us in the direction of about 10 meters down the banking between 2 trees. The image below shows one of them.

It was a scramble to get down the banking, we listened carefully until we could hear a gentle bubbling sound of water and at last, we found our water supply. I think the word primitive best described it. The spring gently bubbled up through a circle of about a foot of tiny pebbles and grit acting as a filter which was surrounded by an enclosure of large stones. In the centre of this was a rose. Not the flower, but a simple aluminium rose from a watering can, it was attached to a pipe which led to a storage tank almost at the bottom of the cliff.  It took a while to clear the area and ensure the water was flowing in the right direction, eventually we were successful.

But we were not alone!

It was the first real encounter with the “Arran Midge” Our hands and faces were black with them, every inch of exposed flesh and scalp was bitten, it was hard to see with midges biting around your eyes. But eventually we were able to scramble back through the undergrowth, up the banking and into the car. 

At this point it would have been wonderful to jump into a shower, but there were no showers at Trareoch, and we still had no water until the tank filled. Considering just how many midges there were, I was the lucky one, each bite resulted in a small red dot, itchy but bearable. Poor Mike however had been the sacrificial one. His face puffed up, his eyes almost closed and he looked like he had caught the plague! We had to hide him from the guests for a week in case they though he was contagious.

The hotel was licensed but with a restricted license, this meant alcohol could be served to all residents and to non-residents who were dining there. It had a stipulation that water had to be provided at each meal, so that evening we supplied free beer, wine, or a soft drink to all our guests.

Mike and I had purchased a residential caravan to allow maximum use of the hotel. A full hotel accommodated 28 guests, mostly families and extended families. Being Arran it was dog friendly too. We soon introduced an a la carte menu for non-residents dining. At this time very few places offered a la carte. We were busy, the record was, 28 guests and 47 non-resident meals. Resident’s dinner was at 6.30. The gong was sounded at 6.25 and again at 6.30 The gong was big and booming, students loved to sound it.

By 8pm we were beginning to serve non- residents.

By 10-pm the students were ready to get changed and go into the village for the dance. Mike generally took them into the village and there were usually local young men eager to bring them home in the early hours.

We were all young then, I have no idea how I managed to do all the catering though.

Breakfast was served 8am-9.30, once service was over it was prep for the evening meals. If things went well, we managed some free time in the afternoon. If the sun was shining and looking back it seemed to shine every day in the 70’s we would walk down to the shore which was all of 100 yards away, then step into the rowing boat we bought.

The sea was crystal clear, rowing around Largiebeg point one day I came across a shoal of flounders, I remember the first time I put my hand into the water and just lifted one out. Naturally I put it back.

Guests frequently used the boat to fish, sometimes their catch was huge, I was often asked to cook these fish for the guest who caught them, not my favourite job, I really had more than enough to do. I preferred them to just catch fish and put them back.

Fresh Scallops were on the menu, Howard and David would arrive by boat in wet suits with dripping sacks of scallops. Guests would get excited when this happened. We came to a mutually agreeable solution to the problem of opening and cleaning them. They opened and cleaned, we supplied beer. The student on kitchen duties cleaned the shells. After a couple of years we had more than enough shells, we decided there was a much better solution to cleaning them. We dumped them near the edge of the high water mark and let the gulls and the sea do the rest. Excited children would later find them cleaned and take them home.

The Webb family own Shore Cottage at the other side of the bay, they had a boat too. The boys were familiar with the mealtimes at Trareoch, they knew that all the guests would be gathering in the sun porch around 6pm having a drink before dinner. On several occasions there was an uproar from the sun lounge.

A small wooden boat was being furiously rowed across the bay and less than 6 ft behind was a large shark’s fin following it.

In those days basking sharks were frequent visitors to the bay and there was no better view than from Trareoch.

However, after the third time, we soon realised the fin was being towed. It provided the guests with a good story to tell though. I hope no one reading this is disappointed now.                         

50 years ago, fish of all types were plentiful, we regularly had basking sharks in the bay and seals. Trawlers would come into the bay at night, it was so quiet there that it took a while to realise the talking we could hear was from the trawlers.

2 phase electricity was trying at times. In the kitchen when the power was maxxed out, lights dipped, and some electrical equipment took a long time to reach temperature.

This was the 70’s, the era when people began to eat out.

The Menu was retro. We offered a wide choice of starters and desserts on the dinner menu with a choice of 2 mains. Each year I prepared a two-week menu and rotated that throughout the season. Vegetarian options or special requirements were always catered for if requested. But during the summer season there were not many special requests. It was important to cater for all the families who booked for two weeks. Most of our guests booked for the following year at the end of their stay. This was quite common all around the island not just at Trareoch. Guests made friends with each other, and some wonderful lifelong family friendships were made.

The evening resident’s menu and the a la carte menu would offer all the 70’s favourite choices. Prawn Cocktail, Melon boats, and Grapefruit segments! Pate and Egg Mayonnaise or Soup of the day. Scallops, and other specials when available.

A la Carte Mains favourites were Sirloin Steak with French fried onions, tomatoes and mushrooms, Gammon steak had to be served with a ring of pineapple, Chicken Maryland with all the trimmings, Beef Bourguignon was always popular as were Scallops Mornay. Fish, fresh Haddock or Poached Salmon usually served cold with Salad and supplied by Dave McLellan. The vegetarian option was a simple choice of omelettes or salads. Several other options and all served with Chips and fresh vegetables or potatoes.

So not so very different today. Starters have probably changed the most. We didn’t have salad leaves then, prawn cocktail was served on a bed of shredded iceberg or webs soft leaves lettuce, in a stemmed glass or dish, sprinkled with paprika and served with a wedge of lemon and tomato.

Residents loved the Scottish options, and we would always have Haggis on the menu at some point during the week, porridge and a full breakfast choice daily. We had to feed the guests well because they would all be gone by 10.30 and off enjoying all that Arran has to offer.

Most returned around 5.30pm and would tell us of their day’s adventures and purchases. Popular purchases in that year would have included something from the Gledhill’s Tartan Shop at Breadalbane. The charts were dominated by glam rock and the Bay City Rollers made Tartan a fashion trend. The Sheepskin shop at Machrie was also trending with the popularity of a sheepskin rug.

Jewellery and crafts were very popular and there was great ice cream available at Pellegrini’s. Tearooms were plentiful all around the island. The first mini golf and café was busy. Each village had grocery shops and several had butchers’ shops.

The summer play was always busy and booking essential.
At that time the only swimming pool was at the Kinloch Hotel. Rainy days were infrequent! We had a large collection of books and games, no one seemed to be upset if it was raining. “Just try driving to the other side of the island”
People still sent lots of postcards, our postmaster was Mr. Morton he was tall! Remembering that the Claonaig postmaster was the tallest person I had ever seen, I was very surprised to see an even taller one here in the village.

We had a choice of 3 post offices. Cooks Stores and Post office at Kildonan, Alan Cook’s shop and Post office at Kingscross. There was also H.S Cook’s store in the village. Hamish Cook would hand out prescriptions sent through from the chemist, he stocked everything, size 6 wellies? “Just a moment”, he would pop into the adjacent store and appear with them.  There seemed to be a lot of Cooks with shops.

We didn’t have to leave the hotel for supplies, they all came to us.

Arthur Swain arrived in a van laden with vegetables, from their shop and busy Tearoom which was run by his wife Hilda and sister Win. This was at Sandbraes corner in the dip.

Bread was from Wooleys in Brodick, Sandy drove the van and was a regular visitor.  During the summer we only purchased Plain Bread and uncut pan loaves.

Frozen foods were from Arran Dairies.

The butcher meat was from Adam Miller butchers in the village, two brothers ran the business Hugh in the shop and Joe with the van.  Many of the wonderful old stories come from those visits. Joe Miller would deliver all year round and always had a good tale to tell. Joe’s stories would often come from things he had been told by old folk, and so the stories and memories live on. It is from these stories that the older history has come.

But it wasn’t just old stories that were told. There was no need for social media in those days. We knew everything that was worth telling without leaving the hotel. All types of news and gossip were relayed.

Our other important van supplier was Willie Cook of Kildonan Stores. His wee van was packed full of all sorts, needles and thread, scissors and hair clippers were all-in pull-out drawers, there wasn’t much he couldn’t supply either. A case of cauliflower for soup. A bargain of 6 oxtails once and other delights from his trips to the markets in Glasgow. 50 years later he is still delivering around the island.

The post was delivered by uncle George, in the winter our post would arrive around 7.30pm, Trareoch was the last on the post run. His nephew also George McKechnie was a postman but not initially on our run. But he was one of the young men keen to assist the students back after the dances.

Our First Winter

I am sure everyone on Arran has been asked the question “What do you do in the winter?”

As the season drew towards an end, the chats with Joe turned towards winter activities. Soon there would be time for some socialising and getting to know people.

It turned out that I had all the necessary skills to ensure that our first winter was amazing. I could play badminton and whist!

Joe made sure we knew when the Badminton club season started, he already talked to Lillian and George Tod so we were expected, and made very welcome. After the first game I was invited to join the team which was in the island league. What a wonderful way to get to know people, If I remember correctly, league games were held each fortnight, some home and some away. I got to meet lots of new people all around the island and enjoy many great games of badminton.

Do you play whist? Lillian asked us, we did, and for years to come we enjoyed the delights of Lillian’s fabulous home baking and delicious sandwiches. Whist drives were very important and very busy in those days. Whiting Bay Rural whist, Kildonan sheepdog trials whist. The Farmers show whist at Lagg where we queued patiently to be allocated a table, collect cards and buy the necessary raffle tickets (There was always a raffle and there still is at any event) The raffles were huge, fabulous prizes, I loved the variety at the Farmer’s whist. Things like a sack of tatties, fresh lamb, once even a new toilet seat! Lots of drink of course. Then the statutory prizes people won at one whist drive and re-donated to the next.

We soon realised they knew all about us, “ah so you are the new folk at Trareoch” was uttered when we exchanged cards. So your name is … and I tried to remember all of these new faces.

Half time would bring us all back to the original table where our wonderful hostess Lillian produced her laundry basket containing, the best linen tablecloth and matching plates, cups and saucers with a sumptuous spread. Sometimes she had one table of four but mostly she took two tables. She said her table was not up the standard of some, there were 3-tiered silver cake stands and the finest bone china on lace cloths! But I doubt any other table had better baking. Lillian and George were our first friends here, I wish I could thank them for everything they did to make us so welcome.

I can’t miss out the Burns Supper, being English I was not familiar with these. The WRI ran this in Whiting Bay Hall, the hall was filled with big tables. Again Lillian was the hostess and her laundry basket came along with everything but the food. Huge boilers were used in the kitchen to cook. The whole evening was excellent with some beautiful singing from Sheila Nicol. Being the WRI it was a dry event. Our teacups were filled from 2 bottles, the Coke bottle contained more whisky than coke. The Orange contained a large quantity of vodka. I am not sure what other tables did, but I clearly remember one lady with a rather long reply, sipped at her teacup throughout her speech and there was a definite slurr towards the end. 

There were dances too, big dances and everyone dressed up in their finest. Long dresses and Kilts or suits were the fashion. The Golf Club Dance was held in the Whiting Bay Hotel. The other big dance that first year was the Badminton dance in Kinloch. That was a new experience. We joined friends on the bus at the top of the Trareoch road. All along the south end route we collected people, at the Kildonan Hotel they got on with their drinks, at the Lagg the empty glasses were deposited there. More folk with drink got on the noisy bus here and the Kinloch received those glasses. Not a problem because something very similar happened on the return journey. There were a lot more stops though, it was probably about 3am when we finally got home. The food was a big buffet and something I think was unique to Kinloch, and always happened when the buses arrived to take us all home, was the hot soup. At the door we were all handed a cup of soup from a big urn. A great way to sober people up, well almost.

We certainly had a social life, Irene joined the WRI and Scottish Country dancing, she soon made friends too and was very pleased with the move here. The hotel needed attention in the winter, there was always plenty to do. It wasn’t long before we had yoga classes in the dining room off season. Later we began residential courses at the beginning and end of season.

The hotel needed attention in the winter, there was always plenty to do. It wasn’t long before we had yoga classes in the dining room off season. Later we began residential courses at the beginning and end of season.

There were painting and Photography courses run by Artist Sam Chadwick. Bill Greatorex a local character and grocer was a favourite model for both courses. Sam spent his summers at Sandbraes with his wife who also made jewellery, she collected semi-precious stones from Kingscross and polished them, and then used them to make rings and pendants. We had the paintings on display and for sale around the hotel and sold the jewellery. 

Margaret Finch was a yoga teacher from Yorkshire, she holidayed with us and then asked if she too could run yoga courses. These courses were a real boost to income with the season being May to September. They provided income at Easter and October.

The catering changed for these groups, there were a lot more vegetarians and special dietary requirements to cater for. They also had packed lunches each day.  As the temperature was much lower, we needed heat. The only heat at Trareoch was 2 gas supersers in the dining room and the sunlounge. The residents lounge was heated by a two bar electric fire. Bedrooms were unheated and so were the two bathrooms.

It is hard to believe that we survived with just 2 bathrooms! They served 28 guests, 47 non-resident diners, 4 or 5 students and the three of us!

Each bedroom had a handwash basin and hot and cold water. But this was nothing unusual then. No one seemed to mind.

We took a holiday at Christmas and returned to stay with my parents in Worcestershire. What stories we had tell, in just six months we had a taken on a completely different lifestyle, and made a lot of new friends.

No one asked if we would stay on Arran. 50 years later I can honestly say there is nowhere in the world I would rather be. To anyone reading this who helped make me feel welcome and a part of this wonderful community.

Thank you.

Barbara I’Anson 4th June 2024