Argyll Botany
One of my favourite trips is a visit to the Hayshed Gallery at Carry Farm, a 30 minute journey by car from Loch Riddon Bothy. It can easily be incorporated into a day out perhaps going on to the beach at Ostel Bay or a walk to the ruined village of Pollphail.
As you park and start walking towards the Gallery a wonderful, floral aroma swirls around you leading you across the road from the Gallery to Argyll Botany HQ.
It is a tiny, whitewashed shop absolutely stuffed with character and soul with exotic Persian carpets on the walls, upcycled sideboards and chests painted in jewel like colours.
And then there are the products – an array of enticing and totally natural creams and lotions together with other natural products like wooden soap dishes, the softest brushes for baby hair or natural sponges.
And all the time that wonderful perfume. Behind the serving desk there are trays of soaps ready for cutting often adorned with petals. What an experience!
When Fiona found herself a single mother of two nature loving wee boys she decided to up sticks from Glasgow and move to rural Argyll. With no particular plan she then had her ‘lightbulb’ moment. As a rosaceae sufferer she had always found that the ‘miracle’ creams on the market only made the rash worse. On reading the ingredients she was horrified and decided to try and change things by creating products grounded in natural ingredients. She is a firm believer in the healing power of plants.
We supply Bothy guests with her Lavender and Cedarwood Hand and Body soap which we refill to keep recycling down as much as we can. We also supply a wee bar of soap in a bag. The soap we are currently offering is Geranium, Lemon Balm and Rhubarb and gives the whole Bothy a glorious perfume. Usefully the little bag doubles as a flannel.
The product I have just ordered is the amazing sounding Aloe Vera and Carrot Suncare Butter which I hope will be kind to my skin in all this sun we are getting. Anyone who has used it just raves about it – that’s good enough for me! For more information on this product check out Fiona’s instagram page as she has just devoted a post to it.
Fiona has a website at argyllbotany.co.uk and also writes wonderful Instagram posts in her own inimitable style – you really do need to read some to make you smile!