Skipness Seafood Cabin
For lunch with a difference you must try the Skipness Seafood Cabin. This fabulous gem is listed as one of Scotland’s 10 best seafood shacks. Not only is the food utterly fantastic but the scenery and views from the outside picnic tables are worth the visit alone. You look south over the Kilbrannan Sound to the craggy north end of Arran and the village of Lochranza. There is always traffic on this stretch of water from the CalMac ferry which runs between Claonaig (not far from Skipness) and Lochranza to yachts looking to anchor nearby to enjoy a Skipness Seafood Cabin lunch.
The Seafood Cabin Garden looking towards the Arran Alps
The easiest way to access the Cabin is indeed by boat but if this option isn’t available it makes part of a great day out. From Loch Riddon Bothy you head over to Portavadie to take the car ferry to Tarbert and then drive half and hour or so south down the Mull of Kintyre. Skipness is a little village on a no through road. It is accessed from the road which runs down the east side of the Mull giving fabulous views of mountains of Arran.
Ferry arriving at Portavadie ready to sail back to Tarbert
Following the road through Skipness the tarmac eventually gives way to a track accessing both the Seafood Cabin and the castle.
Skipness Seafood Cabin
The cabin has been operating in some form or another since 1988. It began life in a trailer next to the castle to provide tea, coffee and crab rolls.
In 1990 it moved down the hill to its present location. Over the years that followed, the reputation of the cabin grew and grew, with it becoming an annual fixture for many visitors to the area.
This growth in popularity, combined with the increasing antiquity of the caravan, meant it was necessary to construct a new cabin in 2008. The new building is in fact an old trailer, albeit disguised under the woodwork. The addition of an awning allowed for some shelter on those rare occasions when the weather is less than clement. Last year a larger, more permanent indoor area was built so the odd torrential downpour is now not such a disaster!
The Seafood Platter for two
Fish is best served fresh. So all the key menu items are sourced from local suppliers. This is also in line with their ambition to support sustainable marine harvest.
Langoustine - creel caught (rather than trawled) in the Kilbranan Sound
Salmon - prepared and smoked by the Skipness Smokehouse
Oysters and Scallops - Loch Fyne Seafarms
Kippers - smoked in Tarbert, Loch Fyne
Mussels - sourced through an independent fishmonger in Tarbert. All mussels are harvested on the West Coast of Scotland
Moules Marinières
The Cabin is always closed on a Saturday and shuts for the winter at the end of September.