Millport Breaks

22/02/2025

Today Miss Millport and I went down for a little day trip to bring back the last of the things out of Rose Cottage. One thing I definitely wanted was the bench , which Mr Millport Breaks put together with a lot of difficulty about eight years ago, when it graced Cosy Corner garden. None of the holes matched up and there was a *lot* of patient sighing and hitting things with a big mallet.
I said to Miss Millport, we can carry it round to Beside the Bay, and it'll be a lovely bench to sit on in the garden!
The bench was a lot heavier than I remembered. We set off along the road, stopping many times to discuss how best to carry it. Miss Millport declared herself tired and she had a little sit on it. Momentarily we considered leaving it outside the The Newton Bar for drinkers to sit on.
However we plodded on and eventually got it into Beside the Bay garden, and I shall give it a coat of garden paint when the weather warms up.
It'll be perfect to sit on with a coffee, don't you think?

17/02/2025

I enjoyed three nights in Beside the Bay this weekend.
Leaving the admirable Susan in charge of feeding the cats( Twigz, Dickie and Pip) I packed as many warm clothes as I could fit in my backpack and got the train.
The first thing I noticed was an irritating cheeping noise, which turned out to be the back up battery in the smoke alarm. Gordon Lundie( Kari Welsh , tell him thank you! ) the electrician came to my rescue, like a knight in shining. er .... blue overalls🤔 and replaced it for me , which rather got me thinking about how many tradespeople and shops have helped me out over the years , tirelessly dropping whatever they were doing to come to my aid! What would I do without them?
Next disaster was a leaking water heater. Kindly, Gordon was able to recommend someone for this as well( the man's like a directory of tradesmen) and a quick trip for this chap( Eammon) to Ardrossan Screwfix, and I'm up and running again.
In between all of this, I had several sociable evenings, washed the windows, read the meter, painted the back of the fireplace, black leaded the stove, and replaced the shower sealant.
I also had lots of Garrison House Café food, which again is the backbone of the island for me, dispensing hot coffee, lentil soup and rolls and sausage as required..
I'm home now, the cats have forgiven me for leaving but are all hanging around suspiciously in case I try that trick again.

04/02/2025

Two on a Tuesday!
I've been very remiss with this page. January seemed to hurtle past me as I slumped on the couch checking endlessly through my remaining chocolate stash for any caramel dairy milk sweeties.
As one does.
Anyway. Here we are, February already, nights are already getting lighter, and my thoughts are now turning away from chocolate ( get thee behind me, Fudge Finger!!)
and onto summer, and walks, and the beach, and not wearing six layers and still shivering....
So today I thought I'd go for favourite walks.
Two of my very favourite on the island are quite different both in length and how challenging they are.
Walk one: Farland Point.
Turn left as you stand outside Beside the Bay, and walk back towards the ferry terminal on the main road. As you pass the lovely Victorian villas at Kames Bay, many of which were built as summer residences for wealthy Glasgow merchants, you'll see a little gate to your right and you can follow this path which hugs the coastline, till you arrive back on the main road- about 45 minutes walk altogether. This path became very overgrown last year but I understand it's much more accessible again.
Walk two!: The Glaidstone. This is much steeper in parts and takes me well over an hour, but the views are truly spectacular, especially on a clear summer's morning.
Turn left outside the flat , walk to Ferry Road, and continue up the hill, for about 1.5km, past all the farms, with their wee spring lambs bouncing about, and then take the minor road to the right marked" Millport via Glaidstone hill".
It's a bit of a steep climb in parts but a very good road. Come down the other side and you end up in College Street, past the Cathedral, and then it's just a short stagger to a cafe! You deserve it- have a scone with your coffee.

25/01/2025

Anybody who needs to know this, take note!♥️

22/01/2025

Rose Cottage is officially on the market now- feel free to share! The home report can be obtained from Duff's Estate Agent. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/157166330?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard #/&channel=RES_BUY

12/01/2025

Oh no!! Can we ever replace this delicacy from the Ritz?
Mind you, the snowball ice and the marshmallow ice seem safe.....🤯 https://news.stv.tv/scotland/end-of-the-nougat-last-manufacturer-of-iconic-ice-cream-delicacy-ceases-production?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3Qr5n3qaG8Gpdbh0GwCtgMWBu_SmodzfOfWnGiAvMAirT_CItXKlB0aUs_aem_krmZIwlh3eVet2dBLS6x_A

The last remaining supplier of the nougat and the beloved oyster wafer in Scotland has stopped making them.

11/01/2025

My very final guests in Rose Cottage arrived this morning, and were greeted by this little robin waiting for them on the bird feeder.
Maybe it's fanciful, but I reckon it's Mr Millport Breaks, checking all is well before the cottage is sold, and saying goodbye to regular guests. ♥️

04/01/2025

I had a lovely overnight stay in Beside the Bay. The weather was dry and cold and on my way from Rose Cottage, where I'd been doing a few little odd jobs, I stopped for several minutes to watch the sun go down. The sky changed every few minutes as I slowly walked along the nice new path from Crocodile Rock to Kames Bay. Then I went out to the The Newton Bar for a couple of drinks and a meal, which was as good as ever.
Then back to Beside the Bay for a wee toasty of my feet by the wood burner.
Pretty much a perfect day!

27/12/2024

We're at that peculiar time of year aren't we.
Nobody knows what day it is, we are regretting our life choices as we survey the empty chocolate boxes, we haven't got out of our pyjamas for twenty four hours, and there are peanuts in our cleavage.
It's grey.
We have no money....
You know what you need though, don't you?
Something to look forward to in summer time, on the best island in the world bar none!
A wee break in Millport won't break the bank, and a low £50 deposit secures your dates.
May & June are pretty booked up, but there's still some July and August dates available, or come a little earlier in April!
Message me for exact availability as I haven't got the calendar on my website updated yet( sorry. Too busy stuffing my face with Quality street.)
Thanks to Eric Marshall for this super photo, which I feel just sums up the special quality Millport has !
07757216105
http://millportbreaks.promotemyplace.com
[email protected]

21/12/2024

Tis the shortest day of the year, or Winter Soltice!
I always feel a bit better as the year turns back towards the light- slowly, to be sure, but imperceptibly the days will draw out.
Before you know it , spring will have sprung and it'll be time to think about a short break in Beside the Bay, perhaps!
🙂

09/12/2024

Goodness I've had a little flurry of 2025 bookings for next year, for my one remaining property, at 8A Kelburn street, Beside the Bay!
This pretty and compact apartment sleeps two people as a couple , and looks out over Kames Bay.
There's no May availability, and June only has a little gap between 12th and 18th .
July has decent availability, but tends to be a first choice for many, so I'd advise getting in there quickly!
A low £50 deposit secures your dates.
Three night minimum except for July and the first two weeks in August, when I have a minimum stay of four nights.
[email protected]
07757 216105
http://millportbreaks.promotemyplace.com

02/12/2024

Well we're into December now so let's go full on winter wonderland......
Or perhaps a gentle slide into the festive season , with this photo from early December some years ago, and a little special offer if you book before December 31st .:
January and February has excellent availability in Beside the Bay, with it's cosy log burner and sea view !
Two weekends nights £150
Two weekday nights £125 throughout these two months.
[email protected]
http://millportbreaks.promotemyplace.com

18/11/2024

Cumbrae community, help us raise £1,000 to light up Millport and restore The Garrison Christmas Lights Display!

10/11/2024

All good things must come to an end.
And so it is with my ownership of little Rose Cottage, which will be going on the market early next year.
From our first viewing in early 2014, when Mr Millport Breaks pronounced it " dank and unappealing" and suggested it should be renamed Mushroom Cottage due to the fungal growth in every corner, to purchasing it in July of the same year, 😄 it sort of grew on us.
A bit like mushrooms actually....
We spent the winter getting it stripped, tanked and insulated. We pulled the ivy from the gutters and repaired some very dodgy stonework.
Finally it was ready to welcome visitors in April 2015, and they, like us, have been charmed by it's quiet location, little garden and the fun of feeding the many birds.
But now ...I need to simplify life. You're only really a caretaker for an old building like Rose Cottage. Now it's time to pass the reins onto someone else. And I hope that the new owners, whoever they are, enjoy looking after it as much as we did.