The Kilted Baker is nestled in the quaint village of Kirkmichael, and is a charming surprise I stumbled upon via a Facebook Reel. Yea, I actually watch those.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve visited this area quite often; such as starting the Cateran Trail from the carpark here! But still, this cozy home-grown spot was a nice discovery. Located about 15 miles from Blairgowrie to the southeast or the same from Pitlochry to the west, it offers a rustic, do-it-yourself vibe with a variety of cakes, cookies, tea and coffee.
Payment is based on a modern honesty box system, accepting cash or card. The selection is impressive, featuring classics like Empire Biscuits and flapjacks, alongside cold drinks and Scottish-themed souvenirs like horns and kilted decorations! The setup is simple yet inviting, with a table and a few seats outside—perfect for sitting down before returning to where you came from.
Next door is Beechtree Cottage, a familiar spot from years past, and the area offers easy access to the Glenshee Ski Centre if you take a left just past the bakery. You can also explore the adjacent gardens, where you might meet a friendly dog who escaped his paddock in search of cake during our day there. Run by a man named Paul Bradford, who holds level one and two food hygiene certificates and a recent approval from Scotland’s Food Standards Agency (March 2025), it feels authentic and welcoming.
It’s one of the few remaining establishments in Kirkmichael, a village that feels like it’s fading due to the rise of Airbnbs and limited housing for locals; though I could be wrong. When I was here a few years ago, I was told by a local to look at the flats on the High Street here and guess how many were NOT Airbnbs; the answer was only one! I hope the situation is better now, and be sure to leave a review on Google, TripAdvisor, or Facebook—the owners will appreciate it.
One of the most memorable activities we did at our recent stay in Mallorca, was a cooking course, which got me thinking about the concept of “active tourism.”
Years ago, I watched a BBC travel show featuring a 25- to 30-year-old American exploring this idea. He was in a small Spanish village, diving into a river to inspect a stone bridge in need of renovation, actively engaging with the presenter and the task at hand. He got his hands dirty inspecting a dilapidated stone bridge; I laughed and wondered, did he really need to do that?
It was fascinating and also slightly embarrassing. He was just SO enthusiastic, acting as an amateur archaeologist / stone mason!
This concept of active tourism stuck with me; and to be honest, I’m not even sure if that’s the correct word(s) to use?
So last month, when my other half and I visited Mallorca, someone recommended a cooking course, inspired by a similar experience they’d had. We decided to give it a try and booked a course in downtown Palma, near some historic windmills (no longer in use).
It cost about £80, and it was well worth it. I expected we’d be the only ones there, but the course was fully booked! Our group of 10 to 12 shared one room, while another group of 12 was in a separate room. They ran the course twice a day, so around 40 people were learning authentic Mallorcan, Catalan, and Spanish cuisine daily. The expert chef leading the course had trained in London and was excellent.
There was even a “free bar” with wine, beer, and soft drinks—though I stuck to a beer and a couple of Diet Cokes. We prepared a five-course meal, including paella (with expert tips), Crema Catalana (similar to Crème Brûlée), a stock, and padrón peppers (the mild green ones, lightly salted and pan-fried). The ingredients were fresh, and the process felt surprisingly simple, though it clearly required skill.
The experience was engaging and hands-on, making it a highlight of the trip. We shared the course with a diverse group—Americans, Germans, and plenty of Brits. It was such a rewarding experience that I’d love to do it again, whether in Spain or another destination. Active tourism (or whatever it’s called), like this cooking course, seems to offer a unique way to connect with a place and its culture.
What ever you think about sports in general, I still find it exhilarating to watch them live. Even sports that I may not care a huge amount about, for example football, baseball, rugby, etc.
In this case, it’s professional tennis which I am actually a big fan of. The ATP tournament in Mallorca, Spain has been around only a few years, but is one of those smaller tournaments on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) tour. In this case it’s a 250 (points)* event.
So it’s small, but this can yield many advantages besides the price; it’s normally easier to find tickets, easier to find somewhere to stay and in my opinion, it’s friendlier.
This year was no different, and as the last grass court warmup before Wimbledon, it’s always so interesting to see just who shows up. Only in 2021, Novak Djokovic himself was here to play the doubles, as the Russian Daniil Medvedev was the winner. Equally last year and this, the young and highly rated American, Ben Shelton, was here. He later made the Wimbledon quarter-finals, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
The point being, is there are some “stars” here, but that would miss the point. The tournament still has world class tennis, nice food and at 20 Euros a ticket for the entire day, is far cheaper than Wimbledon!
What a view (above)
Conceivably, it could be cheaper to come here to watch the grass court tennis, than going to London, to watch the tennis at Wimbledon, particularly if you take into account travel, hotels and food in London.
I’ll be back.
CB
*Tournaments in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) range from 250 points, to 500 points; with the Master tournaments being worth 1,000 points. The major tournaments (Wimbledon, etc) are worth 2,000 points to the winners.
Once again, we’re off to Mallorca. This vlog will likely be split into three parts. The first part covers the general activities we enjoyed—cafés, restaurants, hikes, and running.
Palma – Cafe Breakfast
Palma – Market – Superb!
Palma – More of the Market
Palma – Cheese at the Market
Palma – Bevvy!
Palma – Fruit & Veg
Palma – Meat
Palma – Street Sign
Palma – Cartoon
The second part focuses on why we actually went: to attend a tennis tournament, part of the ATP Tour. It’s a small ATP 250 event, the final grass-court tournament before Wimbledon.
The third part is about what I believe is called Active Tourism. We took part in a cooking course focused on Mallorcan and Spanish cuisine, which was fascinating.
Palma cafe for Breakfast
Palma Breakfast
Balcony at our hotel Breakfast
More of our buffet Breakfast
An ice cream Sunday in the 35 degree heat
Port Adriano morning Shandy
Late night Santa Ponsa pint
Vermut by the Bay – Beautiful
As usual, we did the typical things: visited restaurants and cafés, strolled around, and ate plenty of ice cream. Temperatures reached 37°C, but with humidity often at just 20–25%, it wasn’t too unbearable. Santa Ponsa is lovely—very calm and welcoming – and has a plethora of German and Spanish tourists.
Santa Ponsa beach Views
On the Santa Ponsa beach
Santa Ponsa at Night
Santa Ponsa on St John’s Night
Some areas are predominantly German-speaking, with fewer British tourists, which is nice. You can get by with Spanish, German, or English. Most locals are trilingual or even quadrilingual, as many also speak Catalan.
Port Adriano – Beach
Port Adriano – Directions
Port Adriano – Harbour
Port Adriano – Cafe’s
Port Adriano – Dry Dock
Port Adriano – Yacht
Port Adriano – Smaller Yacht!
Port Adriano – Eco Photo
One day, for some reason, we decided to jog 25 minutes to the neighbouring village, Port Adriano. It’s not a huge port, but it feels fairly new, with massive yachts docked there. However, it’s still too small for the truly mammoth yachts—you can practically smell the wealth! Interestingly, breakfast there cost about €11, while in Santa Ponsa, it was €12–15.
Without an influx of tourists, prices felt like standard Spanish rates, which was refreshing. We didn’t rent a car this time and relied entirely on public transport. We took a bus from the airport to Palma, then another to Santa Ponsa—a direct 65-minute ride that’s both convenient and affordable.
Speaking about tourists and Mallorca, please see here. Where it seems that another problem that Mallorcans face, has little to do with tourism. Once again, it’s a problem that many urban areas face, when far wealthier foreigners, put the local housing stock out of reach for the local, historical population. It’s also something that I’ve noticed, in the last 3 years, since I’ve been visiting this island regularly.
Peguera – Cheap Clothes
Peguera – Market
Peguera – Lidl!
Peguera – German Newspapers
Peguera – More of the Market
Peguera – !!!
Peguera – Lunch
Peguera – Lunch Cafe
One day, we took a bus to the nearby village of Peguera to visit its Tuesday market. It’s massive, stretching about a mile, with all the usual touristy offerings you’d expect in Spain—beach, shops, and so on. Peguera is nicknamed “Little Germany” because many locals and visitors speak German, which made communication easy.
Besides that, we did plenty of walking. Santa Ponsa, as always, was peaceful and felt to have more Spanish than tourists. There’s even a Scottish pub called The Jagged Thistle, which felt very unthreatening and added to the charm.
Alternative AI Title – E-Bike Delight: 120km of Scottish Sights with a Tent by Night!
And you think that one was bad, look at these:
“Zoom to the Moon: E-Biking Pitlochry to Aviemore with a Camping Swoon”
“Cycle and Snuggle: A 120km E-Bike Journey with a Tent Tuggle”
“Wheeling Through Reeling: Pitlochry to Aviemore’s 2-Day E-Bike Feeling”
“E-Bike Blitz: 120km of Scottish Spritz with a Camping Twist”
As for the tour: Another bike tour, but this time with e-bikes—what a game-changer! We covered roughly 110–120 kilometers over two days, riding from Pitlochry to a campsite just north of Dalwhinnie, where we pitched our tent, before continuing to the bustling village of Aviemore. I’ve never been a huge fan of Aviemore, to be honest, and we were mostly there to catch the train back to Pitlochry.
This was our first time using e-bikes, and I recently bought a secondhand one—hope that’s not an oxymoron! It needed a few repairs, and I quickly learned it doesn’t have a kickstand, which can be a hassle. I usually stick to power assist levels one or two out of five, occasionally three. The bike’s pretty heavy, and like most e-bike newbies, I thought I could overload it.
Spoiler: I did, and it’s damn heavy when you’re pushing it without power.
We rode about 75 kilometers on day one, sticking to Sustrans National Cycle Route 7, a long-distance path stretching from Sunderland, England, to Inverness, Scotland.
We were on the upper half, north of Perth, where the route is well-marked but varies wildly. Sometimes you’re dodging traffic; other times, you’re blissfully alone. After Perth, there aren’t many cars or cyclists, which is great, but it makes planning crucial—especially for food.
Case in point: we cycled into Dalwhinnie, a tiny village, around 6 p.m., starving. The one café? Closed. The hotel restaurant? Closed. The village shop and petrol station? Also closed. Lesson learned: plan your meals! Luckily, we had sandwiches to tide us over.
We made it to the campsite near Etteridge with 10 minutes to spare before it closed. About 15–20 minutes away, there’s the Ralia Café, a quirky old-school stop that’s part tourist point, part café. Their breakfast the next morning was fantastic, getting us ready for the final 40–50 kilometers to Aviemore.
E-bikes make you think you can carry the world, but our loaded tents and gear got difficult’ish, especially in the last half hour when I was pedalling without power. Another hiccup: the campsite charged £33 for two people, including electricity, but the plugs were incompatible with standard household chargers. By some miracle, a fellow camper overheard us panicking and lent us an adapter. By morning, our bikes were fully charged, and the campsite’s showers? Absolutely superb.
Day two’s 40–50 kilometers felt easier, especially with a full stomach from Ralia Café, about 5 kilometers north of the campsite. We passed through charming Newtonmore and Kingussie, where there are plenty of cafés and facilities if you need them.
We also stopped at a heritage museum, which was a highlight. It showcased a Highland village from 300–400 years ago, with recreated buildings and some from a century ago that were used until about 50 years back. It was fascinating, free, and we happily donated £10 each.
Aviemore / Rothiemurchus
From there, it was about 20 kilometres to Aviemore, entering from the south via Rothiemurchus, a lively spot. With temperatures hitting 24–25°C, the town was buzzing. We caught the train back to Pitlochry, arriving late afternoon. But here’s point number three: ScotRail was a disaster.
No room at the Inn (for bikes)
Despite booking bike spaces, there was no way to fit our bikes in the designated area. The conductor couldn’t care less, so we stood for the 55-minute ride back to Pitlochry, never reaching our seats.
It’s interesting because I have been to Edinburgh countless times in my life, normally as a day trip, but this time my partner had to attend a conference, so I went along, especially since it coincided with the Edinburgh Festival, the largest arts festival in the world.
It’s different because normally when I go to the festival, I just visit for the day and then come back. However, this is the second time in two years that I chose to stay overnight. The previous time, the prices were simply outrageous—nearly £300 for one night at a tiny hotel room the size of a broom cupboard. It’s disgraceful and explains why certain people are no longer attending the festival.
At the same time, I can understand why some of the hotels wish to make as much as possible; and many people are more than willing to pay it. In addition, it’s not just me who thinks this must be a problem, but for the performers, it must be nearly impossible to find affordable accommodation for their one, two, or even three-week runs.
Naturally, we decided to stay as cheaply as possible, and for some reason, our Travelodge was located in the West End, just out of the more expensive parts of Edinburgh, yet it was still a spectacular area to visit.
You only need to take a walk anywhere in Edinburgh, particularly in the town centre, to see the magnificent Victorian architecture. In this case, avoiding like the plaque anywhere near to the tourist areas. But even here in the West End of Edinburgh the buildings are spectacular.
The architecture is quite different from that of Glasgow, as it tends to be almost entirely white sandstone, as opposed to the red stone that we have in various parts of Glasgow, albeit, with plenty of white sandstone as well.
Naturally, on my first night there, we decided to go to the Edinburgh Festival, in this case to see a magician, Tim Licata. He was just fine, and of an Italian-American heritage. It also was not too crowded as well. Not sure why, though the show inside was close to a sell-out.
On the way back our walk we went through this area in the West End, that showed us a wee gem of a wine bar, Le Di-Van.
What a beauty! One could hardly believe being here, that I wasn’t on the continent or in France itself.
And it’s definitely one that I’ll be frequenting the next time I’m in Edinburgh.
As a follow up to my post of February 1 of this year, it is now quite well known that Venice has indeed brought in a tourist fee for a day trip to the beloved city.
But, what the press has been quite low key about, is a variety of other regions and cities are essentially doing the same thing.
These are presently ranging from Spain to Hawaii, and various places in between.
As always, there is a decision taken (this case Venice) and then, there are the followers.
It’s happening all over Spain at present. I mention Spain, because of the sheer numbers who do go there from the UK. In fact, I’ll be going to Mallorca in June, in order to watch the Mallorca Open grass court tennis tournament.
As someone who travels quite a lot, with my next trip to Porto or Northern Ireland to see a brother(s) of mine, next week, I can well understand both the concerns of the tourist, as well as the people who live in these tourist areas.
At present I’ve a holiday home in a picturesque area of Scotland, that as of last week, has started to become inundated with tourists. Though many in the local community, as the town is small, rely on them for certain portions of the year for their income (or at least a part of it).
I put up with them, and they are really not that bad! OTOH, at times the traffic is outrageous. This makes me furious, as I’ve always wondered why people who want to “get away from it all“, are at the same time driving through the village as if it’s a friggin motorway!
In addition, as this is not our main residence, as of this year we’ve now been hit with a double council tax from the local Council.
Is this really a solution? I’m still not sure, as we will not only pay it, but at the same time will have no intention of all of a sudden, selling it to a “local”. I say local, as we’re there for about 7 – 10 days a month, and consider ourselves to be “locals”. And besides, just what does the local Council do with this new found money? I seriously doubt that they’ve set up a special trust fund with it, in order to assist locals in find accommodation!
Alternatively, I can certainly understand when certain local people can not find a flat either for sell, or to rent for the long term.
An obvious solution comes from countries who have already experienced something like this. Germany is one that comes to mind, and one where I have first-hand experience of.
There, it has always been the case for many of the states to have a cap / limit, on the number of Ferienwohnungen (holiday houses) that a specific area is allowed to have.
This seems like common sense, and it also does not punish someone like myself, who has bought a second property, and then later, is expected to be taxed double for it.
Koh Lanta is an interesting island. At one stage, it feels completely tribal and third world, but on the other stage, it is incredibly friendly, with a myriad of restaurants catering to a variety of tourists.
In my previous post, I mentioned that we got there via an ultra fast, speed boat. Next time, I will opt for the slower boat, allowing me to relax, have a beer, and enjoy lunch without having to deal with anyone who might feel nauseous and puke all over the ship! This boat was meant to be 1.5 hours, but both journeys averaged at about 2+ hours; not good enough.
Upon arriving at the port, we were informed that we had to contribute 1 or 2 pounds in the local currency as a tourist tax. While this didn’t bother me much, it would have been nice to have known this in advance.
This highlights another issue I have with such places – the lack of communication between private and public entities. You would’ve thought that when we boarded the boat in Phuket, someone (the tour operator, the port?) would have said something? They didn’t.
After disembarking, we hired a very cheap tuk-tuk taxi to take us to our hotel. The ride was only 10 minutes long, and the operator took pride in providing a safe journey and helping us with our baggage.
Once we reached our room, we headed straight to the beach. It was interesting to find that there was literally no one there, which we later realized was due to the intense heat and humidity; it was about 35 with stifling humidity.
Regarding restaurants, there was a huge variety within a 10 to 20-minute walk along the wide beach. We explored different types of cuisine, including Thai and British food. One night, we even enjoyed a fire breather show, which was complimentary with our meal, though we made sure to tip him for his performance.
It’s interesting being in Ko Lanta. I’ve never been here before, but after an easy taxi ride of about 45 minutes from Phuket, which I think was only a tenner, we arrived at the port fully equipped to board the high-speed boat to Ko Lanta.
I’m not really one for high-speed boats; never have been, never will be. Although I don’t mind cruising on slower boats. In this case, the trip was advertised to take an hour and a half to two hours, but the combined time for both trips there and back was pushing five hours—it was very slow and naturally, very rough.
The journey there, of course, involved one or two people being sick like crazy, and naturally the crew didn’t have the common courtesy to clean it up. It was actually two Scottish girls on the boat who decided to this; what troopers!
Rassada Pier
The port, Rassada Pier, was actually like going to an airport (above). There was an orderly queueing system and a it was similar to boarding a plane. In addition, there was a variety of mini-cafes / food bars where again, the food was delicious.
Khlong Dao Beach
After the aforementioned trip, we arrived at (after also stopping at the Phi Phi islands) Ko Lanta, and immediately had to fork over about 5 pounds as a local tax? Don’t know what it was for or why, though it wasn’t that much money and we gladly paid for both this and a similar priced tuk tuk to arrive at our destination at Khlong Dao beach.
Yes, folks, I’m currently smack dab in the middle of a whirlwind 3 1/2-week adventure across Asia, with stops in Singapore, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, and even some islands off the coast whose names I can’t quite remember—oh, the joys of travel! First the Singapore airport:
With tea shops, coffee shops and designer good shops everywhere. You then realize just how modern / rich that this place actually is. And they were even selling Aberfeldy single malt.
It’s been quite the journey so far, and while I’ve got a ton of experience to share, let me bring you up to speed with the highlights of my trip thus far. First things first, let’s talk about Thailand.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about traveling to Thailand, it’s that the mainland and the islands offer two entirely different experiences. Our first stop was in Phuket, affectionately dubbed “Fuckit” by some (I’ll let you guess why). Surprisingly, despite its reputation, I found myself falling in love with the place. We managed to steer clear of the rowdy, party-centric areas and stumbled upon a more tranquil, family-oriented side of Phuket.
Our accommodation, priced at a reasonable £90.00 per night, was a stone’s throw away from a serene pool and just a short walk from the pristine beaches; and also offered gigantic breakfasts. Dining options were aplenty, with restaurants offering delectable dishes at a fraction of the cost back home. I mean, who knew chicken could taste so divine when paired with cashew nuts and black beans? Equally, the fish, presumably from the night before, was highly fresh and was easily inspected in ice, in front of each restaurant.
What struck me the most about Phuket was the laid-back vibe and the warmth of the locals. It’s no wonder that so many travellers find themselves drawn back to this idyllic paradise. From the moment we touched down in Singapore, after a slight delay, to the swift taxi ride to our hotel, which set us back a mere tenner, the ease of travel in this region has truly impressed me.
Stay tuned for more updates from my Asian escapade as I delve deeper into the vibrant cultures and breath-taking landscapes of this captivating continent. Until then, stay adventurous!
CB
PS – This review, which I think is cheesy, was actually prompted by me, via ChatGPT Not again!
Curious Bystander 