Spey Bank Studio – Art, Pottery and Afternoon Tea
A few hours.
The route
Spey Bank Studio fills a former bank on the Square in Grantown-on-Spey with paintings, prints and pottery, much of it by the Cairngorms artist Angus Grant, who runs it with his partner, Jane Candlish.
The Boat Country Inn in Boat of Garten, a short drive up the Spey, serves an afternoon tea of sandwiches, scones and cakes.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Park Cottage in Kincraig, 9 miles away. Sleeps 6; next free Fri 23 Oct to Sun 25 Oct.
Book afternoon tea at the Boat Country Inn at least 48 hours ahead, on 01479 831 258 or through the contact form on its website, for about 2.15pm on a Tuesday to Saturday after the gallery: £17.95 a person at the time of writing, or £24.95 with a glass of Prosecco.
The day
Grantown-on-Spey
An afternoon among paintings and pots in Grantown, then tea and scones in Boat of Garten, up the Spey.
About two and a half hours
Spey Bank Studio
An attraction
There is free parking on Grantown's High Street. Spey Bank Studio is at 1 The Square, in a former bank. The gallery shows work by Scottish artists, many from the Cairngorms, and its resident artist, Angus Grant, paints and prints the lochs and hills round about, from Loch Morlich to Ryvoan Bothy. There are pottery mugs glazed in deep blues and greens from its own workshop, and cards and prints to take home. It's open Tuesday to Saturday until 5pm and shut on Sundays and Mondays, and three quarters of an hour is about right.
17 min by car
The Boat Country Inn
Afternoon tea
Drive 17 minutes south-west to the Boat Country Inn in Boat of Garten, beside the village's steam railway station. Afternoon tea is sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and cakes, with tea or coffee, for £17.95 a person at the time of writing, or £24.95 with Prosecco. Book at least 48 hours ahead, on 01479 831 258. Dogs are welcome in the bar and lounge. If you can't book in time, the Grant Arms in Grantown serves afternoon tea daily from 2.30pm.
If it rains
The gallery and the tea are both indoors: rain only means a quick dash from the car.
Where to stay