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Welcome to new Scottish Food Guide member the Wee Crook Café and Bistro in the heart of Tweedsmuir where they serve delicious lunches and tempting home bakes. The ‘horsebox’ in the garden provides a speedy takeaway option for those who wish to grab’n’go. We prefer to ‘sit-in’n’tarry,’ admiring the local ceramics and artwork on display and the pretty, spacious and airy interior. Lovely lunches are served until 3pm however scrumptious cakes with excellent teas and coffees are available until closing.
Generally open Wednesday – Sundays 10am-4pm however do check their Facebook page for seasonal changes.
The surrounding countryside is dramatic and beautiful with soaring hills and the River Tweed cutting through the valley. It is situated on the A701 and coming from the south, it’s 25minutes drive from Moffat, over the Devil’s Beef Tub, where the views are stunning. A mere 30miles south of Edinburgh, it is the perfect drive for lunch and walks, avoiding busy roads and enjoying the rural countryside. It is also very popular with cyclists. For the time being the café and gardens are the attraction but there is a newly built bunkhouse offering accommodation due to open in spring. These borderlands are sadly too often overlooked by tourists who are missing out on memorable landscape, history and great food – so be sure you don’t!
There has been an inn on this spot for over 400 years and by the 18th Century, it was a regular staging post for travellers. When under threat from new owners proposing housing developments for the site, funds were secured for community ownership, forming the Tweedsmuir Community Company, allowing local heritage, rural life and employment to continue. There is also a hotel of architectural significance on the site, from days gone by when touring holidays were very different from nowadays – that will be a future project for the community… one day. Read more about the fascinating history of The Crook and the surrounding countryside HERE
