Ballachulish Visitor Centre , The Quarry Centre — Restaurant in Scotland

I appreciate my review is bias due to our treatment, and it would seem to be against the views of the vast majority of reviewers. I write retrospectively, going back to 20/08/2021. We were a party of five family members, who all but one work within the NHS in Yorkshire. Post Covid and having served our community with love and care during the pandemic, were taking a well earned break post pandemic to enjoy the sites, sounds, smells and tastes of beautiful Scotland. On this day we called at the visitor centre en-route to Fort William. We took this moment to have a toilet break, view the centre, and have a bite before heading on. We, rather than eat in the Quarry Cafe, decided instead to get a few provisions from the nearby Co-op. As there is inviting seating at the back of the cafe, we took time to rest at one of the tables and eat our Co-op sandwiches there in this pleasant location. I have no idea who this person was cleaning about the area, but shortly after starting our snack, we were promptly informed we could not eat our own food at these tables. There was, but one other person sat nearby, so there was no rush from anyone else needing to sit down. So as to oblige we tried to finish up as quickly as we could, but then again, with a firmer and more agressive tone were told this time that, we were told we could not eat at the tables and to move, now! I wish to be forgiven if there is signage advising not to sit there, but to us it simply looked a restful picnic area, plus from memory, there is nowhere else to sit down. Annoyingly we were all rather taken aback by this pedantic, english accented, idiot, whether cleaner, manager or owner, but we considered his attitude totally unnecessary, rude and inflammatory, as we were trying to finish what we had as quickly as we could. We made no retort, but did as requested, however having spent our own hard earned money in the gift shop, on receiving this treatment to a grown, considerate, selfless family, any intelligent person would consider this employees attitude to be one of an inept fool. Obviously a person, due to his attitde, who can afford to upset potential customers, as sadly, I doubt you will be seeing our custom again. I'm sure the majority of visitors have a welcome and enjoyable break here, but on our occasion our experience was not. We are not after, nor expecting any apology, just warning vistors not to dine on your own food at these tables, or it seems you will be given a short sharp shrift. Anyhow our few days in Scotland were a wonderful time as always, and I totally enjoyed celebrating my birthday...

The tourist information booth in Ballachulish has been turned into a nice wee cafe and gift shop - a good wee place for punctuating a wee walk around the local area - namely the titular Quarry.

The old slate quarry has been disused for a good many years, but has been turned into an interesting park that gives a good amount of insight into the industrial heritage of the area. Set along the grand scenery of Loch Leven, it still impresses with it's sheer walls of stepped slate still bare and quarry pools of aquamarine. Well worth a visit itself.

The Quarry cafe sits opposite the entrance to the quarry itself, and it has a decent selection of hot drinks and urban coffee shop sandwich offerings. Staff are friendly and attentive but the pricing is a little steep for the food - £7 being an average price for a basic sandwich - especially harsh when the Co-op across the car park offers prepack sandwiches (let alone loafs and cold meat) for a fraction of the cost. The hot drinks are pretty standard - £3 for a Latte isn't "cheap" but it's not fantasy land pricing.

The gift shop part of the Quarry Cafe is well stocked with the usual fare of a handful of local artworks and trinkets against a background of the mass produced cheap "tartan shortbread" souvenirs and random stuff. The local stuff is good to see, and was pleasantly surprised to see some prints by Dave Gallagher - the Games Workshop artist - in amongst some of the stuff.

All in all, a good visiting attraction with a decent Cafe/gift shop to support - if, much like most of Lochaber, priced for visitors unfamiliar with the...

I stopped by this lovely coffee shop and was pleasantly surprised by how good everything was. I had a bowl of soup and a slice of cake, and both were absolutely delicious. The soup was homemade, full of flavor, and perfect for a chilly day—comforting and hearty without being too heavy.

The cake was the highlight though—moist, fresh, and just the right amount of sweetness. You can tell they take pride in what they serve. The atmosphere was cozy and relaxed, with friendly staff and a nice selection of treats and hot drinks.

It’s the kind of place you’ll want to come back to—simple, welcoming, and genuinely good food. After my coffee and cake, I wandered into the attached gift shop and was pleasantly surprised. It had a great selection of locally made items, from candles and crafts to postcards and souvenirs. A perfect place to pick up something unique.

Overall, a charming spot to grab a bite and browse—it’s well worth a visit if you’re...