Straiton
Straiton is a village on the River Girvan in South Ayrshire in Scotland, mainly built in the 18th century, but with some recent housing. It is often overlooked due to the larger and similarly named village outside Edinburgh.
It was the main location for the film The Match, where two rival pubs played an annual football match as a challenge. However, since the village has only one pub, a house was used as a pub for filming.
It lies in the hills between Kirkmichael, Dalmellington, Crosshill, and Maybole.
The main, indeed only, pub in Straiton is "The Black Bull", where mild mannered Kenny Gibson is the landlord. "The Black Bull" serves a great meal, cooked with loving care by Kenny's own fair hand. Other notable points in Straiton are "The Buck" tearoom, where you can get Dorothy's famous carrot cake, "Straiton Stores", Blairquhan Castle, which opens to visitors in spring and summer, (was a location for the filming of "The Queen" starring Helen Mirren, and channel 4's unique "beauty & the geek") and of course the Monument, which overlooks the village.
Since Jan 2009, "Straiton Stores", the village shop has been run by village volunteers who have set up the "Straiton Village Co-operative". It's a great wee shop with a big welcome which tries to get as produce as possible locally. Try Mary's Marvellous Munchables and Straiton Village Tablet.