I have to confess we went up to the Momore Lodge Hotel one Saturay morning in July out of curiosity, expecting it now to be fully closed and curious to see the outside once again. The road sign, however, stated that it was open, so we decided to go in for morning coffee, in the hope that someone somewhere might have decided to save this place.

First thing you note, as you arrive outside, is that the building is going downhill fast. It looks not too far away from the sort of deterioration that renders a building derlict, and it is not even saved by the famous views. The greenery is fast encroaching, and even inside from an elevated downstairs window, you cannot see over the Rhodies and other plantlife gone wild.

Once inside, it was a bit like the Marie Celeste with added smell, and it's good thing we were of honest intent, because it took a long long time and a lot of 'helloooo'ing, before a chap appeared. To be fair, I don't think he was expecting customers, his appearance suggesting he had possibly been busy working outside or in the garden or such like, and he wasn't welcoming. He responded to our request for coffee/tea by supposing he could put us in the 'dining room', doing so, then disappearing for quite a while. In the dining room the smell, which out in 'recepion area' had been a mere annoyance, was seriously disturbing. In a way, it was a good thing that the coffee _ when it eventually came _ was undrinkable, because the smell was having an alarmingly detrimental effect on my swallowing reflex. The dining room was dark and seriously dirty. Their were mouldy food crumbs about (who had been eating!) and surfaces didn't bear touching, but the worst of it all was that smell! The tea and coffee,cheap instant and poorly made, arrived on a dirty crumby tray and thiere was a dirty mark on the edge of one of the three cups.

We didn't see a lot of the inside of the building, but everythin we saw was remarkably dirty. We decided not to complain _ the whole experience was far too sureal _ so we rather quickly decided to leave, paid our £4 (for two cups of nasty instant and one tea), and left.

Having now had time to reflect I still do not understand why it was so bad. The place is clearly very 'poor' and run-down, and I have heard that the property is owned by Alcan (or the like) and the hotel run by a leasee (does anyone have any more info?) but none of that would explain why the place is quite so filthy, and why there is no effort being given to customer welcome, service and satisfaction. Both service and cleanliness could be improved very very cheaply.

Perhaps the chap just wants to be left alone? If that is the case, he should close. In staying open and serving customers with consumables, he is bound by laws pertaining to standards, and one day someone will demand that those laws are upheld.

Awful. Could be wonderful. Does anyone know the story?