The meat grinder of Passchendaele was just a glint in the eye of George V when, in June 1910, Terry Nestlé took a rare weekend away from the chocolating business to visit his new caravan at Craigview holiday park, Girvan.
Terry had been desparate to come up with a new product to counter the loss of market share to Swiss firm, Tobler, and their One bar. The Toblerone had nuts in it, was a funny shape and a bit johnny foreign and the British public loved it. Terry sought inspiration in his fabulously equipped Willerby Sheraton on this popular seaside site. He wasn’t able to lose himself in “Homes under the Hammer” or “Repair Shop” as telly hadn’t been invented yet so he used the time to stare at the rain hammering against his window.
Eureka
Then something wonderful happened. The rain paused briefly and a crepuscular ray of sunshine came from behind the clouds and lit up the rocky islet that is Ailsa Craig, 8 miles off the Ayrshire coast. This 99 hectare triangular lump of granite looked almost exactly like a Walnut Whip rising up out of the sea. “What a minute” thought Terry, “There’s no such thing as a walnut whip – yet!”. The rest is history, as they say.
Yes, we’ve been to Scotland again. Here Ailsa Craig (also an early, main-cropping, variety of salad tomato) as backdrop to a perfect triad of poles high on Clachan Hill at the northern, Kirkcolm end of Rhinns of Galloway. A fine pair of single-phase 11kv poles for boiling the kettle down at Port Beg. And another pole carrying phone and internet news of Stranraer FC to the same place.
With a giant Walnut Whip emerging from the sea in the distance.