Broadford Co-op

Excitement doesn't happen all that often on Skye. Spotting a pot-hole repair team at work is the number one top highlight, but second to that is the re-opening of Skye's busiest (and only 24-hour) petrol station following a total re-build. The work has been completed in an incredibly short space of time, minimising the inevitable disruption to local people, businesses, and even the emergency services.

This smart fresh petrol station is in Broadford, adjacent to what may be the ugliest supermarket in Scotland in one of the most scenic locations. The supermarket is also being totally refurbished along with the petrol station, and a new entrance and wall cladding has been added, which prettifies the building a tad.

That really IS pretty exciting for us!

Supermarket-wise - the Co-op continues to have a monopoly on Skye. There are two other Co-ops on the island, both in Portree, but no other supermarket has a base here. However - Tesco operates a very popular click-and-collect service, with its vans coming over from Dingwall. Shoppers have to meet the Tesco van in pre-arranged locations.

Supermarkets aside - a number of tiny independent village stores do a fantastic job of supplying a very wide range of food and other essentials to the island's small and far-flung communities.

Broadford Co-op - before refurbishment

Broadford Bay - the Co-op is rather prominent...

The new petrol station - opened today

For anyone who may be interested - I have posted a number of pictures taken during the refurbishment on Geograph. Please follow this link: https://www.geograph.org.uk/snippet/19136