Silver Birch

The unassuming car park gives little away but standing in the Clyde Valley between Lanark and Motherwell is the Silver Birch garden centre, homeware emporium and café rolled into one magnificent package.

Tasteful arrangements of ornaments, houseplants, mirrors, furniture and candles in the showroom will whet any interior design appetites, while the sturdy plants in the garden centre are sourced from Scotland where possible.

The coffee shop is perched on a slope with views over the plants and valley beyond, and serves freshly made meals, Mary’s impressive cakes and decent coffee from breakfast to tea time. Breakfast might be a stack of pancakes or scrambled eggs and baked tomatoes; lunch a steak pie or charcuterie board.

The Christmas decoration displays are magazine-worthy and famous across Scotland, so if you’re passing in the winter it’s a great place to distract the family.