Aurora Spring 2013 by Aurora Magazine

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Spr ing forward TIME TO TAKE THE PLUNGE AND TRY SOMETHING NEW

A LUXURY STAY FOR TWO

SPRING 2013 ISSUE

AT BLYTHSWOOD SQUARE

Screen stars

London lux

My spring

SHOW TIME Cinema is as strong as ever – nowhere more so than in the Highlands and Islands

CAPITAL TREAT If you’re up for some pampering in the big city, let our expert on the good life show you round

DOUGIE VIPOND How our most versatile broadcaster is getting ready to make the shortest night a special one

highlands & islands airports

A wonderful choice of holidays flying direct from Inverness

Lake Garda

Lake Garda Experience the magical shores of Italy’s most popular lake, enjoying a stay in a choice of delightful resorts, the chance to rest and relax, and to join some wonderful, wellpriced excursions.

Departs 16 June and 6 October 2013

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Stylish Four-Star Mediterranean Fly-Cruise Onboard MSC Splendida Join us for a memorable holiday upon magnificently appointed MSC SPLENDIDA, enjoying the sunshine and colour of some exciting destinations and all the many onboard amenities of a true ‘Empress of the Seas’.

Departs 6 July and 5 October 2013 Hidden Portugal

8 days from £866pp

Hidden Portugal Half-Board and Included Excursions Discover some of Portugal’s best-kept secrets, including wine-producing Oporto, the delightful Minho region, and the stunning Peneda Gerês National Park, on this everpopular escorted holiday based on the beautiful Costa Verde.

Departs 24 June 2013 Lake Maggiore and the Matterhorn

8 days from £689pp

Lake Maggiore and the Matterhorn Included Excursions Join us for a picture-postcard-perfect holiday on one of the most beautiful of all Italian lakes, including a day in the Swiss resort of Zermatt and an excursion to the beautiful offshore Borromean Isles.

Departs 6 July and 5 October 2013

www.newmarketholidays.co.uk These holidays are organised by Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd. ABTA V7812. ATOL protected 2325. Subject to availability. Single supplements apply. Calls cost 4p per minute.

8 days from £699pp

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CHECK IN

CONTRIBUTORS COLIN PRIOR

If it’s luscious photographs of landscapes and wildlife you seek, then Colin Prior is your man. His best-selling books and calendars are internationally renowned and places on his photography courses are in constant demand. It’s no wonder VisitScotland turned to Glasgow-born Colin to help promote the Year of Natural Scotland. Read what it means to him in this issue of aurora.

WELCOME … to the spring issue of aurora, the award-winning magazine for all customers of Highlands and Islands Airports. We operate 11 airports – Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall,

ANDREA WARD

After nine years in Hong Kong, Andrea returned to Scotland to set up Small World City Guides, a series of delectable travel books. Having been an investment copywriter, she was glad to turn her attention to the delights of high-end eating, drinking and shopping. For this issue of aurora she gives her tips for an indulgent weekend in London – the city featured in her ﬁrst guidebook, out now. ERLEND CLOUSTON

Following a successful newspaper career, latterly on the Guardian, Shetlander Erlend is taking things a little easier – when the demands of running his very high-end Edinburgh guest house permit. But writing remains a joy, so he was happy to visit some of Scotland’s most thriving and individual cinemas for aurora. LINDSEY ROGERSON

Readers of the Sunday Herald, Observer and Scotsman have all had the benefit of Lindsey’s financial knowledge. In writing about personal finance, she has never shied away from challenging assumptions, and for this issue of aurora she looks at the rarely explored merits of leasing, rather than buying, your car.

Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick John O’Groats – and we are constantly working to improve their facilities and services. Catering at Inverness has been enhanced with a new menu using the best of regional produce; at Islay there is a new café offering excellent home cooking. Whichever of our airports you are using today, have a good journey and enjoy your magazine. It’s packed with ideas for things to do this spring. We also have a look at renewable energy, which is among the most dynamic sectors of our economy, and a cheering feature on the strength of cinemagoing in the region. Perhaps you’re considering a short break to recharge the batteries. Read about the beautiful northern Italian regions of Tuscany and Liguria, which can be visited easily on a charter holiday flying direct from Inverness. Closer to home, London is the destination of choice for many who like a weekend of indulgence, with its outstanding hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions. See our insider’s guide to enjoying the city, linked with Inverness and Dundee by frequent direct flights. Inglis Lyon, Managing Director Highlands & Islands Airports Limited

• SPRING 2013

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

CONTENTS

AWARD-WINNER Scottish Customer Magazine of the Year

45 Air travellers’ magazine spring 2013 Volume 5 number 1 Managing editor Editor Senior designer Designer Advertising executive

• • • • •

Neil Braidwood Don Currie Matt McArthur Marie Irvine Hayley Orr

0131 556 2220 aurora-mag.com CONTRIBUTORS Tom Bruce-Gardyne, Erlend Clouston, Michael Gill, Jim Dunn, Marie-Helene Jeeves, Colin Prior, Rob Robertson, Lindsey Rogerson, Andrew Ross, Andrea Ward

The Ampersand Hotel, London

FOR HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS AIRPORTS LTD Kirsteen Adams 01667 464212 kadams@hial.co.uk Aurora magazine (ISSN: 1759-9717) is published four times a year by CMYK Design. The magazine is free to airport users. Follow us on Twitter: @aurora_mag CMYK Design, 91 East London Street, Edinburgh EH7 4BQ. Tel: 0131 556 2220. Email: editor@aurora-mag.com Web: cmyk-design.co.uk © CMYK Design 2012/13 Please note that unsolicited manuscripts are not accepted. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission. Editorial material and opinions expressed in aurora do not reﬂect the views of Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd or the publisher. Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd and the publisher do not accept responsibility for the advertising content. Products and services are subject to change without prior notice. Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd, Inverness Airport, Inverness IV2 7JB Printed in the UK by Pensord Rebecca Morris, Young Highland Ambassador of the Year, photographed by Colin Prior at Uath Lochans in the Cairngorms National Park for the Year of Natural Scotland highlands & islands airports

• SPRING 2013

54 SPRING CONTENTS

Our cover Scottish Ballet dancer Bethany Kingsley-Garner in Highland Fling, touring to Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

Regulars

Features

07 News

22 Movie magic

Catch up on the latest stories from your region and beyond

Cinema is thriving amid ﬁerce competition from other thrill providers, writes Erlend Clouston

12 The big picture Scotland’s coast looks especially dramatic from 5,000 feet up

PHOTOGRAPH BY GRAHAM WYLIE

Competitions

win

2 nights at Blythswood Square, page 33; a traveller’s wallet, page 8; a Small World City Guide to London, page 49

Dave Tarvit and microlight

Mareel, Shetland

15 Viewpoint

30 Italy direct

Why plans for the Year of Natural Scotland are exciting Colin Prior

It’s never been easier to visit Italy, with charter holidays direct from Inverness. Let us tempt you

50 Drink Rum needs to shake off its pirate image, Tom Bruce-Gardyne feels

33 Busy times

52 Sport Highlands football rivalry is ﬁercer than ever, writes Rob Robertson

54 Motoring The Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe is near perfect for Jim Dunn

Rhue Art, Ullapool

56 Money

As the days grow longer, it’s time to up the activity levels – and the choice is massive, says Don Currie

Save by leasing, not buying, a car, suggests Lindsey Rogerson

38 High energy

59 Essentials

Oil and gas are vital to the Highland economy – but so are renewables. Andrew Ross reports

All you need to know about wherever you’re ﬂying today

66 My spring Dougie Vipond on the scariest prospect of his TV career so far

45 Lively London You’ll never exhaust London. But following in the wake of Andrea Ward may well exhaust you

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

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NEWS

Natural star

Yellow fever A NEW YORK style yellow taxi has been turning heads in Inverness – and raising awareness of how easy it now is to reach the Big Apple from the Highlands. It’s all thanks to the very popular daily Flybe connection between Inverness and Amsterdam, plus the new codeshare agreement between Flybe and KLM, which means passengers flying onwards from Amsterdam can check their luggage through to their final destination. About 13 per cent of passengers flying from Inverness to Amsterdam connect to one of KLM’s European or long-haul flights to 150-plus destinations, which include New York, with its unbeatable shopping, culture and entertainment. To promote the Amsterdam hub connection, Inverness Airport commissioned the special yellow taxi, which will operate in the Highland capital all year. Our picture shows Flybe pilot Capt Ray Mitchell with airport duty manager Callum Smith, Kirsty MacMillan and Holly Anderson.

NEWBORN seal pups, battling stags, storms, flowering meadows – and the voice of Ewan McGregor. BBC Scotland’s spring series Hebrides – Islands on the Edge appears to PHOTOGRAPH: MARAMEDIA/OTTER FILMS have it all. Top filmmakers Nigel Pope, John Aitchison and Doug Anderson, veterans of shows such as Big Cat Diary and Frozen Planet, spent three years on the four-part series, which charts 12 months in the Hebrides and in the lives of the people there. McGregor, above, took less time for his narration, but was delighted to be involved. The Hollywood A-lister tweeted: “2 days narrating Hebrides. It’s one of the most beautiful films I’ve seen”. Look out for the series on BBC Scotland in May, and then on BBC iPlayer.

Animal attraction

PHOTOGRAPH: ROB MUNRO

THE successful beaver trial at Knapdale Forest, near Lochgilphead, Argyll, is attracting much attention. Visits from television crews ﬁlming Great British Winter and Wild Britain with Ray Mears have helped raise awareness of the scheme, in which beavers have established themselves on Dubh Loch after being extinct in Scotland for four centuries. Four families of beavers were introduced in a combined effort by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Forestry Commission Scotland. For details of guided walks there call 01546 603346.

IT was bard work, but forensic experts at Dundee University managed to recreate what they say is an accurate model of Robert Burns’s head. The team, led by Caroline Wilkinson, the university’s professor of craniofacial identiﬁcation, used portraits and a cast of the poet’s skull as their sources.

• SPRING 2013

INDEPENDENT book publisher Acair, in Stornoway, is on a roll just now. Having been named Gaelic Business of the Year, it has a major new title out. Fonn – The Campbells of Greepe (£30) is a bilingual celebration of a remarkable Hebridean family whose deep love of music goes back generations.

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

NEWS

Well protected

Artistic comeback AMSTERDAM’S Rijksmuseum is one of the world’s greatest art galleries – and its 10year renovation has been among the most extensive anywhere. Since 2003 much of the museum has been closed, with only the south wing displaying a selection of works. But the whole museum is ready to unveil its full glory. From 14 April the museum will tell the story of Holland from the Middle Ages, with improved facilities, a revamped garden and a new Asian Pavilion. It will be the ﬁrst national museum in the world to open every day of the year, from 9am to 5pm. Admission will be €15, or free for under-18s. The city’s Schiphol Airport, served by daily Flybe ﬂights from Inverness, has its very own Rijksmuseum, a satellite of the main museum, between Piers E and F. Even transfer passengers can visit free of charge, on production of boarding pass. Top: Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid.

WIN yourself the wallet your hard-earned cash deserves. The ProGear sport wallet, made by Peli, is crush-proof, waterresistant and built to withstand extreme temperatures. To have a chance of winning one of two wallets, simply enter online at aurora-mag.com. Peli makes protective cases for the military and emergency services, and has only recently launched its ﬁrst consumer range. The sport wallet, pictured above, is worth €35.94 and has an easy-open latch, and a dual mesh pocket to keep your cash, cards and keys in order. The company also makes cases for tablets, smartphones and cameras. Find out more on peliprogear.com QUESTION: which company makes the ProGear sport wallet?

PICTURE: THE JOHN MUIR TRUST

Space venture The conservation charity the John Muir Trust has chosen Pitlochry as the site for a new wild land visitor centre. Wild Space was due to open as aurora went to press, with an audio visual exhibition showcasing Scotland’s wildest landscapes; an art gallery; community meeting rooms; and a shop. Stuart Brooks, trust chief executive, said: “We aim to turn the Wild Space into a dynamic hub of activity where locals and visitors can get a taste of Scotland’s most exhilarating wild places."

FANS of Ann Cleeves’s Shetland crime novels are multiplying. Her latest hit is Dead Water, published by Pan Macmillan, and sales of this and its four predecessors will be boosted no end by the BBC adaptation, Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall as homecoming detective Jimmy Perez.

• SPRING 2013

WIN!

ST KILDA is to have a new visitor centre – on the Isle of Lewis. It was decided that a “remote access centre” at a’ Gheodha Sgoilt, Uig, which on a good day commands a panoramic view west to the renowned archipelago, abandoned in 1930, was the best place to tell its story. An opening in 2016 is the target.

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

Spa offers

Beer goggles CRAFT brewer Seb Jones waded into the Moray Firth to launch his latest beer – and deliver a boost for the dolphins that live in the waters there. For every pint of Bottlenose Bitter sold, Seb will make a donation to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, which protects the mammals that have become one of the area’s principal tourist attractions. He said: “I’m a keen kayaker and get a thrill every time I see a dolphin. Also, my business relies on the success of bars, restaurants and hotels, which in turn rely on tourism and beneﬁt from the dolphin colony.” Seb, 25, runs Speyside Craft Brewery in Forres, near the shore. His new beer, at 4.1 per cent alcohol by volume, joins others, such as Moray IPA. Ali Jordan, WDC’s Scottish Dolphin Centre manager, said: “We are delighted. The money the brewery raises will help us fund vital projects that protect whales and dolphins in Scotland and around the world.”

In our latest edition, we offered a-listers discount deals at some of Scotland’s best spa hotels including: Kingsmills Hotel Inverness Blythswood Square Glasgow Apex Waterloo Place Edinburgh Stobo Castle Peeblesshire

Taste triumph FRESHNESS and taste are vital for any meal – and Inverness Airport is the place for both, after a menu upgrade. D’Lish restaurant is now offering a new range of fresh Highland fare – and a produce map lets customers see where all the food comes from. Jeni McFarlane, of Autogrill HMSHost, which operates D’Lish, said: “We have worked with the best suppliers to put together a menu that we think represents the very best of Scotland on a plate.”

WALKING books are more popular than ever, and An t-Eilean, by Angus Peter Campbell and Cailean Maclean, is one of the ﬁnest to appear for a while. It’s a beautifully written and photographed account of a hike through Skye, published by the Lewis-based Islands Book Trust, £20.

• SPRING 2013

If you missed it you can still join the list, at

aurora-mag.com/alist

IF YOU’RE planning a visit to the lively city of Bristol (easily reached direct from Inverness), why not time it to coincide with Upfest, the biggest street art festival in Europe? From 25-27 May, painters and illustrators can be watched in action as they cover 20,000 sq ft of space in their vivid creations.

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

NEWS

Burn! Pillage! Make jewellery! IF YOU’RE visiting Edinburgh before 12 May, be sure to catch Vikings – The Untold Story, a superb exhibition of beautiful and intriguing brooches, pendants and figurines at the National Museum of Scotland. It’s the only UK venue showing the collection, which is normally kept at the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. It includes the earliest Scandinavian crucifix as well as depictions of the Norse gods. The fine workmanship, in materials such as silver, glass, bone and amber, does much to counteract perceptions of the Vikings as brutal barbarians. For visitors with children, the museum has devised a family trail to print off and use as a guide round just enough highlights for youngsters to absorb. See nms.ac.uk.

Tasty take-off

Island ideas

PHOTOGRAPH: DISCOVER JERSEY

IT’S NEVER been easier to visit the Channel Islands direct from Scotland, with a range of charter flights to choose from. Spring comes early, and summer lingers on, in these lively islands hugging the French coast. On Jersey, the June in Bloom Festival, 16-23 June, has walks, talks and concerts in some of the island’s loveliest gardens. The Battle of Flowers, on 8-9 August, is a huge parade of floral floats. The top music festival, Jersey Live, 31 August-1 September, always has a stellar line-up. The International Air Display, on 12 September, is among the most spectacular in Europe. See JerseyTravel.com for direct flights this spring and summer from Inverness, Dundee and Glasgow.

ISLAY airport has a new café – the Fly Cuppa, run by Machrie golf professional Ron Goudie and his wife Emma. It offers cakes, biscuits and oatcakes baked by Emma, and sources quality produce from the Hebrides and the west of Scotland – eggs and milk from Islay, black pudding from Stornoway, cheddar from Mull, smoked salmon from Campbeltown, drycured bacon from Ayrshire, chutney from Bute. The couple, helped by Tracey Hunter, serve passengers waiting for ﬂights to Glasgow, recreational pilots and anyone calling in for such delights as home-made lasagne or sweet potato and tomato soup. Ron said: “We’ve had a very positive response, and we’re looking forward to a busy spring and summer as golfers and whisky tour parties start arriving.” For details contact ﬂycuppa@hotmail.com. Photograph by James Deane.

BARRA’s beautiful beach landing is hardly a best-kept secret – and now it’s even better known than ever. Word has spread as far as 60 million Brazilian TV viewers, who watched a ﬁlm on the country’s Globo network showing a beach landing, interviews with airport staff and footage of the island’s scenery.

• SPRING 2013

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THE GOOD FIRTH MICHAEL Gill captured this superb shot of the sunlit East Lothian coast at Archerﬁeld Links as he prepared to cross the Firth of Forth by microlight at one of its narrowest points. When crossing water, he and pilot Dave Tarvit climb to a height that will let them glide back to land in the event of engine failure – in this case they had to go to 5,000ft, where, Michael says, the air is too cold for comfort. The picture shows a mix of woods, lush farmland, golf fairways, holiday cottages, beach and dunes, topped off with that striking band of cloud along the middle of the estuary, and the Fife countryside beyond. Towards the right is the tiny island of Fidra, said to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. When on land, Michael is a designer – see michaelgill.eu

• SPRING 2013

THE BIG PICTURE

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

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VIEWPOINT

great year ahead

TOP PHOTOGRAPHER COLIN PRIOR IS DETERMINED THE YEAR OF NATURAL SCOTLAND WILL BE A SUCCESS

human comprehension. It’s unique HAVE been privileged to geology and it stands up well explore some of the world’s against some of the world’s most most inspiring landscapes, in the iconic landscapes, such as MonuArctic, the Himalayas and in the ment Valley in Colorado or Mount Australian deserts. But the Everest National Park – but I won’t complex feelings of afﬁnity one be able to get a photograph that feels with one’s own native place will stimulate the imagination today. rarely develop again in another Once I took a party to the Point landscape, and Scotland occupies of Stoer, one of the most exposed a special place in my heart. The places in Scotland. It was blowing a landscapes of Kintail, Torridon Force 10 gale, and we went down and Assynt are world-class and are to the beach. It was like a war zone. up there with Patagonia’s Torres “I hope this The energy in the sea was unbelievdel Paine, Bryce Canyon in Utah able, with huge kelp stalks uprooted or Australia’s Bungle Bungles. year will and strewn about along the high I’m really pleased to be an encourage water mark. I was the only one that ambassador for the Year of more had taken my camera and tripod – Natural Scotland. It worries me people of and I got some great photographs. that so many young people are all ages to look at Another great experience was on spending little time engaging the beauty that Liathach, in Torridon. I camped with the natural world. Instead, surrounds them” overnight and awoke to an amazing their lives are ﬁlled with virtual phenomenon – the earth shadow, experiences. When these young which is the shadow of the earth projected on to the people get into positions of power, I wonder what atmosphere. Rising up from the western horizon, the empathy they will have with the natural environment? I mauve band stretches for nearly 180º and is bound hope the Year of Natural Scotland will encourage more above by the pink anti-twilight arch, illuminated by people of all ages to look at the beauty that surrounds reddened light mixing with deep blues. them – and not just to look at it, but to really see it. As the sun approaches the horizon, the boundary I’m looking forward to speaking to people from between the earth shadow and the anti-twilight arch different parts of the world and giving them some falls and ultimately fades into the lightening sky. recommendations. I think the year will do a lot of Rarely do conditions in the mountains exceed my good in spreading the word about the variety of landexpectations but on this particular morning, they gave scape and natural history that we have here. me something I’ll never forget. People go off to Spain for the sun and blue skies – The Cairngorms National Park offers a rich diversity but those aren’t necessarily the conditions I want as a of natural habitats, and for a series of images for the photographer. I need a moment when the light is just Year of Natural Scotland I photographed Rebecca changing – when a front is moving away, or arriving. Morris, an outdoor guide and the Highland AmbasI’m more likely to get those conditions in Scotland. sador of the Year, in locations that embrace forests, Mind you, I’m sitting in a café near Ullapool right lochans, mountains and historic landmarks. now, and the sun is shining and the sky is blue. I’m I hope the year’s a great success. looking out towards Suilven and Canisp – towards rock that’s a billion years old on top of rock that’s three billion years old. These timescales are beyond colinprior.co.uk • tinyurl.com/yearofnat • SPRING 2013

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

EVENTS!

LOOK LIVELY GREEN SHOOTS ARE FAST APPEARING – AND SO ARE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

THE DARK ART OF HUMOUR Kilmorack Gallery, by Beauly 19 April-1 June kilmorackgallery.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPH: PHILIP

GOULD

SHETLAND FOLK FE STIVAL Various venues 2-5 May shetlandfolkfestival.co m It’s fun, it’s friendly – and it’s ambitious, as the line-up for Britain’s mo st northerly festival invariably proves. This year, top visiting acts include versatile Cajun performer Cedric Watson, from Louisiana, above, singersongwriter Woody Pines from North Carolina, Cuban rhythm merchant s Son Yambu, below, the Niamh Ni Charra Ban d from Killarney, and Coig, a loose collect ive from Nova Scotia. From less far aﬁeld com e north London’s the Long Notes and Tiree her oes Skerryvore, plus Shetland talents galore .

• SPRING 2013

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PHOTOGRAPH: NORMAN SEEFF

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PHOTOGRA

WILD LOCHABER FESTIVAL Various locations 17-25 May wildlochaber.org

PHOTOGRAPH: NEVISPIX

A film night, festival fair and photography exhibition in Fort William complement a wide choice of guided walks and boat trips. These offer a chance to see wildlife such as otters, basking sharks, whales, dolphins, sea eagles, red deer and pine martens. But experts will be on hand, too, to share the satisfaction to be had from studying the geology of the area, as well its huge array of mosses and lichens, rare butterflies and dragonflies and delicate orchids.

PERTH FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS Perth Concert Hall, Perth Theatre and St John’s Kirk 16-26 May perthfestival.co.uk Van Morrison is, for many music lovers, a genius. For ﬁve decad es, he has been diving into pop, folk, jazz, rock and blues to sur face with something com pletely original. Sometimes grumpy but never careless, Va n the Man, pictured above, always puts on a spe cial show and will be a deﬁ nite highlight. Othe rs include Jools Holland , who is bringing no t only his famed Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, top , but also vocalists Ruby Turner, Louise Marsh all and Roland Gift, the latter best known as front man from Fine Young Ca nnibals. Flute virtuo sos Sir James Galway and his wife Jeanne, above left, will perform with the English Chamber Orchestra, and the pro gramme also includ es theatre, opera, art, a ceilidh and a gala con cert by the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra.

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

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EVENTS

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE Various venues 15 May-8 June scottishopera.org.uk

KINTYRE SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL White Hart Hotel, Campbeltown 24-26 May kintyresongwritersfestival.co.uk Now in its sixth year, this great event is set to get Campbeltown – and especially the White Hart Hotel – buzzing once again. The line-up was coming together as we went to press, but if past festivals are any guide, it’ll be excellent. Performers have come from as far aﬁeld as Barcelona and Berlin, and memorable guests have included Jack the Wolf, from Glasgow (pictured above), Amber Wilson, of Bombay Bicycle Club, Duncan McCrone, of the Clydesiders, bluesman Dave Arcari and Fife songsmith Panda Su. As well as the showcase performances, there’s an open stage and seminars letting performers socialise and exchange insights. The festival is non-proﬁtmaking, and supports the arts and good causes in Kintyre.

Pirates of Penzance is among Gilbert and Sullivan’s most appealing operas – a feast of song, dance, fun and merciless mockery of Victorian values. It provides a great opportunity to forget your troubles and wallow in the tongue-twisting magniﬁcence l of classic ditties such as ‘I Am the Very Mode coThis of a Modern Major-General’. y production by Scottish Opera and the D’Oyl stage the to ing return – any Comp Carte Opera for the ﬁrst time in a decade – is touring the UK, with several chances to enjoy it in Scotland. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 15-18 May; His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, 23-25 May; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, 28 May-1 June; Eden Court, Inverness, 6-8 June.

PHOTOGRAPH: PAUL RIDER

THE SECRET ISLAND An Talla Community Hall, Tiree 30 May – 1 June isleoftiree.com This important three-day conferen ce is not just for academics, but for residents, students and anyone with an interest in the island. Tiree is one of the few Hebridean islands that has had no recent book pub lished on its history, and the hope is that one will emerge from this event, organised by the Islands Book Trus t in partnership with An Iodhlann historical centre. Topics will inclu de emigration, folklore, natural history, archaeology, land struggles and transport links, and there will be dinners, visits to places of inte rest and a ceilidh.

• SPRING 2013

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THE ORKNEY BREWERY AND VISITOR CENTRE

Tasting

Hall

Open late-March to mid-October t Guided brewery tours with tastings t Family trail for younger visitors t Brewery shop with products, local crafts and brewery merchandise t Tasting Hall cafĂŠ serving a varied menu of home cooked fayre, home bakes and hot and cold drinks to complement the fully licensed bar and our famous beers t Venue available for private functions Available for private tours by prior arrangement during closed months. Check our website for opening days and times or call 01856 841 777. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/orkneybrewery

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EVENTS

UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP Aonach Mor, Fort William 8-9 June fortwilliamworldcup.co.uk A chance to see the world’s top riders, such as Gee Atherton, right, at close quarters as they compete, with astounding skill and courage. About 250 elite competitors from 25 or so countries will do battle in two disciplines – the downhill and the four-cross. The downhill is contested on the 2.8km permanent course at Nevis Range on the slopes of Aonach Mor, Britain’s ninth-highest mountain. There’s 555 metres of descent, including giant drops, and you can watch from almost anywhere – with stunning views to keep you happy between riders, who race one by one, against the clock. In the shorter four-cross event, groups of four riders race each other. All the fans have to do is make plenty of noise, ensuring that this is the most exciting of the eight World Cup meetings held each year all across Europe and Canada.

HEBCELT Lanntair, Lews Castle grounds and An way Storno 17-20 July hebceltfest.com

ROCKNESS Dores, Loch Ness 7-9 June rockness.co.uk This much-loved and very scen ic festival excelled itself last time, catching Mumford & Sons just on the cusp of world domination. Hard to see a coup quite so stunning in this year’s bill, thou gh it’s none the less very strong. Madness, Basemen t Jaxx and Fatboy Slim will keep the seniors happy, the Vaccines will crank up the energy levels and the mosh-pi t will be led by Example (see what we did there?). The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club, Ben How ard and Ellie Goulding will all be doing their bit, too. One to watch might be the much-admired Jessie Ware – but will her sensitive songs keep the rowdy element’s attention?

• SPRING 2013

lassify superstar Securing the services of hard-to-c for Hebcelt. He roke terst Van Morrison was a mas t, such as talen with ed pack joins a bill already se huge the Battleﬁeld Band, below, who 30 albums and following has been built up via Karine Polwart and countless gigs. Capercaillie the Red Hot and d, love are both similarly well n the take ntly pha trium e Chilli Pipers hav ition, trad with n lade ent rum inst bagpipes, an such by d bite into uncharted territories inha ness and Coldplay. characters as Queen, the Dark s, a rising Also on the bill are the Hot Seat bluegrass, ther toge g brin American act who t. effec t grea to ll ’n’ro rock ragtime and

APH: JOHN

PHOTOGR

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CINEMA

L E E R TIME

L– D WEL . LIVE AN A CITIES IS IG A THE B CINEM IN T S S T U OT J EPOR AND N TON R ND CLOUS D AND A N L E T L ER E, SHE R Y T IN K FROM WEEN IN BET POINTS

• SPRING 2013

NE NIGHT in 1935 architect Albert Gardner sat down to re-shape the interior of the cinema in Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre. He knew the building as he had designed it back in 1913 when Campbeltown had 32 distilleries and allegedly the highest GDP per head of the UK population. The Picture House that Albert originally sketched out reflected the buoyancy of the age: it still resembles a flying saucer that has crash-landed on a whisky baron’s villa. For the revamp, Albert went a little bit into space himself. He bracketed the screen with the facades of a turreted pantiled hacienda and what looks like the gable end of a baroque mission church. Why do it? A whim of old age? Architecture as heating device? An ironic referencing of MGM’s Viva Villa, 1934’s top movie? The flamboyant, not to say schizophrenic, design helped subsequently confer an ‘A’ architectural listing and a kind of immortality: the Picture House, now run by a dogged charity, is the country’s oldest functioning purpose-built cinema. It also symbolises the curious refusal of Scotland’s filmic fringe to limp off into the sunset. Watching strangers from a darkened armchair is a nonarrestable Scottish vice, possibly reflecting flight from cold, or Calvinism. Thirty-six per cent of us go four or more times a year – the highest figures outside London. Good, but could do better: Creative Scotland, the national arts agency, admits that non-metropolitan natives suffer

Left: The historic Picture House in Campbeltown. Above: The cinema in 1913, when it opened

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CINEMA

chronic screen deprivation. In 1949, according to the Kinematograph Year Book, there were 36 cinemas in the 15,000 square miles lying above the 472-mile diagonal between Muckle Flugga and the Mull of Kintyre. Now there are only six. But look on the bright side. Entrepreneurial brio, aided by digital technology (easier film handling), political will, and a dawning grasp of the role of cinema as socioeconomic stimulant, are prompting a renaissance as unexpected as Michael Powell’s need to hire the Fort William fire brigade to recreate Hebridean rain in I Know Where I’m Going (1947). Look, for example, at the film festivals sprouting in the heathery niches of the realm – 12 so far, and counting, highlighting, among other things, food (Kingussie), mountains (Fort William), Celtic media (Stornoway), “neglected Scottish movie classics” (Dunoon), and Yemeni cooking (a showing of Salmon

• SPRING 2013

PIX

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N DIS

Fishing In The Yemen at tiny Strontian). View these as latecomers to their own party. Scotland seduces filmmakers – more than 350 of them between 1898 and 1950 alone, according to Janet McBain of the Scottish Film Archive. Last year’s crews pumped more than £20m into the Scottish economy. They have been drawn partly by the light (18 hours in summer), partly by the landscape (Harris understudies for Jupiter in 2001: A Space Odyssey). Cromarty Film Festival (December) is particularly endearing. Conceived seven years ago “in a drunken haze,” according to co-founder Dave Newman, its venues include the walls of Cromarty lighthouse and a local restaurant. Last year’s guest of honour was Tony Benn. It is one thing to run a festival, rather another to (re)-open and/or run a cinema where plant has to be bought and maintained rather than hired. Thurso and Oban offer textbook examples of how wit and wisdom can rout neglect and apathy. Two models, same result: in Caithness the former All-Star Factory is reborn as the Thurso Cinema through one man’s “significant” investment; in Argyll the Highland Theatre becomes the Phoenix when Oban puts its hand in its collective pocket. Both buildings had been closed for two years. Both are now laced into the social ecology of their areas using empathetic staff, Facebook links and professional wiles to learn what their customers want, and when (see bus and ferry timetables). Both are in or around profit. Does it matter? A 2005 British Film Institute report into outlying cinemas spelled out for sceptics that they provide employment, visitor spend, cultural enhancement and learning opportunities for schools. At Thurso proprietor-hero Rob Arthur now

Opposite page: Tony Benn at Cromarty Film Festival; two stars of the short ﬁlm Butterﬁngers at Food on Film, Kingussie; Merida takes aim in Brave; Mareel screen. Above: Mareel in Lerwick. Below: Screen Machine at Eilean Donan Castle

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CINEMA

has 12 mentored staff and plans that include four more screens, a function suite and restaurant; the Phoenix has nine staff, a second screen in mind, and the largest (orange) seats that money can buy. Both also look the part. Mr Gardner’s Campbeltown curio, at the time of writing, still does not. The projected business plan to secure its watertight future has temporarily stumbled on Heritage Lottery Fund nervousness at granting £500,000 towards the cost of a refurbishment, a second screen, and a café/gallery extension. Jane Mayo, head of the fund-raising committee, and Judi Dench lookalike, still describes herself as “a bloodied optimist.” The accounts show £1,799,000 is already in or near the kitty (an astonishing £6,788 per seat) - £1m of this from public agencies. More HLF talks are planned. In the meantime, digital projectors have arrived. Don’t bet against good news being delivered in time for the flying saucer’s 100th anniversary on 26 May. My first film-going experience was courtesy of the chocolate-coated commissionaire of the North Star cinema, Lerwick, offering sanctuary from a street brawl. The North Star opened in 1913 and was once invaded by a herd of cows. It is with mixed feelings that I report that it has been replaced, after a brief

Brisk business for a screening of Twilight at Thurso Cinema

existence as a nightclub, by Mareel, an upended stainless-steel filing cabinet on the north Lerwick waterfront. Campbeltown needs £500,000; Shetland Arts has recently received a £600,000 loan from the council towards the £1m overspend on a structure already costing £12m, which must make it the most expensive two-screen (plus auditorium) facility north of latitude 60. It will not have a commissionaire.

Movie musts FILM festivals are a great way to see something out of the ordinary and meet fellow movie fans. Here are just a few of the many held in Scotland, starting now.

A horror extravaganza, with the gore spread over 10 ﬁlms or thereabouts, over one weekend.

DEEP FRIED FILM FESTIVAL, COATBRIDGE (AUGUST) Relatively small-scale event that puts the emphasis on emerging talent.

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (JUNE)

SCREENPLAY, SHETLAND (SEPTEMBER)

Usually good for star-spotters, with last year’s visitors including Elliot Gould, Gina Gershon (pictured right, middle) and Jim Broadbent. Based on two superb cinemas, the Cameo and the Filmhouse.

Miranda Richardson (pictured top right) dropped in last time and enjoyed herself no end. Bequiffed TV personality Mark Kermode helps confer celebrity clout, with. Expect a glimmer of stardust this year, too.

LOCH NESS FILM FESTIVAL (JULY)

DISCOVERY FILM FESTIVAL, DUNDEE (OCTOBER)

A mixed bunch of independent movie delights. This year’s include Call of Babylon, made by the Aberdeen-based Noble Brothers Productions, about a missing teenager.

• SPRING 2013

International fare for young audiences, with most genres represented, from animation to documentaries and mysteries.

PHOTOGRAPH: AMY MUIR, ©EIFF

DUNDEAD, DUNDEE (APRIL)

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Cinema on the move…

DISTILLERY & VISITOR CENTRE

Regional Screen Scotland’s mobile cinema, Screen Machine

Regional Screen Scotland is the development agency for cinema, promoting modern cinema facilities and supporting cinemas, arts centres, film clubs and film festivals throughout Scotland.

www.regionalscreenscotland.org www.screenmachine.co.uk

Melfort Pier &Harbour is the Ideal Base for Touring The Highlands and Islands

Why rent a room, when you can have a whole house. We do self catering per night. The lodges are very well equipped, from all your linen to toilet paper and hair dryers.Yes, even hot water bottles, just in case you need one. Each has a sauna, spa bath, log burning fire and parking place. The eight houses are all on one level, for our less mobile guests. Two dogs per house. There is free fishing for our Pier, free electricity, free Wifi, and a free basket of fire wood. We are only 16 miles south of Oban. Melfort Pier is the place where the Highlands come down to the Sea. Call 01852-200-333 if you need more information, 7 days a week from 9/5.

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CINEMA

Screen Machine at Eilean Donan Castle for a special preview of Brave

But let us not cavil. An advertisement in the Kinematograph Year Book urged the owners of the North Star and others “in the interest of your patrons, spray daily with Lipton’s Super Germicide Essence, the guaranteed germ killer.” Mareel is a zillion miles from that era. Much of the public uproar surrounding the project has centred on the likelihood, or otherwise, of

Shetlanders patronising Mareel’s lush and hygienic upholstery. So far, the news is extremely good. The business plan hoped for 38,000 cinema visitors a year; over twice that number now looks likely. The tide rolls on. The BFI has announced a Lotteryfunded scheme to boost Scottish audiences. In an Edinburgh office, Ron Inglis envisages a further six communities supporting gourmet-vision microcomplexes which, thanks to digital relays, will offer live opera, theatre, ballet, conferences and computer gaming alongside decent food and films. Mr Inglis knows of what he speaks. As head of Regional Screen Scotland, he plots the perambulations of the Screen Machine, a 34-ton mobile cinema that annually reaches 25,000 customers in 34 remote locations. It has been a saintly 15-year campaign to keep alive the modern age’s most stirring art form in a quasi-medieval landscape. Without it, Thurso and Oban and the festivals almost certainly not have happened; Campbeltown’s Picture House would be forlorn – likewise, probably the prototype café-cinema opening in Aberfeldy this spring. Mr Inglis exudes the tempered ecstasy of the grizzled rebel leader suddenly confronting unexpected victory. Pancho Villa perhaps? 

Movie musts DUNDEE MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL (NOVEMBER) Reinhold Messner, first man up Everest without extra oxygen, came to meet fellow altitude junkies last time – can this year’s event top that? INVERNESS FILM FESTIVAL (NOVEMBER) A mix of classics, documentaries and work by first-timers. FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL (NOVEMBER) Spread across several cities and towns, mostly in Scotland, this festival has been growing ever more magnifique for 21 years. Anything Cannes can do, Bo’ness does better. CROMARTY FILM FESTIVAL (NOVEMBER/DECEMBER) Well off the beaten track yet it still attracts big names, such as Rhona

Cameron (pictured right) Tony Benn, who last year came and confessed to a rather unBennite love for chick flicks. FOOD ON FILM, KINGUSSIE (FEBRUARY) Goes from strength to strength, with its mouth-watering blend of foodthemed films and exotic eats. FORT WILLIAM MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL (FEBRUARY) A cultural festival for lovers of adrenalin sports at altitude, with films on topics such as mountain biking and rock climbing. GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL (FEBRUARY) Hugely popular 10-day event with a great track record for eclectic programming and appearances by the stars.

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TUSCANY AND LIGURIA

PARLIAMO PERFECTION ITALY HAS A LOT TO OFFER – SO CRAM IN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN PHOTOGRAPH: AGENZIA REGIONALE, LIGURIA

OU love la dolce vita but you also like to explore. You’re happy in an art gallery but also partial to a paddle. It sounds like Italy is the perfect holiday destination for you. This fantastic country is famously lively, but it’s not all car horns and arm-waving. The neighbouring regions of Tuscany and Liguria are among the most beautiful and calming. The elegant Tuscan spa resort of Montecatini Terme is known for its healing waters and tranquil atmosphere. A funicular railway connects the town to Montecatini Alto, the medieval village that overlooks it down steep wooded slopes. There’s even a local variety of waffle – what more could you ask? Tuscany contains perhaps more architectural and artistic treasures than any other in Italy – though clearly the competition is intense. In Pisa, the Leaning • SPRING 2013

Tower is among the world’s most familiar landmarks – yet it still astounds everyone seeing it for the first time. Many a visitor spends hours sitting on the grass of the surrounding Piazza dei Miracoli marvelling at the ornate tower’s defiance of the laws of gravity. Yet even had it stayed vertical, as intended, this manyarched bell tower would still be a great building, as would its neighbours, the gigantic cathedral and pepper-pot-shaped baptistry. Lucca is another Tuscan gem. The defensive wall that surrounds it is perfect for a stroll – and you’ll be sharing it not with fellow visitors, but with local families. Another medieval treasure is the Guinigi Tower, which you can climb to look down on the narrow streets, warm red roof-tiles and intriguing courtyards that surround it. After that you can relax at a pavement café, perhaps on the peaceful Piazza

PHOTOGRAPH: MONTECATINI TERME: FOTOTECA ENIT

PHOTOGRAPH: YANNIC STAUDT

Clockwise from far left: Cinque Terre; Montecatini Terme; ice cream parlour in Florence; that tower in Pisa; the Ponte Vecchio and statue of David in Florence

Cittadella, with its statue of the city’s most famous son, the composer Puccini. Florence is the closest Tuscany has to a big city, though it’s easy to explore and far from daunting. You can see something of its top treasures – the Uffizi Gallery, the ancient, shop-lined Ponte Vecchio and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore – in half a day, but equally you could spend a year here and not exhaust its interest. If you’re someone who likes to scale steps and gaze from lofty vantage points, the cathedral has both a dome and a tower to climb. Liguria, which straddles the bend as the Italian coast turns towards France, is a region of jawdropping pastel-shaded towns, popular but rarely as mobbed or as self-conscious as the Cote d’Azur. Santa Margherita Ligure is historic and attractive, with its palm trees and garden villas, yet still a working port and all the better to explore as a result. Nearby Portofino, best reached by boat, is altogether grander, and its charms have attracted all manner of Hollywood A-listers, and countless wedding parties, over the years.

If the pricey bars and souvenir shops are too much of a temptation, escape it by taking a stroll up to the picturesque church of San Giorgio and then to Castello Brown, a much-modified fort that became first a villa and then a museum. The Cinque Terre, or “five lands”, is a spectacular stretch of the Ligurian coast, with houses built on terraces cut into the sheer hillsides. It’s far from carfriendly, which adds to the charm. If you’ve never tasted Italy before, take any combination of the above and treat yourself. You can always come back for more.

Fly there direct HOW TO BOOK Newmarket Holidays are running eight-day trips to Tuscany and Liguria, ﬂying direct from Inverness, from April to October, at prices from £739. See newmarketholidays.co.uk

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Visit our website for more info on the JET services in Inverness or Orkney.

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THE TO-DO LIST

o int

AS THE DAYS LENGTHEN, THERE’S MORE TIME FOR FUN, WRITES DON CURRIE. SEE HOW MANY OF THESE EXPERIENCES YOU CAN FIT INTO YOUR SEASONAL SCHEDULE

On a high at Go Ape

WATCH DOLPHINS – a few hours scanning the sea for these wonderful animals and their cousins, whales and porpoises, is time well spent. They really lift the spirits with their apparent zest for life. They can be seen at any time of year, but for passengers a spring boat trip carries little risk of either hypothermia or sunburn. Knowledgeable skippers around the Moray Firth, Orkney, Shetland, Mull and Skye will take you to likely spots.

SWING FROM THE TREES, unleashing your inner primate high in the branches. Go Ape operate three sites in Scotland, at Crathes Castle, Aberdeenshire; Aberfoyle, in the Trossachs; and Glentress Forest, near Peebles. Whizz across gorges, swing into giant nets and crawl along planks. You’re perfectly safe, but it gets the adrenalin going. Treezone, at Rothiemurchus, near Aviemore, offers similar thrills, but caters for children as young as seven.

CRUISE ON A LOCH and eat, drink, gaze out as the scenery drifts by. On Loch Ness, you’ll need to be lucky to spot the monster, but the view of romantic Urquhart Castle is just as special. On Loch Lomond, look down smugly from the deck as dinghy sailors and canoeists battle to make progress. And on Loch Katrine revel in the glories of the past on the 110year-old steamship Sir Walter Scott.

HOLD ON TIGHT. Scotland has some of the best rock climbing anywhere, as wiry free spirits will tell you in climbers’ pubs such as the Clachaig in Glencoe or the Sligachan Hotel on Skye. But don’t try to emulate them right away – do some basic training at an indoor centre. Good ones include Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, the Ice Factor at Kinlochleven and the climbing wall at Inverness Leisure.

TREAT YOUR TASTEBUDS – Scotland’s restaurant scene has never been better. Chefs such as Shirley Spears, of the Three Chimneys on Skye, and Jane Stuart-Smith, of The Whitehouse at Lochaline in Morvern, have proved that remoteness is no bar to excellence. Other special destinations include Boath House, outside Nairn, Rocpool in Inverness and The Cross at Kingussie. For seafood, it’s hard to beat the Captain’s Galley at Scrabster.

WAFT INTO A DISTILLERY and enjoy the gleaming mash tuns, the heady aromas – and the sampling opportunities. Good ones to try are Highland Park in Orkney, Old Pulteney in Wick and Famous Grouse in Perthshire. Or roll up to the Speyside Cooperage, near Dufftown, to see how the barrels so vital for the industry are made. AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

THE TO-DO LIST

GO ON A COACH TOUR. Let your guide and driver do all the work as you gaze upon the scenery, alighting now and then to see a sight or stretch your legs. It’s best early in the season before the queues for a cuppa start to lengthen. Good traditional operators include Gray Line, David Urquhart, Highland Heritage and Scotline. For something edgier, try Rabbie’s Trail Burners or Haggis Adventures. TAKE A JUMP. If your life lacks excitement, launching yourself into thin air on the end of an elastic rope could be the answer. Highland Fling operate bungee jumps from a bridge 40 metres above the River Garry, near Pitlochry. DRIVE AWAY in a classic car. Country roads are a joy with the roof down on a delectable motor from a more elegant age. Opt for individual touring or join a party on an itinerary. Bygone Drives, of Aviemore, have a lovable MGB Roadster and an irresistible Morris Minor. The Cognoscenti has teamed up with Classic Restorations in Perthshire to offer tours in treasures such as a 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. EXPLORE A GARDEN as the blooms come out and the leaves unfurl. Rhododendrons, azalias, camellias and magnolias are magnificent at Crarae Gardens on Loch Fyne. Daffodils dazzle at Brodie Castle, near Forres. Carpets of bluebells are a delight at the Clan Donald garden at Armadale on Skye. WATCH BIRDS at their busiest time of year. April is when ospreys arrive at Loch Garten, in Speyside, with its hide, camera and friendly rangers. At Dunnet Head, near Thurso, you can watch seabirds such as razorbills and guillemots preparing to nest on the cliff ledges. At Insh Marshes, near Kingussie, scan the open spaces for breeding waders such as redshank. Mull Eagle Watch, at Glen Seilisdeir, has a hide from which to watch sea eagles. Wild Scotland, the wildlife and adventure tourism association, is a good place to start.

that some of Scotland’s 3,000-footers are easier than others. Two good starters are Carn Aosda and The Cairnwell, handy for the Glenshee ski centre car park. Another is Ben Lomond, close to the Central Belt and with a clear path all the way up. Ben Chonzie, near Comrie, is straightforward.

RUN FOR IT – dust off those trainers and enter for a scenic race before the heat of summer is upon us? The Angus half-marathon is run around Monikie Country Park in April. The Mull of Kintyre half-marathon in May follows a beautiful route over beach and country lanes. Island runs have charm: Tiree’s 10k is in May, as is the Stornoway half-marathon; Benbecula, Skye and Shetland all host half-marathons in June.

SET SAIL, and be blown away at the exhilaration of being borne across the waves on wind-power alone. Many coastal marinas offer beginners’ lessons, though you might find it less daunting to debut on inland water. Loch Insh and Loch Morlich, both in the Cairngorms, are ideal. For inspiration, see the experts in action at the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series off Tarbert, on Loch Fyne, in late May.

CLIMB A MOUNTAIN. The choice is limitless, but if you want to bag your first Munro it’s worth knowing

FOCUS ON WILDLIFE. If you’re the impatient type, there are ways to make wildlife watching easy. The

• SPRING 2013

PETER CAIRNS / NORTHSHOTS

Clockwise from main picture: motoring in style with the Cognoscenti; a sea eagle swoops; gun culture at Jupiter Artland; yachts full-tilt at the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series

Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick lets you view gannets on their nests on the Bass Rock using cameras that you control remotely. At the Highland Wildlife Park, near Kingussie, see bison, musk ox, wolves and wildcats in a natural setting. GET HOOKED ON FISHING. Even if dad never taught you, don’t feel excluded. The Spey and the Tay are top-class rivers for fly fishing, and can be costly; others are more affordable. Try a one-day course first. EXPLORE A BATTLEFIELD. Two of the most dramatic mark the beginning and end of the Jacobite risings. Killiecrankie, in Perthshire, is where it all started in 1689, and Culloden, near Inverness, is where it ended in carnage in 1746. The two could not be more different – one a dense, sloping woodland, the other a desolate moor. Both are well worth a visit.

ADMIRE OUTDOOR SCULPTURES. Glenkiln Sculpture Park, near Dumfries, has Henry Moores and a Rodin on slopes around a reservoir; at Little Sparta, in the Pentland Hills, Ian Hamilton Finlay’s ‘poetry in stone’ is laid out in his garden; Jupiter Artland, at Wilkieston, near Edinburgh, constantly changes its show; Attadale Gardens in Wester Ross has works in stone, wood and bronze; Lotte Glob’s Sculpture Croft, on Loch Eriboll, is a stunning setting for her work; Rhue Art, overlooking Loch Broom, has some great Helen Denerley animal sculptures in scrap metal. WALK ON – it’s very relaxing when someone has already devised the route. The popular West Highland Way now has an East Highland counterpart, and others to consider include the pretty Fife Coastal Path. CATCH A WAVE at a top surfing spot. Pease Bay, south of Dunbar, is great for beginners. Thurso East, in Caithness, gets some of the best waves in Europe and is one to work up to. Wind-surfing offers similar thrills, plus you spend longer upright. For this, Tiree is tops, with Islay and Kintyre also excellent. BE BOOKISH at one of the few springtime literary events, the excellent Ullapool Book Festival, from 1012 May. Attractions include crime megastar Ian Rankin, poet Kathleen Jamie, provocative Palestinian Raja Shehadeh and novelist James Robertson. LISTEN TO THE MUSIC at an early festival. Jazz in Shetland, Gaelic song on Islay and classical sounds in Orkney are all options as the days grow longer but the monsters of rock are still hibernating. AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

THE TO-DO LIST

TRACE YOUR ROOTS. Scotlandspeople.gov.uk is a good place to start. And to fill in the detail and colour, enthusiastic museums often help. Timespan, at Helmsdale, is one excellent example; the Museum of Islay Life, at Port Charlotte, is another. For a great general experience of times gone by, the Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore is unbeatable. PONDER PREHISTORY. Gazing at stones put in place thousands of years ago can be an unforgettable experience. Orkney is a good place to start, as just a few miles separate Skara Brae, Maeshowe and the Ring of Brodgar, all at least 4,000 years old. Parts of Jarlshof, in Shetland, are of similar vintage, as are the standing stones at Callanish, on Lewis. In spring you stand a chance of avoiding the crowds. DISCOVER AN ISLAND – maybe a lesser-known gem. Colonsay, for example, easily reached from Islay, has a festival from 29 April to 19 May. Themed walks, an art show, stained glass window making, concerts, craft workshops, quiz nights and more are lined up. It’s preceded by a book festival, on 27-28 April, featuring talents such as Ian Rankin and Candia McWilliam. DIG DEEP as a volunteer at an archaeological dig. If you’re normally office-bound, then a week out with trowel in hand is the perfect break. Google away to find out what’s happening, or contact the National Trust for Scotland, Orkney Archaeological Society or the University of the Highlands and Islands. INVADE A CASTLE. They range from daunting fortresses, such as Castle Fraser in Aberdeenshire, to ornate stately homes, such as Glamis Castle in Angus, and dramatic landmarks, such as Dunvegan Castle on Skye. By the time you’ve admired the pictures, furniture and weaponry, then explored the grounds you’ll have earned your tea and scone. Cawdor Castle, near Nairn, is full of charm and even ruins such as Dunnottar, near Stonehaven, are fascinating.

PHOTOGRAPH: MARTIN J SLOWEY

GET FIRED UP at the Beltane festival, on Calton Hill in Edinburgh on 30 April. It’s a modern take on ancient celebrations marking the start of summer. Fire, dancing, drumming, face paint and a degree of nudity make a potent mix that draws a huge crowd. TAKE AIM – clay target shooting is attracting recruits, with Highland estates such as Alvie, near Aviemore, and purpose-built venues such as the Scottish Clay Shooting Centre in Fife offering beginners’ sessions. Or if you prefer a more low-tech weapon, try archery – again, widely available and affordable. Expect aches in muscles you never knew you had.

RISE TO THE CHALLENGE – there are plenty to aim for. The Caledonian Challenge, a 54-mile team hike in Lochaber in June, has caught the imagination of corporate Scotland. The Kintyre Way Relay is a scenic 67-mile trail run from Tarbert to Campbeltown.

GET FRESH by stocking up at a farmers’ market. It’s a chance to meet producers, discuss their methods and ask for recipe tips. Markets are held in Inverness, Stornoway, Aviemore, Grantown-on-Spey, Dundee, Campbeltown, Mey in Caithness and elsewhere.

DIVE IN – Scotland is a scuba stronghold. Scapa Flow, in Orkney, the graveyard of the German fleet, is full of historical interest and marine life. Shetland, too, is a magnet for divers, with its caves and arches. Unpolluted waters make the Uists a great area, too.

LEAP INTO BALLET. The ideal experience for firsttimers is coming up in May at the Eden Court, Inverness, when Scottish Ballet perform Highland Fling, a contemporary take on a 19th-century classic, with plenty of humour.

• SPRING 2013

PHOTOGRAPH: GRAHAM WYLIE

From left: Dunnottar Castle; horse-racing at Perth; Bethany Kingsley-Garner as ‘the sylph’ in Scottish Ballet’s Highland Fling; the Beltane ﬁre festival

PHOTOGRAPH: ELLEN DUFFY

ENCOUNTER ART. If you’re lucky, an hour in a gallery can have a lasting impact. The Bonhoga Gallery in Shetland has an exhibition by the superb Skye-based landscape artist Julie Brook, from mid-June to late July. Moray Art Centre has a spring exhibition from 20 April to 19 May called Natural Selection. REACH THE TOP. It’s satisfying to say to yourself: “I am now the northernmost person in the British Isles.” To do this, visit Unst, in Shetland, and specifically Skaw, at its northern tip. Unless an intrepid sailor has set foot on Muckle Flugga at that moment, your northernmost status is assured. At Unstfest, from 7-14 July, you can enjoy music, sports and cream teas. TAKE A SWING on one of the Hebrides’ remote golf courses. If you’re new to the game, with a bit of luck there won’t be too many witnesses to your efforts, yet the setting will be beautiful. Courses are to be found on Benbecula, Harris, Barra and South Uist.

GO HORSE-RACING at any of Scotland’s five racecourses – all make for a great day out. For jump racing the highlight is the Scottish Grand National at Ayr in April, while in the same month the beautiful Perth course hosts a three-day jump festival. Homely Kelso, which, like Perth, is jumps only, has two meetings in April and two in May. Musselburgh hosts flat racing throughout May and June. Hamilton is a flat-only course, with the action starting in early May. PEDAL TO THE METAL. Explore 35km of exciting mountain biking singletrack at Laggan Wolftrax, an hour south of Inverness. The trails cater for all abilities, with flowing, easy Green runs, Red runs filled with rock slabs and extreme rocky Black runs. SADDLE UP and take in the scenery of Lewis on horseback. The Hebridean Equestrian Centre, near Stornoway, offers beach rides and moorland treks.  Additional research by Paddy Withams

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

RENEWABLES

WAVES AND TIDES ARE SET TO TRANSFORM THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS ECONOMY, LIKE OIL AND GAS DID MORE THAN A GENERATION AGO. ANDREW ROSS REPORTS

HIGH ENERGY

UST AS COMPANIES in the Highlands and Islands were at the forefront of the fossil fuel boom of the 1970s and 1980s, so they now vie with international competitors for pole position as the renewable energy sector begins to flourish. A group of private companies, initiatives involving development agencies and alliances between competing companies have left the region sitting pretty as the green energy sector looks set to snowball driven by stringent targets set by the Scottish Government. Activity is brisk from Orkney to Cromarty and points between. They might sound ambitious but the government is intent on meeting the targets set out by its Routemap for Renewable Energy in Scotland 2011. This stated that Scotland would meet 100 per cent of demand for electricity from renewable energy by 2020. â&#x20AC;˘ SPRING 2013

Subsequently an interim target was set to meet 50 per cent of Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electricity demand from renewable sources by 2015. These headline-grabbing targets are believed to be achievable with imminent investment by private enterprises and the government to trigger growth in the sector. And, with other countries setting similar targets, we get an inkling of why industry insiders think the renewable energy construction sector is set for a boom that, though it will fall short of the oil and gas goldrush, will be every bit as welcome to the economy.

World-class Global Energy Group (GE Group) is already stealing a march in the sector. It saw off fierce competition with its recent acquisition of the former oil and gas

PHOTOGRAPH: DEREK GORDON

Left: a Scotrenewables tidal turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. Above: Roy MacGregor, GE Group chairman, with First Minister Alex Salmond at the opening of Nigg Energy Park

PHOTOGRAPH: SCOTRENEWABLES TIDAL POWER LTD, COURTESY OF EMEC

fabrication yard at Nigg, Ross-shire. It has subsequently invested heavily in renovating and relaunching the multi-energy facility, Nigg Energy Park, as well as opening the Nigg Skills Academy in conjunction with local and national agencies. Aurora met Roy MacGregor, the group’s chairman, at Nigg, on the Cromarty Firth, to discuss how the group is gearing up for the green energy opportunity and the potential impact on the local economy. Joining our discussion was Alastair Kennedy, chairman of the Nigg Skills Academy. MacGregor says: “Following the assembly and loadout at Nigg of the massive wind turbines off the coast of Caithness, GE Group has recently been involved in the construction of prototype devices for the wave and tidal marketplace that have gone on to be tested at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney.

“As far as our future plans are concerned they have been concentrated around using the world-class facilities at Nigg Energy Park as a multi-energy site and ensuring we maximize any opportunities in the emerging renewable energy markets.” Though the yard is currently working predominantly in oil and gas, MacGregor acknowledges the purchase was game-changing, putting his company into a key position to maximize the potentially lucrative opportunities in the renewable energy sector. “We have invested over £12 million in Nigg Energy Park and we have always indicated it would be a multi-energy site,” says MacGregor. “However, we hope to take advantage of the opportunities the emerging renewables business might provide. “As yet, these opportunities are still unknown as those looking to take advantage are still deciding how best to take forward the opportunity. But we know from our discussions with the different renewable companies that Nigg is a potentially attractive option to them and is really well positioned with the deep water port, dry dock, massive lay-down area, infrastructure and a company behind it that has tremendous capability in many of the areas these companies are interested in. “If we add the potential to train people through the new Nigg Skills Academy these are unique selling points to these key companies in renewables.” AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

RENEWABLES

Innovative Mention of the Nigg Skills Academy is significant. While many in the business community await news of the expected multi-million pound renewable energy contracts, in the Highland region many people just want to know how many jobs will be created at Nigg. Since the closure of the old Nigg fabrication yard the local economy has taken a beating and young people who worked there have been become a generation of (admittedly well-paid) economic migrants traveling to the far-flung corners of the globe to find similar employment. The energy park, and more specifically the academy, opened by First Minister, Alex Salmond in March 2012, is a real hope for the region. There is much optimism that the park – and similar facilities at Kishorn and Ardersier – can provide lasting employment, with the potential to train people onsite at the academy a huge added incentive to the companies issuing the lucrative construction contracts. When opening the academy, Salmond went to great lengths to highlight what a significant initiative he believes it to be and just how committed the government is to placing Nigg, and the Highlands, back on the industrial map. “The Scottish Government will continue to support the transformation and renaissance of Nigg as a vital hub for our world-leading energy industry,” he said. “Clearly the energy industry needs continued access to world-class talent to meet Scotland’s global energy ambitions,” added Salmond. “Nigg Skills Academy is a perfect example of how the public and private sector can work together quickly and decisively to deliver just that. “With some one trillion pounds of oil and gas reserves remaining and huge export opportunities for supply chain companies, Scotland’s offshore energy sector remains vibrant, while our burgeoning renewables sector is set to reindustrialise communities across Scotland.” Training Although a pilot project, the academy aims to provide Modern Apprenticeships and training for 3,000 people by 2015 for a range of jobs, including engineers, operators, riggers, technicians and general • SPRING 2013

and project management. Currently 800 people work at the Nigg Energy Park but this number is expected to grow, driven by an increase in activity in renewables. “There is recognition within the energy industry of the need for additional skilled labour if we are to meet the demands of both oil and gas and the emerging renewables industry over this next three to five years,” says NSA chairman Alastair Kennedy. “It is unrealistic to expect that the employment levels at Nigg will reach the 5,000 people that worked in the oil and gas industry of the 1970s. However, if we can take advantage of the opportunities, we could realistically see maybe 2000-2,500 employees working at Nigg in the years ahead.” Kennedy explains that although many of the apprentices will immediately work in oil and gas, their skills are transferable into renewable energy. “Our trainees are going through a 16-week intensive course in fabrication, welding and pipefitting – skills required in the oil and gas and renewables industry,” says Kennedy. “Companies visiting the site have been really impressed with the facilities and training within the academy and it is therefore well placed to support the needs of the renewables industry.”

Left: bright prospects at Nigg Energy Park. Below: an Open Hydro test rig at EMEC

Historic agreement Significant job creation in the sector came a step closer in January when Alex Salmond announced a groundbreaking “memorandum of understanding” between Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE), Nigg Energy Park, Port of Ardersier, Kishorn Port Limited and Cromarty Firth Port Authority that will see key local players work together to maximise the opportunities in the renewables industry. “These ports are ideally positioned to become key hubs for the deployment of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy – across manufacturing, assembly, operations and maintenance,” said Salmond. He added that the memorandum underpinned the importance of ensuring that all of Scotland wins from the renewables revolution. “We are working hard with our enterprise agencies both to secure overseas investment into our worldleading renewable energy industry and to support Scottish businesses to seize the huge opportunities available.” Alex Paterson, chief executive of HIE, said: “The offshore wind supply chain is showing strong interest in Scottish ports and harbours.” It is said in industry that the only better place to be than the front of the field is ahead of it. With the help of local and national government agencies, and by working together in clever alliances, a handful of Highland companies have given themselves a great platform to become world leaders in a sector that may one day supercede the fossil fuel-based industry that gave Scotland its last energy boom.

PHOTOGRAPH: MIKE BROOKES-ROPER, COURTESY OF EMEC

Proﬁle

MIKE DUNN Mike Dunn, pictured right, was one of the ﬁrst Modern Apprentices at the Nigg Skills Academy, and is now working for Isleburn, part of GE Group. He told aurora about his experiences.

PHOTOGRAPH: DEREK GORDON

“The training and experience I’ve had at the academy has been great. It’s given me the basic skillset required to join an organisation and contribute to actual projects, though there are still things I need to learn. “We were constantly challenged and moved around between projects to ensure we were adaptable and that our skills were transferable. “The academy is a great opportunity for anyone not wanting to take a traditional academic route through universities. Many people on my course were younger than me and it’s great for them to have the opportunity on their doorstep. And the skills taught allow for a long career with great opportunities. “I hope to stay in the area and to develop my skills and work my way up through an organisation. I’m in my mid 30s with a young family, so it was important to be able to train locally. The academy has given me a chance to provide long-term security for my family.”

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

RENEWABLES

TESTING TIMES…

PHOTOGRAPH: ORKNEY PHOTOGRAPHIC

As companies jostle for position to exploit the expected construction, servicing and fabrication boom in marine energy, the Highlands and Islands region already has a world leader in research, development and testing in its midst. EMEC provides open sea test facilities for wave and tidal energy converters in the Pentland Firth and PHOTOGRAPH: TIDAL GENERATION LTD, COURTESY OF EMEC Orkney Waters, recently awarded Marine Energy Park status. EMEC is home to some of the most innovative marine energy devices currently in development. adds: “Continued testing and proving is required at EMEC was established with around £30m from the present but it is expected that the first multi-MW Scottish Government, HIE, the Carbon Trust, the UK projects will be established within the next 3-5 years Government, Scottish Enterprise, the EU and Orkney with the potential for rapid growth beyond these if Islands Council. The facility has grown from the these prove to meet expectations. initial four-berth wave test site established in 2003, “Testing and proving is just one of a number of and now operates six full-scale wave berths, an eightchallenges to overcome before commercial berth full-scale tidal test site, and two sites for testing deployment on a large scale can take place,” says smaller-scale devices and components. Carcas. “Commercially, wave and tidal projects The centre employs 22 people, and about 250 work compete for investment with other power generating in marine renewables throughout sources. With initial projects being the supply chain in Orkney. This small scale compared to other continues to expand as more more established technologies they developers come to test their may struggle to get attention in devices at EMEC’s test sites. This the boardroom despite the longer activity has catalysed public term strategic imperatives. investment in piers, harbours “The Energy Bill is currently and other infrastructure, as well going through [the UK] parliament as significant private investment and until this legislation is in place in vessels, plant and equipment. there will be uncertainty. This is The centre now has a wealth of particularly acute in marine energy knowledge and it is exporting as first phase projects may be Top: TGL’s tidal turbine being transported this unrivalled expertise to other initiated under the current system to EMEC test site. Above: Neil Kermode and countries wishing to explore but not fully built out until the Max Carcas, of EMEC marine renewables. Neil new system is established post Kermode, the centre’s managing director, says: “As the 2017. This could undermine the rationale for making world’s first and only accredited wave and tidal test first phase investments if it is not certain what level of centre for marine renewable energy, and having support will be in place under the new system.” successfully supported the deployment of more fullKermode adds: “Significant investment in the UK scale grid-connected devices than any other site in the grid is required. It was developed to transport electricity world, the centre is in a prime position to provide to peripheral areas from the centres. This now needs to advice in setting up and operating similar test be reversed so that electricity is transported from the facilities in other countries. We’re already supporting peripheral areas where it is generated.” the development of centres in Canada, the USA, Most in the energy industry are undeterred and Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan.” continue lobbying and preparing for a green energy Kermode points out that while the centre has been boom that seems imminent. The Highlands and working in the sector for a decade, the industry is in Islands are set to be at the fulcrum, not least because its infancy. “Developers are testing first- and secondthe world’s largest development of wave and tidal generation single prototype devices, testing stream energy (with a total potential capacity of 1,600 installability, survivability, reliability, maintainability, MW) is planned for the Pentland Firth and Orkney operability, and cost efficiencies.” Waters after the Crown Estate recently awarded leases Max Carcas, who is in charge of external liaison, to a number of wave and tidal energy developers.  • SPRING 2013

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

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AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

LONDON

amuel Johnson said: “When a man is tired of London he is tired of life.” I’m sure he didn’t mean to exclude women – and certainly his wise words apply equally to the fair sex. Whatever your gender, if you follow my absurdly hectic and extravagant schedule for a blissful weekend, you’ll be tired all right. Not of London, not of life – just tired. And in a good way, I hope – tired and happy. To help you get the most out of your stay, I’m sending you to stay one night in Soho and one in South Kensington – two contrasting neighbourhoods in this endlessly varied city. For each of your evenings, I’ve given you two itineraries to choose from. And if you can’t decide, perhaps you could just stay a bit longer and follow them all. Despite the non-stop nature of these schedules, they barely scratch the surface. All I can hope is that they whet your appetite. Let us begin…

FRIDAY NIGHT

18.00

Check into Hazlitts This quirky rabbit warren of a hotel is hidden behind a discreet doorway in Frith Street, Soho. It’s a step back in time, with antique furniture, a library with open fire and an honesty bar making it feel almost like a country retreat. 19.00

A drink at the French House If music, TV and fruit machines are among your personal no-nos, you’ll be quite safe in this Gallic Dean Street haven for conversationalists and lovers of wine, Breton cider and Ricard.

• SPRING 2013

20.00

Dinner at Ceviche The buzz here is brilliant, as passionate Peruvian chef Martin Morales works wonders with his take on the seafood dish that gives his place in Frith Street its name. 23.00

A nightcap at Mark’s Bar In this subterranean refuge in Brewer Street, you can relax in one of the leather sofas or perch at the bar to peruse a lengthy cocktail list or try some unusual beers or ciders OR: Keep to the same tight timetable, and the same Soho/West End environs, but instead check into the Dean Street Townhouse, a modern place with a cosmopolitan feel, and

contemporary art works, too. Some larger rooms come with freestanding baths but be warned: the rooms they say are tiny, really are tiny. Have a pre-dinner drink at the Charlotte Street Hotel, which is bright, airy, lively and good for cocktails. The bar staff are happy to make recommendations or try out new concoctions, if time allows. Tables outside in better weather are great for peoplewatching. Dine at Hakkasan, a dark, sultry and modern establishment on Hanway Place that is a long-standing favourite of mine. It offers a modern take on Chinese food. Hot and sour soup and crispy duck rolls are all on the menu, and all expertly done. It’s busy, yet has a relaxed feel. Have a nightcap at the Sanderson, on

Be their guest, from far left: Ampersand; Hazlitts; DeanStreet Townhouse; Hakkasan

PHOTOGRAPH: ROBBY VIRUS

Berners Street, where the Long Bar (80 feet to be precise) serves a mean Martini or highball.

SATURDAY 10.00

Go shopping If you like traditional British brands mixed in with international designers, a wander down New Bond Street and into Old Bond Street, ending up at Royal Arcade and Burlington arcade should sate your appetite for luxury. If you need a pre-lunch refreshment, you’re not far from Claridges, in Brook Street, where you should head for The Fumoir, which has room for 12 only.

13.00

Lunch at Sketch This magical place in Conduit Street is a feast for the senses and almost a destination in itself. Whether you opt for the Library, with its two Michelin stars and menu devised by Pierre Gagnaire, or the Gallery downstairs, vibrantly decorated by Martin Creed, the food is accomplished and service friendly and efficient. A drink at the East Bar is recommended, and if that’s full, The Parlour is perfect for a kitsch cocktail. 15.00

Explore the National Portrait Gallery In St Martin’s Place, just off Trafalgar Square,

this is the world’s first portrait gallery and still its finest. The emphasis is on Britons who have shaped the country’s history, but there’s a Man Ray show until 27 May and a George Catlin exhibition of American Indian portraits until 23 June.

SATURDAY NIGHT 19.00

Check into Ampersand This great hotel in Harrington Road, South Kensington, has a lovely boutique feel. Its decor pays homage to the Victorian values of discovery and wonder with its bold wall coverings and splashes of vibrant colour. Staff are friendly,

AURORA-MAG.COM • HIAL.CO.UK

LONDON

PHOTOGRAPH: JOVANNIG - FOTOLIA.COM

From left: boutique style at Ampersand; a sense of space in Hyde Park; the Coburg Bar at the Connaught. Opposite page: Striped bodysuit for Aladdin Sane tour, 1973, design by Kansai Yamamoto, photograph by Masayoshi Sukita; interior ideas at the Conran Shop; lunchtime at the Serpentine Bar and Kitchen

service is good and I do appreciate the modern creature comforts. 20.00

Dine at The Greenhouse, Hay’s Mews, Mayfair Discreetly hidden away, this beautiful place is well worth the taxi ride. Knowledgeable, welcoming staff will guide you round the largely French dishes and the magnificent wine list. 23.00

Nightcap at the Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair It’s a short walk to this timelessly elegant hotel, where the Coburg Bar is a glorious meeting of modern design and old-style glamour. Fine wines, cognacs and

• SPRING 2013

champagnes aplenty. Take a cab back to South Kensington. OR: Check in at The Gore, an outstanding hotel on Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, that oozes character and eccentricity. I love its old-fashioned ambience, carved wooden beds and antiques. It’s the perfect marriage of timehonoured charm and today’s creature comforts. The Tudor Room, with its minstrels’ balcony and open fireplace, is one of my favourite bedrooms in London. Dine at Scotts, a revered institution in Mount Street, Mayfair. Simple fish dishes are served in a grown-up environment with plenty of meat, game and vegetarian options, too. There’s a champagne and oyster bar where

you can select from the full menu, and this makes a nice change from the standard restaurant tables. Hop in a taxi back to The Gore for a nightcap at Bar 190, with its calming mahogany-panelled walls and air of subtle elegance.

SUNDAY 10.00

Stroll in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens These neighbouring expanses of greenery are the ideal place to walk off breakfast while watching birds, squirrels, boaters, rollerskaters and horseriders. For a panoramic view, head for the Wellington Arch, near Hyde Park Corner.

PHOTOGRAPH: ©SUKITA / THE DAVID BOWIE ARCHIVE 2012

12.00

A light lunch at The Serpentine Bar and Kitchen A bright, peaceful place where I like to pause for a rest and refuel. Sit outside overlooking the water, if the weather is good. 13.00

Visit the V&A Museum The world’s largest museum of art and design is housed in a truly impressive building. It would take a weekend to do it justice – so this time why not concentrate on the current David Bowie exhibition? Alternatively, choose whichever of the V&A’s neighbours suits your interests – the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are world leaders.

15.00

Go shopping (again) Fulham Road, between Sydney Street and Sloane Avenue, has Joseph, The Conran Shop, Stella McCartney, Nicole Fahri, Ralph Lauren and Jigsaw for starters. Continuing to the junction with Brompton Road for Issey Miyake, The Library, Space NK, Paul & Joe. Draycott Avenue has Jean-Paul Gaultier and Bamford; in Walton Street are Van Peterson for jewellery or, for interiors, Nina Campbell. If refueling is needed, an ideal pitstop is the Oyster Bar at Bibendum, the lovely art deco former HQ of Michelin UK. Then, depending on your flight, you’d better consider heading for the airport.

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Getting there LONDON LINKS

Flybe fly between Inverness and London Gatwick; easyJet fly between Inverness and London Gatwick and between Inverness and London Luton. CityJet fly between Dundee and London City. See flybe.com, easyjet.com and cityjet.com

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DRINK

TOAST TO THE

MOLASSES IT’S NOT JUST PIRATES WHO THINK RUM IS TOP OF THE TOTS

THE BIGGEST rum drinkers in the world are the Indians – though few realise it. The dark brown, often slightly syrupy, spirit is ofﬁcially “Indian-made foreign liquor” and is sold as whisky, even though made from molasses, like rum. Huge brands, which sometimes contain a spoonful of Scotch, compete under names like Bagpiper’s and McDowell’s – an obvious hang-over from the Raj. Thanks to punitive import tariffs, only the wealthiest Indians can afford the real McCoy from Scotland, but after years of lobbying it seems the barriers may be coming down. The Scotch whisky industry can hardly wait. If history were different, if there had been no Raj, maybe it would be Caribbean distillers licking their lips at the tantalising prospect of a billion new customers. • SPRING 2013

Hellish During the 17th century West Indian slaves working the sugarcane plantations discovered how to ferment molasses, a by-product of sugar reﬁning, and distil it into rum, or rumbullion as it was called. Not everyone approved, and in 1651 a document from Barbados described it as a “hot, hellish and terrible liquor”. Yet four years later the British ﬂeet captured Jamaica and began to use the island’s rum to replace the French brandy that had previously been given to sailors. The naval rum ration amounted to a pint a day until it was reduced in 1740 by Admiral Vernon, who was famous for introducing “grog” – water, spiked with a tot of rum and cut with lime or lemon juice to help prevent scurvy. It was not just the British navy

that liked the stuff, it was popular among pirates, too. According to legend many a pirate ship was boarded when the crew was too drunk to ﬁght, and in popular culture a bottle of rum became an essential pirate prop along with a peg-leg, a tricorn hat and a parrot on the shoulder. How many really dressed this way is unclear, but once Robert Louis Stevenson had published Treasure Island in 1883, Captain Billy Bones and Long John Silver became the templates for all future pirates. Not for nothing is Captain Morgan, named after a 17th century Welsh pirate and with a slogan “to life, love and loot’, the world’s number two rum. In pole position however, is Bacardi which was born in a tin-roofed distillery in Santiago di Cuba in 1862. Since the invention of the Cuba Libre

PASSIONATE ABOUT SCOTLAND’S some 35 years later, Bacardi and Coke has become the world’s most popular cocktail. The brand could hardly have chosen a better partner, allowing it to position itself at the gateway through which all young adults pass as they reach the legal drinking age. Having been weaned on Coke the progression to Bacardi and Coke is only natural.

Cult The likes of Bacardi are defined as white, or silver rums. They are bottled straight from the still like vodka and are similarly flexible as a base spirit for cocktails like the Mojito, Daiquiri and Piña Colada as well as the Cuba Libre. For something with more flavour, there are golden and dark rums which have spent a year or more in a handme-down Bourbon barrels, just like Scotch whisky. The time in wood helps smooth out rough edges, adds flavours of vanilla and toffee, and provides the amber colour, though cheaper rums often use spirit caramel to do this as well. Golden rums from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean like Cuba and Puerto Rico often carry the word añejo meaning aged. Those from the English-speaking islands such as Bermuda and Barbados were traditionally darker, with a black treacle, molasses flavour coming through. Frenchspeaking Guadeloupe, Martinique and Haiti favour “rhums agricoles” made entirely from sugar cane juice rather than molasses. They have developed a cult following among connoisseurs.

Thirsty Rums become darker, more spicy and caramelised in flavour the

longer they mature in wood, though in the tropics this happens faster than with Scotch whisky where the angel’s share – the amount lost through evaporation, is around 2% a year. Caribbean angels are five times more thirsty thanks to the heat and humidity. As a result premium, aged rums, for sipping neat, possibly with ice, but definitely not Coke, are more expensive. And talking of sipping, there is a category called overproof rums, weighing in at up to 80 per cent alcohol by volume – enough to shiver the timbers of even the roughest pirate.

WILD

PLACES

Words: Tom Bruce-Gardyne

Me hearties... THREE TO TRY Angostura White Rum Marks & Spencer £11.99 This smooth, citrus-scented white rum from Trinidad and Tobago makes a fine alternative to Bacardi. Appleton Estate VX Jamaican Rum Sainsbury’s £19.49 This is a blend of 15 cask-aged rums where you can really taste the tannin and spice from the wood. Chairman’s Reserve Waitrose £21.75 A premium blend from St Lucia with an average age of five years and flavours of dried fruits, tobacco and spice.

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SPORT

NORTHERN STARS DON’T DISMISS THE HIGHLANDS AS A FOOTBALL BACKWATER – THE REGION’S CLUBS ARE COMPETING WITH THE BEST OF THEM PHOTOGRAPHY: PETER PAUL, CALEYJAGS.COM

PEOPLE often come to the Highlands – and you may be one of them – for the spectacular scenery, the whisky and the warm welcome. Sports wise it is golf, skiing and hill-walking that tempts folk north. As far as spectator sports go, some visitors may stumble on a game of shinty – but I am mounting a oneman campaign to have football added to their to-do list. Football in the Highlands rarely gets the credit it deserves, even though many remember that classic headline, following Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s Scottish Cup third round win over Celtic at Parkhead in 2000: “Super Caley Go Ballistic Celtic are Atrocious”. Since then the way Inverness and Dingwall-based Ross County have come through the leagues to consolidate their position in the Scottish Premier League this season • SPRING 2013

shows the quality that exists at the top end of the A9. Also don’t forget the importance of the thriving Highland League, which is one of the most competitive football tournaments not just in Scotland but in the UK. I should know as one of my ﬁrst

jobs in journalism was with the Aberdeen Evening Express when I covered many a Highland League match and loved every minute of my assignments.

Toughened Many household names have played Highland League football, with the most famous of them all being Aberdeen’s European Cup Winners’ Cup captain Willie Miller. He played for Peterhead before they joined the Scottish Football League. He was loaned there from Aberdeen, not as a defender but as a striker back in 1971, and if you talk to him even now he will tell you playing against the likes of Inverurie Locos, Brora Rangers, Forres Mechanics and Wick Academy toughened him up and helped him develop as a footballer. The Highland region has produced many talented players

Loch Ness Golf Course

Contrasting stadia you will struggle to who have gone on to play emotions and find. There’s only around for Scotland. Examples some fierce 14 miles between the two include Steven Pressley, the concentration grounds and every time I Hearts legend now during a recent Scottish Cup travel there in my day job managing Falkirk, who was clash between as a national newspaper born in Elgin, and the Ross County and sports writer I have had a Cardiff City midfielder Don Inverness Caley warm welcome. Now Cowie, born in Inverness. in Dingwall without naming names There may be a lot more (sorry) that Highland of them in the coming welcome isn’t replicated at every years as the Highlands keep club I visit in Scotland. producing top players who will be There is something special about given their break at Highland football up north. At a Highland League level and then be picked up by the scouts at either Inverness derby, the passion is as great as anything I’ve seen outside the Old Caledonian Thistle or Ross County. It’s now nearly 20 years since the Firm – not that there will be many of those derbies for a few years. two Highland professional clubs At the time of writing Terry came into the old Scottish Third Division together at the start of the Butcher is in charge of Inverness Caledonian Thistle and it is an indi1994-95 season and although it cation of how the club has grown has been a real rollercoaster since, in stature that the former England now you’ll struggle to find two captain turned down a move to sides on such solid foundations. Barnsley to stay there. Ross County Special have Derek Adams at the helm and It may not seem a big deal to some he is one of the up and coming managers in Scottish football. football fans but the fact that the Nothing lasts forever and one Jags and the Staggies both play in day I am sure both Butcher and a sponsor-backed stadium is a big Adams will leave, but just now out positive. Just ask Glasgow Rangers of every region of Scotland I would as they try and sell the naming argue the Highlands are in the best rights to Ibrox or even the Scottish shape football wise. Rugby Union, who are trying to I wish those elsewhere would find a sponsor’s name to put in recognise that a bit more and see front of Murrayfield. that the Highland uprising is a The Tulloch Caledonian Stadium is the home for Inverness while The good thing for Scottish football. Global Energy Stadium is home to Ross County – and two better wee Words: Rob Robertson

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Visitors and societies welcome seven days a week. Open all day, every day for everyone! T: 01463 713335 E: office@golflochness.com www.golflochness.com

Castle Heather Inverness IV2 6AA 18 hole golf course 9 hole family course Driving range • Pro shop Lounge bar • Restaurant Sports bar • Travelodge Function/Business facilities Children’s play area

MOTORING

P at O T th MAZDA’S MX-5 ROADSTER COUPE HAS FEW RIVALS WHEN IT COMES TO ENJOYABLE, OPEN-TO-THE-ELEMENTS DRIVING, ESPECIALLY ON THE WINDING ROADS OF SCOTLAND

THE MAZDA MX-5 long ago became the most successful sports car in history, and there’s nothing on the drawing board that looks like even running it close. That’s a triumph for the Japanese car maker, but a tragedy for the British industry which simply couldn’t be bothered making the affordable drop-top two-seater that people wanted to buy. Mazda delivered a car with the looks and handling of the original Lotus Elan and combined it with the relatively simple mechanics of the MGB, which was the previous best seller. The result was an instant smash hit. A quarter of a century down the road, the design is little changed from the simplicity of the original. Anyone shopping for a fun sports car on a budget goes straight to the nearest Mazda dealer. I’ve been driving the MX-5 Roadster Coupe, whose electrically

• SPRING 2013

folding hardtop adds a lot of convenience and practicality to the original design, albeit it at a signiﬁcant cost both in weight and price. The car I drove costs a whopping £23,790 with its optional metallic paint. This compares with just £18,500 for the entry-level model with a manually folded fabric top and a lot less kit. But the cheap car is the one to go for if you want the most fun for your money because the secret of the MX-5 is in the way it handles on typical Scottish minor roads in all weathers.

Accurate It is such a fun drive, indeed, that I once refused the offer of a ﬁrst class rail return from Edinburgh to Newcastle and instead took an MX-5 and did the trip on back roads at my own expense. Like the Lotus that inspired it, the MX-5 manages to ride the

bumps comfortably yet offer high levels of grip while being easy and accurate to steer. There’s not a lot of engine power by today’s standards but it makes a lovely sound when you change up and down the gearbox and both the gear change and the steering are millimetre perfect. Motorcyclists will appreciate the driving experience and you almost think the car through corners just as you do a bike. Crucial to this ﬁne handling is lightness. And this is where the basic car scores because all the luxuries, from satnav to powered folding roof, add unwanted weight. My test car had the most powerful two-litre engine yet struggled to get to 60mph from standstill in less than eight seconds, and while top speed is a respectable 136mph, it’s illegal and, therefore, useless.

In ﬁgures MAZDA MX-5 Price: from £23,790 Top speed: 136mph 0-60mph: 7.9 seconds Combined economy: 36.2mpg CO2: 181g/km

Nor was I impressed with the 36mpg I achieved. My wife’s Mini Cooper can match this while carrying four passengers and returning the thick end of 50mpg.

Conﬁdence On the other hand if you want hood-down motoring and the best driving experience it has to be the Mazda every time. I’ve only found one sports car that could better it. It’s called a Porsche Boxster, which costs twice as much but is only marginally quicker cross-country in real world conditions. The Mazda also costs a lot less to service and repair than the Porsche and, thanks to its great reputation on the used car market, depreciation can be a lot slower than that of mainstream models. Though the cars encourage hard driving, owners tend to dote on them so you can buy with conﬁdence on the used car market if you choose with care and this means that you can enjoy MX-5 fun from little more than a grand.

Though early cars lack equipment such as air conditioning, they are perfectly practical as every day transport thanks to a snug fitting hood and a good heating system as standard. Even cruising at motorway speeds is quiet enough to enjoy the sound system, whether the top is up or down. But you don’t want to stick to motorways. or even A roads. As I said earlier, this is a car for minor roads, the twistier and more convoluted the better. Get the top down – and you can do it on all but the most wintry days – plant yourself into the snug little cockpit, fire up then point that long bonnet at some serious driving pleasure. On a good road, this car will involve you so much that it’ll be all but impossible to make a mistake but even if you do, worry not. That finely tuned chassis will never bite you back. Words: Jim Dunn

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MONEY

E B E S A L E H YOU WIT BUYING A CAR IS A MASSIVE EXPENSE – BUT THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE

THE COST of owning and operating a car has skyrocketed in the last 20 years. According to motoring group the AA, the cost of fuel alone has gone up more than 100 per cent and the UK now has the fourth highest diesel prices in Europe. Add to that a lack of affordable ﬁnance for those with anything less than a squeaky clean credit record, not forgetting a near collapse in second-hand car prices, and leasing rather than buying a car is increasingly an option being considered by many hard-pressed motorists. If you drive 10,000 miles a year, the average car will have lost around 60 per cent of its value after three years of ownership, again, says AA. A depressing thought and one which helps explain the interest in leasing.

ILLUSTRATION: MH JEEVES

Security At ﬁrst glance leasing can look expensive but it can be an effective way to manage depreciation costs as well as the risk of big repair bills. In exchange for a ﬁxed monthly amount for the car, drivers get the security of knowing that they won’t be hit with any servicing or repair costs, which can look especially advantageous to those who clock up a lot of miles each year. • SPRING 2013

For the purposes of comparison I will use the Ford Focus because it is consistently in the Top 3 of UK car sales. The personal leasing cost of a ﬁve-door Ford Focus 1.6 diesel over four years, including deposit, came to a total outlay of £10,273 (£201 a month plus £625 deposit at UK Car Line). The monthly repayments of buying the same car (list price £20,065) assuming the UK average

typically cheaper than the personal lease prices for the same vehicle so it might be tempting for those who run their own business to put the vehicle through the company.

Tempting

However, doing this will mean that you will be taxed on the vehicle as a “benefit in kind”. The taxman calculates this tax based on the list price (plus delivery cost) of your vehicle, its CO2 emissions, your personal tax rate and the number of miles you drive for business each year. Confused? The calculator at www.fleetnews.co.uk/cars/car-taxcalculator/ can tell you what you will be taxed – for any car in the UK – in just a few minutes. car loan interest rate of 4.3 per cent Another thing to look out for would be £455.75, or £21,876 after when considering leasing versus the same four year period. Of course buying is the annual mileage. in this second scenario the car is Some lease deals can look good at yours to sell but assuming a resale first glance but limit a driver to value of £12,039 (remember the 5,000 miles a year. So it is imporAA’s 60 per cent drop) the total tant to be realistic about how spend still comes in at £13,850. many miles you will be driving as So a buyer would have spent going beyond the agreed number £3,576 more on the same vehicle will incur punitive penalty charges. and had to deal with selling it on Many car manufacturers offer than if they had simply leased it. their own form of leasing, known Add servicing and repair costs on as personal contract hire. However top and it actually looks like buying the majority of these deals do not a car is a pretty foolish option. include service and repairs and, as Business leasing prices are any car owner knows, it’s these

“extra” costs which can be crippling on household ﬁnances. Whip Car has been around for a few years now and it allows car owners to rent out their cars on an hourly, daily or weekly basis when they are not using them. It was set up to compete with car clubs in that it offers short-term locallybased car use to people without a vehicle of their own. Whip Car provides insurance for the driver borrowing your car so your own insurance will not be affected.

Ambitious That said, at the moment the majority of owners, I checked when writing this article, are offering their vehicles at what are quite frankly ambitious – I’d say greedy if I was being uncharitable – prices. As these compete with neither the hourly rates of car clubs nor the weekend rates of car rental companies, I’d question how many owners actually rent out their cars. This should certainly not rule out signing your new vehicle up to Whip Car, but just be realistic about the price you set if you are actually serious about making money this way. City Car Club – which has vehicles across Glasgow and Edinburgh rates start at £5.70 an hour. The cheapest hourly rate I could ﬁnd was £8 an hour on Whip

Car with the majority of owners in the north of Scotland listing their cars at £10 or more per hour. Whip Car’s research indicates owners typically made over a £1,000 in 2012 – or 14 per cent of average annual running costs – by renting their cars out just once a month. Companies and some councils are now making use of the down time of their vehicles through Whip Car Fleet as well, so it would be worth working out how much you could rent out a vehicle for when weighing up the merits of lease versus buying as leasing companies do not permit individuals to loan out their cars. That said, even allowing for this extra cash from renting out your car the maths, not to mention the hassle factor, still comes out on the side of leasing – to the tune of £2,577 after four years. Words: Lindsey Rogerson

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WEALTH WARNING Lindsey Rogerson is an awardwinning investment journalist and a member of the Financial Services Consumer Panel. The views expressed are personal and do not constitute ﬁnancial advice. Individuals should seek professional advice before taking ﬁnancial decisions.

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Essentials WHETHER YOU’RE A BUSINESS TRAVELLER OR A TOURIST, VISITING FAMILY OR GOING TO A MEETING, OUR HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS AIRPORTS GUIDE WILL POINT YOU TO THE BEST FOOD, ACCOMMODATION AND TRANSPORT LINKS

Sumburgh

Kirkwall Stornoway S tornoway Benbecula Wick W ick John O’Groats

Barra

Inverness Inverness

Tiree Tiree i Dundee Islay Islay Campbeltown

• SPRING 2013

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ESSENTIALS

Barra

SPOTLIGHT London City Airport

In numbers

You can fly direct to London City Airport twice a day from Dundee with CityJet from £73 one-way (frequent flights from Inverness go to London Gatwick, with Flybe and easyJet, or London Luton, with easyJet). Morning flights leave Dundee at 08.20, arriving at London City Airport at 10.00, and evening flights leave Dundee at 18.25, arriving at 20.00. Return flights leave London City at 16.20 and 20.25, arriving at Dundee at 17.55 and 22.00. Airport info on londoncityairport.com or 020 7646 0088. CityJet flights and fares at cityjet.com or on 0871 663 3777.

FROM THE AIRPORT Car hire: avis.co.uk 0844 544 6030 europcar.com 020 7476 0309 hertz.co.uk 08705 996699 Taxi:

Black taxis leave from outside the terminal about £12 to Canary Wharf, £30 to Oxford Street. A minicab may be cheaper – see minicabit.com.

Bus:

The 473 goes from the airport to Stratford, the 474 goes to Canning Town. See tﬂ.gov.uk to buy an Oyster card, saving money.

DLR:

London City Airport runway

The airport has its own Docklands Light Railway station, with trains leaving every 8-15 minutes and connecting to the Underground network.

NIGHTCAP The City Bar & Grill offers themed wine samples, with tasting notes, and also Meantime beers from Greenwich.

BON APPETIT Rhubarb is the place for a tasty breakfast or brunch.

1 26 15 44 36 JEWELLER’S SHOP IN AIRPORT – GASSAN

YEARS AIRPORT OPENED

BUSIEST UK AIRPORT

DESTINATIONS

MILLION PASSENGERS SO FAR

PILLOW TALK Pllenty of modern Docklands establishments close by.

PHOTOGRAPH: LONDON CITY AIRPORT

FROM THE AIRPORT Car hire: Call Barra Car Hire, 01871 890313, or MacMillan Self Drive, 01871 890366 before you arrive. Taxi: Book with Barra Island Taxis, 01871 810012, or J Campbell, 01871 810216. Bus: Runs between the airport and Castlebay. Details from R MacMillan, 01871 890366; H MacNeil, 01871 810262; cne-siar.gov.uk.

BON APPETIT The CASTLEBAY HOTEL uses the best of Barra produce. Call 01871 810223 or see castlebayhotel.com.

NIGHTCAP The HEATHBANK BAR is in a former church whose thick walls enclose a bright bar with ﬁne views. Northbay, 01871 890266, barrahotel.co.uk.

PILLOW TALK Britain’s most westerly hotel, the ISLE OF BARRA BEACH HOTEL, looks over the sands of Tangasdale Beach, and makes the most of the island’s ﬁne lamb and ﬁsh. 01871 810383, isleofbarrahotel.co.uk.

BE A TOURIST Once you’ve landed, you’ve already seen the most famous sight – the beach landing strip. KISIMUL CASTLE is seat of the Clan MacNeil, and don’t miss the deserted village of BALNABODACH. The island is ideal for walking, cycling and wildlife watching.

WHAT’S ON The BARRATHON, a halfmarathon on 29 June, is full but it’s great for spectators, too.

Benbecula FROM THE AIRPORT Car hire: Try MacLennans Garage, 01870 602191; Ask Car Hire, 01870 602818 or Laing Motors, 01878 700267, laingmotors.co.uk. Taxi: Book from Benbecula Taxis, 01870 602464, or MacVicar’s, 01870 603197.

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Bus: A regular service takes you to points all over Benbecula, North Uist and South Uist. For details see cnesiar.gov.uk/travel.

STEPPING STONES is popular for its delicious fare such as brochette of king scallops. Balivanich, 01870 603377.

NIGHTCAP

WHAT’S ON

Good selections of ales, wines and whiskies can be found at DARK ISLAND HOTEL, Liniclate, 01870 603030; ISLE OF BENBECULA HOUSE HOTEL, Creagorry, 01870 602024, isleshotelgroup.co.uk.

GREGOR EWING gives a talk on his epic walk in Bonnie Prince Charlie’s footsteps, at Sgoil Lionacleit on 10 April.

PILLOW TALK

FROM THE AIRPORT

LIONACLEIT GUESTHOUSE is comfortable and set on a croft, with seven rooms for B&B guests and two self-catering cottages. 01870 602176, lionacleit-guesthouse.com. At KYLES FLODDA, a modern B&B overlooking North Uist, you’re well placed to explore nature. See kylesﬂodda.com. LANGASS LODGE at Loch Eport, North Uist, offers comfort and great cooking, using local game and seafood with garden herbs. 01876 580285, langasslodge.co.uk. On South Uist, the 18thcentury POLOCHAR INN makes great use of local ingredients, and is in a great setting with an ancient

BURNSIDE BAR is friendly and traditional. Burnside Square, 01586 552306.

BE A TOURIST The scenery, ﬂora and fauna are spectacular so bring boots, camera and binoculars. The white beaches, lochs and hills calm the most troubled souls. Causeways link the island to North and South Uist.

BON APPETIT

NIGHTCAP

standing stone. 01878 700215, polocharinn.com

PILLOW TALK

CRAIGARD HOUSE, an Italianate-style building, is a classy place to stay. Low Askomil, 01586 554242, craigard-house.co.uk.

BE A TOURIST The Mull of Kintyre gave its name to the UK’s biggestselling single. The record, featuring Campbeltown Pipe Band, was Paul McCartney’s love song to the area, which has many attractions. Walkers will like the KINTYRE WAY, where the view changes with every step, taking in Ireland, Islay, Jura and Arran. The glorious CAMPBELTOWN PICTURE HOUSE is the oldest cinema in Scotland. MACHRIHANISH golf course is one of the country’s ﬁnest.

Campbeltown Car hire: Call Burbank Garage, 01586 544480, or Campbeltown Motor Co, 01586 552030. Taxi: Call Fona Taxis, 01586 554001; Roy’s Taxis, 01586 554625; Tavi’s Taxis, 01586 551122; Kintyre Connect Minibus Service, 07825 091502 or 07984 634824. Bus: Book ring-and-ride bus from airport by calling West Coast Motors, 01586 552319.

WHAT’S ON

NOUFEST, in Carradale from 10-12 May, celebrates the writer Naomi Mitchison, known as Nou, who lived in the area. Events include an exhibition to be opened by her grandson Neil Mitchison, a ceilidh and talk by experts. See the-carradale-goat.co.uk.

BON APPETIT

DALNASPIDAL is a great place to stay and serves a mix of Scottish and South African dishes. Dalnaspidal Guest House, Tangy, 01586 820466, dalnaspidal-guesthouse.com.

NIGHTCAP

The SPEEDWELL TAVERN, aka Mennie’s, has a ﬁne Edwardian interior and many whiskies. Perth Road, 01382 667783, speedwell-bar.co.uk.

PILLOW TALK Looking over the waterfront, the APEX is a modern comfort zone with a spa and a good restaurant. West Victoria Dock Road, 0845 365 0000, apexhotels.co.uk.

BE A TOURIST Whether you want to shop, enjoy art, or go sightseeing, this city is for you. The OVERGATE SHOPPING CENTRE is a great place to browse, DCA (Dundee Contemporary Arts) has an ever-changing programme of exhibitions and a great café. For maritime history visit Captain Scott’s ship, the RRS DISCOVERY, or HM FRIGATE UNICORN, the oldest Britishbuilt ship still aﬂoat. The SENSATION science centre, with its 60 hands-on exhibits, will excite youngsters’ curiosity.

WHAT’S ON

Dundee

PHOTOGRAPH: AIDAN BRADLEY

FROM THE AIRPORT

Machrihanish Dunes Beach

brasserie offers tempting dishes such as grilled red mullet with fennel and orange dressing and beetroot puree. Exchange Street, 01382 809000, bonappetit-dundee.com.

Car hire: Avis, Arnold Clark, Alamo and Europcar all serve the airport – call 01382 662200. Taxi: Booking in advance is advised. Call Tele Taxis on 01382 669333 or 50 50 50 Taxis on 01382 505050. Bus: The 8X bus runs Monday to Saturday, 6.30am-10.30pm, every 30 minutes. Airport to city centre and railway station takes about ﬁve minutes. Train: For destinations and times call 08457 484950 or see nationalrail.co.uk.

BON APPETIT

NUMBER 25 is popular for its friendliness and value. South Tay Street, 01382 200399. The excellent BON APPETIT

Top comics MICKY FLANAGAN and REGINALD D HUNTER do their stuff at the Caird Hall on 8 April and 14 May respectively. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is an intriguing new production by the National Theatre of Scotland in association with Dundee Rep, from 5-29 June. It’s a love story about a boy and a vampire, based on a Swedish novel that was also a ﬁlm. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra come to the Caird Hall on 23 May to play DVORAK’S CELLO CONCERTO. Another classical highlight is the City of Discovery charity concert on 8 June, also at the Caird Hall, in which the RSNO return, this time sharing the stage with renowned soprano LESLEY GARRETT.

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ESSENTIALS

Inverness FROM THE AIRPORT

Car hire: Options include Avis, 0844 544 6017, Europcar, 01667 460000, and Arnold Clark, 0845 607 4500. Taxi: Book with Inverness Taxis on 01463 222900. See inverness-taxis.co.uk. Bus: Airport bus goes to the city centre for £3.20 single. Stagecoachbus.com or 01463 239292 for other routes. Train: Nearest stations are Inverness and Nairn. See scotrail.com for times.

BON APPETIT

The MUSTARD SEED is rightly busy. 16 Fraser Street, 01463 220220, themustardseed restaurant.co.uk. CAFE1, despite its name, is very much a restaurant, emphasing seafood and quality cuts. 75 Castle Street, 01463 226200, cafe1.net. RIVER HOUSE RESTAURANT, a bright restaurant overlooking the Ness, impresses by using resources of the region. 1 Greig Street, 01463 222033, riverhouseinverness.co.uk. THE KITCHEN, also with river views, is deservedly popular. 15 Huntly Street, 01463 259119, kitchenrestaurant.co.uk.

NIGHTCAP

NUMBER 27 is a bright bar with arcane beers served by friendly staff. 27 Castle Street, 01463 241999, number27inverness. co.uk. Folkies, ceilidh bands and comedy can all be enjoyed at HOOTANANNY’S, 61 Church Street, 01463 233651, hootananny.co.uk. By day the FOUNDRY is a relaxing café. After 8pm it does a brisk trade in beers, wines and cocktails. 28 Church Street, 01463 713005, foundryinverness.co.uk.

PILLOW TALK Luxury is the order of the day at ROCPOOL RESERVE, but it’s not beyond affordable. Culduthel Road, 01463 240089, rocpool.com. The

KINGSMILLS HOTEL, set elegantly in four acres of gardens, offers family rooms and two-bedroom, twobathroom apartments. Look out for a thank you letter from Robert Burns, who stayed here in 1787. The leisure club and spa will revitalise you. Culcabock Road, 01463 237166, kingsmillshotel.com. The ROYAL HIGHLAND HOTEL has been much-loved for over a century and a half. In the middle of town, it’s Victorian splendour at its best. Station Square, 01463 251451, royalhighlandhotel.co.uk. TRAFFORD BANK GUEST HOUSE, once home to a bishop, is a delightful place to stay. Each bedroom has a mix of antique and modern furniture. Fairﬁeld Road, 01463 241414, traffordbankguesthouse.co.uk. The luxurious CASTLE STUART, close to Inverness Airport, is a 17th-century tower in its own private grounds. 01463 790745, castlestuart.com.

BE A TOURIST This wonderful city offers delightful RIVERSIDE WALKS and is an enjoyable place to shop. The hinterland is studded with castles and distilleries, many of which offer whisky tastings. The FLORAL HALL is an oasis of peace. Take a boat trip on LOCH NESS to search for the monster, visit nearby BRODIE CASTLE or CAWDOR CASTLE, wander on CULLODEN MOOR, where the Jacobite Rising was crushed in 1746. Equally atmospheric are the prehistoric CLAVA CAIRNS, a group of burial mounds in unspoilt woodland.

WHAT’S ON

EDWYN COLLINS plays the only Highland gig in his spring tour at Strathpeffer Pavilion on 17 April. Musically, the Ironworks has something for everyone this spring, with appearances by popster KATE NASH on 13 April, guitar veteran ALBERT LEE on

27 April, rising folkie RACHEL SERMANNI on 22 May and the RED HOT CHILLI PIPERS on 24 May. The SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA pays a visit to Eden Court on April 14 to present a programme of Haydn, Strauss, Webern and Beethoven. At the Findhorn Foundation on 20 April, there’s a lovely sounding performance for children – EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM, based on the book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. The same venue has an unusual show on 19 May – BE SILENT OR BE KILLED, a dramatisation of businessman Roger Hunt’s ordeal when he was caught up in the Mumbai terror attack in 2008. The SPIRIT OF SPEYSIDE FESTIVAL, in various places from 2-6 May, is a celebration of whisky with 300 events including tastings, tours, walks, railway outings, art shows and more. NORTHERN ROOTS, at Bogbain Farm from 31 May-2 June, is a friendly and atmospheric acoustic music festival with a strong line-up including the Henry Girls, Rura and Charlie Roth.

Islay FROM THE AIRPORT

Car hire: Booking in advance is advisable, with Islay Car Hire on 01496 810544 or D and N Mackenzie on 01496 302324. Taxi: Call Carol MacDonald Taxis on 01496 302155, Fiona’s Taxis on 01496 301622, Lamont’s Taxis on 01496 810449 or Rhinns Taxis on 01496 850170. Bus: Most places on the island are linked by B Mundell’s bus. Call 01496 840274 or ask at information desk.

BON APPETIT

The HARBOUR INN serves beef, lamb and seafood with style, in a scenic setting. Bowmore, 01496 810330, harbour-inn.com.

NIGHTCAP There’s a superb choice of malt whiskies at the LOCHSIDE HOTEL.

Bowmore, 01496 810244, lochsidehotel.co.uk.

PILLOW TALK Charming rooms, great food and a beautiful location make the PORT CHARLOTTE HOTEL a great place to stay. 01496 850360, portcharlottehotel.co.uk. Friendly, historic, handy for all parts of the island, the BRIDGEND HOTEL is committed to local produce. 01496 810212, info@bridgend-hotel.com. AN TAIGH-OSDA is a cool hotel in Bruichladdich, overlooking Loch Indaal. 01496 850587, antaighosda.co.uk. KILMENY COUNTRY HOUSE is a small luxury hotel near Port Askaig. Occupying a great vantage point, it is set within woods and farmland. There are four colour-themed bedrooms and a suite. 01496 840668, kilmeny.co.uk. COILLABUS ECO DWELLINGS are two luxury cottages on the wild Oa peninsula. Each sleeps four and has a hand-made hot tub. Built with reclaimed wood and stone, the cottages have turfed roofs. 01852 200565, coillabus.com. The ISLAY HOTEL, in Port Ellen, has been rebuilt, and its pristine white walls shine out over the harbour, while the wood inside is warm and welcoming. Call 01496 300109. The OLD EXCISE HOUSE at Laphroaig is comfy, historic, welcoming – and walking distance from three distilleries. 01496 302567, theoldexcisehouse.com. The ISLAND BEAR, on the main street in Bowmore, is a recent, very tasteful addition to the island’s B&B options. 01496 810375, islandbear.co.uk.

BE A TOURIST Islay is much less crowded and commercial than, say, Skye or Mull, yet its attractions are just as powerful. Not least is its status as a stronghold of whisky making, and all eight DISTILLERIES are open to visitors at various times. The island is a superb destination for walkers, anglers and birdwatchers. Autumn is the

SALE in Campbeltown

Fares are one way including taxes and charges, only available online, subject to availability. Card charges may apply. Flights operated by Logan

nair.

PHOTOGRAPH: JOHN PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

time to see geese by their tens of thousands – barnacle, brent, white-fronted, greylag and others. For a historical day out, it’s hard to beat FINLAGGAN, the ancient seat of the Lords of the Isles, and though the buildings are ruins, the site, beside a beautiful loch, is atmospheric. The ISLAY WOOLLEN MILL, at Bridgend, made the Highland tweed gear sported by Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson in their historical epics. Its shop is well worth a visit. 01496 810563, islaywoollenmill.co.uk. The MUSEUM OF ISLAY LIFE, at Port Charlotte, has exhibits dating from 8000BC to the 20th century and countless books and pictures. 01496 850358, islaymuseum.org.

WHAT’S ON Whisky and music make a potent blend at the excellent ISLAY FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND MALT, from 24 May-1 June. A highlight will be the Islay Gaelic Choir, conducted by Iseabail Mactaggart, singing Clare Jordan’s new songs based on William Livingstone’s poem about the Battle of Gruinart in 1598. IONAD CHALUIM CHILLE ILE, in Bowmore, always has

something going on – music courses, Gaelic classes and conversation groups and exhibitions. WALK ISLAY, from 14-19 April, offers a great programme of guided walks all over the island, and its neighbours, with plenty of post-walk socialising. The CANTILENA FESTIVAL, 30 June-5 July, offers a small but quality classical programme.

Kirkwall FROM THE AIRPORT

Car hire: Call WR Tullock on 01856 875500. Taxi: Call Bob’s Taxis on 01856 876543, Craigies Taxis on 01856 878787, George’s Taxis on 07541 034830 or Stromness Taxis on 01856 852852. Bus: The Jet bus operated by Stagecoach in Orkney runs all day – for times call the ﬁrm on 01856 870555 or the airport information desk on 01856 886210. See stagecoachbus. com for other Orkney routes.

BON APPETIT LUCANO is named after Lucania, southern Italy, where the owner hails from, and this bright restaurant sticks to its roots, with the emphasis on

good, fresh ingredients. 31-33 Victoria Street, Kirkwall, 01856 875687, lucanokirkwall.com.

NIGHTCAP HELGI’S is Viking-inspired and very tasteful, with its slate ﬂoor, wood panelling and cosy atmosphere. A great place to enjoy real ale, good coffee and home baking. Albert Street, 01856 879293.

PILLOW TALK At historic WOODWICK HOUSE if you want a walk in the woods or on the beach, both are yards away. Evie, 01856 751330, woodwickhouse.co.uk.

BE A TOURIST Kirkwall is enjoyable to wander around, with a busy harbour, narrow streets, lively pubs and the stately ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL. Further aﬁeld, renowned archaeological wonders vie for attention. Perhaps the best of all is the prehistoric village of SKARA BRAE, with its perfectly intact shelves and doorways. Also stunning is the chambered tomb of MAESHOWE, with its passage carefully aligned so that the winter solstice sun shines through it to illuminate the

Ten flights a week. Fly from £30.99. Flights operated by Loganair.

Free 20kg bag

chamber. The RING OF BRODGAR is up there with Callanish and Stonehenge in the standing stones league table, and the BROUGH OF BIRSAY, a tidal island rich in Norse ruins and birdlife, is an unforgettable place. The Neolithic TOMB OF THE EAGLES on South Ronaldsay is also worth a visit – you slide in on a large homemade skateboard. Just as intriguing is the ornate ITALIAN CHAPEL, painted by Italian prisoners during the Second World War. ORKNEY BREWERY, where beers such as Dark Island and Skull Splitter are made for a growing tribe of fans, is well worth a visit, with tours of the brewhouse and fermentation rooms and a nice café.

WHAT’S ON Stromness Museum is holding an exhibition until the end of October on the Orcadian doctor and explorer JOHN RAE to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth. Also in the town, the Stromness Hotel hosts a JAZZ FESTIVAL from 19-21 April. On a larger scale, and right across the islands, the ORKNEY FOLK FESTIVAL runs from 23-26 May. For the ﬁrst week in June, wine lovers will enjoy the ORKNEY FINE WINE FESTIVAL, organised by The Longship wine shop in Kirkwall. The ST MAGNUS FESTIVAL, from 20-27 June, is an internationally loved classical concert series.

Stornoway FROM THE AIRPORT

Car hire: Carhire Hebrides has its ﬂeet based at the airport. Call 01851 706500 or see carhire-hebrides.co.uk. Taxi: Order from Castle Cabs, 01851 704636, before your arrival, pick one up at the terminal or call airport information, 01851 702256. Bus: Hourly service to town centre, Monday to Saturday. Visit cne-siar.gov.uk/travel.

BON APPETIT At the elegant PARK RESTAURANT you might start

Book now! Making flying better.

with seafood ﬁlo baskets, moving on to Lewis lamb shank and spicy mint couscous. 30 James Street, 01851 702485, theparkguesthouse.co.uk. Booking is essential at DIGBY CHICK restaurant, which has two menus – one for early birds, and an à la carte from 7pm. Expect ultra-fresh ingredients, expertly prepared. 5 Bank Street, 01851 700026, digbychick.co.uk. AN LANNTAIR is a thriving arts centre with workshops, a cinema and gallery. The restaurant and bar overlooks the harbour, and serves food from 10am till late. Kenneth Street, 01851 703307, lanntair.com.

NIGHTCAP MCNEILLS is a cosy bar with live music. 11 Cromwell Street, 01851 703330. The STAR INN is small but has a good selection of spirits. 13 South Beach, 01851 702289.

PILLOW TALK

Brodie Castle, Inverness

BROAD BAY HOUSE, a fine guesthouse, is at Back, on the coast seven miles north of Stornoway. Its spacious rooms, furnished in solid oak, have wi-fi and iPod docks. You’ll find a tray with wine, biscuits, fruit, water and a stamped postcard to send home. 01851 820990, broadbayhouse.co.uk. The three-star CABARFEIDH HOTEL, about a mile from the town centre, scores highly for its cuisine and service. It also has good facilities for business guests. Manor Park, Perceval Road South, 01851 702604, cabarfeidh-hotel.co.uk. HOLM VIEW GUEST HOUSE is minutes from the airport. This four-star, five-bedroom house has splendid sea views and a host who goes out of his way to ensure that guests enjoy their stay. 18 Rathad na Bhraighe, 01851 706826. BRAIGHE HOUSE, overlooking the sea just a few minutes from the airport, has five immaculate bedrooms and the breakfast menu has the Braighe House Stack – Stornoway black

pudding topped with bacon, potato scone and a free-range poached egg. 20 Braighe Road, 01851 705287, braighehouse.co.uk.

BE A TOURIST Stornoway is a great place to relax and explore. Spend time at the harbour, watching the ﬁshermen unload their catches – which you could be eating in a couple of hours. Be sure to see CALLANISH, one of Britain’s most magical places. No-one knows the exact purpose of these ancient standing stones, but their power is undeniable. Nearby, DUN CARLOWAY BROCH is a magniﬁcent Iron Age tower you can explore.

PHOTOGRAPH: SCOTTISH VIEWPOINT

ESSENTIALS

WHAT’S ON GREGOR EWING gives a talk on how he became the ﬁrst to retrace Bonnie Prince Charlie’s ﬂight through the Highlands and Islands, at the Harris Hotel, Tarbert, on 11 April. An Lanntair hosts a talk by BILL LAWSON on emigration on 16 April. The STORNOWAY HALF MARATHON, on 25 May, is a popular one, with much of the route being off-road. The OLD GAFFERS’ ASSOCIATION (sailors of traditional boats) is descending on the port from 14-17 June, with races, boat trips and a ‘parade of sail’.

Sumburgh FROM THE AIRPORT Car hire: Call Star Rent-a-Car on 01950 460444. Taxi: Call Boddam Cabs on 01950 460111, J & I Taxis on 01950 422207 or Allied Taxis on 01595 690069. Bus: A regular airport bus takes you to Lerwick in about 40 minutes. Call John Leask & Sons on 01565 693162.

BON APPETIT BUSTA HOUSE deserves its reputation among foodies. Busta, 01806 522506, bustahouse.com. The SCALLOWAY HOTEL twins stunning waterfront views with a high-quality menu that makes a feature of Shetland’s excellent seafood. Main

be a

The Callanish Standing Stones at the entrance to Loch Cean Thulabhig

Street, Scalloway, 01595 880444, scallowayhotel.co.uk.

NIGHTCAP THE LOUNGE is a busy pub in Lerwick, good for live music. Mounthooly Street, 01595 692231

PILLOW TALK The 32-room SUMBURGH HOTEL, very handy for the airport, is friendly and comfortable. 01950 460394, sumburghhotel.com.

BE A TOURIST Beside the airport is one of Shetland’s principal sights – JARLSHOF. It contains remains from 2,500BC up to the 17th century, making it a fascinating place to visit. MOUSA BROCH is the best preserved Pictish tower in the country. WILDLIFE is a Shetland strong suit, with Arctic skuas, great northern divers and killer whales among species to spot. On Yell the SHETLAND GALLERY aims to showcase the islands’ best contemporary art.

Birmingham ska legends the BEAT, and on 13 May it’s the turn of RODDY WOOMBLE, who tasted success with rock band Islewild before morphing into a sensitive singersongwriter. VAMM, on 26 May, and SHOOGLENIFTY, on 1 June, make it a great spring for Shetland’s newest venue.

Tiree FROM THE AIRPORT Car and bike hire: Call MacLennans, 01879 220555. Taxi: Order from John Kennedy Taxis, 01879 220419. Bus: The on-demand dial-abus is on 01879 220419.

BON APPETIT CEABAR is a guest house with a very popular restaurant commanding great sunset views. Booking advised. 01879 220684, ceabar.com.

NIGHTCAP The TIREE LODGE HOTEL is a popular, often lively pub at Gott Bay, 01879 220368.

WHAT’S ON

PILLOW TALK

Silversmith ROD KELLY is exhibiting a collection of pieces inspired by Shetland at Mareel until 21 April. On 6 April the venue welcomes

ROCKVALE GUEST HOUSE is a friendly, comfortable place to stay, with a lovely, bright lounge. 01879 220675, rockvaletiree.co.uk.

LAIRD For more information call 0844 493 2108

The charming SCARINISH HOTEL offers simple, beautifully cooked food. After eating, relax in the Lean To bar. 01879 220308, tireescarinishhotel.com. KIRKAPOL HOUSE is a converted Victorian church beside the sea. The hosts are happy to collect guests from the airport and will supply packed lunches. 01879 220729, kirkapoltiree.co.uk.

BE A TOURIST

AN IODHLANN is the island’s historical centre and the place to shed light on your Tiree ancestry. See aniodhlann.co.uk or call 01879 220793. The RINGING STONE is a boulder, probably dumped by a glacier, which makes a metallic clang when hit with another stone. DUN MOR, at Vaul, is a broch, or place of refuge, built in about 60AD. Tiree is one of the UK’s windiest places, and also among the sunniest and most beautiful, with white, sandy beaches. See isleoftiree.com.

Wick John O’Groats FROM THE AIRPORT Car hire: Book with Dunnetts Garage on 01955 602103, Richards Garage on 01955 604123, Europcar on 01667 462052 or National Car Hire on 01463 238084. Taxi: Call Jimmy’s Taxis on 01955 602727, Johnnie’s Taxis on 01955 605041 or Millers Taxis on 01955 606464. Bus: Stagecoach 82 and 182 buses stop at the airport, providing connections to Wick and Thurso. The 25X links Wick with Inverness. For times see stagecoachbus.com or call 01463 239292. Train: Wick station is 1.5 miles from the airport, with trains to Thurso and Inverness and stations between.

NIGHTCAP

The ALEXANDER BAIN, named after the Wick man who invented the electric clock, is a bright, roomy bar, serving a good choice of ales and bar meals. 01955 609920. The PORTLAND ARMS is an atmospheric and cosy former coaching inn in Lybster. 01593 721721, portlandarms.co.uk.

PILLOW TALK

The QUAYSIDE B&B is friendly and every room has a harbour view. Harbour Quay, 01955 603229, quaysidewick.fsnet.co.uk.

BE A TOURIST

WICK HERITAGE MUSEUM has won awards for its displays on the town’s history as a fishing port and centre for glass-making and distilling. CAITHNESS HORIZONS, in Thurso, is a must-visit museum, with much to see and regular events. TIMESPAN, in Helmsdale, is a superb attraction loved by genealogists and casual visitors alike. JOHN O’ GROATS is the most northerly settlement in mainland Britain and is being transformed. A few miles west is the CASTLE OF MEY, with its ornate turrets and walled garden. The FLOW COUNTRY, Europe’s biggest blanket bog, is a striking landscapes, with a bleak appearance but a wealth of birdlife. Ruined CASTLE SINCLAIR GIRNIGOE is a fine sight.

WHAT’S ON Dip a toe in the world of triathlons at the MINI TRIATHLON, centred on Wick pool on 5 May.

BON APPETIT

The CAPTAIN’S GALLEY, a superb seafood restaurant serves local produce in converted ice house and bothy. The Harbour, Scrabster, 01847 894999, captainsgalley.co.uk.

HEATHROW CONNECTIONS

Need to get to Heathrow? It’s easily done from airports served by regular ﬂights from Inverness and Dundee. Journey times are approximate.

 From Luton A pre-booked taxi from Prestige Airport Cars takes 50 minutes, from £55. A National Express coach takes 1 hour 5 minutes and costs £21.90.

 From Gatwick A pre-booked taxi from Prestige Airport Cars takes 45 minutes, from £45. A National Express coach takes 1 hour and costs £25.

 From London City A pre-booked taxi from Riverside Cars takes 1 hour 15 minutes, from £50. It costs £5.30 and takes 1 hour 40 minutes to transfer via Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Canning Town, Jubilee line tube to Green Park and Piccadilly line tube to Heathrow. Or take the DLR to Canning Town, Jubilee line tube to Baker Street, Bakerloo line tube to Paddington (1 hour) then Heathrow Express, which leaves Paddington every 15 minutes and takes 15 minutes to reach Heathrow. This costs a total of £24.30. Transferring by National Express coach involves two changes and takes 3 hours plus, so is not the best option.

Contact Prestige Airport Cars: 03331 231818 or prestigeairportcars.co.uk Riverside Cars: 020 7231 7766 or riversidecarslondon.com National Express: 08717 818181 or nationalexpress.com For train and tube information see tﬂ.gov.uk

For ﬂight and booking information visit

hial.co.uk highlands & islands airports

Local access, global outlook

for a weekend or visit www.ntsholidays.com

MY SPRING

Dougie Vipond HE DRUMS, HE PRESENTS, HE INTERVIEWS, HE CYCLES. IT LOOKS LIKE DOUGIE VIPOND HAS A TYPICALLY BUSY TIME AHEAD OF HIM

CAN’T wait to do the Midsummer Live show at Callanish. It will be fantastic. I’m constantly surprised to be asked to do these exciting things, but nothing like this has been done before. I’m hoping for a glorious night, but whatever the weather we’ll make a very special programme and get across the beauty of this site. Scotland is full of magnificent places, and Callanish is definitely in my top ten. You can go there, take a deep breath and get a real sense that your role in the world is pretty wee. I’ve had a varied career so far. I studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with a view to being an orchestral percussionist. Then I spent nine years in Deacon Blue, then became a sports broadcaster and also began working on shows like Landward and The Adventure Show. I’ve never had a plan, but I’ve kept busy – maybe I was a juggler in a previous life. I’m passionate about Scotland, its landscape and its people – and sport fits in well with that, bizarrely. Sometimes I’ll be in some remote place talking about the countryside and all people want to discuss is the Old Firm or the next rugby international.

• SPRING 2013

Radio and television are not that different to work on – you just have to smile more for television. Looking down a lens can make it easier to feel that I’m talking to someone. With radio it’s harder to visualise the audience. Broadcasting can be nerve-racking, but when you’re used to being on a concert stage it helps. It’s not the nerves that are important, it’s how you deal with them. I’m looking forward to the spring. Winter can be hard going, and this one’s been especially wet. But getting outside in the spring and smelling the turned earth puts a smile on my face. I relax by cycling. I used to be a mountain biker until I fell off and knocked myself out, so now I like to get on my road bike and go out on the farm tracks with my boys. Later in the year we’ve got another Deacon Blue tour coming up. Last year we did a 25th anniversary tour and I couldn’t believe the interest. I was a bit rusty at ﬁrst, but the muscle memory was still there.  Dougie Vipond is presenting Midsummer Live, to be broadcast on BBC2 on the night of 21 June from the standing stones at Callanish on Lewis. The show will track the sun going down and look at how Scotland’s long of summer daylight affect us. Landward restarts on BBC2 in April.

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See killer whales in their natural habitat, catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights or discover the most stunning scenery Scotland has to offer; all at Natural Retreats John O’Groats. Offering the finest luxury accommodation, an Outfitters activity and retail centre and a co-operative Storehouse café in this incredible wilderness, Natural Retreats John O’Groats provides the perfect holiday destination for families and friends. Visit us for a sea safari around Stroma and the Duncansby Stacks on our Natural Explorer boat, fantastic freshly cooked local produce and luxury ecolodges, featuring sustainable locally sourced materials such as Caithness stone, Scottish Larch timber and sedum roofs.

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