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This issue we’re celebrating Scotland’s national drink, whisky
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Scotland Magazine Issue #126, (ISSN 1475-5505) (USPS 020-429) is published six times a year (bi-monthly) by The Chelsea Magazine Company, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ, UK.
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If there’s one symbol of Scotland bound to stir up more national sentiment than any other, it’s the Stone of Destiny (or Stone of Scone), the stone on which Scottish kings were supposedly crowned upon for centuries and which Edward I of England mercilessly stole.
As the coronation of King Charles III approaches, and the question of whether the stone should be allowed to return to Westminster, where it was held hostage for centuries, is raised once more, I travel to Perth to investigate just what it is about this lump of sandstone that makes Scots so protective of it. You can read all about it in Romanticising the stone (p16).
In Scotland’s Lost Treasure (p64), author David Willem tells the story of another of Scotland’s prized possessions, also stolen by Edward: The Black Rood.
One thing Scots have always had over the English is their skill at making whisky and this issue we celebrate this most Scottish of drinks with a Whisky Special (p49), which takes in all ve of the main whisky-producing regions, plus we go behind the scenes at a cooperage to see how the casks that age our whiskies are made.
If you like the ner things in life, then check out To the manor reborn (p28), where we roundup some of the best stately homes you can stay in, while for a back-to-basics holiday, you may prefer to follow in the footsteps of our new King, whose time in the Outer Hebrides we report on in Charles the crofter (p42). I hope you enjoy the issue.
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This rehoming will mark the first time the stone will be back in Perthshire in over 700 years
We pay tribute to a much missed scholar, and the MacLeod clan gathering returns
The ancestral seat of the MacLeods of Skye, Dunvegan Castle is a must-visit attraction on the Isle of Skye.
Visitors to the castle today can see some of the clan’s heirlooms, including the famous Fairy Flag, a 4th-century banner said to possess sacred powers to protect the clan in battle. Whether the flag was given to a former clan chief by his fairy lover, or brought back from the Crusades, is a matter of debate (and possibly imagination).
In 2023, the castle will be the nucleus of the MacLeod Parliament, the world gathering of Clan MacLeod, which takes place every four years. Postponed in 2022 due to the pandemic, it will return with renewed vigour on 22 July 2023, with plenty of events for clan members to get together and connect with their ancestral lands.
dunvegancastle.com
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and luxury textiles company Lochcarron have teamed up to create an exclusive ‘Coorie’ range of tartan perfect for the colder months.
Included in the range of soft heathery-toned winter warmers is a lambswool scarf, a fine wool scarf, and a beautiful 100% Bowhill lambswool throw, all of which have been woven at Lochcarron’s historic mill in the heart of the Scottish Borders.
The textiles join HES’s wider range of Coorie products, which also include candles, ceramics, chocolates, and books.
Prices start at £28 for a lambswool scarf. stor.scot
While most Scottish whisky distilleries now o er tours (see our whisky special on page 49) – few of them give you the chance to take a tour with the distillery owner.
Step forward Annandale Distillery, in Dumfries and Galloway, where visitors can take a tour with Professor David Thomson, the man behind the rebirth of this distillery, which was once owned by Johnnie Walker but was forced to close in 1918. In 2007, Thomson, together with his wife, Teresa Church, revived Annandale and on this personal tour you can hear about the ‘characters’ involved in the revival – including the ‘water diviner’ and the archaeologists that worked on the project. Thomson has even been known to recite Burns poetry as he extols the virtues of the region and its whisky, and like all good tours, it ends with a tasting of some of the distillery’s whiskies.
Register your interest for an owner tour by emailing I.Dupont@annandaledistillery.com. annandaledistillery.com
The luxury floating hotel, Fingal, which is moored in the foodie suburb of Leith in Edinburgh, and run by the team behind the nearby Royal Yacht Britannia, has been crowned one of the top five-star hotels in the UK by the AA.
Fingal, once a working vessel that was luxuriously transformed into a glamorous Art Deco style hotel yacht in 2019, has also been singled-out for its fine-dining restaurant.
An exceptionally rare and valuable gold sword pommel dating from around AD700 has been acquired by National Museums Scotland after being discovered by a metal detectorist near Blair Drummond in Stirlingshire in 2019.
The pommel, which combines elements from both Anglo Saxon England and early medieval Scotland, is made of solid gold and encrusted with garnets. The detailed goldwork features religious motifs and mythical creatures and was undoubtedly hugely symbolic.
Dr Alice Blackwell, senior curator of medieval archaeology and history at National Museums Scotland, said: “It is a hugely significant archaeological find, revealing more about this fascinating period in the history of northern Britain and representing the spectacular skill and craftsmanship of the period.” nms.ac.uk
Britannia’s hospitality director and Fingal’s general manager, Andrew Thomson, said of the awards success: “We’re extremely proud to have been recognised by the AA for our commitment to o ering a world-class visitor experience for all our guests with the top five-star quality assurance rating for the hotel and two AA Rosettes for our Lighthouse Restaurant.” Read our full review at scotlandmag.com/fingal
Want to hear more Scottish tales at the push of a button?
Love Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) podcast presented by NTS President, Jackie Bird, is back for its fourth season and features a di erent historical tale or person each episode. Recent programmes include a deep dive into the life of Scottish heroine Flora MacDonald – who was she, how did she come to help Bonnie Prince Charles and what happened to her in the years that followed? Tune into the podcast to find out. nts.org.uk/stories/ for-the-love-of-scotlandpodcasts
There is no better way to get under the skin of Scotland on your travels than on a personal tour with an expert guide, and with Glascotours, all tours – which can be tailor-made for you – are led by the owner, and local guide, Ian Smith. You can’t get more personal than that.
Born and raised in Lossiemouth, in northeast Scotland, and now based out of Glasgow, Ian loves to show o his beloved country to visitors, whether they are looking to see the classic sights and castles or are looking for more o -the-beaten-track experiences.
Ian says, “I encourage guests to tell me why they are drawn to visit Scotland and what their main aims of their trip are. There is often a detailed discussion, with questions and answers on both sides before the itinerary for their unique tour is finalised.” glascotours.com
Dr Christopher Du y, who served as Chair of the 1745 Association between 2014 and 2016 has died. At the time of his death on 16 November 2022, Dr Du y was 86 and an Honorary Vice Chair of the Association.
Michael Nevin, current Chair of the 1745 Association said Dr Du y was “undoubtedly the leading Jacobite scholar of his generation” thanks largely to his successful book Fight for a Throne (2015), which developed his earlier work, The ‘45: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the untold story of the Jacobite Rising (2003).
Andrew Grant McKenzie MA (Hons) FSAScot, who collaborated with Dr Du y
on research of the Culloden Battlefield from 2009-2022 (see the pair, right), described him as “truly a loyal and staunch friend”. But it is for Du y’s tireless historical research, not least at Culloden, for which he will be best remembered. McKenzie said: “We walked the entirety of the battle site from 2009 to his last able visit in 2021 and discussed many flashpoints in the battle, but also our hopes for the future conservation of the site. His work on mapping the site accurately during the pandemic must be regarded as some of the most important conservational historical research ever developed.”
ABOVE: Kate and Cronie, her faithful Border Terrier OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Famous Blacksmiths Shop at Gretna Green; Ruthven Barracks; a clan grave marker at Culloden Battlefield; Stirling Castle
Words by KATE FRANCIS
Not long ago I drove down to Argyllshire to attend a memorial concert for Bill, a dear old friend whom I’d known since my teens. Due to lockdown, his funeral, eight months previously, had been for family only and this was a perfect celebration of the life of a man we shall all remember fondly, not least for his wicked sense of humour. The concert was at Crear, a striking venue near Kilberry, on the coast of the Knapdale peninsula, with its large glass-fronted building looking across the water to the islands of Jura and Islay. I’d joined up with three friends on my way there and it was a truly magical event. All 120 of us sat round tables in the main hall and I was lucky enough to be facing out over the panoramic view during the concert, listening to piano, ute, and song: Schumann, Bach, Debussy, and Schubert. To hear this soothing music while gazing across the Sound of Jura, with the sun shining down over the hills was the ideal tribute to a man whose honour and philanthropy had enriched the lives of countless people. As well as laying on musical events, Crear is also a popular wedding venue and with its staggering views and beaches, it’s easy to see why so many people choose it for perhaps the most important day of their lives.
During a recent seven-hour drive home from Yorkshire, I visualised a very different sort of wedding, as I crossed the Scottish border at Gretna Green. I’d been down to meet my
rst great-grandson, Bertie, nearly a month old, and I was trying to revise my knowledge of Scottish history to keep my mind alert on that busy road. In 1754, the Marriage Act in England and Wales forbade anyone under 21 to get married without parental permission. In Scotland the legal age for marriage without parental permission was 14 for boys and 12 for girls. As Gretna Green was one of the rst villages over the border, it became the chosen destination for many love-sick youngsters. The blacksmith’s anvil represented a suitable altar and all that was required for a legal ceremony were two witnesses. The Anvil Priest, as the blacksmith became known, forged thousands of couples into wedlock and the resulting marriage certi cates were recognised in all countries. By 1929, both bride and groom had to be at least 16 and it then became the rule that one of them must be resident at Gretna for 21 days before the ceremony. To go to Gretna to be married today is a romantic adventure with every possible facility laid on, like at Crear, but in those days most of those fugitive unions were probably suffused with panic and fear.
When we reached Stirling, Cronie needed a comfort stop so I pulled off into a service station from which there was a narrow path up a hill through scrub and gorse, from the top of which I looked across a glen to magni cent Stirling Castle, perched high and proudly on its volcanic crag. There’s lots of history in Stirling Castle, but the most important for me is its association with Mary, Queen of Scots
Our friend has been busy this issue, crossing down into England, before returning via the centre of 18th-century elopement – Gretna Green
who, I can never resist boasting, was my legitimate, 11-greats-grandmother, with 13 generations between us.
Mary spent most of the rst ve years of her tragic life at Stirling Castle. Born in Linlithgow Palace, she wasn’t even a week old when her father died, and she became Queen of Scotland. She was crowned in Stirling Castle’s Chapel Royal, in 1543, when she was 9 months old. Her son, later King James VI, of whom I don’t boast for understandable reasons, also spent much of his childhood in this ancient castle, which dates from at least the 12th century with most of the present buildings dating from the 15th and 16th centuries.
There was no snow on the Cairngorms as we drove past Aviemore, just the dramatic hills beckoning keen skiers, (not me) to return soon. More history ooded my mind as we went through Ruthven with its hilltop fort, built by the government in 1721 as a stronghold against the impending Jacobite rebellion, and captured by those same Jacobites in 1746. After their defeat at Culloden, 3,000 Jacobites gathered here, awaiting orders from Bonnie Prince Charlie, but their gallant idol reckoned that there was no hope for any of them and he issued his somewhat feeble message: “Let every man seek his own safety in the best way he can....” Charlie then set off on his own escape, taking refuge wherever he could nd it, in the Highlands and over the sea to Skye.... However strong one’s loyalties were to the leader of the Jacobite cause, it must have been a severe test of them, when he literally abandoned all his followers, putting his own safety rst.
The Culloden Battle eld, where there is now an excellent tourist centre which tells the whole story in graphic detail, lay to our east on the nal stage of our journey. In April every year, on the anniversary of the battle, all the clans gather here and enact memorial ceremonies around their ags, followed by a lunch with endless speeches. Since Douglas died, I am ashamed to say that I no longer join our Macdonald clan for their annual participation.
With all this history churning through my mind, mixed with thoughts of those happy two days I’d just spent cuddling bonny Bertie, we cruised over the Kessock Bridge, thankful that it wasn’t 40 years previous when we would have had to queue up for the ferry across the Beauly Firth. We were back on our beloved Black Isle by mid-afternoon, allowing plenty of time for me to take Cronie for a proper walk up the farm track and back along the shore, serenaded by the haunting cries of the curlews. I then collapsed into my armchair, lled with memories of those blissful two days with my family, and wondering how I can be so blessed. S
In April every year, on the anniversary of Culloden, all the clans gather here and enact memorial ceremonies around their flags