Fall-ing Perthshirefor
Why autumn is the ideal time to visit this pretty, rural region
REGENCY ROMANCE
Scottish love story that inspired Jane Austen
BEST BUTTERIES
How to perfect this northeast delicacy
CLAN COURIER
A special exhibit for fans of Outlander, Dewar’s celebrates and Sanday’s new attraction
[EXHIBITION]
THE TIMETRAVELLER’S DRESS
An iconic dress worn by Geillis Duncan in season one of Outlander has gone on display at Culross Palace in the heart of the town that stars as the fictional village of Cranesmuir in seasons one and two of the series.
The new exhibit is the first time the National Trust for Scotland has decided to shine a spotlight on film tourism and it seems fitting an exception was made for Outlander since six out of its eight seasons were filmed at Trust places, including Culross Palace, Falkland Palace, the Hermitage, Newhailes, and Preston Mill.
Anna Rathband, the National Trust for Scotland’s filming manager, said: “Hundreds, if not thousands, of Outlander fans have already come from across the world to engage with the story and to learn more about the history of our country. We’re excited to bring a piece of Outlander to Culross Palace and make Geillis’s dress available for the public to see up close.”
With the final series of Outlander set to screen in late 2025 or early 2026, we have a feeling this display, which can be seen until autumn 2026, will be a smash hit, just like the TV show. nts.org.uk/visit/places/culross
Ablaze ofGLORY
Perthshire is always beautiful but in leaf-peeping season (autumn) it really comes into its own
Words by SALLY COFFEY
Return to SKYE
Charm and character can survive many decades of change, especially in the Scottish Isles
Words by PRITPAL KAUR
“
We’re going on an adventure, Mum, without dad to your favourite place in the world, Scotland, to celebrate you.”
These are the wonderful words my daughter, Minreet, said to me one day when I was feeling very low. I suffer from a lot of bone pain due to living with myeloma, a rare blood cancer, but hearing these words, my face lit up and the pain went away.
I went to Scotland on my honeymoon with my husband, Rajinder, 50 years ago – our anniversary was in 2024 – and we loved it. I remember we didn’t want to leave. It was a wonderful experience.
My husband and I had a semi-arranged marriage in the 1970s and though today my husband is a homebody and doesn’t like to travel, I have always wanted to return to the Isle of Skye, as it’s my happy place.
On our honeymoon all those years ago, we travelled to Edinburgh by train from our home in London.
On arrival, we were picked up by taxi, but when we arrived at our guest house, we found our room had been given to someone else as we were late – our train had been delayed.
The taxi driver said he wouldn’t charge us any extra, but wanted to help us nd a place to stay as it was so late. He was sad to see we didn’t know where to go or how to nd somewhere else to stay, so he found
THIS IMAGE: The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye INSET: Pritpal and her husband, Rajinder, on honeymoon
RIGHT: Pritpal was delighted to revisit the island
Words by FELICITY
AUSTEN-WORTHY
Is there any truth in the theory that a real-life Scottish love affair inspired one of Britain’s most celebrated writers?
DAY
The annals of Scottish history are filled with great love stories, and that of Magdalene Hall and Colonel Sir William De Lancey deserves a place among them –not least because there’s a distinct possibility that their Regency-era romance inspired one of England’s best-loved writers, Jane Austen, whose 250th anniversary is being celebrated the length and breadth of Britain in 2025.
As compelling as any conjured by Austen’s expert hand, the De Lanceys’ story began in the autumn of 1814. Into the streets of Edinburgh strode the Colonel, a hardened veteran of the recently ended war with Napoleonic France, taking up his first peacetime posting in a 22-year army career. The decorated American-born officer, whose father had fought for Britain in the American Revolutionary War, must have caused a considerable stir among the ladies; only in his late 30s, he was tall, dark and handsome, soon-to-be knighted and never married. But it was
Magdalene, the kind, intelligent daughter of Baronet Sir James Hall, a pioneering enlightenment scientist, who caught his eye. Their courtship moved fast. By Christmas, William was a fixture in the drawing room at the Hall family estate at Dunglass in East Lothian, and by March, the banns were being called for their wedding. They married in Edinburgh’s historic Greyfriars Kirk on 4 April 1815.
Retreating to Dunglass, with its rolling hills and sweeping sea views, they expected a quiet, romantic honeymoon. But war clouds had been gathering as they made their wedding plans; at the end of February, the deposed emperor Napoleon had escaped from his exile on the island of Elba and returned to France, where he soon re-established his reign, forcing
They expected a quiet, romantic honeymoon, but war clouds had been gathering as they made wedding plans
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: An artist’s impression of the Battle of Waterloo, painted in 1824; portrait of William De Lancey; Magdalene De Lancey
Words by KIRSTEN HENTON
THE DUKE OF ALBANY
Our history writer questions whether the notorious Robert Stewart was a monster or merely an opportunist?