Scotland 2024

Can

Trips

Where

Sheila took inspiration for her ‘Storm’ collection from the dramatic seas surrounding her island home. When whipped up by strong winds, these stormy waters create surges of sea spray and deep, dark colours and shadows.

and unique rings available in silver, 9ct and 18ct yellow and white gold, and in platinum, many hand-set with diamonds.

Scotland 2024 is published by the makers of Scotland magazine:

111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT

Tel: 020 7349 3700

Email: editor@scotlandmag.com www.scotlandmag.com

EDITORIAL

Editor Sally Coffey

Assistant Editor

Henrietta Easton

Art Editor Clare White

ADVERTISING SALES

Group Sales Director Catherine Chapman

Advertising Manager

Daisy Welch

Senior Sales Executive

Rafe Thornhill

PUBLISHING

Managing Director James Dobson

Publisher Simon Temlett

Chief Financial Officer

Vicki Gavin

Printed in England by William Gibbons Ltd

Production All Points Media

SUBSCRIPTIONS

UK and Rest of World: www.scotlandmag.com/subscribe

Tel: +44 (0) 1858 438 898

Email: scotland@subscription.co.uk

SCOTLAND magazine, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 9EF

USA and Canada: www.britsubs.com/scotland

Tel: 1-800-925-8215 (toll free)

Email: SCOcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com

Post: SCOTLAND, PO Box 37518, Boone, IA 50037-0518 (USA only);

OR SCOTLAND, 1415 Janette Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N8X 1Z1 (Canada only)

Annual subscription rates (6 issues)

UK – £23.95; USA and Canada – $39.95/$44.95

Rest of World – £39.95; New Zealand & Australia –AUD $79.95

Did you know you can manage your subscription online?

Oversee your print and digital subscriptions online today simply by signing up at https://www.subscription.co.uk/ chelsea/Solo/. Stay up to date with the latest issues, update your personal details, and even renew your subscription with just a click of a button.

Back Issues www.chelseamagazines.com/shop

Distribution

SCOTLAND 2024 (ISSN 2634-839X) (UPS 020-429) is published by The Chelsea Magazine Company, part of the Telegraph Media Group, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT, UK. Distributed in the U.S. by NPS Media Group, 2 Enterprise Drive, Suite 420, Shelton, CT 06484.

Periodicals Postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Scotland magazine, PO Box 37518, Boone, IA 50037-0518.

UK and Rest of World: Seymour, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7429 4000

Welcome to our special Scotland 2024 souvenir edition, an annual designed to help you plan your travels in the year ahead and beyond, by bringing you a curated collection of inspiring travel tales, imbued with the history and heritage for which these isles are renowned.

Brought to you by the team behind Scotland magazine, over the next 116 pages, you can read about some of our most impressive castles and stately homes, each with their own story to tell, from clan battles to royal connections or (as in the case of Fyvie, above) sinister hauntings.

Most visitors to Scotland begin their trip in our capital city of Edinburgh, so turn to page 59 for our roundup of the best attractions to factor into your visit.

Just across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh, there is something of a food and drink revolution taking place in the rural county of Fife and you can read about some of the best places to get a taste for the region on page 76.

If our cover star of Glenfinnan with the Jacobite steam train crossing over the famous viaduct has got you excited, then turn to page 102 for a real insider’s view of the region from Ailsa Sheldon, who not only grew up there but even used to work on the train.

And, of course, we have tons of other features to inspire your next Scottish trip, from stately homes you can stay in to the best cruises and tours for 2024. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to start planning your next Scottish holiday now.

making final arrangements. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance on the information contained within this publication is hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by contributors to Scotland 2024 are not necessarily those of the publisher.

editor@scotlandmag.com

SALLY COFFEY Editor

Adventurer Aviemore Explore more with Stagecoach

Our Aviemore Adventurer bus service makes it e ortless for you to immerse yourself in all the thrilling outdoor activities in Cairngorm National Park.

Running up to every hour from Aviemore to Cairngorm Mountain car park, you won’t have to worry about nding a parking spot or navigating through tra c.

But that’s not all! The Aviemore Adventurer service (service 30) is also a sustainable way to travel, reducing your carbon footprint and allowing you to explore the Cairngorms.

So, what are you waiting for?

Scan me to nd out more!

The Adventurer is tted with bike and ski racks so you can take your own bike, skis, or even snowboard with you. Racks are subject to seasonal change

Photos courtesy of Visit Scotland

FÀILTE

Scotland is preparing to welcome you back in 2024, here are some of the best reasons to plan a visit now

THE HUNT FOR NESSIE CONTINUES

A new visitor experience on the western shores of Loch Ness gives wannabe monster hunters a new focus for their investigations.

The Loch Ness Centre, housed in the old Drumnadrochit Hotel, once managed by Aldie Mackay, whose sighting in 1933 ignited Nessie mania, reopened in 2023 following a complete overhaul and £1.5m of investment.

Now run by Continuum Attractions –the people behind the hugely successful

Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh –the Loch Ness Centre takes visitors on one-hour immersive experiences in which they can explore the many theories behind a supposed mysterious monster who lives in the loch and even ‘meet’ Aldie Mackay herself.

Ticketholders will also be able to take a ride aboard Deepscan, the centre’s boat, which is named after the Operation Deepscan expedition carried out on the loch in 1987, which, like so many other

investigations, proved inconclusive.

In August 2023 on the eve of the largest ever surface search for the Loch ness Monster, passengers on the boat reported hearing four “mysterious and previously unheard loud noises” on the cruise, yet sadly the noises went unrecorded.

Perhaps on your visit, you’ll have more success acquiring evidence and maybe, just maybe, between us we can solve the mystery once and for all. lochness.com

NEW DESTINY FOR THE STONE OF SCONE

Stolen by the English during the reign of King Edward I and finally returned to the Scots in 1996, the Stone of Destiny is being brought back to its rightful home of Perth in 2024 after a period of 700 years.

Originally kept in Scone Abbey within the grounds of Scone Palace, just outside Perth, since 1996 the Stone of Destiny, on which Scottish kings were crowned for centuries, has been on display in Edinburgh Castle. Meanwhile, Scone Palace has had to make do with a replica outside the chapel on Moot Hill (see left and page 92), where coronations once took place.

In spring 2024 the stone will be unveiled in its new purpose-built home in Perth Museum in the centre of the city of Perth, a short drive away from its historic home of Scone Palace. perthmuseum.co.uk

TEE-TIME IN TROON

In 2024, the world of golf will descend on Ayrshire as Royal Troon plays host to the 152nd Open.

This will be the 10th time Royal Troon will host the prestigious golf tournament and a little over 100 years since it hosted

its first Open in 1923 on a course that had been recently redesigned by five-time Open champion James Braid.

Royal Troon has a similar out-and-back style to St Andrew’s Old Course and is one of the world’s finest links courses.

Visitors to the 2024 tournament can enjoy the many attractions of Robert Burns’ country as ‘the bard’ was born in Ayrshire, while the beautiful Isle of Arran is only a short ferry away from the Ayrshire coast. theopen.com; ayrshireandarran.com

BRAEMAR CASTLE IS REBORN

Another huge restoration project has been underway at 17th-century Braemar Castle, seat of Clan Farquharson and one of the few tourist attractions in Scotland that is community run, having been looked after by local charity, Braemar Community Limited, since 2007.

The £1.6m Raising the Standard project, made possible by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic Environment Scotland, as well as private donations, has seen crucial work to preserve the castle fabric, including structural repairs, re-harling and lime-washing, and a redevelopment of the castle grounds to include a new kitchen garden, a woodland trail, a restored fog house, and a Victorian garden folly.

When it reopens – which we are told should be in time for the 2024 season – visitors will be able to approach the building via a new, fully accessible path featuring a historic timeline.

Inside the curtain wall, there will be interpretation panels charting the castle’s 400-year history, interactive digital displays, a shop, and other visitor amenities, while multimedia tours will introduce the stories of some of the castle’s past inhabitants.

braemarcastle.co.uk

EDINBURGH St James Quarter

This new shopping centre, just a short walk away from Edinburgh Waverley train station on the eastern edge of the city’s New Town, is a great place to buy luxury clothing and gifts to take home. British shops like John Lewis and Reiss are joined by international brands like Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. Meanwhile, there are lots of excellent dining choices in Bonnie & Wild, a Scottish marketplace and food hall, including Gary Maclean’s amazing Creel Caught restaurant, where you can enjoy top-end seafood from Scotland’s first national chef; an exclusive whisky bottle shop; and lots more Scottish speciality producers. stjamesquarter.com; bonnieandwildmarket.com

Hamilton and Inches

For fine jewellery with timeless design, try this jewellery maker, which has been creating beautiful pieces in the capital since 1866. Its new collection of 18ct Scottish Gold fine jewellery is particularly graceful and includes two diffusion lines: Fleur-de-lys and Star Fleur-de-lys.

Using gold extracted from Scotland’s first and only gold mine near Tyndrum, the 10-piece collection is handcrafted in the jeweller’s goldsmith shop above the Hamilton & Inches showroom in Edinburgh. The company is now also making an engagement collection available in Scottish Gold and is taking commissions for bespoke orders for 18ct Scottish Gold fine jewellery. hamiltonandinches.com

GLASGOW Foodies

In the heart of Glasgow’s ‘Style Mile’, the Buchanan Galleries is home to lots of good shops but this one gets our vote due to the social enterprise approach of the business.

Bringing together lots of independent Scottish food and drink producers, it looks set to become a food hall of note, giving a high street presence to small businesses who might otherwise not be able to afford such a prominent position.

SHOPPING LIST

Each of the businesses, which include producers of coffee, honey, jams, and more, pay a fixed fee to rent store space and keep 100% of their profits. The business is the latest venture for Lynzi Leroy, chief executive of the not-for-profit Scottish Design Exchange (SDX).

buchanangalleries.co.uk/shops/foodies

REST OF SCOTLAND

Leakey’s, Inverness

Book lovers may find it hard to leave this Inverness institution once they discover it, stacked as it is – almost to the ceiling – with all manner of second-hand books. It’s the kind of shop where it’s more about the experience than what you walk away with but you most certainly will walk away with something. leakeysbookshop.com

Isle of Mull Cheese, Isle of Mull

Part shop, part café, this relatively new addition to the shopping/dining scene on the Isle of Mull is a delight. With huge windows draped with foliage overlooking acres of farmland, it’s a serene setting for a spot of lunch, while if you are wanting to sample local cheese and chutneys – for a picnic or your holiday home – then you’ll leave very happy indeed. isleofmullcheese.co.uk

House of Bruar, Perthshire

This huge Scottish goods store, just 10 miles north of Pitlochry, in Perthshire, and easily accessible for visitors to Blair Castle or the Cairngorms, is a great place to pick up well-made Scottish clothing and food, from tweed to shortbread, cashmere to whisky, and Scottish toiletries to pottery. However, with so much to tempt you, you might wish you’d brought a bigger suitcase. houseofbruar.com

Want to buy high-end gifts or authentic Scottish produce on your next trip? Here are the places you should head to

THIRLESTANE CASTLE Lauder

Standing sentinel in the Scottish Borders, this castle, which has been home to the Maitland family for over 400 years, is one of the oldest and most re ned inhabited castles in all of Scotland.

Now run by a charitable trust, with all pro ts going back into the upkeep of the castle and its grounds, guests can book one of the ve-star suites in the main castle, the whole of the South Wing (which sleeps 16), or a wooden lodge in the grounds. For an extravagant reunion, you can even hire out the entire castle, which includes access to the Victorian kitchen and grand state rooms, where you can dine beneath the portraits of past owners in the state dining room. It’s also possible to book a private tour with the current owners, Edward and Sarah Maitland-Carew, while other add-ons include a piper to pipe you in for dinner, a storyteller to regale you with tales of Border reivers and folk heroes, plus deerstalking, archery, whisky-tasting, horse-riding and more. thirlestanecastle.co.uk

To the Manor reborn

Ever wondered what it’s like staying in a palace or castle? With a stay in one of these grand stately homes, you need wonder no more

Words by SALLY COFFEY

CARLOWRIE CASTLE Near Edinburgh

For group gatherings, Carlowrie Castle, in the town of Kirkliston, just 10 miles from Edinburgh, are hard to beat. Exclusive-use guests get full run of the 32-acre estate, including nine ensuite bedrooms in the castle itself, plus the option of booking a further ve bedrooms (with two bathrooms) in the Gate Lodge, or seven ensuite bedrooms in the Stables. Victorian-built Carlowrie was the family home of the Hutchisons for

130 years – the family coat of arms is carved into stone above the front door. The most famous family member was Isobel Wylie Hutchison, who in the 1920s and 1930s was an intrepid explorer. Today, like-minded adventurers can abseil down the castle walls, or recreate some of the decadence of the inter-war years with a lavish vintage party.

carlowriecastle.co.uk

© NEALE SMITH/PHIL WILKINSON

TRAQUAIR HOUSE Innerleithen

At Scotland’s oldest inhabited house, which for many years served as a hunting lodge for kings and queens, you can check into one of the period bedrooms, which come with canopied beds and antique furniture, on a bed-and-breakfast basis at a fairly reasonable rate.

Unfortunately, you can’t sleep in the King’s Room, which Mary, Queen of Scots once slept in, though you can view it. The Pink Bedroom, originally Lord Traquair’s Room, can be booked and looks out over the maze, while the White Room, in the 17th-century wing of the house, has views of the Bear Gates that have remained closed since the 18th century when the house’s then owner decreed they should remain shut until a Stuart was back on the throne.

For bigger gatherings, Howford House on the Traquair Estate (a 10-minute walk from the house), is an attractive Georgian property, with tennis courts, overlooking the River Tweed that sleeps 18 people on an exclusive-use basis. traquair.co.uk

DUMFRIES HOUSE Ayrshire

While you cannot stay in the beautifully restored Dumfries House itself – the stately home in southern Scotland that His Majesty The King saved for the nation back in 2007 – you can do the next best thing and stay in the five-star Dumfries House Lodge, which sits on the edge of the 2,000-acre Dumfries House estate. Officially opened by the-then Prince Charles, Prince of Wales in 2012, the lodge features 22 luxurious guest rooms as well as three divine self-catering cottages.

Guests can enjoy the freedom of Dumfries House estate and are within easy reach of the 18th-century Palladian country house that is home to the largest known collection of furniture designer Thomas Chippendale’s early work. Dumfries House remained untouched for 250 years before Prince Charles’s intervention. It now operates primarily as the headquarters of The Prince’s Foundation, whose education and training programmes are funded by revenue from commercial activity, including profits from overnight stays at Dumfries House Lodge. dumfries-house.org.uk

MARCHMONT Greenlaw

This Grade A-listed Palladian mansion in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders can easily lay claim to being one of Scotland’s grandest stately homes. It’s all thanks to a sensitive 20th-century restoration, which has retained many original features, including 18th-century George II period plasterwork by one of Scotland’s most celebrated plasterers, Thomas Clayton.

Today Marchmont is a place with art and creativity at the heart of everything it does, with artist studios and workshops in its grounds and a regular rolling programme of courses and events.

A private family house, Marchmont is only open on certain days for guided tours and art-related weekend events. However, guests wishing to hire it out either in part or in its entirety can make requests year-round. There are 10 ensuite bedrooms, plus four ‘staff’ bedrooms that can be let additionally, and two cottages in the grounds.

Staying true to its artistic ethos, Marchmont’s exclusive-use guests can participate in pottery, printmaking, silversmithing – even rush seat chair making – while here. marchmonthouse.com

SCONE PALACE Perth

As we discuss on page 92, Scone Palace is one of the most historically significant homes in Scotland. Home to the Earls of Mansfield, whose family has lived here for over 400 years, the palace, set amid a 20,000 acre-estate, has its origins in the 12th century, though Scottish kings were crowned here long before even that.

Queen Victoria famously visited in 1842 – the owners were given two years to prepare for her arrival – and guests who hire out the private apartments, which include 12 double bedrooms – 10 of which are ensuite – can dine in the very room that hosted the queen. Private tours of the palace with the Countess of Mansfield, her eldest son Viscount Stormont, or a head guide can also be arranged, and guests can wander the extensive grounds at their leisure. The six-person apartment – the Balvaird Wing – can be hired on its own for smaller gatherings. Add-ons include bird of prey displays, mini-Highland games, whisky tastings, pipers, pheasant shooting, and chauffeur-driven tours. S scone-palace.co.uk

WIN a ‘Wee Winter Break’ to Skye

Cosy rooms, whisky by the fire, and delicious Scottish food awaits at this winter wonderland on the Isle of Skye

Nestled on the shores of Loch Dunvegan with the dramatic backdrop of the Duirinish peninsula, lies the world-renowned Three Chimneys Restaurant and The House Over-By, with its choice of six guest rooms.

As the cold winter nights draw in, The Three Chimneys is already lighting its fires, preparing its heart-warming winter menus and plumping up its pillows for weary travellers in search of a snug, wee winter getaway.

One lucky winner and their guest will win a two-night stay, with breakfast each morning and dinner on the first night.

Serving the best of Skye, land and sea, The Three Chimneys at Colbost is based within an original Skye croft house and has an established reputation for serving inspirational dishes that optimise the richness and variety of the island’s natural larder, including wood-fired Skye red deer, roast partridge, and double-dived Sconser scallops from Loch Sligachan.

Skye’s dark winter skies offer some of Scotland’s finest star-gazing opportunities, as well as the chance for some lucky visitors to witness the Northern Lights. Guests can also catch a glimpse of local wildlife during frosty morning walks, including sea otters, seals, hares, oystercatchers, guillemots, and sea eagles. Local experts are also on hand to offer top tips and guided walks to help guests make the most of the winter wonderland on Skye as part of a ‘Wee Winter Break’.

The dramatic landscapes and seascapes of Skye encapsulate

CONTACT THE THREE CHIMNEYS

The Three Chimneys, Colbost, Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, IV55 8ZT

E: eatandstay@threechimneys.co.uk T: 01470 511258 www.facebook.com/thethreechimneysskye www.instagram.com/thethreechimneysskye https://twitter.com/3_chimneys

the autumn and winter seasons on this mystical isle, which is brimming with historic castles, lighthouses, beaches, fishing ports and distilleries. S threechimneys.co.uk/wee-winter-break

Competition prize includes:

• Two nights’ Bed & Breakfast stay at The House Over-By

• Dinner in The Three Chimneys on the first night

To be in with the chance of winning this fantastic prize*, either go to www.scotlandmag.com/threechimneys or fill in the form below with the answer to the following question:

The Three Chimneys is located on which Scottish island? a) Skye b) Mull c) Arran

*Not available in New Zealand

ENTRY FORM

2024 Scottish Holidays by rail with The Railway Touring Company

The Western Isles

Monday 20th May to Tuesday 28th May

Monday 1st July to Tuesday 9th July

The Shetlander

Wednesday 22nd May to Wednesday 29th May

Wednesday 5th June to Wednesday 12th June

Saturday 14th September to Saturday 21st September

The Cock O’the North

Thursday 23rd May to Wednesday 29th May

Thursday 11th July to Wednesday 17th July

Thursday 29th August to Wednesday 4th September

The Summer Highlander

Monday 3rd June to Saturday 8th June

Monday 9th September to Saturday 14th September

Arran and Kintyre

Saturday 8th June to Friday 14th June

The Far North and Orkney

Thursday 4th July to Friday 12th July

Thursday 18th July to Friday 26th July

Thursday 1st August to Friday 9th August

Thursday 8th August to Friday 16th August

Heart of Scotland

Wednesday 10th July to Thursday 18th July

Wednesday 7th August to Thursday 15th August

We offer a wide range of rail holidays and day trips to many wonderful destinations in Scotland and around the world.

To find out more and to order your free brochures please visit our website, railwaytouring.net or call our team on +44 (0)1553 661 500.

Bob Green

Bob Green

Bob Green

Bob Green

TRAVEL THAT GETS YOU CLOSER

From expert-led city tours to cruises to some of the most remote Scottish isles, here are some of the best ways to make the most of your next trip

Scotland is a country of vast contrasts, from the soft green hills and rumbling rivers of the Lowlands to the jagged peaks and snake-like passes of the Highlands. You can mingle with the masses on a cultural city break in Edinburgh, marvel at the panoramic views from the Isle of Skye’s most westerly tip, Neist Point Lighthouse (above), or experience the tranquillity of an

empty mile-long beach in the Outer Hebrides. And whether you want to learn about local ora and fauna or visit traditional communities to see centuries-old crafts in action, there is no better way to ensure you get the most of your visit than by booking a tour or cruise with those who know the place best. Read on for some of our favourite cruises and tours booking now.

Grand Tour

PRINCESS CRUISES

For the ultimate British Isles cruise, step aboard the Regal Princess, a sensational ship that includes more than 1,400 balconies, a glass- oor walkway that extends 28 feet over the edge of the ship, and lots of activities and entertainment. In 2024, British Isles cruises of between 10 and 12 nights depart from Southampton, taking in several Scottish locations, including the Orkney Islands on the 10- and 12-night cruises, as well as other ports. In 2024, these ports will include Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Holyhead (Wales) – even Paris. On the British Isles with Portland cruise, guests will visit Greenock (for Glasgow), Invergordon (for the Culloden Battle eld and Loch Ness), and Edinburgh. It will also stop off at Portland on England’s south coast for Stonehenge.

Prices: 12-day British Isles cruise from £999pp; 12-day British Isles with Portland cruise from £1049pp

Contact: princess.com; 0344 338 8663

Make new tracks

THE RAILWAY TOURING COMPANY

What could be more wonderful than a tour that transports you back to the Golden Age of Rail? On The Cock O’ the North rail and road tour with The Railway Touring Company, you’ll take a first-class rail journey from London to Inverness aboard the Highland Chieftain before spending a couple of nights in a luxurious spa hotel. The tour also includes train journeys on the Strathspey Railway in the Cairngorms; the Keith & Dufftown (the ‘whisky line’) in Speyside; the much-loved Kyle Line (above), which crosses the northwest Highlands; and the iconic Jacobite steam train (below). Guests will also spend two nights on the Isle of Skye and take a cruise along Loch Ness before a final two nights in Inverness.

Prices: The Cock O’ the North tour from £1,895 per person Contact: railwaytouring.net; 01553 661 500

© VISITSCOTLAND/KENNY LAM/ANGUS DUNCAN/DOUGLAS CARR/ WESTEND61 GMBH/ALAMY

Private cruises

RED MOON

Taking place aboard a former Admiralty fishing vessel, these private cruises allow you to be captain of your own itinerary with a fully bespoke offering. Run by couple Mary and Scott, there is room on board for up to four guests in a cosy double and two single cabins, making it perfect for family cruises, couples, or groups of friends. Prior to your trip, Mary and Scott will discuss with you what you want to get out of your cruise, be it wildlife watching, whisky distilleries, local culture, or reaching remote anchorages.

In spring, cruises depart from Argyll, and cruise around the Mull and Oban areas, while as summer approaches, cruises set off from near Skye and offer unique perspectives of the Misty Isle and its surrounds, including the Small Isles, and Knoydart. Fully booked for 2024, now’s the time to book for 2025.

Prices: Four-night cruises from £8,000 for four people

Contact: redmooncruises.co.uk; 07768 101667

Cruise the Great Glen

CALEDONIAN DISCOVERY

Not all cruises in Scotland are coastal, on these slow cruises that take place aboard one of two charming canal barges that each sleeps 12, guests can traverse all or some of the Great Glen, via the Caledonian Canal, which provides a waterway between Inverness in the north and Fort William, where it spills out into Loch Linnhe. Offering plenty of chances to disembark and walk, cycle or paddle along the glen, and with generous homecooked meals provided on board, private cabins and en suites, and communal living spaces, it’s a great way to mingle with other travellers as you enjoy Highland scenery and visit that most legendary of Scottish lochs: Loch Ness.

Prices: Three-night Discover Loch Ness cruise from £725

Contact: caledonian-discovery.co.uk; 01397 772167

The North Coast 500

NORTH COAST EXPLORER

For bespoke land tours exploring some of the farthest reaches of the Scottish mainland, including stop-offs along the famous North Coast 500 route, couple Robert and Sally-Ann are hard to beat. Using their deep knowledge of the northwest Highlands – Robert’s passion for history and heritage shines through – and their relationships with local businesses, they can tailor a trip for you, whether you want to try the freshest seafood, get the best views, visit cleared villages, or get to the heart of the community in rural Scotland.

Prices: Seven-day tours from £3,825 for two; four-day tours from £2,115 for two Contact: northcoast.scot; 01847 851 852

Nature

FRED. OLSEN

& culture cruises

Known for its smaller ships and hand-crafted itineraries, Fred. Olsen cruises offer the kind of one-off experiences rarely offered by big-name cruise companies. In July 2024 the eight-night Wildlife and Traditions of the Scottish Isles cruise will depart Rosyth on the Firth of Forth (handy for travellers arriving into Edinburgh) and will make calls in Shetland, Orkney, Skye, and Iona, among other places. It’s a chance for visitors to see Scottish wildlife, including seabirds, whales and other marine life, and learn about farming traditions and Gaelic culture. Passengers can also expect spectacular scenery – often only visible from the sea – and visit Neolithic sites and other heritage attractions.

Prices: Wildlife and Traditions of the Scottish Isles cruise from £1,299pp

Contact: fredolsencruises.com; 01473 746 175

Accessible tours

LIMITLESS TRAVEL

Proving that travel isn’t just the preserve of the able-bodied, Limitless Travel has some brilliant trips that are accessible to all. On the Scotland Explorer tour, guests can visit both the Palace of Holyroodhouse (above) and the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh, before enjoying whiskies, traditional Scottish food, and entertainment on Loch Lomond. Meanwhile, the Scottish Highlands Experience is based out of Inverness and includes visits to the royal holiday home of Balmoral, and Culloden.

Prices: Five-night Scotland Explorer tour from £1,699pp and five-night Scottish Highlands Experience from £1,999pp Contact: limitlesstravel.org; 0800 711 7112

THE VERY BEST PLACES AT THE VERY BEST TIMES

Thanks to the adventurous spirit of three brothers in a small town on the shores of Oslo ord in Norway, we’ve been sailing the world for 175 years. Every little thing we’ve learned along the way has informed the way we cruise today.

Our smaller ships create a warm and friendly atmosphere on board, and our itineraries are hand-crafted from scratch every year. So we don’t just show you the most amazing places on Earth – we see them at the very best possible times.

In short, our exceptional experience ensures your exceptional experience. It’s why more guests rebook with Fred. Olsen than with any other cruise line*.

fredolsencruises.com

Take a nostalgic cruise

PUFFER STEAMBOAT HOLIDAYS

Once ‘puffer’ steamboats were a common sight in Scotland but today they are a rarity, and so a cruise aboard this old steam-powered Clyde puffer – the last of its kind still operating in west coast waters –offers a chance to travel back in time.

Five-day all-inclusive cruises range from those that traverse the Crinan Canal or Caledonian Canal to those that reach the isles of Jura or Colonsay. Life on board is relaxed and guests can do as little or as much as they like – helping to open and close lock gates and cast off if they want to or simply sitting back and just enjoying the experience if they’d rather. Either way, it’s a great way to appreciate the classic workings of this old boat, with all profits going back into preserving it for the future. Day trips are also available.

Price: Five-day cruises from £1,645pp

Contact: savethepuffer.co.uk;

07780 936 407

Family-run tours

MCINTOSH TOURS

Looking for an intimate tour of Scotland with people who know the landscape best, delivered with the warmth and personal touch of a family friend? Then consider booking with McIntosh Tours – a family with deep roots in the Scottish Highlands and Islands who are committed to providing authentic and immersive tours for inquisitive visitors. The tour company was set up in 2017 by Raymond McIntosh (above), an Atholl Highlander, Highland dancer, boat skipper, devoted skier, and Director of the Pitlochry Highland Games, and he is now joined by his wife Laura and daughter Victoria. Together, the family offers a range of itineraries, from castle tours to sailing trips, whisky distilleries, and ancestral trails. You name it, they can arrange it, introducing guests to lots of locals along the way to ensure they get to the heart of the places they visit through the people. In 2024, the company will also offer special golf tours timed around the British Open, which will be held in Royal Troon, Ayrshire, in July.

Prices: Three-day tours from £2,350 for up to six passengers

Contact: mcintoshtours.co.uk; 07812 076302 ©

GILLIAN RODGER

Discover secret anchorages

MAJESTIC LINE

Sometimes the best thing about a holiday is the luxury of having someone else plan the itinerary and make all the decisions, which is why the six-night Captain’s Choice cruise with Majestic Line is so special. On these cruises, which depart in April and October aboard a variety of ships, the skipper will plot a route through some of their favourite places and anchorages, which are often under the radar, allowing for unobtrusive wildlife watching, loch and sea swimming, and generally a quieter cruising experience. As they run during the shoulder months of spring and autumn, guests will also be treated to the changing colours of the seasons, while shorter days allow for more dark skies and possibly even Northern Lights sightings.

Prices: Captain’s Choice cruise from £2,720pp. Contact: themajesticline.co.uk; 01369 707 951

Tours for solo travellers

MCKINLAY KIDD

While McKinlay Kidd’s tours are by no means only open to those travelling on their own, the small group nature of the trips makes them ideal for anyone who is looking to meet fellow travellers. Escorted small group tours include journeys by rail and sea, all accompanied by expert local guides, with McKinlay Kidd drawing upon 20 years of experience to create trips guests will remember forever. On the six-night Outer Hebrides Guided Small Group Tour, for instance, guests will discover an age of the Vikings through ancient sites and monuments across the isles of Barra, Benbecula, South Uist and Harris, while also learning about the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Meanwhile, the Loch Ness, the Jacobite & Skye Guided Rail Tour takes guests along some of Scotland’s most spectacular rail routes, including crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct aboard the Jacobite steam train. It’s the kind of experience you’ll want to appreciate with others.

Prices: Outer Hebrides Guided Small Group Tour from £2,295 pp; Loch Ness, the Jacobite & Skye Guided Rail Tour from £2,295 pp. Contact: mckinlaykidd.com; 0141 260 9260

Sustainable tours

For tours that do away with Scottish tropes to bring you stories of clanship, land ownership and history without the spin, try Serenity Scotland. Its range of tours, which include themes such as ‘arts & crafts’, ‘early people’, and ‘off-season tours’, aim not only to ‘reduce’, ‘reuse’ and ‘recycle’, but to encourage a more sustainable approach to travel in terms of promoting local services and products. Guests will enjoy authentic hands-on

experiences, in which they can meet local people and learn about their culture and way of life. serenityscotland.co.uk

Tours from Glasgow

Having a personal tour guide provides valuable insight into the places you visit and on these tours, guide Ian Smith will pick you up from your accommodation in Glasgow and take you on a day trip within easy reach of the city – to Burns Country, Loch

Lomond, or the Scottish Borders, for instance – or plan longer trips further afield, to places such as Oban and Mull, sharing his knowledge of the places you visit as you travel. glascotours.com

Clan tours

Located in the Scottish Borders, on these tours you can explore the lands or your forebears, or even just some of the famous Scottish clans you’ve heard of – the Macdonalds, MacLeods, Camerons, Campbells, or Sinclairs, for example – or have a tour tailored to you and your own ancestry. clansandcastles.scot

Trip to Jura

drop you off for a stay at Glenapp Castle hotel;

Take a trip to Jura in impeccable style aboard a seaplane for a surprisingly small price (just £199 return), with just enough time ashore (two hours) for a whisky tasting in the famous Jura distillery. lochlomondseaplanes.com

Chauffeur-driven tours

Setting off from Edinburgh and Glasgow and with Scotland’s largest fleet of Mercedes, Jaguar saloons and MPVs, Little’s provides a five-star tailor-made chauffeur service, visiting some of Luxury Scotland’s exclusive member sites, such as Glenapp Castle. luxuryscotland.co.uk/partners/ littles-chauffeur-drive

See Skye

Whether you’re short of time and want to see some highlights in a day or have more time but want to get under the skin of the island on a private tour, let Donald & Clare Nicolson show you the very best of the Isle of Skye. skyescenictours.com

Whisky tours

Speyside Tours offers some truly unique experiences in Scotland’s biggest whisky region, from cooperage masterclasses to special combined whisky-and-golf tours, or even whisky and chocolate pairings. speysidetours.co.uk

TOP TO BOTTOM: Little’s chauffeur service could

hobnob with the locals on a tour with Glascotour

Escape . . . on a private & exclusive Scottish West Coast cruise.

Experience . . . a wildlife adventure in breathtaking scenery for groups of two to four people.

Enjoy . . . a comfortable and safe environment in which to indulge your taste buds and truly relax

redmooncruises.co.uk

redmooncruises.co.uk

Call Scott & Mary on 07768 101667 enquiries@redmooncruises.co.uk

Call Scott & Mary on 07768 101667 enquiries@redmooncruises.co.uk

redmooncruises.co.uk

redmooncruises

Call Scott & Mary on 07768 101667 enquiries@redmooncruises.co.uk

redmooncruises

redmooncruises

Wildlife tours

With a focus on education, surveys and nature recovery, these tours setting off from Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, offer the chance to see white-tailed eagles, otters, seals, deer and more.

naturescotland.com

Edinburgh subterranean tour

Though above ground Edinburgh has more than its fair share of sights and architectural delights, underground lies a whole other side to the city that can be explored through its centuries-old hidden vaults. mercattours.com

Best of Scotland

Want to pack the most into your trip? Then the seven-day Best of Scotland Tour with Best Scottish Tours, with dates departing each month, could be for you. Over the course of the week you’ll visit the most recognisable ‘shortbread tin’ castle in Scotland, Eilean Donan; epic Glen Coe; the Glenfinnan Viaduct; Culloden Battlefield; Skye; and the lunarscape of Wester Ross.

best-scottish-tours.co.uk

Outlander tours

For those spellbound by the stories and places of Outlander author Diana Gabaldon’s series of books (and the TV show) there are a lot of tours offering to take you to the real-life places that inspired the books and that appeared on screen, but one of the best is Inverness Tours, which offers tours of between one and four days, and Diana herself “enthusiastically” recommends guide Hugh Allison. invernesstours.com

Islay tours

Those looking to sample some of Scotland’s peatier whiskies (and experience the natural beauty and abundance of wildlife on Islay) should book a tour with Islay Whisky Tours and Bowmore Taxi Service to take in some (if not all!) of the island’s nine distilleries. S islaywhiskytours.net

TOP TO BOTTOM: Discover Edinburgh’s hidden history in its underground vaults; the Bealach na Bà pass in Wester Ross; take a tour of the nine whisky distilleries on the Isle of Islay

and Spot

toOrkney and Shetland

Discovering the Northern Isles of Scotland has never been easier with NorthLink Ferries.

The comfortable and reliable service offers sailings from Aberdeen to Lerwick, Shetland, with regular calls into Orkney’s capital of Kirkwall. Alternatively travel to Orkney’s port of Stromness from Caithness. This 90 minute journey on MV Hamnavoe is the only sailing to Orkney which passes the iconic sea stack, the Old Man of Hoy.

Operated by

northlinkferries.co.uk

A SINGULAR MISSION

Unique spirits are at the heart of everything independent bottler The Single Cask does and loves

The pursuit of perfection is a never-ending journey, and while perfection tends to elude us most of the time, the reality is that sometimes one can get quite close to it.

As an independent bottler, The Single Cask is driven by a singular goal: unique spirits bottled one cask at a time. It is this goal that underpins everything that we do and our pursuit for perfection begins with a single cask. Each cask has a story to tell, and it is our intention to provide consumers with the best possible interpretation and representation of this story.

The Single Cask was founded in 2010 by Ben Curtis, and the first four casks that were bottled back then formed the bedrock on which the brand was built. Over the last 13 years,

we have bottled more than 500 casks from distilleries both well-known and obscure, and we haven’t just restricted ourselves to Scotch whisky, but we’ve also bottled English whisky, American whiskey, and rum.

By bottling single cask expressions, we believe that we can celebrate and showcase the variance that each cask provides, while also highlighting the similarities and differences between our single casks and their small-batch or largebatch counterparts from the same distilleries and countries.

Over the years, we have had the privilege and opportunity to bottle several notable expressions that have been well received by consumers across the globe, and in recent times, it is our Ledaig 1993 29YO #253 expression (pictured) which

has received international recognition, having been awarded Gold at The Spirits Business’s Global Scotch Whisky Masters in June 2023.

This expression is notable as it was among the first distillations undertaken by Burn Stewart after its purchase and reopening of Tobermory Distillery in 1993 after 11 years of silence. Although the name Ledaig has been used in more recent times to identify the peated distillate from Tobermory Distillery, it was notable that the early years of Burn Stewart’s ownership were filled with experiments and the owners produced unpeated variants of Ledaig spec malts, of which this expression is one.

Distilled on 5 March 1993 and part of a series of four casks released by The Single Cask that were all distilled on the same day, this expression of Ledaig was matured entirely in a bourbon hogshead and bottled at a natural cask strength of 46.1% and with an outturn of 229 bottles. S For more info, go to thesinglecask.co.uk

The Single Cask Ledaig 1993 29 Years Old

(46.1% ABV, 229 bottles):

Nose: Initial entry is rather light and presents hints of vanilla and lemon zest alongside fleeting touches of pineapple and sea salt. The vanilla becomes more pronounced and is complemented by white chocolate and caramelised peaches.

Palate: Bright touches of vanilla followed by caramelised peaches, lemon zest, sea salt and fleeting hints of mango and pineapple. Malt follows soon after and is complemented by chewy oak and white pepper.

Finish: Medium to long on the finish, with lemon zest, malt, oak, and cinnamon bringing things to a gentle close.

This expression of Ledaig provides a counterpoint to the Tobermory house style, while also providing a different interpretation and deviation from the classic pungent and peated Ledaig house style that we have gotten to know and love over the years. In a sense, this expression of Ledaig serves as a time capsule of sorts as it provides great insight into the early days of Burn Stewart’s ownership and the spirit character that it was looking to create at that point of time.

It is quite exciting to see expressions such as these being bottled with increasingly regularity over the years by various independent bottlers. We are fortunate to have been given the opportunity to showcase such an elegant style of Ledaig under The Single Cask range, while also celebrating and highlighting the variance that underpins our brand ethos of bottling unique spirits one cask at a time.

As an independent bottler, we will strive to continue searching for and bottling these unique spirits and we look forward to sharing more of them with the world over the years to come.

Slàinte Mhath!

THE BORDERS

In this southerly part of Scotland, you’ll nd rolling hills imbued with history, romance, castles and culture

The Scottish Borders is an area steeped in history, felt most keenly on a visit to any of the four 12th-century Borders abbeys of Melrose, Jedburgh, Kelso and Dryburgh. Sir Walter Scott, the writer widely considered to have created Scottish Romanticism, made his home in a quiet Borders valley. A visit to his richly decorated Baronial pile of Abbotsford is a must: it feels as though the great writer has just stepped out. Don’t miss The Great Tapestry of Scotland, either. Now permanently homed in the textiles town of Galashiels, it tells Scotland’s history in 160 panels, each painstakingly embroidered by a community of stitchers from across the country. scotlandstartshere.com

© ALLAN WRIGHT/ALAMY

Aregular visitor and avid fan of the grand houses of the Scottish Borders, Sir Walter Scott once said of Floors Castle that it was “a kingdom fit for Oberon and Titania to dwell in” and it’s not di cult to see why.

Shakespeare’s fairy king and queen, of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, would certainly feel right at home at this magnificent abode, with its distinctive sandstone façade and romantic silhouette, impressive battlements, turrets, and finials, which stands proud on the banks of the River Tweed, near Kelso.

Designed by prominent Scottish architect William Adam between 1721-26 for the 1st Duke of Roxburghe, Floors Castle is the largest inhabited house in Scotland, home to a marvellous collection of decorative furniture, porcelain and fine art, including paintings by Matisse.

Floors was constructed on a natural terrace overlooking beautiful meadowland that sweeps down to where the Teviot meets the River Tweed, and looks directly south across the river to the ruins of the once mighty Roxburgh Castle.

This original Roxburgh Castle, which is now a mere rubble of ruins, was supposedly founded by King David I of Scotland in the early 12th century, but was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick in 1174. After that it switched hands between the English and the Scots many times, until 1460 when, after King James II was killed in an explosion during a Scottish siege of Roxburgh, the Scots captured it a final time. On the orders of James’s wife, Queen Mary, the castle was destroyed. Thus, supposedly fulfilling a prophecy that said Roxburgh Castle would only fall to a dead man.

Indeed, in the grounds of the castle visitors can see the holly tree where James II was reputedly killed by his exploding cannon, and, for those that believe in the supernatural, the apparition of a horseman has allegedly been seen riding towards the site of the castle – could it be the ghost of the king himself?

Before the new Floors Castle was built, Broxmouth Park near Dunbar was the main family residence. After 1730, Floors took precedence, with the 1st Duke’s mother leading the way by moving to the house permanently. Although the duke himself spent most of his time in southern England to be close to Parliament, it is said he always cherished his time spent in the country.

Just over a century after Adam completed his work, between 1836 and 1847, during the time of the 6th Duke, Edinburgh architect William Henry Playfair was brought in to make changes

THIS PAGE:

Floors Castle is the largest inhabited house in Scotland

Words by HENRIETTA EASTON

OF THE Belle Borders

Fairytale Floors Castle on the banks of the River Tweed beckons you to explore

to the house, considered then to be just a ‘plain Georgian’ house.

It is Playfair’s work that we see on the exterior of the house today. His changes included significant height added to its structure, and a crowded array of exterior flourishes (inspired by George Heriot’s Hospital in Edinburgh) which gave it its distinctive fairytale silhouette. Playfair also made a change to the coach port which, vitally, would mean that visitors could alight from their carriages sheltered from the elements – an addition we’re sure would be welcome for partygoers not wishing to get their extravagant hairdos and ballgowns wet. He also added two new lodges on the estate, renovated a few 18th-century estate buildings and added a new large walled garden with an extensive suite of glasshouses.

Significant changes were made again to the house in 1903, when the 8th Duke married a wealthy American real-estate heiress, by the name of Mary Goelet. It is her remodelling of the house that visitors see today. An avid collector of 17th-century tapestries and ornate French furniture, Mary redesigned the Victorian interiors and brought in a treasure trove of artwork, tapestries, porcelain, and furniture.

A must-see during a tour is the unusual bird room which, as the name would suggest, is curiously packed full of around 400 stuffed birds in glass cabinets.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP IMAGE: The Drawing Room; Floors is still a family home; one of the famous tapestries; the Millennium Garden's parterre PLAN

Heading outside, no trip to the castle would be complete without a tour of the gardens. The Victorian walled garden is a colourful showpiece that changes with the seasons and includes a delightful kitchen garden – produce grown

EVENTS

If you’re planning a visit to Floors Castle over the next year, there’s a packed programme of events to enjoy, so keep an eye on the website for all the latest news. The castle’s biggest event each year is the music festival Roxburghe Rocks held every August. floorscastle.com

GETTING THERE

Floors Castle is a 30-minute drive or bus ride away from Berwick-UponTweed which serves the LNER railway line between London and Edinburgh. The Borders Railway Line takes 55 minutes from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, which is a 25-minute drive or bus ride away. trainline.com; travelinescotland.com

© NIGEL GIBSON/VERITY JOHNSON

PHOTOGRAPHY/ROXBURGHE ESTATE

Significant changes were made again to the house in 1903, when the 8th Duke married a wealthy American real-estate heiress

here is served both in the castle café and sold in the Apple Shed gift shop and deli.

The Millennium Garden, so named as it was created in 2000, is a formal French-style garden with an ‘M’ shaped box hedging at its focal point, and two large letters representing the year 2000 in Roman numerals. Beneath this are the intertwining initials of the 10th Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe – G, V and R – who built the garden, adding a wonderfully romantic touch to this picture-perfect parterre.

Another highlight of the Millennium Garden is the charming summerhouse known as Queen’s House since Queen Victoria’s visit in 1867, where she is said to have taken tea.

To complete your visit, perhaps after a spot of lunch at the Terrace Café, there are two picturesque trail-marked walks to take that lead from the castle. The woodland walk takes you among giant oaks, beech and chestnut trees (listen and look out for woodpeckers, tawny owls and red squirrels) while the riverside walk is a two-mile circular loop that starts from the castle and follows along the river to the ruins of Roxburgh Castle – a lucky few may even see salmon leaping from the river.

Floors Castle is now run as a modern business, with a wide range of events, a conservation programme, forestry and farming, and sporting pursuits at the forefront of daily life there. The Roxburghe Estate’s family heritage and its long-term investment in the management and sustainability of the estate, aims to safeguard this spectacular house and the beautiful estate it is part of, for future generations to come.

Undoubtedly the gem of the Scottish Borders, this impressive stately home, for all its history, is so much more than just turrets and tapestries. S

TOP TO BOTTOM: The 11th Duke and his wife currently live at Floors; the ballroom is available for private hire

Towers & Turrets

Oxenfoord, elegant but still a comfortable family home, is a Grade l Scottish castle complete with towers, turrets and its own church. Situated just 12 miles from the city of Edinburgh. The Castle offers a wonderfully grand interior and fairytale backdrop for exclusive use weddings and events all year round.

SCOTLAND SOUTH WEST

This rural corner of Scotland is home to dark skies, green pastures, and the memory of a certain Scottish poet...

Rolling hills and farmland abound in Scotland's southwest, which can be easily explored from Glasgow. Indeed, the region's most famous son, Robert Burns, was himself a farmer. Born on a small family holding in the Ayrshire village of Alloway, which now forms part of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, he later moved his family to Ellisland Farm in Dumfries & Galloway (the museum here is another must for anyone following the Robert Burns' trail). Fans of Burns should also pay a visit to Dumfries, where he spent his final years, to pay their respects at his mausoleum or have a toast for him in his local (and newly restored) pub, the Globe Inn. scotlandstartshere.com ©

SOUTH

WEST COASTAL 300/DAMIAN SHIELDS/VISITSCOTLAND

Words by FIONA LAING

South bySouthwest

South bySouthwest

Take a tour through Galloway, home to gorgeous gardens, standing stones, ancient abbeys, and Scotland’s book town

The wind could flatten you – it certainly takes your breath away as you gaze out across the sea. Here on the edge of Scotland, an engineering masterpiece guards the seafarers and tempts countless modern tourists along a single-track road.

The Mull of Galloway Lighthouse, built by Robert Stevenson in 1830, tops the high headland amid the gulls, pu ns, and a stylish café. This is as far south as you can drive in Scotland. But it is worth it.

Of all the parts of Scotland we write about, it is Galloway that is the real hidden gem. Tucked into the southwest corner of the mainland and o the main road and rail network, it takes a conscious decision to get here. But the rewards for making the e ort are great.

From gloriously green forests in the north to the beaches and cli s of the long, rugged coastline, through rich farmland and wild moorland, Galloway is layered in history. Its fans come to escape the bustle of modern-day life, but once you unwind it’s easy to become caught up getting under its skin.

Galloway is the western part of the Dumfries and Galloway council area and is made up of the traditional counties of Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire. The Solway Firth lies to the south and the North Channel of the Irish Sea is to the west, with Northern Ireland just 22 miles away. Stranraer on the west coast is 85 miles from Glasgow, so although it seems far o the tourist trail, it’s really no distance at all.

I’m exploring a small portion of the South West Coastal 300 (SWC300) driving route, a route that takes in the coast, hills, and forests of southwest Scotland, with the majority of its 300 sweeping miles falling within Dumfries and Galloway, though a few also cross over into Ayrshire.

For this trip, I’m travelling from Newton Stewart to Stranraer, sticking to the area referred to on old maps as Wigtownshire, which covers two peninsulas – the Machars and the Rhins of Galloway.

At the southern tip of the Rhins is the lighthouse, dramatic in its hair-tugging majesty where, in normal times, climbing the light tower and learning about life there is as good an excuse as any to enjoy the Gallie Craig Co ee House.

Its fans come to escape the bustle of modern-day life, but once you unwind it’s easy to become caught up getting under its skin

PREVIOUS

PAGE: The Isle of Whithorn and its harbour

THIS PAGE, LEFT

TO RIGHT: Logan

Botanic Garden is Scotland’s most exotic garden; book shops in Wigtown; the Mull of Galloway

Lighthouse is Scotland’s most southerly lighthouse

Hunkered into the hillside with a living green roof, its shelter is welcome as you make out Ireland on the western horizon.

Just 10 miles north, the contrast couldn’t be greater. A lush oasis of exotic plants means Logan Botanic Garden is one of those quirks of nature that make you smile.

Warmed by the Gulf Stream, this sister to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh nurtures plants collected from across the world, which really have no business growing this far north.

Galloway has something of a reputation for its gardens and my stretch of the SWC300 takes in several botanical jewels. For a contrast, I stop at Castle Kennedy Gardens, where 75 acres take in woodlands, lakes, a walled garden, and a spectacular ruined castle as a backdrop for champion trees and colourful shrubs.

At many of the attractions you visit, it is the stories behind them that leave the lasting impression, as is the case at Knockinaam Lodge.

This luxury country house hotel was reputedly the venue of a key Second World War meeting between General Eisenhower and Winston Churchill.

The isolated former shooting lodge in a gentle hollow by a shingle beach is not such an unlikely venue for world leaders to have a secret meeting.

Wigtownshire was playing a crucial part in the war effort, with nearby West Freugh an air base and training camp, and

Garlieston on the Machars the site of the secret development of the temporary portable Mulberry harbours that would play such a decisive role in June 1944’s D-Day operation. My SWC300 drive takes me back even further in history when I pull up to the ruins of Glenluce Abbey. The ruined Cistercian abbey is my gateway to the Machars, the cradle of Scotland’s Christianity.

From Glenluce to the Isle of Whithorn, right at the tip of the Machars peninsula, the influence of the early men of faith is chronicled.

The abbey beside the water of Luce and the one at Whithorn grew from the roots put down by St Ninian in the simple chapel on the windy headland of the isle.

Many people walk the Whithorn Way – the 143-mile pilgrims’ route from Glasgow Cathedral to Whithorn, one of Scotland’s most influential medieval religious centres. Along the way they will find not only relics from early Christian

REWRITING WIGTOWN’S STORY

In the mid-1990s, it was suggested that a book town modelled on Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Wales, could help regenerate a community in Scotland. Six small towns submitted bids. An international panel chose Wigtown, and it was officially designated as Scotland’s National Book Town in 1998.

The former county town of Wigtownshire had been at its lowest ebb. There were empty and run-down properties and the almost derelict county buildings were threatened with demolition. The Book Town’s hoped-for regeneration came and Wigtown now has 20 or so book-related businesses flourishing beside a selection of charming shops and refreshment stops and the refurbished County Buildings.

First held in 1999, the 10-day Wigtown Book Festival each autumn is run by a small professional staff assisted by more than 100 volunteers. In the spring, there is Big Bang, a festival of space and science. wigtownbookfestival.com; wigtown-booktown.co.uk

OPPOSITE:

Belted Galloway cows have adapted to living in the harsh environment of the windswept moorlands in the area

BELOW: Wigtown has Scotland’s biggest second-hand book shop

times but also some of Britain’s most important discoveries from the prehistoric era. There are Bronze Age standing stones at Drumtroddan and Iron Age crannogs discovered at Whitefield Loch.

In the car, my route from Glenluce takes me past what is said to be Scotland’s second oldest pub. The Cock Inn at Auchenmalg heralds a stretch of road that clings to the coast to the fishing village of Port William.

The arresting statue by Andrew Brown of a fisherman gazing over the water reflects the impact Galloway has on me – that focus on the sea.

I linger on the wide sands near Monreith, the family home of author and adventurer Gavin Maxwell, remembering being enchanted by his 1960 book Ring of Bright Water. Later, I divert to find the cave that St Ninian is said to have used as a retreat.

However, it is in Whithorn where the strands of history are really brought together. The Whithorn Story exhibition charts the generations who have left their mark on the landscape. Then, exploring the cathedral remains and the modern reconstruction of an Iron Age house helps make sense of those long-gone years.

Heading north through rolling fields where ‘belted’ Galloway cattle graze towards Newton Stewart – the eastern end of my drive – it’s time to come right up to date.

Wigtown has put the area on the world stage as the location of an annual book festival, as well as many books shops. The Wigtown Book Festival, which takes

place each September, is worth planning a future visit around as it sees as many as 200 events in the town around the themes of books, music, poetry, and theatre, giving visitors the chance to experience a little of the Galloway literary magic.

To toast my Wigtownshire adventure, I have the choice of two distilleries. There’s whisky being made at Bladnoch, but I plump for Crafty Distillery, whose tasting room has views of the Galloway Hills.

Since 2017, Graham Taylor and Craig Rankin have been crafting whisky and vodka and making gin using local botanicals (bladder wrack seaweed and noble fir needles) in their modern, creative distillery, which is the ideal place to drink in the spirit of the region. S

Wigtown has put the area on the world stage as the location of an annual book festival, as well as many book shops

Discover the UK

Discover the UK

Plan a UK stay, avoid the queues to travel abroad. Study our website and brochure for home-grown ideas. See a superb selection of B&Bs and self-catering cottages, inspected and chosen for their high quality and hosts’ warm welcome.

Plan a UK stay and explore Scotland. Study our website and brochure and see a superb selection of B&Bs and self-catering cottages, all inspected and chosen for their high quality and hosts’ warm welcome.

Plan a UK stay, avoid the queues to travel abroad. Study our website and brochure for home-grown ideas. See a superb selection of B&Bs and self-catering cottages, inspected and chosen for their high quality and hosts’ warm welcome.

Browse other ‘collections’ including dog-friendly, disabled facilities, ground floor rooms, EV charging, evening meals by arrangement, bicycle storage, near the coast. Search by Location or Venue.

Discover the wonders on our doorstep here in the UK with our latest travel features including Discover Scotland, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

BOOK DIRECT - Easily find the host’s contact details to help you obtain the best price & discuss any requirements.

W: Bedandbreakfastnationwide.com

Browse other ‘collections’ including dog-friendly, disabled facilities, ground floor rooms, EV charging, evening meals by arrangement, bicycle storage, near the coast. Search by Location or Venue.

Search by location or venue. Browse our ‘collections’ including dogfriendly, facilities for the less mobile, ground floor rooms, those near the coast, bicycle storage, near the coast and ideas for city breaks.

Also order a brochure (£3 p&p) - online or Post: P.O. Box 10894, Frinton-on-Sea, CO13 3AN

BOOK DIRECT - Easily find the host’s contact details to help obtain the best price & discuss any special requirements.

E: office@bbnationwide.co.uk - OLD2390

BOOK DIRECT - Easily find the host’s contact details to help you obtain the best price & discuss any requirements.

T: 01255 672377

W: Bedandbreakfastnationwide.com

E: office@bbnationwide.co.uk

W: Bedandbreakfastnationwide.com

T: (044)1255 672377

If you own a B&B or Self-catering Cottage, and would like it featured, please contact us

Also order a brochure (£3 p&p) - online or Post: P.O. Box 10894, Frinton-on-Sea, CO13 3AN

Order a brochure (+p&p) – quote: SLM2401 post to P.O. Box 10894, Frinton-on-Sea, CO13 3AN

E: office@bbnationwide.co.uk - OLD2390

T: 01255 672377

If you own a B&B or Self-catering Cottage, and would like it featured, please contact us

Scotland's capital of Edinburgh is rightly celebrated for both the medieval history of its Old Town and the Georgian grandeur of its New Town, but it's far from the only place worth visiting in the region. The Lothians, which comprise East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian, are dotted with attractions, from the attractive coastal towns and villages of the east where you can buy traditional fish and chips (try the East Coast restaurant in Musselburgh) to the historic buildings of the mid and west. In Midlothian, Rosslyn Chapel and its intriguing stonemasonry is a highlight, while Linlithgow Castle (pictured) in West Lothian, is famous for being the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots. visitscotland.com/places-to-go/edinburgh-lothians

THE LOTHIANS EDINBURGH &

Auld Reekie is wonderfully situated in an area brimming with historic sights, perfect for day trips between city days

EDINBURGH CASTLE

The crowning glory of the capital, Edinburgh Castle lords over the city from atop Castle Rock, like a king or queen surveying their subjects from their throne.

It’s certainly attracted its fair share of royals, good or bad. Robert the Bruce had the castle torn down in 1314 after reclaiming it from the English (though another castle soon replaced it). Henry VIII tried to burn it down during his Rough Wooing of Mary, Queen of Scots, and later, the Scottish queen retreated here to give birth to her son, the soon-to-be King James VI, after the murder of her secretary David Rizzio at the nearby palace.

Today, as well as visiting Edinburgh’s oldest building within its walls – St Margaret’s Chapel, dedicated to King David I’s mother and the only surviving building of Robert the Bruce’s time – most people come to visit the Honours of Scotland (Scotland’s Crown Jewels) and the Stone of Destiny. The latter will move to Perth in 2024.

Even if you never set foot beyond its walls, the castle will be ever-present on your visit to the city as it can be seen from almost everywhere, and you will no doubt hear the One O’Clock Gun, fired from the castle’s ramparts every day except Sundays, Christmas Day, and Good Friday. edinburghcastle.scot

Words by SALLY COFFEY

ENLIGHTEN yourself

Discover Edinburgh’s best attractions, from the Old Town to the New Town and beyond

CAMERA OBSCURA

Renowned for being the oldest purpose-built attraction in Edinburgh, this tall building opposite the Scotch Whisky Experience has changed a fair bit since first opening to Victorian visitors in the mid 19th century.

The camera obscura – an early form of moving images that uses a periscope and pinhole camera to project street scenes from down below onto a screen up above – is still up top and is fascinating to see (it’s also a great spot for taking in panoramas of the city’s skyline). But on the way up, there is also now a World of Illusions that includes a maze of mirrors and lots of head-scratching tricks that is a lot of fun for kids, both big and small. camera-obscura.co.uk

PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE

At the opposing end of the Royal Mile from the castle is the palace, the King’s official residence in Scotland and where Scotland’s Royal Week celebrations (Holyrood Week) take place each summer.

The ornate State Apartments, which include the Royal Dining Room, the King’s Bedchamber, and the Great Gallery – where Bonnie Prince Charlie once held decadent balls – are a must. The highlight of a visit though is surely Mary, Queen of Scots’ bedchamber in the northwest tower – scene of murder and scandal. rct.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse

THE SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE

Just a short hop down the hill from the castle, this attraction gives a great introduction into the world of whisky. It has three new immersive areas, which will teach you all you need to know about whisky making, and a choice of tours offering different levels of nosings and tastings – depending on how much of an aficionado you are (and how much you are willing to spend). If you don’t fancy a tour, you can still visit the excellently stocked whisky shop, or dine on Scottish tapas in the Amber Restaurant, where the dishes draw on ingredients sourced from Scotland’s abundant larder. scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk

MARY KING’S CLOSE

Located virtually opposite St Giles’ Cathedral on Edinburgh's Royal Mile is this award-winning underground attraction, which offers a snapshot into life in Edinburgh in the 1600s. Once a busy community, the street’s close quarters, which lie beneath the famous thoroughfare and are named after a former resident, were mysteriously covered up centuries ago, possibly to stem the spread of the plague. Today the tours, led by a costumed guide, tell the stories of some of the close’s past residents, including ‘Annie’, a small child who is said to haunt the quarters and who visitors have been leaving dolls for in the site’s 17th-century preserved house for decades. Of all the paid-for attractions in Edinburgh, this one seems to sell out the fastest, so make sure to book well in advance.

realmarykingsclose.com

THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT BUILDING ST GILES’ CATHEDRAL

About midway down the Royal Mile stands this cathedral, whose unusual spire marks it out as one of the city’s best-known landmarks. It was here, in September 2022 that Her Majesty The Queen lay in state, guarded by the Royal Company of Archers – the monarch’s bodyguard in Scotland.

Though the stained glass inside is beautiful, the Thistle Chapel with its decorative ceiling and detailed carvings around each of the 16 stalls of the Knights of the Order of the Thistle, is the star attraction. The Order, Scotland’s highest order of chivalry, meets here biennially and counts Princess Anne and Prince William among their number. His Majesty King Charles III, formerly a Knight, is now Sovereign of the Order. stgilescathedral.org.uk

Just across from the historic palace, this modern building is conspicuous in its daring design.

The jury is out on whether the building, which first held debates by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) in 2004, is a welcome addition to the cityscape.

You can’t argue with the sense of occasion though, and being able to take a free guided or self-guided tour of the building where Scottish decisions are made or watch the First Minister field questions from other MSPs every Thursday feels like a real privilege. Just make sure you book. parliament.scot/visit

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND

Most museums in Scotland are free, though you may have to pay for some special exhibitions, and this, the country’s largest, is no exception. Inside, there are all kinds of artefacts and treasures among its 12 million items that tell Scotland’s story, from some of the Lewis Chessmen – beautifully carved 12th-century ivory chess pieces found on Uig on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides – to Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell. Don’t miss the 7th-floor roof terrace for amazing city views. nms.ac.uk

ARTHUR’S SEAT

Overlooking the palace, this ancient volcanic hill in Holyrood Park offers a little taste of what the Highlands have to offer, right here in the capital. As you might imagine, the views of the city from its peak are fabulous, but it does involve some proper walking, so it’s not to be underestimated. Before you set off, visit the Holyrood Lodge Information Centre, which will give you a bit of history of the park that surrounds it and its fellow hills, and staff can offer advice on reaching the top, or you can join one of the ranger-led walks.

historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/ holyrood-park

GREYFRIARS KIRK

Just a short walk from the National Museum is this churchyard, scene of many crucial moments in the city’s history, not least when Scottish Covenanters were locked up here. Today though there are two main reasons people visit: to visit the graves that are thought to have inspired JK Rowling in the creation of some of her Harry Potter characters, and to see the grave of Greyfriars Bobby, a little terrier whose devotion to his owner – he is said to have taken his cue from the One O’ Clock gun each day and legged it through the city to sit at the grave of his late owner – has made him a local legend. A statue of him is just outside the churchyard. greyfriarskirk.com

Sit back, relax and enjoy a private tour with the highly rated Glascotours in a luxury Mercedes Van. The owner driver and guide, Ian Smith, will design a unique tour around your requirements. Whether it’s a one day tour or your full vacation you will benefit from an unforgettable experience in Scotland conducted by Ian. All interests are catered for from Castles, Lochs, Food and Drink, Golf, Whisky and much more. The choice is yours.

Find more at www.glascotours.com | info@glascotours.com

fo Edinb ssil shop urgh’s famous

fo Edinb ssil shop urgh’s famous

5 Cowgatehead, Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 1JYg 0131 220 1344 www.mrwoodsfossils.co.uk

5 Cowgatehead, Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 1JYg 0131 220 1344 www.mrwoodsfossils.co.uk

Expert care for 40 years

With over 150 homes, we offer exceptional care across the UK. We’re proud to have supported residents and their families for over 40 years, delivering tailored care that supports each individual to live life to the full.

If you’re considering care call 0330 162 0122 .

Trusted to care

Cairdean House, Colinton Lauder Lodge, Portobello Murrayside, Corstophine careuk.com/edinburgh

Tailor Made Private Tours in Scotland

VICTORIA STREET

Harry Potter fans often hotfoot it to this curved street that leads from the George IV Bridge down to Grassmarket – a historic cobbled square – as it is supposedly the place that called to JK Rowling’s mind the iconic, cobbled wizarding street, Diagon Alley. It’s not the only place in the UK to make that claim, but true or not, its colourful shop fronts and selection of good pubs and restaurants make it more than worthy of your time.

ewh.org.uk/street-stories/victoria-street

JOHNNIE WALKER PRINCES STREET

The latest addition to Edinburgh’s whisky scene, a visit to this New Town attraction is highly recommended. Through an interactive tour you’ll learn more about whisky in 90 minutes than you ever thought possible. The price of the standard tour includes three cocktails, and whether you head there afterwards or book a seat without doing a tour, don’t miss a visit to the 1820 rooftop bar, which boasts possibly the best view of the castle in the city.

johnniewalker.com/en-gb/visit-us-princes-street

THE SCOTT MONUMENT

On the other side of Princes Street Gardens from the Old Town, this huge memorial to one of Scotland’s most cherished writers marks the entry point to the New Town.

Sir Walter Scott was instrumental in romanticising Scotland in the eyes of outsiders, helping fire-start tourism here, so it’s fitting that he should be celebrated in such a big way. While many visitors make do with admiring the Gothic-inspired landmark from afar, for a small fee you can take a tour to the third floor viewing platform for a closer look.

edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/scott-monument

Timberbush Tours

Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness

T: +44 (0) 131 226 6066

E: tours@timberbushtours.com

www.timberbush-tours.co.uk

Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, Timberbush Tours are one of Scotland’s longest running coach tour operators. Departing daily from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, their range of award-winning 1, 2 and 3-day tours cover the country from the borders all the way to John O’Groats and everything in between.

Whether you are interested in visiting your favourite filming locations from TV and movies, want to taste some of the finest drams, trace

Summerhall Distillery

1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL

T: +44 (0) 131 290 2901

E: tours@summerhalldistillery.com https://pickeringsgin.com/pages/tours

Summerhall Distillery is the home of Pickering’s Gin and The Broody Hen Scotch Whisky. As VisitScotland’s Best Visitor Attraction in Edinburgh, the Lothians, and Borders, they have been delivering experiences from their small distillery since 2014. Upon opening their doors, Summerhall Distillery became the first gin distillery to be established in Edinburgh for over 150 years.

The small, but perfectly formed distillery

your ancestry, or simply want to try and spot Nessie at Loch Ness, there is a tour for you. As well as their scheduled tours, they also o er a Private Hire service, where you can craft your dream Scottish tour.

Adventure Awaits!

OPEN: Departing year-round except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

ADMISSION: Price dependent on tour.

occupies the site of what was once the small animal kennels of The Old Royal Dick Veterinary School. Nestled in the heart of Edinburgh at the renowned Summerhall arts venue, the awardwinning distillery hosts guests with an array of experiences, ranging from interactive distillery tours to bespoke cocktail pairing experiences.

OPEN: Thursday – Sunday 12pm – 9pm

ADMISSION: £18 - £48

CALTON HILL AND THE NATIONAL MONUMENT

If you’ve ever wondered what that Greek-style building you can see atop a hill to the east of Waverley Station is, then you need to climb Calton Hill to find out. The National Monument is an incomplete monument to lives lost during the Napoleonic Wars and is a reminder of the city’s rare folly as it was considered an ambition too far in pursuit of the city’s desire to be hailed the Athens of the North. While here, pop into the Collective – a modern gallery in the city’s old observatory buildings – or book a table for a lavish lunch at the glass-fronted Lookout by Gardener’s Cottage. S ewh.org.uk/world-heritage-sites/calton-hill

THE NATIONAL GALLERY: PORTRAIT

Edinburgh has lots and lots of excellent art galleries, but this one in a neo-Gothic building in the New Town – the world’s first purpose-built portrait gallery – is our favourite. One of the city’s three ‘National Galleries’, it houses the most important portrait collection in Scotland and indeed is seen by many as a shrine to Scotland’s many heroes and heroines. The painted frieze featuring many famous figures from Scottish history that you see on entry is truly spectacular and is like a love letter to Scotland itself.

nationalgalleries.org/visit

scottish-national-portrait-gallery

DEAN VILLAGE

Another surprise find in Edinburgh lies a little to the west. Dean Village, an old watermill village, is like a little piece of Amsterdam right here in Scotland. There’s not much to do here except admire the old buildings that line the Water of Leith before walking the riverside path all the way to Stockbridge, where on the weekend you will find a tempting food market, but sometimes doing little is what we like doing best.

ewh.org.uk/world-heritage-sites/dean-village

& THE CLYDE GLASGOW

Art, music, and culture thrive in Scotland’s busiest city

Glasgow has a younger, edgier vibe than Edinburgh. It’s the nucleus of creative Scotland, with a wealth of galleries and museums, and plays host to festivals and music events all year round. Visit the striking Riverside Museum designed by the late Zaha Hadid, the recently reopened Burrell Collection, or the Mackintosh Willow Tea Rooms (pictured) for a culture hit. Meanwhile, the city centre’s mural trail is a celebration of Glasgow’s people – from the Patron Saint of Glasgow, St Mungo, to comedian Billy Connelly – and its history, from its industrial past to more recent events like the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the hosting of the COP26 summit in 2021. Head a little outside the city’s limits and you’ll discover heritage attractions along the Clyde such as the mill village of New Lanark. peoplemakeglasgow.com

Stand in Pollok Country Park and you could be in the countryside – there are woodlands, fields, even Highland cattle. Of course, this is not the countryside at all, but a corner of Scotland’s largest city, and though the rural idyll is something of an illusion, the two world-class cultural attractions you’ll find here are not.

The Burrell Collection is housed in an award-winning, modern building designed specifically for its art. Pollok House is also filled with works of art, but it is a considerably older stately home.

That the Burrell Collection and Pollok House – and their valuable contents – are open to visitors at all is all thanks to the generosity of wealthy Glasgow families, as both were gifted to the City of Glasgow.

The Burrell Collection is the star of Glasgow’s cultural scene, having reopened in 2022 following a £68 million six-year refurbishment of its ageing building.

With the finest Chinese ceramics, medieval stained glass, tapestries, and French art, the 9,000-piece collection is like no other.

The galleries invite you to admire the objects while simultaneously distracting you as the light changes on the whim of the clouds as it floods in through the glass walls, which in turn reveal the drama of the woodland outside.

Turn a corner and there’s another treasure to cast its spell over you. A group of porcelain Qing Dynasty Immortals, known as ‘China’s superhuman heroes’, remind me where my passion for Chinese art was first ignited.

The exotic colours and forms fascinated me when I first visited the Burrell Collection in the 1980s, sending me off in search of Oriental designs on my subsequent travels.

Today these small figures, with their inscrutable expressions and flowing china robes, enthral me again.

Elsewhere, paintings hang at child-friendly heights, while interactive features open the experience to everyone.

The refurbishment has opened more gallery space, improved energy efficiency, and allowed a fresh take on displaying its treasures.

Of course, the world-class stars of the collection are the late Gothic and early Renaissance works, which include tapestries, stained-glass, furniture, sculpture, Chinese jade and ceramics. Degas is the headline star in terms of 19th-century impressionist French artworks.

The collection before you was amassed by Sir William Burrell (1861–1958), a Glasgow-born shipping merchant who made a fortune that allowed him to indulge in his lifelong passion for art and antiques.

By his 40s, Burrell was a respected collector and benefactor, donating artworks to the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition.

However, it was not until the 1930s that Sir William formed the idea of handing his collection over to public ownership. And when he eventually did, in 1944, he set very specific conditions on the location of the building (which he also funded) wanting it in a rural setting to protect the items from the high pollution levels of the industrial city.

No decision on the location had been made by the time Sir William died in 1958 and it was only when the Pollok estate was presented to the city in 1966, that a site was finally found.

After an international design competition, work on the building began in 1978, with the Burrell Collection opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1983.

The excitement and buzz around the Burrell Collection was palpable – people flocked to see the collection and its opening spearheaded the transformation of Glasgow into the world-renowned city of culture we know now. Today, rediscovering the Burrell Collection feels just as magical.

Similarly gifted to Glasgow, this time by Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald, Pollok Country Park, the city’s largest park, is the remnant of a much larger estate owned by the Maxwells for more than 700 years.

It came to the city with an art collection and Pollok House, a fine mansion house beside the White Cart Water.

First built in 1752 and remodelled 150 years later by Sir John Stirling-Maxwell, founding member of the National Trust for Scotland, today’s visitors can explore an Edwardian home set in elegant Georgian plaster-encrusted rooms.

Sir John’s father, Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, was an expert on Spanish art, writing in 1848 the first English language books on the subject, Annals of the Artists of Spain.

Sir William’s inherited fortune funded an outstanding collection of Spanish art, which includes pieces by Goya, and El Greco. When Sir William died, the works were divided between his two sons, and those inherited by Sir John remain to this day at Pollok House.

Sir John’s improvements to the compact Georgian design of Pollok House introduced many modern features to it, including kitchens, electric lights, and central heating.

The design by Edinburgh architect, Sir Robert Rowand

LEFT TO RIGHT: Inside the newly refurbished Burrell Collection; Georgian Pollok House in Pollok Country Park

by

GLASGOW’S greatest gifts

Pollok Country Park, in Glasgow’s Southside, is home to one of the greatest art collections in the world and a grand Georgian stately home, both of which were bequeathed to the city

Words

FIONA LAING

Anderson, was such that it was able to accommodate Sir John’s inherited art collection, as well as the family library.

The extensions were sympathetic and enhanced the original rooms, with the library and its thousands of books the most elegant of spaces, overlooking an attractive parterre.

The grand entrance hall was one of Sir John’s rst alterations to the house and it provides a sumptuous welcome to visitors, with marble oors, mahogany bannisters, and intricate plasterwork on display.

However, the rooms overall do not feel ostentatious – they are more often comfortable in the style of a wealthy early 20th-century family. They are decorated with favourite heirlooms or contemporary pieces, such as a portrait of Sir John’s wife, Lady Christian, by Sir James Guthrie, one of the Glasgow Boys.

It is this intimate scale that is the charm of Pollok House. It makes much of its setting beside the river, with views of the park and the pretty stone bridge commissioned by an earlier Sir John in the late 1750s.

There are formal terraces, walled gardens and a rhododendron walk that owe much to the 20th-century Sir John’s keen interest in horticulture.

Sir John devoted much of his life to public service: rst as a politician and then serving on the committees of many of Scotland’s important public projects.

Although a major landowner – he also owned the Corrour estate on the edge of Rannoch Moor – he used his connections and position to help ordinary people, giving land for Pollokshaws Burgh Hall, a school, and allotments,

PLAN YOUR VISIT

THE BURRELL COLLECTION

Admire the world-class collection and enjoy Scottish produce in the glass-walled café. Open daily, entry is free. burrellcollection.com

POLLOK HOUSE

Explore the Edwardian family’s elegant living rooms, and see how the servants lived downstairs. The Edwardian Kitchen café serves modern-day favourites too. nts.org.uk/visit/places/pollok-house

GETTING TO POLLOK COUNTRY PARK

The park’s main entrance is near to Pollokshaws West station, 10 minutes from Glasgow Central. The Burrell Collection is a 15-minute walk and Pollok House about one mile from the main entrance. Buses pass the Pollokshaws Road entrance with a journey time to the city centre of about 20 minutes.

as well as supporting social housing and open spaces.

Oral histories gathered by the National Trust for Scotland show his generosity was extended to the people who worked on the estate.

Catherine Wilson describes how she and her mother were allowed to stay in their home on the estate for 16 months after her father died, before being re-homed in a cottage in Damshot. She says: “The fact that my mother ended up in that cottage in Damshot for 21 years after my father died said something. He did look after his workers, there’s no doubt about it.”

As well as nancial aid, Sir John gave his time and in uence where he could, particularly in terms of Scotland’s inter-war development. Sir John became involved in many of Scotland’s cultural institutions, including the National Galleries and Ancient Monuments Board.

Sir John was deeply interested in the countryside and, in particular, the production of timber, and subsequently became the chairman of the Forestry Commission.

Sir John helped establish the Association for the Preservation of Rural Scotland in 1926 and then hosted the discussions that ultimately led to birth of the National Trust for Scotland in 1931.

Those talks were in the cosy wood-panelled Cedar Room at Pollok House and when the trust was formed, Sir John gifted the medieval ruins of Crookston Castle, within the estate, as its rst property.

He was the trust’s president from 1944 until his death in 1956 and so it’s tting that the National Trust for Scotland now cares for the house on behalf of the city. Sir John also believed strongly that access to recreational spaces was vital for the well-being of society, and the fact that this beautiful country park is still free to wander is a wonderful and long-lasting part of his legacy.

The City of Glasgow Council has invested substantially in the 360 acres of Pollok Country Park, with sustainable transport improvements complementing the Burrell’s rebirth and existing recreational facilities around the park.

It has also been instrumental in the successful bid for £13 million from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund, bringing the park’s stables and sawmill back to life.

Part of the project will focus on the return of Clydesdale horses to the park, with the A-listed stables undergoing a transformation into a heritage centre celebrating one of Scotland’s iconic breeds and its role in Glasgow’s history.

Sir William Stirling-Maxwell was a renowned breeder of Clydesdales, and the horses were a popular attraction for park visitors until the stables closed. Interestingly, two of Pollok’s Clydesdale horses are the models for the iconic Kelpies structures beside the Forth and Clyde Canal near Falkirk.

This small rural area of Glasgow is a true melting pot. It melds history and art from across the world with the lives of born-and-bred Glaswegians, and engages and inspires its visitors on many levels. Whether you come to gaze at paintings or for a walk in the park, you are sure to leave enriched. S

ABOVE: This 15th-century Chinese ‘Luohan’ figure can be seen in the Burrell Collection

With beaches, rockpools and ice-creams around every corner, Fife is a brilliant place for a seaside holiday and is within easy reach of the capital. The Fife Coastal path links the idyllic fishing villages and towns along the coastline and stretches for 116 miles. The rich agricultural land and coastline make Fife, and particularly the pretty villages of the East Neuk, the ideal chef’s larder. Book a table at the Kinneuchar Inn for hearty game dishes, or Baern at Bowhouse – a cracking café within a pioneering hub for small food businesses. Fans of TV’s Outlander should also factor in a stop at the historic village of Culross (pictured) where key scenes were filmed. welcometofife.com

FIFE

Discover the pretty villages and golden beaches of this ancient kingdom

FOODIE FIFE

Much has been written about Scotland’s bountiful natural larder and how the availability of local produce can elevate the dishes we eat. And, of course, this is true.

But food enjoyment is not limited to what is on the plate. The environment in which you dine also adds to the experience.

At the family farm of Braeside of Lindores in northern Fife, they have grasped this concept more than most. Guests at these self-catering luxe-style cottages – which come with lots of added extras, including hot tubs – can really embrace the rural setting as they tuck into some of the region’s best produce.

Owner Anna Black collects guests from their holiday home and drives them up to the top of the farm where the Hide, a purpose-built Scandi-style wooden barbecue hut, stands atop Lindores Hill, offering stunning views of the River Tay and the surrounding countryside.

Inside the hut, guests can cook chef-prepared dishes, such as lamb kofta and chilli and sesame chicken, on a grill above a crackling fire, or book the chef themselves, who will cook in front of them, and answer any questions they may have about the menu and local ingredients.

Once cooked, guests can eat outside on the wooden tables as they admire the view from their own hilltop hideaway. Dessert (often a cranachan pot) is best enjoyed back in the snug, off-grid Hide.

Brae of Lindores is the partner farm for nearby Lindores Abbey Distillery, just a few minutes’ drive away. The distillery opened its doors in 2017 and can claim to be the ‘spiritual home of Scotch whisky’, for it was here that Tironensian monks began making whisky many centuries ago – indeed, the earliest written reference we have to whisky-making in Scotland can be traced to here.

An entry in the Exchequer Roll states quite plainly: “To Friar John Cor, 8 bolls of Malt, wherewith to make Aqua Vitae for King James IV.”

This aqua vitae would have initially been used as an ointment but at some point, the monks began drinking it.

The ancient abbey still stands in ruin in the grounds, which now form part of a farm that has been in the McKenzie family since 1913. The family didn’t realise the abbey’s connection to aqua vitae until whisky expert Michael Jackson included it in one of his books.

After the McKenzies became aware of these historic connections, it seemed obvious to them that they should build a distillery.

The first product to go on sale was the distillery’s own aqua vitae but now its single malt whisky is also ready – officially bringing whisky-making back to Lindores for the first time in more than 500 years.

A field to fork ethos and the return of whisky-making to its spiritual home make the food and drink scene here one of Scotland’s most exciting

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: A workshop at Bowhouse; inside the Hide at Lindores; enjoy fabulous views of Fife from the Hide; take a seaweed foraging workshop on the East Neuk; look out for elusive red squirrels in Fife

A TASTE OF FIFE TRAIL

Braeside of Lindores Farm

This family farm offers hillside dining and self-catering cottages. lindores.co.uk

Lindores Abbey Distillery

The whisky story is so strong at its ‘spiritual home’ that there’s been no need to distil gin while they wait. lindoresabbeydistillery.com

Balgove Larder

Stock up on goodies or attend the monthly night market (May-Sept) to meet some of the producers. balgove.com

Ardross Farm Shop

Open seven days a week, this farm shop is stacked with local produce. ardrossfarm.co.uk

Bowhouse

Pop in to see the producers, have lunch, or attend the market. bowhousefife.com

The Kinneuchar Inn

This 17th-century pub is a great place to sample some of the Balcaskie Estate’s wares. kinneucharinn.com

Fife is spoiled when it comes to farms and thankfully guests to the region can taste the fruits of these labours via some very good farm shops, such as Balgove Larder, near St Andrews, where you can buy ready-made dishes courtesy of the deli chef or see what delights have been brought down from the field that day.

Further south, in the East Neuk, Ardross Farm Shop is a great place to stock up on goodies for a picnic on one of the area’s lovely sandy beaches. Ardross is renowned for its high levels of husbandry and the family behind the farm and shop is committed to instilling in its customers a joy of real food, with lots of home-reared grass-fed beef, lamb, mutton, and fresh vegetables to buy.

Just a few miles down the road from Ardross, Bowhouse, on the Balcaskie Estate, is similarly enthusiastic about the real food movement, connecting locals and visitors to homegrown produce by providing a platform for smaller producers and growers.

Once a month there is a food market here, where independent producers can come and sell their wares to customers, encouraging a much shorter food chain where provenance can be assured.

There are also some more regular opportunities to eat and meet – the butchery opens its doors a few days a week, the organic beer company Futtle has got a permanent base here, as does the Bothy Kitchen, which specialises in baked goods like pies (just try and avoid the temptation to follow your nose into this place) and the Baern Café and Bakery.

For anyone looking for a more traditional setting to indulge in Fife’s

finest produce, the nearby 17th-century Kinneuchar Inn, which reopened to much acclaim in 2019 under the new management of chef James Ferguson and his partner Alethea Palmer, has a daily changing menu with ingredients sourced from across the Balcaskie Estate.

Back at Bowhouse, some new workshops were launched for summer 2023 that aim to nurture an interest in both food provenance and the natural environment.

The Grass to Grill: Estate Tour, for instance, run by Sam Parsons, Farm Manager at Balcaskie, takes guests on tractor-trailer rides to see native breed sheep, Tamworth pigs, and Lincoln Red cattle up close, all while Sam explains the sustainable production methods adopted by the farmers here.

Other workshops include sea-foraging and cold-water immersion, or the more sedate-sounding charcuterie and wine tasting.

Like I said at the beginning, the enjoyment of food is not confined to the ingredients in the dish but to its overall experience, and in Fife, they have food experiences to appeal to all tastes. S

This aqua vitae would have initially been used as an ointment, but at some point the monks began drinking it

ARGYLL & LOMOND

Discover quiet lochs, tree-lined glens, and Scotland’s seafood capital

Argyll is home to lush woodlands, gardens and walking trails for all abilities. The intrepid can hike scenic sections of the Three Lochs Way, linking Loch Lomond, Gare Loch and Loch Long. A more sedate wander can be enjoyed in the grounds of Inveraray Castle (pictured). The charming harbour town of Oban is the jumping o point for a trip to the islands of Kerrera, Lismore, Mull, Iona, and Coll. It’s the perfect place to feast on fresh seafood straight o the boat. The Green Shack beside the ferry port is a fuss-free favourite. Try the packed prawn sandwiches, oysters on ice, dressed crab, or a steaming bowl of local mussels. For more refined seafood dining, the Pierhouse by the Lismore ferry in Port Appin is your best bet. wildaboutargyll.co.uk

© IAIN MASTERTON/ALAMY

Just an hour’s drive west of Glasgow and sitting on the shores of the Kyles of Bute, in full view of the Isle of Bute, Tighnabruaich, is about as lovely a little village as you could hope to find.

It’s so lovely that the PS Waverley, the last sea-going passenger-carrying paddle-steamer in the world, still stops at the Victorian pier each summer, either dropping visitors off or picking them up and whisking them away to the Isle of Bute, or the Kintyre Peninsula.

It’s a reminder that this region was once a bustling holiday destination, particularly with Glaswegians, who would make the annual summer trip ‘doon the watter’ before they were tempted overseas by cheap package holidays. Today, it’s much more understated.

I’ll hold my hands up: I’d never heard of Tighnabruaich before my visit last year, but by the end of our week-long stay my five-year-old had perfected his version of its pronunciation – proudly shouting “Tee – na – bru- ick” each time we arrived back in the village after a day’s exploration.

Not that we went too far. The beauty of Tighnabruaich is that it is so well placed for reaching many places. A short drive out of town up the eastern shore of the western finger

of the Cowal Peninsula, which has been rebranded as ‘Argyll’s Secret Coast’ due to the scarcity of visitors, will bring you to an incredible viewpoint over the Kyles of Bute.

Before you reach that, you’ll see the 20m-long wooden structure of the Ark of Argyll by artist David Blair, erected just in time for 2021’s COP26 conference in Glasgow, as a statement to highlight the “strength and urgency” of the climate crisis.

Continue, and you can take the rather hairy, but very beautiful, Bealach an Drain road that crosses inland, just before Glendaruel, up into the hills and down to the other side of the peninsula to the reputable Oystercatcher restaurant in Otter Ferry. For a shorter jaunt, Ostel Bay (also called Kilbride Bay) is just a 10-minute drive out of Tighnabruaich to the south, or at least the layby by Kilbride Farm, where you park is. From The Bothy shack (perfect for tea and cake afterwards), it’s a 15-minute countryside amble to reach this huge sandy beach on the south of the peninsula. Another place worth visiting is Portavadie Marina, with its excellent outdoor infinity pool and hot tubs overlooking Loch Fyne, Scotland’s longest sea loch. There’s nothing quite like watching the weather rolling in from the coast and

BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT: Tighnabruaich sits on Argyll’s aptly named ‘Secret Coast’; The PS Waverley arrives into Tighnabruaich each summer

Words by SALLY COFFEY

TIGHNABRUAICH

Hidden away on Argyll’s aptly named ‘Secret Coast’ this little village is a charming holiday base, but you may want to keep it to yourself

seabirds flocking overhead as you sit beneath a gentle rain shower immersed in a warm bath.

The village of Tighnabruaich itself is small but well formed. On Main Street (whose title seems a little over the top), there is a good art gallery, plus a couple of cafés, which serve food from local producers.

On arrival at our holiday home for the week, Lochee House, a beautifully renovated self-catering property, just a five-minute walk from this row of shops and with views out across the Kyles of Bute, we were presented with a welcome hamper, with lots of lovely local goodies, including jam from Wild Kitchen, an artisan maker based in the village, which went down well with both my kids.

The pristine kitchen and open-plan dining room and living room at Lochee House was a great place to slowly start each day – the kids playing games and watching cartoons, while my husband and I drank tea and co ee as we let the views revive us. Who needs weather forecasts when you can see the weather from your window?

You know the Scottish saying, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes’, well no amount of wet-weather gear would have helped us reach the Isle of Bute.

Despite driving to the little harbour at Colintraive fully prepared for a bit of wind and rain, we were warned by the friendly harbourmaster that the threat of an incoming storm made the five-minute ferry trip over inadvisable.

To cheer ourselves up, we took refuge in the Colintraive Hotel near the pier – a cosy bolthole, with a small bar and an excellent restaurant with more great views. All the food is sourced locally, and you can tell – the langoustines supplied by ‘Neil’ were some of the freshest I’ve ever tasted.

with a small bar and an excellent restaurant with more great views. All the food is sourced locally, and

Back in the village, there are a few good dining options, the Tighnabruaich Hotel o ers no-frills dining in its friendly pub, while a little further round the bay at the Royal an Lochan hotel there is a very good seafood menu. If you want to learn a little more about the game of shinty, which is still popular in the village, pop into the hotel’s Shinty Bar, where you can see photos of the local Kyles Athletic team through the years on the walls.

If you are looking for a slice of Scottish rural life, within easy reach of some of Scotland’s star attractions, then Tighnabruaich could be just the ticket. S

PLAN YOUR VISIT

LOCHEE HOUSE

This spacious holiday home, which sleeps eight, o ers beautiful, elevated views of the Kyles of Bute, four bedrooms, a games room, a well-equipped kitchen,

and two bathrooms. locheehouse.co.uk

SECRET ARGYLL COAST

Discover more about this hidden corner of Argyll. wildaboutargyll.co.uk

© JOHN PETER PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY

In full view of the Isle of Bute, Tighnabruaich is about as lovely a little village as you could hope to find

THE NORTH EAST

From the cities of Dundee and Aberdeen to Highland traditions and the beautiful Cairngorms, this is a region of contrasts

Despite the Cairngorms being home to four of Britain’s highest mountains, the UK’s only free-reigning reindeer herd, and the Royal Family’s Scottish hideaway of Balmoral – a popular retreat from o cial duties since Queen Victoria’s time – Scotland’s North East is still hugely underrated. The North East 250, a driving route that takes in much of the Aberdeenshire and Moray coastline, including Dunnottar Castle and the picturesque fishing settlements of Cullen and Portsoy – is trying to rectify all that, but until then you can enjoy a landscape liberally sprinkled with castles, native woodlands, hills, and lots of distilleries with far fewer visitors than the rest of the Highlands. northeast250.com

© VISITSCOTLAND/DAVID N ANDERSON

Words by SALLY COFFEY

IN THE Pink

Kings, ghosts and unsavoury characters: Fyvie Castle’s history will reel you in

An exemplary example of a Scottish baronial building, with ve towers, dozens of turrets and a ushedpink façade, Fyvie is the epitome of a fairytale castle.

Located in the heart of Aberdeenshire’s ‘Castle Trail’ you might think that this 800-year-old fortress would be one of Scotland’s most visited, but often it is overlooked in favour of the more famous castles of Dunnottar and Balmoral.

However, while Dunnottar stands in ruin, and much of Balmoral is out of bounds (at least inside), at Fyvie not only has the outside been remarkably preserved, but inside virtually all the rooms can be visited, as it has been managed by the National Trust for Scotland since 1984.

Dating from the 13th century, Fyvie was once a royal stronghold, and its early history can be linked to William the Lion, who is thought to have been here around 1214, and Robert the Bruce, who held an open-air court in its grounds.

The name Fyvie means ‘deer hill’, alluding to the 100 acres of land that surrounds the castle, which would once have been a royal hunting forest.

Though there are no longer many deer here, the grounds themselves are magni cent and include a picturesque lake, a walled garden, an American garden, and a glass-roofed racquets court, all of which tell the stories of the succession

of families who called Fyvie home after it was granted to its rst aristocratic owner, Sir Henry Preston, by King Robert III in the 14th century.

Preston, who had been given the castle as a ransom payment, was the rst owner to develop Fyvie Castle from what would have been a functional stone keep into the imposing palace you see today.

Preston added the château-style Preston Tower, which now houses self-catering accommodation, while Alexander Seton, who went on to become Chancellor of Scotland and owned the castle in the late 16th century, extended it greatly.

Seton created a castle of such high status that when James VI of Scotland travelled to London to take the throne as King James I of England and Ireland, he left his son, the future King Charles I, in the care of Seton at Fyvie.

Later the castle was acquired by the Gordon family and in 1889 it was purchased by a steel magnate called Alexander Leith, who was born in Scotland but had made his fortune in Chicago.

Still in his early 40s, Leith used his enormous wealth to

THIS IMAGE: Fyvie Castle’s fairytale appearance masks a turbulent history steeped in legend

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE:

The ornate gallery has some incredible tapestries on display; visitors can see collections of armour and weapons; Fyvie is now managed by the National Trust

return to his homeland, buying up Fyvie for £175,000 (roughly £28m in today’s money).

Fyvie was just 20 miles away from his family seat of Leith Hall, but his cousin, Col. Alexander Sebastian Leith-Hay lived there, which must have grated on him, and so he did what any self-respecting mogul would do – he transformed Fyvie into his very own ‘ancestral seat’.

To this end, Leith added his own tower to the castle and oversaw an incredible interior redecoration. The gallery and drawing room are considered some of the finest Edwardian interiors in Britain.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

TICKETS

The grounds are open all year round, and the castle from April to November.

nts.org.uk/visit/places/fyvie-castle

STAY IN THE CASTLE

For a unique self-catering holiday experience, Fyvie’s Preston Tower is available to hire. sykescottages.co.uk

Leith also began styling himself as Alexander Forbes-Leith, citing the fact that he was descended from Sir Henry Preston through his maternal grandmother Mary Forbes.

This rebrand certainly seemed to have the desired effect and in 1905 Alexander Forbes-Leith was made the first Baron Leith of Fyvie (though tellingly, he was also the last).

Forbes-Leith also used his huge fortune to buy an incredible collection of portraits, many of which remain in the castle, including works by Gainsborough and Hoppner, and 13 Raeburn paintings.

In its exquisite public rooms, you

can also view vast collections of arms and armour, delicate porcelains, and huge tapestries. Not all the antiquities are pleasing to the eye though – in the library the death mask of a hanged murderer, John Pollok, makes for macabre viewing.

As it’s looked after by the National Trust, curators at Fyvie Castle have begun looking into how the history of the castle has been represented over the years and whether it may now need reframing.

One uncomfortable truth is that the kind of vast wealth accrued by the Forbes-Leiths of the world in the 19th century often came at a cost.

In the case of Fyvie, we don’t have to look too hard to see what that cost was. Forbes-Leith had married the boss’s daughter, Marie Louise January, at the steel firm where he worked, before going on to become a magnate himself.

Together with her siblings, Marie had always lived a life of privilege, and when the home of her brother burned down, four pairs of iron circles were found attached to walls, which “were probably used for the disciplining of slaves”.

This might not show a direct link between Forbes-Leith and the slave trade, but it’s not a huge jump to assume that if his wife’s brother kept slaves, so too did her father and perhaps also she.

Clearer are the links to the slave trade of the Leith family themselves. Generations of the Leiths had directed the control of enslaved people and Alexander’s father, Rear Admiral John Leith, oversaw the gradual ending of slavery in the Caribbean, so there can be no doubt that Forbes-Leith

and his wife profited from the slave trade.

Fyvie is also linked to two curses and is said to be haunted. There is a sealed medieval dungeon at the castle, which, if the legend is to be believed, if an intruder enters, they would be killed, and their wife would be blinded.

More disturbingly, the premature death of the eldest son in each family over the course of 600 years, is blamed on The Curse of the Weeping Stones, which – it is said – will not loosen its grip until three stones are discovered and removed. However, it doesn’t seem to have disturbed residents too much, since one of the stones is proudly on display in the Charter Room.

And like any good historic castle, Fyvie supposedly has its own ghost, and the Charter Room plays a large role in her story. The Green Lady is believed to be the restless spirit of Lilias Drummond, the wife of Alexander Seton.

Seton apparently punished his wife for not bearing him a male heir by locking her in the Charter Room where she starved to death.

Shortly afterwards Seton remarried and on his wedding night with his new wife, screams and scratching were heard outside their window.

When the newly married couple woke in the morning, the name Lilias Drummond had been scratched into the stone windowsill, and can still be seen today.

After everything he put her through, you could say that a little haunting was the least she could do to pay him back. Not so much a fairytale ending though, as a nightmare. S

In the library the death mask of a hanged murderer, John Pollok, makes for macabre viewing

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT DUNDEE

Learn about the shipbuilding and textiles heritage of this dynamic city

Discovery Point

Prepare to embark on a thrilling adventure at Discovery Point and RRS Discovery, an award-winning attraction where polar exploration comes to life.

Step aboard one of the world’s most famous ships, the RRS (Royal Research Ship) Discovery, on which Captain Scott, Ernest Shackleton, and their crew embarked upon their legendary expedition to the Antarctic in 1901. Our five-star award-winning museum o ers an immersive voyage through time, retracing the steps of these courageous explorers, bringing to life the triumphs and tribulations of their extraordinary journey through interactive and digital exhibits.

One of the highly anticipated additions to our museum is the new Discovery Dome experience, which takes visitors on a fascinating voyage back in time to Dundee in 1901, the year Discovery was first launched, with narration by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.

Marvel at spectacular views of the River Tay, the Tay bridges and Dundee’s skyline from the 360-degree viewing gallery and be inspired by the iconic Gaia artwork by British artist Luke Jerram. This installation features

a three-dimensional representation of Earth, created from detailed NASA imagery. As you gaze upon Gaia, allow yourself to experience the ‘Overview E ect’ – the cognitive shift that astronauts feel when viewing our planet from space, sound-tracked by award-winning composer Dan Jones.

At Discovery Point, we are passionate about sharing the shipbuilding history of Dundee as well as the stories and accomplishments of early explorers.

Wander above and below decks of Discovery where you’ll be surrounded by the sights and sounds of life at sea and on the ice. Our enthusiastic sta , volunteer guides and interactive displays provide a captivating window into the lives of polar explorers, who faced unimaginable challenges, and made ground-breaking scientific discoveries that have had a lasting impact on global climate science.

Afterwards, stop by our HutPoint café and enjoy a delicious locally sourced lunch from our sustainable menu, which has seen us recognised by VisitScotland’s ‘Taste our Best’ Award.

With tickets giving access for a whole year, a visit to Discovery Point and RRS Discovery allows you to experience the thrill of stepping into the shoes of true pioneers. We look forward to welcoming you aboard very soon.

Book your visit today at www.rrsdiscovery.co.uk

Discovery Point, Discovery Quay, Dundee, DD1 4XA admin@dundeeheritage.co.uk; 01382 309060

CLOCKWISE, FROM THIS IMAGE: RRS Discovery; experience what life was like for Victorian mill workers and their families at Verdant Works; inside Verdant Works; the Discovery Dome

Verdant Works

Verdant Works Museum, set within a sympathetically restored A-listed jute mill and home to a Recognised Collection of National Significance, o ers an exciting journey through Dundee’s social and industrial history. Our unique visitor experience has won us numerous ‘Traveller’s Choice’ Awards from TripAdvisor, and has been awarded five-star accreditation from VisitScotland.

As you walk through Verdant Works’ gates, you will be transported back to a time when jute mills dominated the city of Dundee and hear the stories of the workers who made the city the global centre of jute production in the 1800s, through interactive exhibits, demonstrations, and many thought-provoking displays.

Witness the spectacle of ancient machinery at work –especially the engineering masterpiece, the Boulton & Watt engine – admire our beautiful High Mill, hear real-life tales from our fantastic volunteer guides and gain a deeper appreciation for the textile industry’s impact on Dundee and the rest of the world.

Verdant Works is committed to making the experience accessible to all. We are delighted to o er free admission to children under 16 when accompanied by a supervising adult. Additionally, admission comes as an annual pass, allowing you to return and explore the museum’s ever-evolving features throughout the year.

Indulge yourself with an ice-cream sundae or a haggis toastie at our highly rated museum café, where all dishes on our menu are hand-made daily using only the best local produce, leading to us being awarded the ‘Taste our Best’ award by VisitScotland.

And don’t miss our gift shop, which stocks bespoke, locally made gifts for all occasions, including ‘Bobbin’, our Verdant Works’ mouse, made by a local designer only metres from the museum using environmentally friendly materials, including jute from here.

Whether you’re looking for a fun-filled family day out or are a seasoned history bu , our museum provides an insightful, engaging, and enjoyable journey into the past. S Book your visit today at www.verdantworks.co.uk

West Henderson’s Wynd, Dundee, DD1 5BT; admin@dundeeheritage.co.uk; 01382 309060

© JOHN POW/GSR PHOTOGRAPHIC

PERTHSHIRE & STIRLINGSHIRE

Relaxing riverside walks and ne dining await in ‘Big Tree Country’, while its neighbouring county is home to one of Scotland’s most strategic strongholds

Perthshire is one of Scotland’s prettiest regions, with low hills and rivers winding through richly wooded glens. Discover the Birks of Aberfeldy (pictured), and the curving paths and Victorian follies at the Hermitage. Visit the Fortingall Yew in the churchyard at Fortingall: at a possible 5,000 years old it’s likely to be Britain’s oldest tree. Perthshire’s food and drink scene is thriving too. Dine on the best local produce at The Grandtully by Ballintaggart, indulge in a multi-course gastronomic feast at Killiecrankie House, or enjoy riverside dining at the Taybank in Dunkeld. In Stirlingshire you can visit ‘Edinburgh in miniature’, Stirling, to see its castle and the monument to one of Scotland’s greatest heroes: William Wallace. visitscotland.com/places-to-go/perthshire; yourstirling.com

Romanticising the STONE

A symbol of Scotland, the Stone of Scone has attracted many myths throughout its history but are any of them true or were they just a ruse to wind up the English?

Words by SALLY COFFEY

IMAGE:

THIS

Scone Palace, the historic home of the Stone of Destiny, has a history stretching back over 1,000 years

If you’ve never seen it, then you could be forgiven for picturing the Stone of Scone (also known as the Stone of Destiny) – on which Scottish kings were historically crowned – as some elaborately carved ancient relic, with beautiful detail and intricate iconography.

However, for those who have seen it, the reality is rather less arresting. The understated stone, which for a long time has been found in the Crown Room of Edinburgh Castle, displayed alongside the Honours of Scotland, is a coarse lump of oblong sandstone with an iron ring at either end, with a rough rectangle cut into the top and a couple of crosses etched in.

Nevertheless, each year, many of the more than 2 million visitors to Edinburgh Castle would have made a beeline for it, such is its legendary status, and in 2023 even more people saw the stone as it played a starring role in the coronation ceremony of King Charles III.

Just a year after its star turn in the coronation, the stone is due to be rehomed in the revamped City Hall in Perth, (renamed Perth Museum), where it will take pride of place in a new purpose-built pavilion and go on public display in spring 2024. This rehoming will mark the first time the stone will be back in its historic home of Perthshire in over 700 years. But just what is the Stone of Scone and why is it considered so sacred and valuable?

LEGENDS OF THE STONE

Between the 9th century and the 17th century, 42 Scottish kings are believed to have been crowned at Moot Hill in the grounds of the modern-day Scone Palace.

Notable exceptions are King James II, who presumably wasn’t keen to return to Perth so soon after the murder nearby of his father, and Mary, Queen of Scots, the only queen who might have been crowned here, who instead was kept under protection at Stirling Castle.

At the time of its use as a coronation site, Scone was an important religious centre, but while Scone’s role in coronations is not disputed, the arrival of the Stone of Scone, which was used in the ceremonies, is.

There are some that say the stone was Jacob’s Pillow, brought back from the Holy Land, possibly by an Egyptian princess by the name of Scota, arriving in Scotland in the 9th century. If that’s true, it was certainly well timed, for just

as the stone was reaching Scotland, Kenneth MacAlpin, was preparing to unite the Picts and Scots under a new Kingdom of Scotland: Alba.

JP Reid, Senior New Projects Officer: Exhibitions & Interpretation of the new Perth Museum, said it’s little surprise that stories like these were so readily accepted: “There are motives anchored in political motives – a lot to do with the legitimacy of the Scottish monarchy. Nationalism in light of incursions by the English,” he said.

“The Scots are saying: ‘we’ve been a nation from ancient times, here’s the proof’”.

Reid also poured cold water on the belief that the stone travelled from anywhere more exotic than Scotland itself.

He said: “We do know that the stone is made from Perthshire sandstone and was probably a threshold of an important building before it became a ceremonial piece, and then it becomes a threshold between a king and normal people.”

The truth is that the first concrete evidence we have of the stone being used in coronation ceremonies is during the coronation of Alexander III in 1249.

There was just one coronation after that – of John Balliol in 1292 – before the stone was taken by King Edward I in 1296. There’s little doubt that the legendary status of the stone fuelled Edward’s desire to have it, as he saw it as a symbol that he had conquered Scotland.

Edward brought the stone to Westminster where he had a special throne made for it, in which the stone was placed under the monarch’s seat, thus demonstrating England’s dominance over its neighbour.

It was after Edward’s theft of the stone that the number of myths proliferated. One popular myth is that the real stone was replaced by the friars at the abbey at Scone before

TOP TO BOTTOM: Scone's style is Gothic revival; the chapel on Moot Hill at Scone Palace, with a replica of the Stone of Scone in front

© CHRIS WATT PHOTOGRAPHY/IAN DAGNALL ALA,MY

Some say that the stone was Jacob’s Pillow, brought back from the Holy Land, possibly by an Egyptian princess

www.lanricktreehouses.co.uk

• Sleeps up to 6 guests

• 3 beautiful ensuite bedrooms

• Fully equipped spacious dining kitchen

• Bespoke welcome packs, picnic lunches or celebration lunches/dinners can be arranged

• Maid service on request

• A short distance from Perth Race Course

Escape to The Treehouses at Lanrick – five eco-friendly luxury treehouses on the banks of the beautiful River Teith in Perthshire

The Treehouses at Lanrick offer true escapism in a stunning and private woodland setting, bordering the Trossachs National Park, yet only an hour from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. If you’re looking to switch off from the outside world and find peace and tranquility living amongst beautiful trees and the wide variety of birds and wildlife they are home to, The Treehouses at Lanrick is the perfect solution.

The five self-catering treehouses are designed and styled to an exceptional standard with distinctive interiors, creating five unique hideaways. These luxury retreats include log burning stoves, a tree top terrace and outside baths. And the brand new woodland sauna and cold plunge pool, along with the chance for a Swedish massage, ensure guests have the most spoiling of stays.

Edward could get his hands on it and hidden elsewhere. Other romanticised stories say that Macbeth himself buried the stone outside a hill near Perth. However, Reid said it is highly unlikely that the stone was swapped as the wear on the one in Edinburgh suggests ceremonial use that predates Edward’s theft.

Reid also said that if the stone was swapped, someone would have noticed. “There were some nobles that were present at both Balliol’s inauguration and Edward’s coronation,” he said, “and yet no-one said it looked different.”

Nevertheless, the stories must have got back to Edward, as a year or so after his visit, he returned to Scone, presumably to check that he did indeed have the right stone.

Edward must have been satisfied that his was the right one, as the stone remained in Westminster for the rest of his reign and became part of the coronation chair for all successive English and British monarchs. However, in a modern-day twist to the story, in 1950, the stone was stolen back by four Scottish students on Christmas Day.

The move was a ploy to garner support for Scottish independence but the outcry was so big – the border between Scotland and England was closed for the first time in 400 years – that the students panicked and buried the larger part of the stone (it had broken in two when they had taken it) in a field in Kent until the fuss died down.

Though they later took the two parts to Glasgow to have it repaired before leaving the stone in Arbroath Abbey, their actions feed into another of the stone’s legends.

When the stonemason Robert Gray fixed the stone, he also made several replicas, and some say that the stone that was returned to Westminster in 1951 and finally to Scotland

in 1996, was one of these replicas, and not the real stone.

William, Viscount Stormont, eldest son of the current Earl of Mansfield, who now resides at Scone Palace, says: “We used to believe the stone to be a fake not once, but twice over. Recent scientific tests in 1998 however have all but proven that the stone currently in Edinburgh was the stone stolen from Westminster Abbey.”

However, the Viscount says it has long been believed that the stone Edward took was fake. He says: “Indeed the Scots would joke that the Abbot of Scone with plenty of warning swapped the real stone for the lid of the cesspit.”

True or not, it’s indicative of the rivalry between the English and the Scots that the temptation for the Scots to be able to say to the English that the stone that they stole was just a stone and nothing more, is hard to resist.

SCONE PALACE

Visiting Scone Palace, the seat of the Earls of Mansfield, is of course crucial to anyone interested in the stone’s story. Scone Palace stands on a site whose history stretches back millennia. The Romans camped here two thousand years ago, and it was later both the capital of a Pictish kingdom and an important seat of the ancient Celtic church, before developing into an abbey.

In 906 King Constantine held a council here, a forerunner for later medieval parliaments: Scone was where Scottish laws were made until the reign of James IV, who shifted the seat of power to Edinburgh.

The abbey was burned down during the Scottish Reformation and the lands were given over to the Ruthven family, the Earls of Gowrie, who soon fell from grace for conspiring against King James VI in what became known as the Gowrie Conspiracy. As a result, the newly built palace came to the king’s cupbearer, Sir David Murray of Gospetrie. One of his descendants became the first Earl of Mansfield and the Mansfield family still live in private apartments within Scone Palace today.

The palace as you see it today was rebuilt in the Gothic revival style in the early 19th century, though parts of the old palace remain, including the Long Gallery, whose wooden parquet flooring dates from the 16th century, and which Charles II would have

Edward must have been satisfied that this was the right one, as the stone remained in Westminster for the rest of his reign

BELOW: The eclectic inner hall at Scone houses furniture and curiosities collected by generations of the family from around the globe

LOCH NESS ESCAPES

Our collection of luxury cottages, offers the wilderness of the Highlands, while only minutes away from the amenities of a city and nearby transport hubs. Located between Loch Ness and Inverness, whether you are seeking a romantic getaway, a family holiday or the perfect base from which to explore the magic of Loch Ness, the Highlands or the North Coast 500, we have the perfect Loch Ness Escape for you.

Offering a combination of modern practicality and comfort, while retaining many original features, most of our properties have wood-burning hot tubs and all have cosy wood-burning stoves. Our dog friendly gardens are fully enclosed providing fabulous views and walks directly from your door. The gardens, woods, mountains and moorland are home to deer, pine marten, red squirrels and a huge variety of bird life, all of which can be enjoyed while just sitting in the hot tub, around the fire pit – or just straight out the scenic windows.

www.lochnessescapes.com

Luxury, pet friendly cottages on the Great Glen by Loch Ness

SEE THE STONE OF SCONE

On 6 May 2023, the stone was used in the historic coronation of King Charles III, who, following tradition, ‘sat’ on it on the King Edward’s Chair at Westminster Abbey, in London.

If you would like to see where the stone is used in coronations today at Westminster Abbey, and visit its historic home of Scone Palace in Perthshire, then you can combine the two on one trip, thanks to the Caledonian Sleeper, which will spirit you from London to Perthshire (or vice versa) by rail overnight. The small but cosy cabins will ensure you’re well rested upon arrival at your destination the following morning and you can have dinner or just a glass of wine in the Club Car before bed.

From Scone Palace, it’s just a short taxi ride to Perth city centre, where from spring 2024 you can see the stone in its new permanent home of Perth Museum (pictured below).

westminster-abbey.org; scone-palace.co.uk; sleeper.scot; culturepk.org.uk/museums-and-galleries/city-hall-project

walked down from the robing room on his way to his coronation in 1651. Despite the stone having been in Westminster for 350 years by this time, it just goes to show that Scone was still an important place in terms of making kings.

When Queen Victoria visited Scone Palace in 1842 as the guest of the 4th Earl of Mansfield, she was treated to a curling presentation in the Long Gallery. Her husband, Prince Albert, thought it was so good they made him president of the Grand Caledonian Curling Club.

From the end of the Long Gallery, you can look out towards Moot Hill, where there is a replica of the stone.

On some maps Moot Hill is written as ‘Boot Hill’ and one theory is that when a new king was announced, nobles had to swear an oath to him on their own land, so they would take some soil from their home in their boot, travel to Scone and then tip their boot up and swear their allegiance while standing on their home soil.

THE STONE’S NEW HOME

From spring 2024, visitors to Perth will be able to see the stone in its new home, Perth Museum, which stands just opposite St John’s Kirk, scene of John Knox’s rousing 1559 sermon.

The museum will place the stone both conceptionally and physically at its heart. A new pavilion inside will house the stone, while galleries will tell the story of the city and its surrounds, from its earliest settlers, through the Romans and the Picts, to its medieval history and the emergence of the Kingdom of Alba, where the stone starts to come into context.

The museum will approach subjects such as the role of the stone in King Charles III’s coronation, face on. Reid says: “It’s wonderful to see it as a live ceremonial object and the exhibition will almost certainly explore Charles’s coronation and the controversy around it.” And how do the residents of Scone feel about the stone’s new home? The Viscount says he wouldn’t say it is coming home, “It is the Stone of Scone of course”, but that he is supportive of the move to Perth, which is “just across the River Tay from Scone.” Perhaps one day it will make it back to Scone, until then, Perth will do. S

Murrayshall, a stately home in acres of its own grounds, with a couple of golf courses, and comfortable, well serviced rooms, is just a short drive from Scone Palace.

The house, once home to the Graham-Murrays family, from whom the Earls of Mansfield are descended, has a log-fire in the lounge plus an excellent restaurant called Eolas. The breakfast haggis is not to be missed.

If you want to get a sense of your surroundings, take the walk up to the obelisk, a memorial erected to one of the most famous members of the family, Lord Lynedoch, for far-reaching views across Perthshire and all the way to the Cairngorms in the north and Fife in the south. The hotel can also organise a luxury picnic to take with you.

murrayshall.co.uk

LUXURY IN THE HEART OF HIGHLAND PERTHSHIRE

Nestled in the heart of Highland Perthshire, Fonab Castle Hotel & Spa is a truly unique five star hotel. Lovingly restored, it draws inspiration from its historic past and breath-taking surroundings whilst adding the odd contemporary twist. Enjoy a drink on the terrace before a 3 AA Rosette awarded meal or simply sit back and enjoy the tranquility of the stunning landscape.

It really is ‘beyond the ordinary’

The Highlands covers nearly 26,000 sq km yet has a population of only 235,000, making it one of the least populous areas in Europe. A vastly di erent landscape to the Lowlands, in the Highlands the mountains are higher and craggier, the lochs deeper and colder, and the towns and villages smaller and further apart. Fort William, a hub for outdoor adventures, o ers skiing and hillwalking on Ben Nevis and its neighbouring peaks. Glen Coe has its own share of Munros (pictured) while the unfathomable Loch Ness, iconic Glenfinnan, and the far north – home to pu ns, peat bogs and some mind-bogglingly beautiful scenery – are not to be missed. And, of course, the lively city of Inverness is the entry point for it all. visitscotland.com/places-to-go/highlands

INVERNESS & THE HIGHLANDS

Get your bearings in the Highlands ‘capital’ of Inverness before being humbled by the most sublime mountain scenery

© VISITSCOTLAND/KENNY LAM

Glenfinnan has always been a gathering place. The scenery seems to command it. Arriving from the east, you pass through a cut away section of rock that feels like the entrance to a secret kingdom. You turn the corner, and the sky opens; with steep mountains framing silvery Loch Shiel. By the lochside stands a statue of a lonely soldier gazing at an island of Scots pines. It’s truly majestic in any weather.

It was at this site in August 1745 that 1,200 Highlanders gathered to pledge allegiance to Prince Charles Edward Stuart and begin a campaign that ended in devastation at Culloden.

Every year on the third Saturday of August the village commemorates this historic moment with the Glenfinnan Highland Gathering – an event that includes bagpiping competitions by the loch shore, Highland dancing competitions, and traditional athletics, including tossing the caber and the hill race. At night there’s a cracking cèilidh.

I go every year and feel bereft if I miss it. It’s a time to meet old friends and renew my bond with this landscape.

Until I left for university, Glenfinnan was my home, and despite the decades that have mysteriously passed, to me it always will be. For a long time, explaining where I’m from took a while, “Glenfiddich? Like the whisky?” was the usual guess. That’s all changed now though, everyone knows about Glenfinnan.

Since crews from Warner Bros. arrived to film parts of the Harry Potter films here in my late teens, the popularity of Glenfinnan has continued to rise. The Jacobite steam train became the Hogwarts Express, and the mountains and

You turn the corner, and the sky opens; with steep mountains framing silvery Loch Shiel

Land of the JACOBITES

A local shares her views on how to visit Glenfinnan, one of Scotland’s most poignant destinations, responsibly

Words by AILSA SHELDON

PREVIOUS PAGE:

The Jacobite steam train, made famous in the Harry Potter films, crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct

ABOVE:

loch backdrops. My sister and her classmates spent a day on the steam train, decked in Hogwarts robes, as film extras. They aren’t visible but they loved their taste of Hollywood. Little did we know that 20 years later, the films would still compel fans to visit in droves. Social media has made the village a bucket-list destination and every bus tour stops here.

Glenfinnan currently attracts around 500,000 visitors per year. For a village of only 150 people it’s a lot to cope with. Most visits are timed to coincide with the steam train passing over the viaduct, an unsustainable pressure on a small place.

The main sport has become climbing the hillside beside the railway to get the perfect photo of the train crossing. With limited parking options this has led to unsafe parking, children walking beside 60mph roads, and residents’ access blocked. A new community car park recently opened to ease the pressure, with a path leading up the glen avoiding the busy road. This car park allows the village to take back a little control over the visitor influx, and it provides jobs and an income stream that benefits the community. A small

community centre opened in 2022, made possible, in part, by the car park revenue. However, it’s still not enough.

Local businesses and residents are now encouraging visitors to arrive by public transport, and I’d heartily agree it’s the best way to do it. Don’t rush through, Glenfinnan is worth taking time to explore. Perhaps take the Jacobite return trip one day, then retrace your journey the next as far as Glenfinnan on the Scotrail service. Beat the crowds by visiting in the spring or autumn instead of peak summer, it’s just as beautiful.

Arriving in Glenfinnan by train, you’ll find a fascinating railway museum and a brilliant wee train café known as the Glenfinnan Dining Car, (glenfinnanstationmuseum.co.uk) which offers incredible home baking. Follow the boardwalk path across the hillside to the viaduct, giving expansive views of the village.

Stay and trainspot, explore the glen further or follow the path to the visitor centre (nts.org.uk/visit/places/glenfinnan-monument). The tales of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite rising have been overshadowed in recent years, and unfairly so. Discover the real history of the glen here.

The view from the top of the Glenfinnan Monument is unparalleled; a perfect panorama of the village. Continue your slow travelling with a relaxing Loch Shiel cruise on M.V. Sileas (highlandcruises.co.uk) to see the mountains from the water. You’ll learn about the history and geology of the area from local guides, and lucky passengers may spot

The Glenfinnan Monument at the head of Loch Shiel

The view from the top of the Glenfinnan Monument is unparalleled; a perfect panorama of the village

SUMMER

FACILITIES INCLUDE:

The Cairnwell chairlift will run from May to September/October

(weather permitting) and has hooks for mountain bikes. You can ride down the mountain on the land rover track.

Please check online for Opening dates

Please note this is not a beginners ride.

WINTER

FACILITIES INCLUDE: 22 Lifts & 38 Runs to suit all levels of skiers and boarders.

Equipment Hire, Snow Sports School, Shop and 3 Mountain Cafés. Open from around 17th Dec with manmade snow , check website for more information

Opening times are 8.30am - 5pm (7 days a week during season)

Base café open most days

Tel: 013397 41320

Email: info@ski-glenshee.info Website: www.ski-glenshee.co.uk

Braemar, Aberdeenshire AB35 5XU

OPEN: 1 April - 15 October 10am - 5.30pm (last entry 5pm)

Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye IV55 8WF www.dunvegancastle.com

HOME OF THE CHIEFS OF CLAN MACLEOD

golden eagles, white tailed eagles, hen harriers and red deer. To stay the night, book a room at the former stage-house The Princes House Hotel (glenfinnan.co.uk), or the Glenfinnan Sleeping Car (glenfinnansleepingcar.com/ compartments) – a 1950s camping coach that’s now a comfortable youth hostel.

Travelling on the Jacobite steam train is an unforgettable experience: an 84-mile round trip, powered by a classic steam engine, sitting in a 1960s ex-British Railway coach.

As a small child we’d wave at the train every day, a little older and we’d go to the station when the steam train was in and watch my friend busk with his bagpipes. As a teenager I spent a sweaty summer working in the train’s tiny cafe. Pre-Potter mania, many of the travellers were train enthusiasts and families on a day out. The coal shovelling was volunteer-assisted, usually by train drivers nostalgic for the old days. It was hot, busy work, but I never, ever got tired of the views.

Travelling this route by train allows you vantage points that the road does not: the view from the viaduct is spectacular, but I love tracing the shores of Loch Eilt, Loch Ailort, and Loch Nan Uamh as the train continues west to Mallaig, the Scots Pine islets a remnant of our pre-industrial past. Driving west the road is twisty and requires full concentration, travelling by train lets you drink it all in and relax. S

BELOW:

The pretty coastal village of Arisaig in Lochaber is renowned for its incredible sunsets

THE SILVER SANDS OF MORAR

The beaches on the coastal road between Arisaig and Morar as you head from Glenfinnan towards Mallaig (where you can catch the ferry to Skye) are blessed with silvery white sand, tussocky dunes and great rocks for young climbers to explore. From here enjoy views out to the islands of Eigg and Rum.

ARISAIG

The pretty coastal village of Arisaig is half an hour to the west of Glenfinnan by train or car. The Crofter’s Bar at the Arisaig Hotel has regular live music from local musicians. In summer months pre-order incredible seafood platters from Arisaig Shellfish Shack to enjoy on the beach. Visit the Land, Sea and Islands centre to learn more about the natural and social history of the area. Intrepid travellers can also explore the coastline by kayak. arisaighotel.co.uk; arisaigcommunitytrust.org.uk/ land-sea-and-island-centre; arisaigseakayakcentre.co.uk; facebook.com/arisaigshellfishshack

GLEN NEVIS AND STEALL FALLS

Within easy reach of Fort William, Glen Nevis is a lush glen at the foot of Ben Nevis. There are plenty of well-marked low-level walking trails to choose from. At the end of the glen, park and walk to impressive Steall Falls, the second highest waterfall in the UK. lochabergeopark.org.uk/thingstodo/lochaber-geotrails/ glen-nevis

GLENCOE VISITOR CENTRE

Amidst the towering mountains of Glen Coe, visit the National Trust visitor centre to discover the geological history of the area, the dark story of the 1692 Glencoe Massacre, and the early days of mountaineering. New for 2023 is a reconstruction of a 300-year-old turf and creel house, built using traditional methods. nts.org.uk/visit/places/glencoe

THE SMALL ISLES

Sailing from Arisaig on the MV Sheerwater or Mallaig on a CalMac ferry, it’s possible to take a day trip to one of the Small Isles: Eigg, Muck, Rum or Canna. Each has its own distinct landscape and personality, and there’s a good chance of spotting seals and dolphins from the boat. arisaig.co.uk/islandferry; calmac.co.uk/summer-timetable/mallaig-eigg-muck-rum-canna

ARDNAMURCHAN LIGHTHOUSE

This iconic listed lighthouse was built by the Stevenson family and has been guiding ships safely since 1849. The lighthouse is perched on the cliffs at the most westerly point on the British mainland. There’s no quick way to get here, but it’s a simply beautiful journey. ardnamurchanlighthouse.com

SIX PLACES TO VISIT NEARBY

Travelling on the Jacobite steam train is an unforgettable experience: an 84-mile round trip, powered by a classic steam engine

© MICHAEL CHARLES/ALAMY

Scotland has almost 800 islands, of which about a hundred are permanently occupied. Each island has a unique personality, culture, and landscape. Many visitors head for Skye (pictured), lured by dramatic mountains and excellent food and aided by the road bridge. Fewer travellers explore the white beaches of far-flung Tiree, or make it to the wildlife haven of Rum or the pioneering Isle of Eigg. Those that take the time will be richly rewarded. If time is tight, visit the Isle of Arran: the short ferry connects to the train from Glasgow. With hills, gorgeous beaches and two distilleries, it’s a brilliant way to get a taste of island life. visitscotland.com/places-to-go/islands

THE ISLANDS

© TOM MACKIE/AWL IMAGES

With hundreds of Scottish islands to explore, it’s time to start your island adventures

WOVEN WITH LOVE

How one small island became known the world over for its unique knit

©

On a small island in Scotland’s far north – a pebble in the sea between Orkney and Shetland – a local community is renowned the world over for its distinctive colourful knitwear designs that are both hardy and highly desirable.

However, the origins of Fair Isle knit, which takes its name from its island home, are tightly bound up in folklore, and are as mysterious now as they were a century ago when the style was rst in vogue.

While the term ‘Fair Isle’ has become a byword for all multicoloured patterned knitwear, strictly speaking, the term should just be reserved for the products created by a small group of knitters on this Shetland-administered island, who weave the fabric in much the same way as generations before them, often in their own homes.

Measuring just three miles long by one-and-a-half-miles wide, life on Fair Isle has long been sustained by shing and crofting – indeed the crofting calendar still dictates much of life on the island and in recent years, visitors have been invited to come along and help with crofting practices for a taste of island life.

Fair Isle is a place of unbridled natural beauty: wild, and open to the elements. In terms of geography, it’s the most remote inhabited island in the UK and has been inhabited for at least 6,000 years, as evidenced by the Neolithic land

divisions, Bronze Age remains such as burnt mounds, and the Iron Age fort at Landberg. From the Orkneyinga Saga, a book that charted the lives of the Earls of Orkney, we learned that Fair Isle was also inhabited by the Vikings and other Norse settlers.

The population of Fair Isle began to dwindle a couple of hundred years ago, when the triple threat of overcrowding, disease and heartless landlords led many islanders to emigrate when the opportunity presented itself. Today just 60 people (give or take) call Fair Isle their home.

Popular myth says that islanders were rst introduced to the Fair Isle style of knitting way back in 1588 when a Spanish Armada ship, El Gran Grifon became wrecked off its coast and survivors were nursed back to health by 17 households on the island. In return for their hospitality, it is said the Spaniards taught the islanders the multicoloured knitting style.

El Gran Grifon,

However, in her 2004 paper, Travelling Stitches: Origins of Fair Isle Knitting, scholar Deborah Pulliam cast scepticism on this. She said that there was no multicoloured knitting tradition in Spain as early as the 16th century and that Fair Isle knitting did not emerge until long after this fabled lesson. Pulliam wrote: “What is called Fair Isle knitting today,

PREVIOUS PAGE:

Fair Isle knits are finished by hand THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Fair Isle has just 60 residents; Pier Sand beach; Fair Isle knitting holidays introduce visitors to the craft

DAVID CHAPMAN/DOUG HOUGHTON/ALAMY

BELOW, TOP TO BOTTOM:

which combines a variety of colors [sp] with small geometric pattern motifs, dates no earlier than the mid-nineteenth century, even on Fair Isle itself. It certainly is not the ‘ancient’ art it is often claimed to be, and it is not hundreds of years old.”

Instead, Pulliam put forth an argument that the colourstranded style of knitting originated in the Baltic region of Eastern Europe – with ships from that region often trading in the Fair Isle area, it’s certainly possible the style reached Scotland from there. Staff at Shetland Museum agree that the style and colours of early Fair Isle patterns are similar to those found in knitwear produced in Norway and the eastern Baltic. The earliest examples we have of Fair Isle knitting in Scotland date from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Shetland Museum’s textile curator, Dr Carol Christiansen, said that by the early 19th century Fair Isle knitters had

begun making caps, or keps, worn by local shermen in their open boats,“Keps were bartered for foodstuffs, alcohol, and household items with passing Dutch shermen. Sir Walter Scott noted the ‘striped worsted caps’ worn by Fair Isle shermen during his visit in 1814 and that the Dutch bartered their ‘gin and gingerbread for Zetland hose and night-caps’,” she said. Christiansen added that in the latter part of the 19th century, Fair Isle knitting became increasingly popular with the growth of tourism in Shetland.

The Fair Isle designs tended to follow geometric patterns, such as the crosses and hexagons of the popular Oxo pattern, and they also often contained symbols that related to life on the islands, such as owers and ram horns.

By the 1920s, Fair Isle sweaters had become popular after some high-pro le people, not least Edward, Prince of Wales, were photographed wearing it while participating in outdoor pursuits. Since then, it has never really gone out of style –even today’s contemporary fashion designers can’t resist it.

But while there are lots of designs in uenced by Fair Isle, only genuine Fair Isle knitwear carries the trademark ‘Star Motif’ (much like Harris Tweed), and it can only be bought on the island or online direct from one of the knitters.

Marie Bruhat, a French national living and working on Fair Isle, is one of those knitters. She says that today, the small band of Fair Isle knitters who sell their wares (which number around 10), use a technique known as at-bed knitting on manual knitting machines, which halves the time it takes to knit a garment. All garments are then nished by hand – the grasping and seams are done by hand so that the nished piece is perfect. “The island takes high pride in producing high-quality garments,” she says. Fully handknitted pieces, she adds, are preserved for family and friends.

All Fair Isle pieces are made using Shetland wool and it’s a sustainable industry, with the only carbon footprint the small distance the wool is sent to the factories on Shetland where it is spun and sold back to the weavers, and of course delivery to customers. And, with most pieces made to order, there is very little waste.

“It’s a green process”, Marie says. “It’s important for me not to be part of a process that creates waste for the planet.”

Marie moved to Fair Isle about seven years ago as she wanted to pursue a career in textiles in a place surrounded by nature.

The islanders couldn’t have made her more welcome. “I call it the welcome gift of knitting,” she says. “There is a real sense of community and anyone willing to come and live here is encouraged to carry on the tradition – it’s part of the reason the island is able to have such a successful industry.”

For her part, Marie is keen to share her knowledge of knitting with people, be it through week-long knitting holidays where she teaches the craft to guests, who either stay in her croft house, or (when it reopens) the Fair Isle Bird Observatory, or through online tutorials for those who can’t afford or manage to come to the island in person. It is testament to the enduring appeal of this beloved knitwear that these holidays are a hit with visitors more than a century and a half after the emergence of this craft, and it is all thanks to the islanders themselves, who have upheld the traditions of their predecessors. S

Read Pulliam’s full paper on the origins of Fair Isle knitting at core.ac.uk/download/pdf/188079239.pdf

Find out about Marie’s knitting classes at fairislewithmarie.com

Popular myth says the islanders were fi rst introduced to the Fair Isle knitting style way back in 1588

Like all Fair Isle knits, Marie Bruhat’s pieces are made from Shetland wool; the popular Oxo pattern

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

There's nowhere in the world like The Globe Inn in Dumfries - the favourite haunt of Scotland's national bard Robert Burns, who lived, loved, and entertained here.

One of the most historic bars in Scotland, with an impressive collection of more than 300 whiskies, it is also home to our Michelin-listed, award-winning destination restaurant, 1610.

We look forward to welcoming you for lunch, dinner, co ee or cocktails, for a dram or for date night, or for our eight-course degustation menu.

We also have a range of private and corporate dining options.

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

The Globe Inn, 56 High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2JA globeinndumfries.co.uk - 01387 323010

Book Now

There's nowhere in the world like The Globe Inn in Dumfries - the favourite haunt of Scotland's national bard Robert Burns, who lived, loved, and entertained here.

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

There's nowhere in the world like The Globe Inn in Dumfries - the favourite haunt of Scotland's national bard Robert Burns, who lived, loved, and entertained here.

One of the most historic bars in Scotland, with an impressive collection of more than 300 whiskies, it is also home to our Michelin-listed, award-winning destination restaurant, 1610.

There's nowhere in the world like The Globe Inn in Dumfries - the favourite haunt of Scotland's national bard Robert Burns, who lived, loved, and entertained here.

We look forward to welcoming you for lunch, dinner, co ee or cocktails, for a dram or for date night, or for our eight-course degustation menu.

One of the most historic bars in Scotland, with an impressive collection of more than 300 whiskies, it is also home to our Michelin-listed, award-winning destination restaurant, 1610.

One of the most historic bars in Scotland, with an impressive collection of more than 300 whiskies, it is also home to our Michelin-listed, award-winning destination restaurant, 1610.

We look forward to welcoming you for lunch, dinner, co ee or cocktails, for a dram or for date night, or for our eight-course degustation menu.

We look forward to welcoming you for lunch, dinner, co ee or cocktails, for a dram or for date night, or for our eight-course degustation menu.

We also have a range of private and corporate dining options.

We also have a range of private and corporate dining options.

We also have a range of private and corporate dining options.

The Globe Inn, 56 High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2JA globeinndumfries.co.uk - 01387 323010

The Globe Inn, 56 High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2JA globeinndumfries.co.uk - 01387 323010

The Globe Inn, 56 High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2JA globeinndumfries.co.uk - 01387 323010

Book Now

Book Now

Book Now