Discover Scotland Issue 45

Aberdeen’s historic attractions

Remembering the Royals at Braemar

Bonding with a ÂŁ50,000 whisky

Making the most of Scotland outdoors

Celebrating the power of Clan Donald

Walking with shadows in Edinburgh p1

September 2020

This month’s Discover Scotland multimedia magazine has been brought to you by: Sponsors

Glenturret Distillery Cottages & Castles Loch Lomond Seaplanes Turin Castle The Northern HighLights Pass

Thank you to all our donors, supporters, patrons and sponsors without whose help producing Discover Scotland and distributing it for free to a global audience would be much more difficult.

If you would like more information on how to help us fly the flag for Scotland and all things Scottish

Click here Photos by Vinny Keenan

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Photo by Vinny Keenan Kilchurn Castle

New name, same aim

D

iscover Scotland is the new name for Scotland Correspondent.

After almost four years and 44 issues of the world’s only free, monthly, multi-media magazine promoting Scotland and all things Scottish to a global audience we are rebranding to better reflect our content, aims and objectives.

There are millions of people around the world who claim Scottish ancestry. Many more share an affinity with the country and its people despite never having visited. Our aim is to make them feel welcome and encourage them to embrace their love of Scotland and experience it for themselves.

In the last 44 months, since our launch in January 2017, we have produced more than 7,000 pages of features and spectacular images to promote Scottish tourism, history, culture, business, food & drink, science, technology, research, activities, products, festivals, events and achievements.

We have showcased the talent of Scottish artists, musicians, writers, actors, filmmakers and entrepreneurs. And, we have reached out to the diaspora to report on Scottish events and links in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China and elsewhere.

improve, evolve and innovate to reach thousands of readers in more than 120 countries.

In October 2019 we became the first Scottish-themed magazine to introduce a Chinese language edition and in March 2020 we launched a series of podcasts, including a regular music show, promoting Scottish talent.

Under the new name of Discover Scotland we will continue to encourage our growing global audience to learn more about Scotland’s past, present and future as a historic, innovative, welcoming and progressive nation.

The magazine has continued to

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K eepin g t he f la g f ly ing

As Covid-19 continues to seriously impact Scotland’s vital tourism sector this magazine is doing its best to help those businesses hit hardest by a downfall in visitors.

Our monthly, multi-media digital magazine, with readers in more than 120 countries, has always been, and will continue to be, FREE to read and share.

As a publication that encourages people to come to Scotland, and celebrate Scottish culture, we believe it’s in everyone’s interest to ensure visitors continue to get the best possible experience.

Our readership has been going up as people stay safe at home and reschedule their plans. If they can’t come to Scotland we take Scotland to them.

It doesn’t cost anything to listen to our free podcasts or read Discover Scotland magazine but it is expensive for our small, independent team to produce.

If you can assist with a one-time donation or monthly subscription, big or small, it will go a long way to help us to support others, and to provide even more high quality images, great stories, videos and podcasts for lovers of all things Scottish.

Donate here or visit our Patreon page to find out how to help us #payitforward

Donate here Photos by Vinny Keenan

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Index - Inside this issue

inside this issue 14 Aberdeen’s

attractions on the NE250 part six

34 Clan

Donald’s commanding castles

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with tradition in Forres

42 Bronze

age secrets uncovered 66 Memories

of the Braemar Games

58 Hunting

antiques with...

Roo Irvine p7

Index - Inside this issue

51 Keeping

Index - Inside this issue

inside this issue 118 A 79 Musical

Correspondent and the story behind the song

taste of wild Orkney

127 Fife

village in the frame for camera museum

86 Enjoying

the best of the outdoors

133 High

hopes for the grouse season

109 Walking

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back to business

wee livener with...

Tom Morton

Index - Inside this issue

148 A

140

Chef in a Kilt with….

Gordon Howe

160 Plans

for new island whisky

181 Saving

species at Edinburgh Zoo

166

Gintelligence with...

Fiona Holland

174 Beauty

& Style with...

185 Drama Alicja prize shortlist Błasińska revealed p9

Index - Inside this issue

inside this issue 240 Our

210

192 New

centre for artists and crafters

guide on where to stay

Bookmarker: titles worth reading

Strange Tales from Thin Places 220

227 Escape 200 An

actor’s life for me with... to a country Scott Kyle property

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1 Cover

Photo

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Dean Village by the Water of Leith

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Contacts: General Enquiries: info@discoverscotlandmagazine.com Discover Scotland is an independent magazine published by Discover Scotland Ltd. The monthly digital title provides an international audience of readers with comprehensive coverage of modern day Scotland, its people, achievements, culture, history and customs.

Every issue covers a variety of topics of interest to thousands of people every month, many of them visitors to Scotland or part of the great Scottish diaspora.

The digital edition incorporates audio, video and text in a single platform designed for use on Apple, Android and Windows devices. The magazine is free to subscribe to and download.

For more information on how to get a copy, subscribe or enquire about advertising please contact the relevant departments.

The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any claim made by advertisements in Discover Scotland magazine or on the Discover Scotland website. All information should be checked with the advertisers.

The content of the magazine does not necessarily represent the views of the publishers or imply any endorsement. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior agreement in writing from Discover Scotland Ltd.

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Travel - Savouring the silver city Photo by Damian Shields / VisitScotland / North East 250 Balmedie beach is a dune system that stretches 14 miles

Savouring the silver city

H

aving experienced the whisky distilleries of Speyside, the spectacular mountain scenery of the Cairngorms, the beauty of Royal Deeside and rugged coastlines of Moray the historic and vibrant city of Aberdeen makes for a perfect end to a memorable trip on the North East 250.

The last leg of our six part exploration of the 250 mile circuit

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takes us from the fishing village of Newburgh back to the vibrant, granite city of Aberdeen, where we started in issue 40.

Leaving Newburgh on the A92 the 14 mile journey to Aberdeen on the new duel carriageway goes past the village of Balmedie, in the parish of Belhelvie probably best known from being the birthplace of the Reverend Alexander John Forsyth, inventor of the percussion cap.

Balmedie boasts an incredible beach - 14 miles of scientifically important sand dunes which support a wide variety of wildlife.

It is also close to the Menie Estate, bought by the Trump organisation in 2006 for the construction of a world class golf resort designed by internationally recognised architect Martin Hawtree.

Entering Aberdeen via the Bridge of Don the road to the city centre

Travel - Savouring the silver city Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland Aberdeen’s His majesty s theatre at dusk

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Travel - Savouring the silver city Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Aberdeen Harbour and Footdee

along the beach esplanade provides a perfect view of the

city’s extensive beaches as it winds its way towards the

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Footdee (Fittie) fishing village at east end of Aberdeen

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harbour and historic fishing village of Footdee (pronounced Fittie).

Travel - Savouring the silver city

Hidden in plain sight this mid19th century hamlet of quaint fishermen’s cottages is laid out in a specially designed pattern, created by the architect John Smith who is best known for his work on Balmoral Castle.

Easily overlooked, as it’s located off the main tourist route, Fittie is just one of a number of hidden gems to be found in and around the cobbled streets of Old Aberdeen.

Originally a separate burgh Old Aberdeen north of the city centre it is now a conservation area full of picturesque historical buildings with an abundance of old world charm.

Throughout the late Middle Ages and up to the early part of the 17th century it as an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural centre. Many of the properties now belong to the University of Aberdeen but notable buildings include St Machar’s Cathedral, which stands on the spot of an earlier place of

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Old Aberdeen was a originally a separate Burgh

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Travel - Savouring the silver city Photo by Martin Stiburek CC BY-SA 4.0 Castlegate, Aberdeen

worship founded by St Machar in 580AD. Fans of history, and the movie Braveheart, may be interested to know that after William Wallace was executed in 1305 his body was cut up and pieces sent to different parts of the country as a warning. The quarter sent to Aberdeen was eventually buried in the walls of St Machar’s Cathedral.

Other buildings of note include the late 15th Century King’s College Chapel, which is one of only two surviving medieval churches in Scotland with open spires. It also contains the largest surviving collection of medieval woodcarving in the country.

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Aberdeen Esplanade and beach

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There is also the 13th century Brig o’ Balgownie over the River Don which is possibly Scotland’s oldest surviving bridge.

The nearby Powis Gates, south

Travel - Savouring the silver city Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Powis Gate once served as the grand entrance to Powis House which is now part of Aberdeen University campus

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Travel - Savouring the silver city

of King’s College, is another architecturally interesting landmark. Inscribed with the Fraser Leslie coat of arms the

imposing archway has a Turkish style influence and was once the entrance to an estate, long since gone and turned into residential

buildings for the university.

There are plenty of outdoor attractions to explore for free

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Seaton Park lies to the north of Aberdeen and is surrounded by historical architecture

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Seaton Park, one of the city’s largest open spaces at 27 acres, bordering the banks of the River Don.

In the centre of the city Union Terrace Gardens, a sunken two and a half acre open space opened to the public in 1879, is

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Travel - Savouring the silver city

through the city, such as the 11 acres of Cruickshank Botanic Gardens, gifted to the University of Aberdeen in 1898, and

Travel - Savouring the silver city Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Mercat Cross in Castlegate

surrounded by some of the city’s most impressive architecture.

At one of end of the gardens

Photo Alan Jamieson CC BY-SA 3.0 His Majesty’s Theatre at night

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there is Union Street, the main shopping centre of the city while at the other lies the impressive trinity of His Majesty’s Theatre,

St Mark’s Church and the central library building - referred to locally as the street of “damnation, salvation and education”.

Travel - Savouring the silver city Photo by Axis12002 PD William Wallace statue opposite His Majesty’s Theatre

A short distance away is Aberdeen’s handsome granite Art Gallery, which is widely regarded as one of the loveliest Victorian

art galleries in the UK. Opened in 1885 it has recently undergone a major multi-million pound refurbishment.

Across from the theatre is one of the most impressive statues of Scottish hero William Wallace in the country. Erected in 1888

Photo by Graeme MacDonald / VisitScotland Aberdeen Art Gallery

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Travel - Savouring the silver city

it bears the inscription “I tell you a truth, liberty is the best of all things, my son, never live under any slavish bond.�

That other Scottish hero, Robert The Bruce is also immortalised in the city outside Marischal College. A statue to him was unveiled in 2011 to recognise

the bond between the city and the legendary King of Scots.

In 1319 he granted a charter which resulted in the setting up a Common Good Fund that helped

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Robert the Bruce statue outside Marischal College. Founded in 1593 Marischal College became the second university in Aberdeen.

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Travel - Savouring the silver city

create Marischal College as a seat of learning in 1598, aided residents during the 1640 plague and is still in use today.

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Travel - Savouring the silver city

Aberdeen is drenched in history, from the ornate sandstone 17th century Mercat Cross at the heart of the city in Castlegate,

adorned with the faces of Stewart monarchs, to a variety of internationally renowned museums.

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Dating from 1545, Provost Skene’s House is now home to a series of period rooms, furnished to show how people lived in the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries.

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Skene. Today the historic building houses an attractive series of period rooms, furnished to show how people lived in the 17th, 18th

and early 19th centuries.

The Tolbooth Museum, a slightly younger building, is one of the

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Travel - Savouring the silver city

Provost Skene’s House, dating from 1545, is named after one of Aberdeen’s most famous residents, Lord Provost George

Travel - Savouring the silver city

best preserved 17th century gaols in Scotland. Popular with visitors to the city it features displays on local history and the development

of crime and punishment through the centuries, providing a memorable insight into the treatment of prisoners and rebel

MacLeod House boutique hotel at Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen

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Jacobites in times gone by.

As a coastal city it’s no surprise that Aberdeen has one of the best

unique collection of items which tell the story of shipbuilding, fast sailing ships, fishing and the North Sea oil and gas industry.

After a day sightseeing and museum visits Aberdeen has a wonderful selection of bars, clubs, restaurants, cafes and

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Travel - Savouring the silver city

Maritime Museums in the country.

The award winning attraction, situated on the historic Shiprow overlooking the harbour, houses a

Travel - Savouring the silver city

hotels in which to relax and enjoy the legendary hospitality of the North East.

There is a wide variety of venues, almost all within walking distance or short taxi ride of each other, ranging from traditional pubs and craft beer taverns to lavish cocktail bars and clubs catering from lovers of 80s and 90s music

Third green at sunrise at Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen

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Aberdeen’s vibrant social scene coupled with its easy access to some of the best golf courses in the world and most beautiful scenery, makes it a popular destination for short break holidays with visitors from across the UK and beyond.

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Travel - Savouring the silver city

to R&B and dance.

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History - Symbols of power and influence Photo by Richard Chalmers Armadale Castle

Symbols of power and influence A

new exhibition at the Museum of the Isles, Armadale Castle, explores the fascinating history of Clan Donald castles on Scotland’s Western seaboard.

The exhibition has been specially produced to mark Scotland’s 2020 Year of Coasts and Waters.

Romantic and steeped in history, Scotland’s castles are iconic – and nothing captures the imagination more than a castle standing guard over the sea.

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As Lords of the Isles in medieval times, Clan Donald chiefs commanded the sea routes that were vital to maintaining power over wild and inaccessible lands.

Their castles from this time are touchstones to a remarkable period in Scotland’s history.

The exhibition uses prints, drawings and maps from the museum archive, as well as photography and film, to trace the evolution of clan castles from 10th century fortification to 19th century manor house.

Highlighted castles include the ancient Lordship seat of Finlaggan on Islay, often referred to as the Cradle of Clan Donald. Other historic buildings featured in the exhibition include Castle Sween in Argyll, Scotland’s earliest stone castle; the evocative tower house of Ormacleit on South Uist; and Castle Camus (Knock Castle) on Skye – site of bloody inter-clan rivalry and evocative legend.

The exhibition also reveals characters and stories associated with the castles such as the

History - Symbols of power and influence Outside the Museum of the Isles

Aros Castle, Mull by William Daniell c1815

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History - Symbols of power and influence Photo by Richard Chalmers Armadale Castle

gardens and a castle ruin, former seat of the Macdonalds of Sleat.

Also now open is the Armadale Bar & Bistro, run by Z’s Amazing Kitchens.

‘Coastal Castles of Clan Donald’ is sponsored by Torabhaig Distillery, the south Skye distillery based next to one of the featured castles, Castle Camus.

Photo Richard Chalmers Dunscaith Castle, Isle of Skye

Warrior Queen Scathach of Dunscaith, and castle-builder Amie MacRuari.

Visitors can also explore the permanent galleries of the Museum of the Isles. The museum traces the history of the Highlands & Islands through the story of Clan Donald, Scotland’s largest and most powerful clan.

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Its fine collections include Viking, Jacobite and crofting artefacts, and it is Skye’s only museum to be accredited by Museums Galleries Scotland.

The museum is part of a 5 star visitor attraction in Sleat, South Skye. Armadale Castle, Gardens & Museum of the Isles also includes colourful historic

“We are delighted to mark the reopening of the museum with the launch of this exhibition. We have thoroughly enjoyed researching the stories behind these castles and unearthing material from our museum stores to illustrate them,” said Sue Geale, Museum Manager.

The museum and exhibition are open Thursday – Sunday until the end of November. Armadale Castle Gardens are open daily in August and then Thursday – Sunday until end November.

Tickets can be purchased

History - Symbols of power and influence The Coastal Castles of Clan Donald exhibition

Photo by Richard Chalmers Knock Castle, Skye

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History - Symbols of power and influence at the entrance. Â Visitors are advised to check the Armadale Castle website before visiting

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to familiarise themselves with Covid-19 precautions and opening times.

Named after Donald, grandson of the 12th-century Gaelic hero Somerled, the descendants and

History - Symbols of power and influence

followers of MacDonald or the son of Donald make up one of the biggest of all Scottish clans.

More than 40 tartans are associated with the name, and the histories of the

various Clan branches are intricately connected. The seven main branches – Antrim,

Photo by Richard Chalmers Aerial view of Duntulm Castle

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History - Symbols of power and influence Skye Map from c1654

Ardnamurchan, Clanranald, Glencoe, Glengarry, Keppoch and Sleat – once held extensive

estates from Ulster to Skye.

Clan Donald is still the largest clan in Scotland and the

Duntulm Castle c1786 by Alexander Hogg

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descendants of thousands of MacDonalds who emigrated also make it the largest in the world.

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History - Find of the century

Find of the century

Photo Crown Copyright Objects found by Mariusz Stepien, believed to be decorative and functional pieces of a Bronze Age harness

A

day out metal detecting in a farmer’s field turned into the discovery of a lifetime for treasure hunter Mariusz Stepien when he found a hoard of Bronze Age artefacts.

Among the items buried in the earth for more than 3,000 years were a complete horse harness

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and sword so well preserved that the find has been hailed as one of the most significant in Scottish history.

The hoard, dating from around 1000 – 900 BC, was uncovered about half a metre underground at a site near Peebles in the Scottish Borders. It has given experts a chance to see for the

first time how Bronze Age horse harnesses were assembled.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before and felt from the very beginning that this might be something spectacular and I’ve just discovered a big part of Scottish history. I was over the moon, actually shaking with happiness,” said Mariusz

History - Find of the century Photo Crown Copyright

Photo Crown copyright Sword in its scabbard found during the dig near Peebles

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History - Find of the century Photo Crown copyright Objects uncovered during the excavation

who immediately contacted the Treasure Trove Unit to report his find.

As archaeologists spent 22 days investigating the site, Mr Stepien, aged 44, and his friends camped in the field and built a shelter to protect the find from the elements.

“We wanted to be a part of the excavation from the beginning to the end. I will never forget those days spent in the field. Every day there were new objects coming out which changed the context of the find, every day we learned something new,” added Mariusz, who took up metal detecting as a hobby about nine years ago.

Photo by Dariusz Gucwa Objects just after they were found

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“I’m so pleased that the earth revealed to me something that was hidden for more than 3000 years. I still can’t believe it happened!”

During the dig, archaeologists

History - Find of the century Photo by Dariusz Gucwa Mariusz Stepien next to the hoard ready for transport back to Edinburgh

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History - Find of the century Photo Crown copyright The excavation site near Peebles

found a sword still in its scabbard, decorated straps, buckles, rings, ornaments and chariot wheel axel caps. There is also evidence of a decorative ‘rattle pendant’ that would have hung off the harness – the first one to be found in Scotland and only the third in the UK. The soil had preserved organic materials like leather and wood, allowing experts to trace the straps that connected the rings and buckles together to make the harness. This has never been seen before in Britain and gives a unique insight into Bronze Age society.

“This is a nationally significant find – so few Bronze Age hoards have been excavated in Scotland, it was an amazing opportunity for us to not only recover bronze artefacts, but organic material as well. There is still a lot of work to be done to assess the artefacts and understand why they were

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Photo Crown copyright Possible pieces of a Bronze Age harness

History - Find of the century Photo by Dariusz Gucwa Mariusz Stepien at the find site near Peebles

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History - Find of the century

Photo Crown Copyright

deposited,” said Emily Freeman, Head of the Treasure Trove Unit, who is overseeing the recovery and assessment of the find.

The hoard was removed from the site in a large block of soil and taken to National Museums Collection Centre in Edinburgh for further excavations and research to take place.

The last time such a significant Bronze Age discovery was made in Scotland was in 1864 when horse harness gear and mounts for a cart were uncovered at Horsehope Craig, Peeblesshire.

Photo Crown copyright The hoard is prepared for transportation to Edinburgh

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“This Bronze Age hoard is highly significant and promises to give us a new insight into Scotland’s history,” said David Harvie, Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer (QLTR) about the new discovery.

History - Find of the century Photo Crown copyright Archaeologist working at the site near Peebles

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History - Making a mark on history

Making a mark on history

Cliff Robertson’s signature added to the history of the Tolbooth

by Scott Aitken

in the building throughout previous centuries.

I

t’s a tradition almost as old as humanity. Ever since mankind learned to use tools the desire to be remembered has been strong, especially among trades people and construction workers.

During refurbishment of the historic Tollbooth in the Highland town of Forres volunteers who removed the old wooden staircase discovered signatures from tradesmen who had worked

The imposing structure has been at the centre of the Forres community for hundreds of years.

The foundation of the current building was laid in 1838 and used as public offices and as a Court House where unworthy citizens would be sentenced to jail in the adjacent prison building.

Photo by J.Thomas High Street, Forres

Although there is evidence a building has stood on this spot for

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History - Making a mark on history

the best part of 800 years the first recorded mention of the Tollbooth was made in a proclamation in 1586. Other archived papers show that by 1619 the building

Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland Forres High Street

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was being used to detain ‘evildoers’ and prisoners.

By 1655 the Tolbooth was in desperate need of repair and

work carried out between 1671 and 1677 saw it being improved and extended to create a three storey building.

and clock tower.

In the 19th century the old building was replaced by a new courthouse, jail and imposing

three-stage clock tower with belfry and a crowning weather vaned cupola.

Constructed by William

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History - Making a mark on history

Throughout the early 18th century the Tollbooth was continually maintained and expanded by money raised by local merchants and burgesses to include a bell

History - Making a mark on history Cliff Robertson signs his name

Robertson in the Scots Baronial style it remains a landmark building in Forres providing spectacular views over the town and surrounding area from atop

the clock tower.

For the last six years the Forres Heritage Trust, which took over responsibility of the Tollbooth

Chairman of the Forres Heritage Trust George Alexander on the old stairway

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from the local council in 2014, has been working hard to renovate and restore the building with the aim of turning into a major attraction for visitors to the town.

History - Making a mark on history

A signature from 1839

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History - Making a mark on history

When volunteers discovered the hidden graffiti of past workmen it seemed only right to keep up the tradition.

As a new steel stairs was being installed as part of the project to open up access to the clock tower the name of Chargehand Fabricator, Cliff Robertson, from local firm AJ Engineering who designed, fabricated and then installed the stairway, was immortalised in the fabric of the building he has helped to save for future generations.

“There is an extensive amount of history in the Tolbooth and it seems that every time we start a new project or develop something new, we unearth even more intriguing finds,” said George Alexander, Chairman of the Forres Heritage Trust which looks after the Tolbooth.

“Inside the clock tower there are dozens of signatures, clearly from people who have worked in that area of the building and it was a fitting tribute for Cliff to do the same. Maybe in another 100 years’ time, his signature will be discovered too.”

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Chairman of the Forres Heritage Trust George Alexander on the new stairway

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History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine

Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine

Photo by Thomas Quine CC BY 2.0 Antique toy schoolhouse for Teddy bears

The bear niceties of Steiff

Y

ou don’t have to go down to the woods to get a big surprise - you might just find one in the corner of the toy cupboard.

Most of us have grown up in the presence of teddy bears. As children it may have been the

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decorative elements we fell in love with - the curious, peering little eyes, button nose, and soft plush fur. However, it was the ‘bear hug’ that won us over. To a child a hug from a bear can dry many a tear and make the long night disappear.

But, it hasn’t always been so.

A little more than 100 years go bears had a reputation for being more fearsome than cuddly - that is until an American President inspired a change in perceptions.

Up until the late 1800’s bears were seen as wild, dangerous

History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine

Teddy Roosevelt (PD)

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History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine Steiff Teddy Bear c1904

beasts. Slowly, they appeared in children’s nurseries, in books and as toys. Due to the popularity of performing bears among street entertainers and travelling shows many European toymakers started producing carved, wooden bears and clockwork toys that were able to growl and dance.

Photo by Thomas Quine CC BY 2.0 Antique German Teddy bears

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The closest ancestor to a teddy bear was the Germanic bear which stood on all fours and was made to be wheeled along by a smiling child. Germany was at the forefront of the toy market and elevated the attraction of the toy with the introduction of mohair ‘fur’.

History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine Photo by Thomas Quine CC BY 2.0 Battered antique Teddy bears

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History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine

It wasn’t until 1902 that the teddy bear as we know it found its place in our hearts - and it all started with US President Theodore Roosevelt, affectionately known as ‘Teddy’.

The 26th President of the United States, a descendent of proud Scots-Irish ancestry, had been elected to office in 1901. A renowned lover of the great outdoors, and a friend of Scottish born conservationist John Muir - the pioneer of national parks, he was on a hunting expedition in November 1902 when an incident occurred. The story goes that the President was struck with a bout of conscience and refused to shoot a bear that had been cornered for his hunting ‘pleasure’.

It was a moment of mercy that influenced a Washington Post cartoon by Clifford, K Berryman.

Cleverly titled “Drawing the line at Mississippi” (also referring to an on-going boundary dispute) it sparked the Teddy craze.

The cartoon inspired the creation of a plush toy bear, made by Rose, the wife of Russian immigrant Morris Michtom. She named it “Teddy’s Bear” and proudly displayed it in the window of his New York Store. It was such a huge success that the Butler brothers bought the entire stock.

Fast-forward a few years to Margarete Steiff and the German company she founded to make plush toys. With the help of her nephew, a jointed bear was created and 3,000 of these sold at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903. A case of being in the right place at the right time her toy created an instant worldwide clamour for these ‘Teddy Bears’.

John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt 1906 at Yosemite

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By 1906 Margarete was employing more than 2200 workers to meet the ferocious

History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine

President Teddy Roosevelt

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History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine

demand for her teddy bears which sold close to a million in 1907. Other companies tried to compete but Steiff had cornered the market first and were reaping the rewards.

Although there are no big names in the Scottish antique teddy bear market it hasn’t stopped Scotland monetising the global love of Teddy Bears. Souvenir shops can be found in most tourist hot-spots with teddy bears dressed in kilts or full highland regalia.

For the more discerning bear buyer there are a number of modern teddy bear makers that

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will use Shetland wools to create something bespoke.

The collectable teddy bear market is so niche that to truly appreciate the value of what you have requires thorough research.

Everything from the shape of the nose, colour of the eyes and positioning of the ears is crucial in identifying the maker, era, and model. We all know to look for the embossed ear button for an original Steiff, but even this has changed over the years, right down to the style of the writing.

Steiff is truly a wonderful name to collect. Age and rarity are

always a factor in value, although some have redeeming features or stories to tell. After 1912’s Titanic heartbreak, Steiff created 600 black teddy bears to mourn the victims. One sold for $133,000 at auction in 2000.

Topping the list of valuable Teddy Bears is the Louis Vuitton bear, selling for $2.1million in 2000.

Age is not always a factor but a Steiff bear wearing a Louis Vuitton Mac and Beret, with its own LV suitcase, might have driven the price up a bit… not to mention eyes made of sapphire and diamonds!

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Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

Photos by Stewart Cunningham The Queen, The Queen Mother, Princess Diana and Prince Charles at the Braemar gathering

Gathering memories at Braemar

O

n the first Saturday of this month, like almost every September for almost 200 years, the skirl of the pipes and cheers of tartan clad crowds should be echoing around the braes of Braemar.

Instead, there is silence. As a result of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, which has devastated social and sporting events around the world, the 2020 Braemar Gathering has been cancelled.

There has been Highland Games of one sort or another in this area of Scotland since the days

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of King Malcolm Canmore, some 900 years ago, and the Braemar Gathering, as we know it today, has been a top fixture in Scotland’s social calendar since 1832.

In all those 188 years, apart from the two world wars, the Gathering has only been cancelled on 13 previous occasions - the last time was in 1997 on the day of Princess Diana’s funeral.

Always held on the first Saturday in September in The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park in Braemar it attracts visitors from around the world and is the

only one regularly attended by the Queen and members of the Royal Family.

The annual one day event is organised by the Braemar Royal Highland Society, which was initially established as the Braemar Wright Society in July 1815 making it is the oldest surviving Friendly Society in the country.

In 1826 the organisation changed its name to the Braemar Highland Society and in 1866 Queen Victoria, who had been a regular visitor since 1848, ordered the title of Royal to be added to the

Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

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Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

has done extremely well.

For three years during the late 1980s and early 1990s Stewart Cunningham was the official photographer for the Braemar Royal Highland Society. “It all came about because of my kilt,� said Stewart, an award winning photographer whose work has taken him around the globe and his images published in newspapers and magazines worldwide. society’s name.

The aim of The Gathering, which boasts the oldest foot race event

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in the world, has always been to promote the history, traditions, sports, language, culture and heritage of Scotland - a task it

I was at the games working for one of the major international picture agencies in the late 1980s when I was first sent to

Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

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Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar Braemar to cover the event.

When I noticed how many people were wearing kilts I decided the following year to put on my own.

I was the only photographer in a kilt and it attracted the attention of the organisers. That’s when they asked me to be the official

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photographer for the Society.�

For the next three years Stewart enjoyed privileged access to the games and behind the scenes as he took thousands of images of athletes, members of the public and the Royal Family at play.

Some of these images have never before been published. “My remit was to wander around and take pictures for the Society while at the same time fulfilling orders for photos that I received from media organisations around

Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

the world.

“The Gathering always attracted lots of international media attention, especially in the days when Princess Diana was the subject of such worldwide fascination.

“Nobody ever knew in advance who from the Royal family would turn up so there was a lot of interest from newspapers and magazines.

in newspapers she was the most popular Royal by a mile for photographs. People always wanted the latest pictures to see what she was wearing.

“Diana was the major Royal draw. In all my years of working

“The whole event was, and still is, magnificent. It was a great

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Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

day out as it attracted all the top sports people, all the serious Highland Games participants, including hammer throwers, hill runners and military tug of war teams. The dancing was of the highest standard, the piping was incredible and the massed pipe bands was a sight to behold.

The Royal family would come along, talk with some of the locals, watch the games and then the Queen would hand out some of the major trophies. It was a rare occasion where you could see members of the Royal family relaxing and enjoying themselves, whatever the weather.

“One of my favourite photos from those three years is one of the Queen Mother waving from her limo with the rain bouncing off the roof. That was a really dreich day but it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.”

In cancelling this year’s event

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Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

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Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

David Geddes President of the Braemar Royal Highland Society said it had been a very difficult decision and one he realised

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would disappoint thousands of people.

“We know the Gathering is a

highlight in many people’s year and an event which many make plans well in advance for,” he said.

Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

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Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

“Like the hills around Braemar, the Gathering will be here next year, and we look forward to happier times.”

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Anyone who has already bought a ticket for this year’s Gathering will be able to use it next year when the 2021 Braemar Highland

Gathering takes place on Saturday 4th of September.

Scottish Memories - Gathering memories at Braemar

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Story behind the song…

Wind and Rain

W

ind and Rain, a traditional ballad with a hauntingly beautiful melody but horrifically gruesome lyrics, is about love, envy, murder and the supernatural.

Also known by the title ‘The Twa Sisters’ and several other names, it tells the tale of two sisters, one dark and one fair, with eyes for the same lover. Driven by sexual jealously the dark haired sister pushes the other into a fast flowing river and leaves her to drown.

But, that’s not the end of the story! When the body of the

murdered sister floats down stream it is discovered by a wandering minstrel who, for some unknown reason, makes a harp or fiddle out of the girl’s bones with her golden hair for strings.

In some versions of the song the instrument finds itself back at the family home and begins to play by itself as it publicly shames the killer by singing a song of the murder.

More than 500 variants of the song can be found throughout England, Scotland and many northern European countries.

There is said to be at least 125 versions in Swedish alone.

Listen here In Scotland the song was first catalogued as ‘The Twa Sisters’ in 1806 by avid ballad collector Robert Jamieson but there is no doubt it was around a lot earlier

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Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton

Illustration from a book of fairy tales1892 (PD)

Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton Photo by Sean Rowe CC BY-SA 2.0 Julie Fowlis

than that.

In this month’s Musical Correspondent show, presented

by Tom Morton, the ballad is expertly performed in Gaelic

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and English by Julie Fowlis. The song features on Julie’s excellent album “Uam from Me”.

Another song featured in this month’s show is Hedy Lamarr

by Findlay Napier which pays tribute to the Hollywood screen icon whose contribution to the world of science has been overshadowed by her movie career.

Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton

with Tom Morton

#world #folk #scottish

Music to accompany reading Scotland Correspondent, the world’s only free online magazine dealing with Scotland all things Scottish. scotlandcorrespondent.com 1) Yvonne Lyon - We Were Not Made for the Shadows 2) Capercaillie - Islay Ranters 3) Julie Fowlis - Wind and Rain 4) Colin Clyne - Doin’ Fine 5) Silly Wizard - The Auld Pipe Reel/the Brolum 6) Findlay Napier - Hedy Lamarr 7) Frankie Miller - Darlin’ 8) Jimmy Shand - Bluebell Polka 9) Big Country - In a Big Country 10) Malcolm Jones, Brian Hurren, the Craigie choir - In Search of Angels 11) Gerry Rafferty - Night Owl 12) Fiddler’s Bid - The Swan

with Tom Morton

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Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton

Lamarr starred in a number of the most popular films of the 1930s and 1940s, including the 1949 Cecile B. DeMille’s classic Samson and Delilah alongside Victor Mature.

Hedy Lamarr

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Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton

But, off-screen, the Austrian born Lamarr was also a gifted inventor. She was instrumental in the invention of Frequency Hopping Spectrum, which meant messages could be sent without being detected, deciphered or

Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton

jammed. Her ideas paved the way for modern spread-spectrum communication technology such as Bluetooth and OFDM, which is used in Wi-Fi connections.

For her work as a scientist Lamarr, who died aged 85 in 2000, was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

Other acts appearing in this month’s musical podcast include Yvonne Lyon, Capercaillie, Colin Clyne, Silly Wizard, Frankie Miller, Jimmy Shand, Big Country, Malcolm Jones, Brian Hurren and the Craigie choir, Gerry Rafferty and Fiddler’s Bid.

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland Arisaig beach

Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

by Tracey Macintosh

A

s the days gradually grow shorter and we move into Autumn there’s still plenty of time to enjoy Scotland’s amazing and varied landscapes.

From walking, hill climbing and camping to foraging,

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wildlife watching and exploring Scotland’s spectacular coastline there’s a myriad of ways to bask in the embers of summer sunshine and drink in the intoxicating scenery.

September is almost always a great month to explore Scotland’s outdoors in a range of different ways. Around this time the purple

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Lady Mary’s Walk by the River Earn in Crieff

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

heather is still in bloom and the leaves on the trees start to change to a wonderful golden colour.

Walking Throughout the country there are numerous pathways in a huge

Photo by Paul Tomkins/VisitScotland Glenrosa water with the peak of Cir Mhor in the distance, Isle of Arran

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variety of settings to suit every mood and level of fitness.

Imagine a gentle ramble along a

can be found in Scotland and are guaranteed to help blow away the cobwebs or relieve the tensions of everyday life.

Possibly one of the best known is the West Highland Way, the first and most popular of Scotland’s Great Trails.

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

woodland path, a restful pause by a body of water, a saunter down a country lane or a wander through a city park - all of these and more

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

The route is 96 miles in total and is walked from south to north, starting on the outskirts

of Glasgow in Milngavie and finishing in Fort William.

Established in 1980, the route encompasses ancient cattle Drover’s trails, historic

Photo by Kenny Lam/VisitScotland Ben A’an in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park with views over Loch Katrine

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is breathtaking and includes a number of picturesque villages on the shores of Loch Lomond.

The drama of Rannoch Moor is outstanding and towards the end of the route, Ben Nevis is a

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

military roads used during the Jacobite uprisings and old coaching routes. The scenery

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

Photo by David N Anderson /VisitScotland Explore the paths of Kirroughtree Forest

mountain in Scotland with a height of more than 3000 feet’.

Named after Sir Hugh Munro, who produced an initial inventory of 255 such mountains in 1891, the list has since been revised and the current agreed number of Munros now stands at 282.

Photo by VisitScotland Buachaillie Etive Mhor

formidable and welcome view.

Sectioned into manageable stages, the route is normally walked in seven or eight days and there are various accommodation options along the way, as well as baggage transfer options leaving you free to walk without luggage.

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Munro Bagging While there is an element of hill walking within the West Highland Way, Munro bagging is a more extreme but highly enjoyable way to enjoy the peaks of Scotland’s great outdoors.

The definition of a Munro is ‘a

Munro bagging is the term for attempting to climb every one of these iconic mountains. There are just over 6,000 people who have accomplished this and the fastest of these, Stephen Pyke, managed to bag every Munro in an impressive 40 days back in 2010.

Ben Lomond, at 3,195 feet, is a great Munro to start with. The most southerly Munro and easily accessible from Glasgow, the views over Loch Lomond from the summit are magnificent. There are plenty of Munros to work through before you tackle Ben Nevis at a whopping 4,411 feet.

If Munro bagging isn’t for you, Scotland has a huge array of hills in both the lowlands and highlands well under 3,000 feet.

Climbing any of these or some of the more gentle Munros will still give you a great sense of satisfaction, help keep you fit and give you access to some of the most glorious views.

Camping Scotland’s great outdoors is also the perfect setting for getting back to nature and spending time under canvas. With a range of purpose built sites offering great facilities and some stunning backdrops for wilderness living there is plenty of choice when it comes to camping in Scotland.

box and then finding the campsite doesn’t allow any open fires doesn’t make for a happy holiday!

Each campsite will have its own rules and facilities, so it is worthwhile doing some research before embarking on an adventure, as turning up with your BBQ food prepped in the cool

There are few things more enjoyable than getting away from the constant buzz of modern life and relishing some time out in spectacular surroundings - but it comes with a level of

Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland Ge˜dha Mhˆrtainn, near Horgabost, Isle of Harris

responsibility. The keystones of camping etiquette are simple don’t disturb others and leave the land as you found it.

With some stunningly scenic and remote locations wild camping is a great way to explore the country, provided you adhere to the Scottish Outdoor Access

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland River Etive in Glen Etive

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

Code. Scotland is beautiful and it is up to all of us to keep it that way!

For those who prefer a touch of luxury with their commune with nature ‘glamping’, in all its shapes and forms, has gained enormous popularity over the

Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland Sands Caravan and Camping Park near Gairloch

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There are some fabulous options on offer across Scotland, from yurts and wigwams to log cabins and futuristic looking pods, which successfully manage to combine a sense of getting back to nature with some added comfort.

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

past few years.

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

Foraging and Bushcraft Scotland has an enviable natural larder, making it the perfect

destination to develop or hone foraging skills.

Each season provides a different

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Wild camping by The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye

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bounty and with a world wide reputation for excellent berries, a wide variety of edible mushrooms and some of the world’s finest

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

seafood to be found around the coastline. There can few better places on earth to experience the satisfaction and joy at harvesting

wild food?

An awareness and respect for the Outdoor Access Code is

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

essential. In general, anything above ground is legal to forage as long as there are a number of the same plants (at least seven) in the area. A good forager knows never to take all there is of a particular item.

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Kinnoull hill Tower at Perth with the meandering River Tay in the background

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It is important to understand what you are looking for. Rosebay, for example, is a willow herb with an edible central stem that tastes not unlike melon. However foxglove looks similar but is highly toxic.

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

Knowledge and experience are invaluable so anyone new to the activity would be wise to sign up to an organised course or enlist the help of any one of a number of professional guides and instructors.

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

The concoction James Bond was given in the remake of Casino Royale with Daniel Craig to induce a cardiac arrest was digitalis - a poison found in foxgloves. There is also

some seriously toxic fungi, easily confused with the edible variations by the unwary or inexperienced.

Bushcraft is another activity

Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland Photographing dolphins in the Moray Firth

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growing in popularity. While you might not want to be the next Bear Grylls shelter building, fire starting and basic water filtering are all potential life saving skills worth mastering.

Wildlife Watching Wildlife watching is another stress reducing pastime so easily enjoyed in some of the more spectacular spots throughout

Scotland.

It is always a thrill to spot a red deer, the country’s largest land mammal, while wandering the hills and glens. One of the

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

Fortunately, there are a number of courses on Bushcraft to be found throughout Scotland, all providing a great day out with the added benefit of picking up some tips from an expert.

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Common seals near Oban

best times to view deer in the wild is generally during the rutting season from the end of September to early November.

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The most elusive animal is undoubtedly the Scottish wildcat. Sadly the population is in decline due to hybridization,

persecution and disease. With an estimated population of less than 500 (possibly significantly less), wild cats are notoriously

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

difficult to spot. They look similar to domestic tabby cats but are larger and have a blunt tail with distinctive black banding.

Aside from deer and wildcats Scotland is home to a range of other wildlife, including pine martens, red squirrels and otters

as well as a huge selection of bird species. From the iconic golden eagle and the impressive osprey to the colourful puffin and the rare

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

capercaillie, Scotland is a bird watcher’s dream.

Coast to coast Scotland’s sandy or pebbled

Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland A small beach near Losgaintir (Luskentyre), isle of Harris

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beaches coupled with dramatic clods and rocky coastlines provide an array of activities and

Watching out for Scotland’s abundant marine wildlife from the coastline or on board any one of

a number of vessels offering sea safaris is an experience not to be missed, especially if you have a

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

a great opportunity to enjoy fresh air with the added tang of sea salt.

Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland Luskentyre

fondness for dolphins, whales, seals and seabirds.

Whether you want to sail yourself, hire a boat or charter a vessel and crew there are plenty of options around Scotland’s coastline of

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between 6,000 and 10,000 miles or more, if you count all the islands.

If there is one things Scotland’s not short of it’s islands. The country has more than 900 of them off shore of which just

under 100 are permanently inhabited. Island hopping, like Munro bagging, is a thing which can become an obsession for a number of dedicated travellers as they seek to visit as many of these natural idyls as possible.

For those who enjoy getting in the water Scotland’s coastlines are recognised as having some of the

best wild swimming and surfing spots worldwide. Although chillier than summer the autumn tends

to be the best time for surfers to catch a wave.

Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland Dornoch Sands

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Activity - Making the best of Scotland’s great outdoors

Photo by Kenny Lam Burrow Head, Isle of Whithorn

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Activity - History, horror and hauntings Photos by Mercat Tours The outlander Experience tour from Mercat Tours

History, horror and hauntings

by Scott Aitken

A

fter decades of terrifying, educating and entertaining visitors to Scotland’s capital Edinburgh’s renowned Mercat Tours is back in business in time to celebrate it’s 35th anniversary.

The company, which was started in 1985 by history teacher Des Brogan and three friends to launch the city’s first regular scheduled guided walks, has grown to become the gold standard of walking tours in Scotland and beyond.

Five months after being forced to suspend operations during the Coronavirus lockdown the city’s oldest five-star walking tour business is “Good to Go”.

No visit to Scotland’s capital should be considered complete without at least embarking on one of the company’s many fun but educational excursions.

Visitors get a unique chance to explore the dark and haunted hidden passages of the city’s underbelly which have borne witness to centuries of blood, mystery and the macabre.

It is an opportunity to discover the shadowy closes, forgotten wynds, hidden courtyards and historic homes of Edinburgh’s Old Town by following in the footsteps of some of history’s most evil monsters, such as the

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Activity - History, horror and hauntings

Video QR Code

murderous duo Burke and Hare, the cannibal son of the Marquis of Queensberry or Deacon Brodie - the real life inspiration for the fictional Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

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Highly knowledgeable guides horrify and entertain in equal measure as they recount dark tales of ghastly ordeals, ghostly apparitions and crooked

characters.

Alternatively, visitors can join in one of the company’s historic tours and walk in the shoes of

Activity - History, horror and hauntings Photo by Stewart Attwood Kat Brogan and team ready to get back to business

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Activity - History, horror and hauntings legendary giants such as Adam Smith, the father of economics; poet Robert Burns, philosopher David Hume, writer Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Queen of Scots and others.

There’s even a special tour for Outlander fans to see the locations that inspired writer

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Activity - History, horror and hauntings Diana Gabaldon and discover the real places and stories surrounding Edinburgh’s close connections to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite rebels of 1745.

“We’ve been working hard to develop safe and sustainable plans for relaunching when the time was right for our team and our visitors,” said Kat Brogan, managing director of Mercat Tours and daughter of its founder.

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Activity - History, horror and hauntings “Our rigorous health and safety planning means robust training for staff, PPE, as well as reduced tour group sizes and new outdoor routes to allow personal distancing. For now, we will be conducting outdoor tours only to

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ensure everyone can be safe and feel safe.

“We’re ‘Good to Go’ and cannot wait to start reconnecting people with the city, its stories and each other.”

Tours can be booked via the website but as umbers are restricted it is advised to book with plenty of notice.

“Its fantastic to see Mercat Tours open and ready to welcome

Activity - History, horror and hauntings

people once more, as tourism businesses across the city begin to look toward recovery,” said Paula Ward, regional leadership director, VisitScotland.

“We all have a part to play in

getting tourism back on track by supporting local and enjoying what our beautiful city has to offer in a responsible way.

“Mercat Tours is a much-loved family business at the heart of

the capital, so I hope residents and visitors alike will take this opportunity to rediscover Edinburgh and enjoy unique insights into its fascinating history.”

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Photo by Guy Phillips

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Activity - Fun, food and foraging Orkney style

Fun, food and foraging Orkney style

by Scott Aitken

P

eople from around the world are being encouraged to take a walk on the wild side this month with a virtual visit to the islands of Orkney.

Up until 13 September everything from foraging walks and seaweed workshops to herbal wellness and virtual feasts are on the menu at this years’s Foraging Fortnight for anyone with an interest in the natural riches of this northern archipelago.

For the first time a host of virtual

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events have been created to be accessible from home while still providing expert tuition in the skills needed to forage independently and responsibly afterwards.

Events include ‘Foraging the Old Road’ - a virtual walk through Binscarth Woods and over the hill to the Loch of Wasdale, on a section of the St Magnus Way. Orkney wildlife guide Megan Taylor looks out for wild plants with ethnobotanical researcher Anna Canning who describes their traditional uses for sustenance and health.

There is also masterclass in ‘Papermaking from Natural Materials’ providing an opportunity to learn the basic elements of the craft, as artist Lin Chau leads participants through the process of mould and deckle making, preparing plant pulp fibre, pulling a sheet and couching it, then pressing the paper. Participants will be sent out a pack in advance containing everything required to take part.

‘The Way Back Home’ is a talk by Elizabeth Woodcock, horticulturist and writer, in which she explores whether life after lockdown could provide an opportunity

Activity - Fun, food and foraging Orkney style

Photo by Paul Tomkins/ VisitScotland

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Activity - Fun, food and foraging Orkney style Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland

for reflection, and a return to a healthier relationship with the natural world.

Elizabeth will interweave the work of writers, poets and scientists with images of the surrounding landscape of the Cumbrian Fells, to explore gardens, brains, lanes and life.

There is also a talk from master brewer Ken Duncan, ‘The Botany of Beer’, which looks at how in the days before hops, flavour was balanced in beer by foraged plants like angelica and meadowsweet, and by spices brought from the East on new sailing routes.

Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland

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The festival is also an opportunity to learn about how the cold clean waters around the Norwegian island of Træna produce fine seaweed, which are harvested by the Northern Company. The company’s founder will give a talk on ‘Seaweed from the Arctic

Activity - Fun, food and foraging Orkney style

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Activity - Fun, food and foraging Orkney style

Circle’ which describes its work in a small fishing community of less than 500 people, amid spectacular scenery and northern

Photo by Colin Keldie / VisitScotland

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lights.

Relaxation will be provided in the form of a virtual walk, supper and

musical evening during which participants will be invited to take a simulated ferry crossing from Stromness to Moaness pier.

of seaweed soup, complete with a recipe to prepare at home in advance, before enjoying some music and memories from the

family of a local fiddle-player. The evening will be completed with a guided walk at Rackwick Bay with archaeologist Dan Lee.

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Activity - Fun, food and foraging Orkney style

‘A Hoy and Rackwick Evening’ promises a lot of fun with a guided tour up the brae from the pier to the Hoy Kirk for a supper

Activity - Fun, food and foraging Orkney style

‘Along the Tide-Mark Gathering Drift’ is the title of a talk by beachcomber Martin Gray who describes the wealth of treasures that wash up on an Orkney shore, and the searching and foraging quest that has taken Orcadians to the shore since Neolithic times.

In a similar vein a workshop, “Riches of the Shore’, is a creative family-friendly session of shore-inspired fun for all ages.

It’s hosted by artists, foragers and a marine ecologist and will be streamed from Warebeth and Birsay on Orkney.

The team reveal how to make plant brushes, and paint with shore-sourced pigments; forage along the coastline and feast on finds; get up close to shore creatures; and photograph seaweed. This will be rounded off with foraged food around a beach fire.

“Foraging Fortnight has always

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Activity - Fun, food and foraging Orkney style

been planned as a way of encouraging people to get out and engage with their natural surroundings,” said Alison Barclay, Development Officer at Orkney LEADER, a community programme that funds small scale, pilot projects to promote the island’s economic and community development.

“This virtual programme really reflects this and I’m sure it will spark enthusiasm among all those who take part, furnishing them with the tools and knowledge to get out and explore nature regardless of where they’re based. And of course, it’s a wonderful showcase of Orkney’s beautiful and varied landscape so we hope it will encourage people to visit in future years.”

Foraging fortnight takes place between 29 August and 13 September and all events are being streamed live on www.foragingfortnight.co.uk ,

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Activity - Fun, food and foraging Orkney style

most of them free of charge.

Many talks and sources of guidance will remain on

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the website – though those participating live in the events will have the opportunity to interact directly with the host. One or

two events may incur a charge to cover the cost of sending out activity kits in advance.

Charity focus preserves camera collection

by Scott Aitken

A

new charity launched to safeguard the future of a unique camera collection held in the picturesque Fife village of St Monans has received the backing of a world famous author.

Crime writer Val McDermid dropped in on the Jim Matthew Camera Collection as trustees of the new organisation prepared for the official launch of their fund-raising campaign to save the collection of more than 3,000 cameras.

The cameras, some of which

go back more than 100 years, were collected by the late Jim Matthews and housed in the village of St Monans in the spectacularly scenic East Neuk of Fife.

His family are keen to keep the collection together and have offered it to the Trust, which has been set up to take over ownership and maintain it for future generations to enjoy.

At the heart of the stockpile is an amazing array of Kodak Brownie cameras - almost every model that was ever produced is there, making it one of the world’s most complete collections.

The Brownie was the first affordable camera, and could be bought for just one dollar when the first model was sold in 1900. More than any other, it is the camera that popularised photography, making it accessible to ordinary working people; and together with the other cameras in the collection, it highlights how photography has become central to the modern world. “For Jim Matthew, putting this collection together was a labour of love, and it would be tragic to allow it to be broken up. We have been offered the opportunity to take on the collection and the building that houses it, so we

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Activity - Charity focus preserves camera collection

Trustees Gordon Bell and Mike Child with an early Kodak camera

Activity - Charity focus preserves camera collection

have set up the charitable trust,” said Gordon Bell, Trust member.

“We are launching our appeal to secure for public benefit a worldclass photographic collection

Photo by Chris Combe from York, UK .jpg CC BY 2.0 St Monans

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which has very few rivals either in the UK or internationally – and that is particularly the case for

“We have been offered the collection for a very reasonable price, but we will also need

funds to make improvements to the building and for ongoing maintenance of the collection,

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Activity - Charity focus preserves camera collection

the fantastic collection of Kodak Brownie cameras that lie at its heart.Â

Activity - Charity focus preserves camera collection Val McDermid with a Kodak no.3 folding camera produced in 1909

so we are hoping people will be generous with donations to help us get the collection up and running.”

The Trust’s aim is to make a world-leading private collection into a public one, open to the public on a regular basis, available as an educational resource, and to work with other public bodies to promote awareness of photography and its history. ”What better place could there

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be for such a collection than St Monans? The village has historic links with early photography, and is so amazingly popular with modern photographers that it has taken on the title of the Photography Village, with a village website dedicated to photography,” said Trust member Mike Child.

Author Val McDermid was fascinated by some of the examples from the vast range of models, including the Kodak no.3 folding camera, produced in

1909.

“To have a collection as distinguished and extraordinary as this in a village as picturesque as St Monans seems appropriate,” she said.

“I was swept back in time to my first Instamatic, and later, my trusty Olympus Trip. Anyone who’s ever handled a camera will find memories galore in here. And for the generation who barely know what a camera is, there is plenty to astonish them!”

Activity - Charity focus preserves camera collection Photo by Chris Combe from York, UK .jpg CC BY 2.0 St Monans

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Activity - Aiming to boost rural communities Photo by Phil Wilkinson Photography

Aiming to boost rural communities S

by Paul Watson

cotland’s rural businesses have heralded the start of the grouse season as a ‘lifeline’ in overcoming the economic impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic.

As parties gathered in the Angus Glens for the first day of the season local businesses expressed hope that visitors for grouse shooting will provide an injection of income to sustain employment after an unprecedented six months.

The grouse season in Scotland, which runs for 16 weeks from 12 August to 10 December, is estimated to be worth £32m during a good season, part of the £350m overall value of game and country sports to the national economy. Sporting shooting supports 11,000 full time jobs in Scotland, of which 2,640 are in the grouse sector.

In order to ensure shoot days can safely go ahead, the country sports sector has spent the past few months working together to ensure all providers and their associated suppliers

are compliant with the new regulations on social distancing.

The main changes relate to ensuring two-metre distancing between participants not from the same household, the use of face coverings where appropriate, avoiding shared transport and not congregating in large groups.

“All aspects of our society have had to adapt to the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the country sports sector is no different. We have a duty to staff and local businesses to restart safely and be in a position to sustain the significant economic

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Activity - Aiming to boost rural communities

benefits that grouse moor management provides, said Dee Ward, owner of Rottal Estate in Glen Clova.

The 12th of August traditionally marks the opening of the grouse shooting season, which has attracted visitors to Scotland from

Photo by Perthshire Picture Agency (PPA) First day of the season at Rottal Estate, Glen Clova

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the rest of the UK, Europe and North America since the 1850s.

In a good year, approximately

class country sports. This year there will be fewer visitors from overseas but it is hoped that there will be an increase in domestic

tourism to make up the shortfall. “This year, every hospitality business has been hugely

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Activity - Aiming to boost rural communities

970,000 bed-nights are purchased by tourists, both domestic and international, keen to enjoy Scotland’s world

Activity - Aiming to boost rural communities Photo by Phil Wilkinson Photography

affected by the pandemic and the enforced closures. In rural areas we have been hit particularly hard,” said Lesley McArthur, manager of Glenclova Hotel and Lodges.

“I know some restaurants in cities have been able to offer a takeaway and delivery service for their customers but we couldn’t do that until parts of our accommodation were allowed to open.

“We rely heavily on shooting visitors to keep our business afloat during the Autumn and Winter months. Grouse is very important for us, and later in the year stalking and pheasant shooting. All the businesses, staff and communities in the glens are reliant on country sports.”

Photo by Phil Wilkinson Photography

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The country sports sector has developed a comprehensive framework of COVID-19 guidance approved by the Scottish

Activity - Aiming to boost rural communities Photo by Perthshire Picture Agency (PPA)

Government.

In the Lammermuir hills, where grouse shooting is worth £2.97m each year, the new protocols are already in place. These include the use of personal protection equipment, implementation of social distancing measures, food hygiene guidance on shoot days and travel restrictions.

“It’s hard to overstate the importance of the season to people in this area. Not just for those directly employed by the estates but all the local businesses that supply equipment and the pubs and hotels. This year there will be fewer guests coming to shoot from abroad but we are hopeful that more people from within the UK will come and that will make up the shortfall,” said Mark Ewart, coordinator of the Southern Uplands Moorland Group.

Each shoot in the Lammermuirs

Photo by Perthshire Picture Agency (PPA)

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Activity - Aiming to boost rural communities

Photo by Perthshire Picture Agency (PPA)

creates 110 days of shoot employment. This seasonal work is over and above the 45 full-time and five part-time jobs sustained by the five grouse estates throughout the calendar

year. Local businesses in the Lammermuirs benefitted from trade with estates worth £466,274 in 2017.

“Grouse shooting is by its very

17th April 2021 p138

nature low risk as participants are well spaced and it takes place on wide open moorlands,” said Tim Baynes, moorland director, Scottish Land & Estates.

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Food & Beverage - A taste of Scotland, Chef in a Kilt with‌.Gordon Howe

Chef in a kilt

with‌.Gordon Howe

Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Red deer at Glenfinnan

Mamma mia! Italian twist to a Scottish dish

W

ild Scottish West Highland Venison and Italian Pasta - Al Forno!

Scotland has a rich history when it comes to wild game meat. For me, venison from Scotland’s largest mammal is the pinnacle of good taste for those who enjoy this ancient native dish.

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Roe and red deer are native species, having arrived in this part of northern Europe at the end of the glaciation period around 10,000 years ago. Fallow and silka deer are relative newcomers, having been introduced to Scotland around the 13th century, but have established themselves well since their arrival.

Wether you enjoy the rich gamier

flavour of wild red and fallow deer or the milder flavoured roe or silka this low fat meat is delicious and naturally imbued with hints of acorns, sage and herbs eaten in the wilds.

Farm raised venison has a less gamier flavour but whatever cut of meat you like Scottish venison is sure to please. It is not as juicy as beef but has less fat and is

Food & Beverage - A taste of Scotland, Chef in a Kilt with‌.Gordon Howe

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Food & Beverage - A taste of Scotland, Chef in a Kilt with….Gordon Howe

smoother with a firmer texture.

Venison is an important part of Scotland’s rural economy and culture. It is an integral key stone species of the country’s biodiversity and a natural source of healthy food enjoyed by many generations. Without a doubt it is one of our classic cultural dishes.

Italy, where venison is regarded as a ‘special occasion’ meat predominantly served as a delicious stew, is known for its lasagne. This oven cooked (Al Forno) dish derives its name from the Greek word Laganon, meaning flat dough cut into strips.

It was adopted and renamed by the Romans around 146 BC and became lasagna..

This recipe, West Highland venison lasagna with Drambuie béchamel, was inspired by my family roots both here in Scotland and Sicily. The opportunity to combine two iconic culinary

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delights was too good to pass up. With the addition of Scottish Drambuie liqueur it is, I believe, a match made in Heaven.

West Highland Venison Lasagna with Drambuie Béchamel Serves 4-6. Prep 20-25 mins.

Cook 1 hour 40 mins. 540kCal per serving

The Recipe Venison Ragù Ingredients 750g Wild Scottish Veison ( use Roe Deer or Silka for a milder, less gamier taste) 1 tablespoon Scottish rapeseed oil (olive oil If you prefer) 2 tbsp butter 1 large onion (finely chopped) 2 large carrots (finely chopped) 2 celery stalks (finely chopped) 3 cloves garlic (crushed finely) 90g of fatty bacon chopped 200mls of hot beef stock

125mls good red wine 1/2 tsp of fresh thyme leaves 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1 tin peeled Chopped tomatoes Béchamel Sauce Ingredients 60g Scottish butter 60g Carr’s plain flour 600mls whole milk Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper Good pinch of ground nutmeg 50 mls Drambuie Liqueur 330g pack of good quality lasagne sheets (blanched for assembly) 125g fresh grated mozzarella (finish assembly)

Directions Pre heat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ gas 4 and lightly oil a family size oven dish (20x30 cm)

Food & Beverage - A taste of Scotland, Chef in a Kilt with….Gordon Howe

Heat olive oil and butter in a large heavy based pot, on a medium high heat. Once the butter is melted add the onions, carrots, celery, and sauté down until softened and beginning to lightly caramelise - about six to seven minutes. Now add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Next, add the chopped bacon into a deep frying pan until lightly crispy, about four minutes should be enough. Remove and set aside.

Add the minced venison in two or three batches, so not to over crowd the pot. Season with sea salt and pepper. Cook, while breaking lumps but try not to stir, until lightly browned - about 10 to12 minutes total.

Return the bacon and minced venison into the sautéed vegetable pot. Add the red wine

and deglaze the frying pan, scraping all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Now put all the ingredients into the pot and cook until the wine is mostly evaporated, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, milk, herbs, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer on low heat for 30 mins. Remove

from heat and set aside.

Bring a pan of salty water to the boil, add pasta sheets one at a time for one minute each. Lay on clean board until all sheets are done Béchamel Sauce with Drambuie Prep: 5 min Cook: 10 min (Set aside for assembly)

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Food & Beverage - A taste of Scotland, Chef in a Kilt with‌.Gordon Howe

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low to medium heat but don’t brown.

Stir in the flour and a little milk at a time while whisking continuously until a smooth,

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Food & Beverage - A taste of Scotland, Chef in a Kilt with….Gordon Howe

Assembly Put a layer of a third of the venison ragu on the bottom of a family size oven dish. Cover with pasta and cut to shape dish. Leave a quarter centimetre around the edges free. Coat the pasta with a good layer slightly thick sauce is made. Now of Béchamel and repeat for three layers before finishing the add the Drambuie liqueur and top layer with the remaining whisk to emulsify. Remove the béchamel. Sprinkle the mozzarella silky white sauce from the heat, season with sea salt and pepper, over the top and bake in the oven and add a good pinch of nutmeg. for 40 to 45 mins.

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Food & Beverage - A taste of Scotland, Chef in a Kilt with‌.Gordon Howe

To serve

Notes:

Divide into four to six portions and serve with a crisp side salad and Edamme (young soya beans) and garlic sourdough bread

Drambuie Liqueur (1910) William Grant & Sons since 2014 is sweet golden coloured made with Scottish whisky, honey, herbs and spices.

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Depending on where the venison is from (region, wild or farmed), where and how long it was hung and abattoir finishing or bruising will affect the flavour.

Ask you local butcher for more information.

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Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton

Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton

Photo by Bjarne Henning Kvaal CC BY-SA 3.0 Bowmore Distillery

W

Vroom for a whisky?

ell, I hope they cleaned the oil off first. For someone like me, a petrolhead so confirmed I stare at my wife’s self-charging Toyota hybrid with unbridled suspicion, the idea of a whisky bottled using a bit of old car engine is actually quite

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appealing. There’s something nice, almost homely about recycling pieces of machinery and applying them in what is essentially decoration. Because, let’s face it, you’re not really going to try and sell your precious dram encased in the windscreen washer tank of a Reliant Robin or

Hillman Imp, are you?

Although to be honest, there may well be potential in the idea of recycling a Hillman Imp, that rear-engined, Linwood-produced Scottish design classic, into containers for whisky. If there are any Imps, Singer Chamois or

Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton

Photo CC0 1.0 12-year-old Bowmore single malt whisky

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Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton Sunbeam Stillettos left. All three were essentially the same car; hopelessly unreliable and full of manufacturing faults; my mum had a Chamois from new. The (rear) engine exploded after a week.

Scotland’s car industry is dead

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in the water, the vast Linwood factory established by Rootes and later owned by Chrysler now redeveloped mainly, it always seems to me, as a thoroughfare of showrooms for cars made far, far away. But whisky remains one of Scotland’s main economic assets, despite Covid 19, despite

the threats posed by American trade sanctions and a worldwide financial crisis,.

Marketing and branding is key, and with gigantic multinational concerns now seeking any way to maximise profits and attract interest, the idea of selling a

Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton

limited edition, super-luxurious product at a vast price is always good for raising cash. Especially when you have stock lying about unsold doing nothing.There is a small body of beyond-wealthy collectors on this planet who will pay literally anything for what they perceive as a desirable and rare

example of Scottish spirits.

Even, or especially if it’s bottled using a piece of vehicular scrap, or something left in the spares cupboard.

Now, no-one has (yet, or as far as I know) bottled some Famous

Grouse in a flask made from the last Chrysler Avenger to roll off the Linwood production line (and that’s MY idea; no copying please!). But those nice folks at Bowmore on Islay (owned by Beam Suntory, as in the movie Lost in Translation, as in Jim Beam) are releasing a whisky

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Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton bottled using a bit of old Aston Martin. Namely, the piston from a 1964 Aston Martin DB5. Yes, the actual piston. No, this is not a piston take.

Want one? It will cost you ÂŁ50,000.

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Photo by Bernard Spragg. NZ CC0 1.0 1963 Aston Martin DB5

Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton Admittedly, there are only 25 bottles of Black Bowmore DB5 1964 for sale. And the bottle, the glass bit, is a specially commissioned work of art made

by Scottish couple Nicky Burns and Brodie Nairm, who run their firm Glasstorm from Tain in

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Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton Easter Ross. The whole package comes in the kind of sinister black carry case you imagine is used to guard the launch codes for nuclear missiles.

and Aston Martin Lagonda, which is moving from just the manufacture of cars into all kinds of super-luxurious swag, such as clothing, events and bicycles.

The whole astonishing enterprise is apparently just the first collaboration between Bowmore

The actual whisky, it must be said, looks as if it might be quite...nice. Black Bowmore is a

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legendary dram, distilled and put in cask in 1964, then aged in the strange, partly below sea level surroundings of the Bowmore Number One Warehouse. There have only been five releases until now, all expensive, some eyewateringly so. The last one was in 2016, bottled at 50 years old

Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton

and retailing at £16,000 a bottle.

There had been four releases previously, and the Aston Martin collaboration is a rebottling of the unsold whisky from an earlier (and superior) one, Balck Bottle III. It has, according to an official release, been “aged in a walnut brown oloroso Sherry butt and

celebrates “a definitive moment in history” for both Bowmore and Aston Martin. After all 1964 was when the DB5 made its debut in the movie Goldfinger, fuelling a massive demand the following Christmas for Corgi model DB5s ( I had one). They’re worth a fortune now (I no longer

have one), those toy cars, and I imagine the prospective purchasers of the Piston Bowmore may once have yearned for such a present from Santa, all those years ago.

At Bowmore, 1964 was important too. They got a new

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Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton

Video QR Code

boiler that year, moving from coal to steam in heating up the spirit. And apparently it’s the first distillation from said boiler that produced the spirit to make Black Bowmore, which was first made on 5 November 1964.

According to David Turner, Bowmore distillery manager “1964 represents a significant date in the modern history of the distillery. Not only a key moment in how we distilled our spirit, but perhaps even more significant as this very spirit went on to create Black Bowmore.

These defining moments are fundamental to the history of Bowmore. This collaboration with

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Photo by JIP CC BY-SA 3.0 Bowmore 12 years old whisky

According to the distillery, Black Bowmore DB5 1964 is from a single cask, a first fill William and Humbert “walnut brown” Sweet Oloroso or cream sherry butt, filled 31 years before bottling at 49.6 per cent abv. That means it was first bottled in 1995.

I’m pretty sure there weren’t bits of old Aston Martin pistons flying about on Islay in 1995, so this is a repackaging (probably in the bucolic area of Springburn in Glasgow) of the 1182 bottles produced back then. And in

fact as I write, this has been confirmed by the mysterious entity known as The Whisky Sponge. You can read his hilarious take on the whole thing at whiskysponge.com.

Just 27 bottles of the ‘new’ Black Bowmore DB5 1964 have been created, two for display and 25 for sale. There are “intense flavours of mango, passion fruit and acacia honey interwoven with a powerful combination of coffee and tobacco smoke”. Is anyone going to open it? Well, say 50 of you club together and spend £1000. You’ll get a (small) dram and the empty bottle, with piston and case, will fetch another grand or so on eBay. Don’t ask what

the purchaser is going to do with it, though. They could be up to something very, very illegal. I mean, someone might rebottle some old Scotsmac in it, and flog the result under false pretences.

As if they would!

On the other hand, you could do what I did and buy a bottle of Bowmore 12-Year-Old for £35 or less. It’s only 40 per cent alcohol, but if you drink enough, it works pretty effectively. And actually, it’s a lovely dram. Not a hint of petrol, diesel or paraffin fumes at all.

Register for one of the Black Bowmore Aston Martin DB5 1964 bottlings at the Bowmore website. www.bowmore.com

Tasting Notes Bowmore 12-Year Old £31-35 a bottle, widely available COLOUR: Peaty water straight from the hill,spikedwith molasses

NOSE: This is one of the most approachable Islay malts (peat for beginners), and the aromas here are thrillingly island-ish. There’s peat, yes, but seaspray and sunkissed, heathery hills too. At a time when many of us have been unable to travel, opening a bottle or pouring a glass is like standing on the deck of a ferry, waiting to

alight at the Port Askaig pier. In summer My grandfather on my mother’s side came from Islay, so it has a special place in my heart, nose and mouth.

MOUTH: Here it comes. Peat without the acrid phenolic assault of your Lagavulins, Ardbegs or Laphroaigs, but with more easy, relaxed bog-depth than even the most frenzied Bruichladdich expression. Sweet, honey and lemon juice with the hint of summer gorse in flower, golf

courses, old wooden shafted clubs with leather grips and a satisfying rhubarb and custard tang.

FINISH: Long and satisfying. Breathing in the distillery fumes on a hot day by the sea. People will decry Bowmore as too easy, not complex or austere enough. But as an introduction to the peaty delights of Islay malts you cannot go wrong. Not for £35. Go on, you could save yourself £49,965 and not have to worry about recycling a piston. Again.

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Food & Beverage - Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton

Aston Martin has allowed us to once again showcase this iconic single malt in the most incredible way.”

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Food & Beverage - The spirit of Benbecula Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland Beach at Liniclate, Benbecula

The spirit of Benbecula

by Scott Aitken

the Outer Hebrides.

lans have been unveiled for a new ÂŁ6.5million whisky distillery on the beautiful, spiritual and legendary haven of Benbecula.

The sparsely populated community of around 1,200 permanent residents is aptly named. Although now linked to its neighbours by a series of manmade causeways the only way to get there in times gone by would have involved fording dangerous stretches of tidal sands.

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The small 31 square mile island, which derives its name from the Gaelic Beinn na Faoghla, meaning Mountain of the Ford, lies between North and South Uist in

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The flat, low-lying terrain rich in

wildlife is dotted with lochs and surrounded with beautiful white sandy beaches bordered by the colourful machair so familiar to the Hebrides.

The highest point is Rueval Hill at 124 metres which, on a clear day, provides spectacular 360 degree views of the island with St Kilda to the west and Skye to the east.

It was on Benbecula that Saint

Food & Beverage - The spirit of Benbecula Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland

Ternan, after whom the isle of Taransay is named, laid some of the early foundations of Christianity in the Western Isles with the creation of a chapel dedicated to St Columba in the 6th century.

The island is also forever associated with Bonnie Prince Charlie who sought refuge during his escape to France with British Government troops hot on his heels following the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

There are also the ruins of Borve Castle, or Caisteal Bhuirgh, which was built by Amy MacRuairi, the first wife of John, Lord of the Isles sometime between 1344 and 1363. For more than 350 years it was a stronghold of the chiefs of the Clanranald until it was abandoned following the failed the 1715 Jacobite Rising.

Now the island is set for a

Photo by Tom Parnell CC BY-SA 2.0 Caisteal Bhuirgh, Beinn nam Fadhla

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Food & Beverage - The spirit of Benbecula Artist’s impression of the new Benbecula distillery

modern attraction. The Uist Distilling Company has revealed plans to produce high-quality spirits including single malt whisky, rum and gin, each with a unique Hebridean flavour at Gramsdale at the very northern tip of Benbecula.

The new distillery complex will also include a visitor centre with a food outlet, championing freshly made local products.

Until now Gramsdale’s greatest claim to fame has been a small stone circle where an ornately carved Pictish stone, one of only three of a kind in the Hebrides, was discovered and is now kept in a museum in Edinburgh.

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A planning application for the new development has been submitted to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council), and it is hoped production will start in early 2022.

The plans for the distillery complex include pioneering and innovate low carbon technologies in the design, construction and distillation process.

The building will incorporate large glazed areas on either side of the main structure showcasing the copper stills and visitor centre.

This will allow whisky-lovers from around the world to take in the truly magnificent views of North Uist’s white sandy beaches, the Monach Isles and the Atlantic

Ocean to the west, the hills of Harris to the north and the Isle of Skye,( Eilean a Cheo) to the east.

It is anticipated the distillery and visitor centre will bring 25 high quality jobs to the island, along with around 60 to 70 indirect jobs for suppliers, farmers, crofters transport and other local and national businesses.

“The new distillery aims to be a champion of all things Hebridean and Scottish and will provide a huge boost to tourism in the area.

We want to produce whisky, rum and gin that will put Benbecula and the Hebrides firmly on the whisky tourist trail, while introducing the products we make to a national and international

Food & Beverage - The spirit of Benbecula

clientele,” said Angus A McMillan, chairman and chief executive of Uist Distilling Company which he owns with his son Angus E

MacMillan.

“I want to build strong relationships with other island

distilleries so that we support the economic prospects of Scotland and our wider international industry.”

Artist’s aerial impression of the new distillery

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Food & Beverage - Gintelligence with... Fiona Holland

Gintelligence with... Fiona Holland

Harbour view at night

Hint of history with a touch of zest P

Lind and Lime Gin Port of Leith Distillery Edinburgh 44 per cent ABV £34 for 70cl

icture Leith, Edinburgh’s port town, in the 16th century. A busy hubbub at the capital’s docks as Mary, Queen of Scots disembarks in 1561 to ascend the Scottish throne.

What she would have found at the time was a harbour buzzing with

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industry – goods arriving from far flung corners of the globe and precious cargoes being shipped out of the country for trade on distant shores.

Back in those days wine and brandy, both valuable commodities, were stored within warehouses at the docks. Later,

Food & Beverage - Gintelligence with... Fiona Holland

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Food & Beverage - Gintelligence with... Fiona Holland

in the late 1600s, glassmaking would begin in the port environs with, in time, the development of the Leith pattern bottle at Leith Glass Works – effectively the long, narrow-necked bottle which is a dominant feature of wine bottles all over the world.

And it is with a nod to this now famous shape, that Lind and Lime Gin now comes along – its name also echoing historical achievement.

Born in Edinburgh in 1716 James Lind joined the Royal Navy in 1738 as a surgeon’s mate. Rising later to surgeon, he is credited with running one of the first ever clinical trials on board HMS Salisbury. Scurvy was a regular occupational hazard of sailors and Lind split a small group of sufferers into sections to try different treatments on them.

What he noted was that those who were given citrus fruits recovered markedly.

And so Lind and his limes are now reborn in this gin.

There is a marked pepperiness on the nose – I suppose with lime in the name one expects to encounter a whoosh of citrus, but it is spice which leads, with lime skipping along in the background.

A sip of neat spirit produces a straightforward juniper hit, but the previously reserved lime is now to the fore and holding its own against the more punchy pink pepper.

There is a hint of burn towards the back of the mouth which develops into a gentle warmth accompanied by a level of sweetness, leaving the nose tingling with a spiced citrus mash-up.

Diluted one to one with Fever Tree Naturally Light, there is an immediate opalescence and the

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Food & Beverage - Gintelligence with... Fiona Holland

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Food & Beverage - Gintelligence with... Fiona Holland

punchy neat gin calms down. The peppery spice has now retreated and the lime speaks for itself.

And for the first time the maritime moniker seen on the bottle comes into its own, with a

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Food & Beverage - Gintelligence with... Fiona Holland

tinge of fresh sea air coming through.

This feels like an old-fashioned, unpretentious London dry gin – which is exactly what the distillery set out to do. It stands on its own two feet without a need for a

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Food & Beverage - Gintelligence with... Fiona Holland

Distiller Andy Colman

myriad of complicated botanicals and marketing. I would be more than happy to settle down for an evening with a few Lind and

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Limes to help me on my way – it is eminently quaffable.

As well as it being an ideal

cocktail gin and I can’t help feeling it could make a sensational (if somewhat pricey) sorbet… maybe I’ll give that a try.

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Style - Beauty & Style with... Alicja Błasińska

Beauty & Style with... Alicja Błasińska

A

A refreshing Scotch mist

s someone with really sensitive skin I am very particular about what I put on my face. I know from experience that many mass produced High Street products can contain man-made chemicals and ingredients which can result

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in pimples, acne or an unsightly rash.

Imagine then my delight when I discovered the organic Mint & Yarrow Face Mist from East Lothian-based cosmetic company Seilich.

After just one week of trying it I was hooked! This natural spray, made from wildlife friendly floral waters, has now become a welcome addition to my regular skin care routine.

Seilich, which is pronounced Shay-lich was founded by

Style - Beauty & Style with... Alicja Błasińska

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Style - Beauty & Style with... Alicja Błasińska

botanist Dr Sally Godstone just two years ago in 2018. Although relatively new it already has a range of face mists, body sprays, room mists, moisturisers and cleansers - all of which are made

Photo by Adolfo Ariño Alicja Błasińska

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exclusively from native Scottish wildflowers.

Everything they produce is handmade and 100 per cent natural, which is probably why

I didn’t get any dryness, spots or rashes that sometimes result from other products. In fact, I am delighted to report I didn’t experience any negative side effects at all.

the company’s own organic meadow. It is described as containing “compounds that provide nourishing, soothing and balancing properties for the skin; particularly good for normal and

mature skins”.

Then there is Chamomile and Wild Carrot. It is created using roman chamomile and wild carrot which gives it a distinctive scent

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Style - Beauty & Style with... Alicja Błasińska

Seilich currently produces three face mists: Rose and Mallow is made from wild rose petals harvested from Scottish hedgerows and mallow flowers grown in

Style - Beauty & Style with... Alicja Błasińska

Video QR Code

of sweet hay. It is said to be especially good for “calming and soothing the skin, while providing anti-inflammatory and mildly astringent properties which are particularly good for normal and aggravated/sensitive skin types”.

I tried the Mint and Yarrow - a botanical combination with a refreshing hint of peppermint which is described as being “good for normal and aggravated/ combination/oily skin types”. And I absolutely adored it!

I love the scent of mint anyway but with the added bonus of yarrow it is a really refreshing combination which made my skin tingle and glow. I started off using it before bed and in the morning

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Photo by Adolfo Ariño Alicja Błasińska

to hydrate and tone my skin.

Soon, however, I found myself sneaking in a few extra sprays during the day.

In the mornings it helped make me feel more awake and refreshed while at night it had a calming effect on me. I tried using it on its own, without applying any moisturiser first, and it made my skin look and feel really nice.

Indeed, I liked the feeling so much that I’ve been carrying it around in my purse and using it

whenever I’ve felt the need for a quick freshen up and in need of a boost.

It can be hard to find a good quality product like this, without unnecessary chemicals or perfumes added, so I’ve been really impressed. If I was to give this product marks out of 10 it would have to be a 10. There is nothing I don’t like about it.

Peppermint + Yarrow Face Mist

by Seilich costs around £20 for a 50ml bottle and is available from www.seilich.co.uk

Style - Beauty & Style with... Alicja Błasińska

Photo by Adolfo Ariño Alicja Błasińska

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Baby joy for endangered species T he birth of a baby monkey in Scotland’s capital city has sparked new hope for an endangered species of primates under threat in their native Africa.

Butembo was born at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo in May and named in tribute to his native home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - more than 4,000 miles from Scotland.

This latest addition to the zoo’s European Endangered Species Programme takes the number

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Conservation & Environment - Baby joy for endangered species

Photos by Laura Moore/RZSS

Conservation & Environment - Baby joy for endangered species

of L’Hoest’s monkeys cared for by the society, founded in 1909 to safeguard animals from extinction, to five.

of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda where they live on a diet predominantly made up of leaves, seeds, flowers, fruits and insects.

L’Hoest’s monkeys can usually be found in small forested areas of the Democratic Republic

However, in recent years deforestation and hunters killing the animals for bushmeat have

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resulted in a large decrease in the population of L’Hoest’s monkeys in the wild. And, because the L’Hoest’s monkeys’ native habitats are in an area of conflict the plight of the animals has been made even worse.

“We’re all really excited about Butembo’s arrival,” said Kirsty

Conservation & Environment - Baby joy for endangered species

Butembo, who was born to mum Sheli and dad Jamal while the zoo was closed due to the coronavirus lockdown, is a ray of hope for the future.

McFaul, senior primate keeper at Edinburgh Zoo. “He’s doing well and is extremely playful. He has been spotted exploring his enclosure by many of our visitors, but never too far from mum Sheli.”

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Arts - Shortlist for top drama prize Photo by Helen Maybanks BLANK at the Donmar

Shortlist for top drama prize

T

hought-provoking plays exploring themes of criminal justice, race and the dark side of social media have been shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize for Drama.

The three diverse productions nominated for the international prize – which is linked to the UK’s oldest literary awards – were selected from more than 80 entries worldwide.

Contenders for the Prize feature

plays that explore the sexual politics of the Notting Hill Carnival and examine the ownership of Black bodies online and in real life.

Also in the running is an experimental piece that probes the impact of the criminal justice system on people’s life experiences.

The three plays shortlisted for the £10,000 prize – which is awarded annually by the University of Edinburgh – are: [BLANK] by

Alice Birch co-produced by Clean Break and Donmar Warehouse; J’Ouvert by Yasmin Joseph produced by Theatre503; and Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner by Jasmine Lee-Jones produced by Royal Court Theatre with support from Jerwood Arts.

Award-winning playwright Alice Birch’s production of [BLANK] is a mosaic of 60 unrelated scenes telling the stories of adults and children caught up in the criminal justice system.

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Arts - Shortlist for top drama prize

Readers and performers can choose as many or as few scenes in order to construct their own narratives.

Yasmin Joseph’s debut J’Ouvert is based on the streets of Notting Hill among the history and vibrancy of its famous carnival.

The play is a reflection of the Black British experience told through the story of two best friends, battling to preserve tradition in a society where women’s bodies are frequently under threat.

Jasmine Lee-Jones’ first play, Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner, explores cultural appropriation, queerness, friendship and the ownership of black bodies both online and in real life.

Photo by Helen Murray J’Ouvert

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Arts - Shortlist for top drama prize

The play’s two characters, Cleo and Kara, debate the role of influencer Kylie Jenner and the appropriation of black women’s beauty for profit.

The winner of the Prize will be announced this month and will take place via an online film this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“This year’s astounding shortlist works with timely themes in exciting and fresh new ways. This year we had our highest number of entries for the Prize, and they showed exciting diversity of form and writing. When considering the award, we ask our judges to nominate dramas that make

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Arts - Shortlist for top drama prize

them look at life a little differently, and this year’s James Tait Black nominees more than fit the bill in this challenging year,� said Greg Walker, Regius Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh and Chair of the judging panel.

The drama prize is presented by the University of Edinburgh in association with Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland and Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.

The accolade is awarded to the best new play in English, Scots or Gaelic, which demonstrates an original theatrical voice and makes a significant contribution to the art form.

The Prizes are distinctive in the way that they are judged. Each year the judging panel relies on the help of postgraduate playwriting student readers to critically assess the entries.

The emerging playwrights employ their literary training to pass on

Photo by Helen Murray Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner

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Arts - Shortlist for top drama prize their recommendations to the judges, who select the shortlist.

The judging panel includes students and academics from the University of Edinburgh, representatives from the Traverse Theatre, Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Schaubuhne Theatre, Berlin, and freelance theatre director Pooja Ghai.

The James Tait Black Prize for Drama was launched in 2012, when Britain’s longest-running literary awards were extended to include a category for drama.

Previous winners include: Clare Barron’s Dance Nation (2019); Tanika Gupta’s Lions and Tigers (2018); David Ireland’s Cyprus Avenue (2017); Gary Owen’s Splott (2016); Gordon Dahlquist’s Tomorrow Come Today (2015); Rory Mullarkey’s Cannibals (2014); and Tim Price’s Radicalisation of Bradley Manning (2013).

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Arts - Historic home for artists and craft makers Hugo Burge at Marchmont House

Historic home for artists and craft makers

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ne of Scotland’s finest 18th century Palladian mansions is to become a centre for artists and craft makers.

launch of the studios and workshops with talks, tours, films and catering by celebrity chef Valentine Warner is scheduled to take place on 19 September.

New studios and workshops, plus two specially commissioned sculptures, will be unveiled this month at the spectacular Marchmont House in the Borders.

Marchmont House has one of the finest collections of UK sculpture and the event will also include the unveiling of two newly commissioned pieces called Sky Boat and Dancing Tree by Charlie Poulsen.

More than £1 million of private money has been invested in the Creative Spaces project which aims to provide high quality, affordable work spaces for artists and craft makers.

A special event marking the

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“Artists and craft makers are facing incredibly tough times at the moment, but we believe it’s essential for our culture, society and economy to support them so they can rebuild and flourish,”

said Hugo Burge, Marchmont’s director.

“The Creative Spaces launch represents a huge step forward in our aim to make Marchmont a home for artists, makers and creatives of many kinds. By having a new centre where the highest quality arts and craft are created and celebrated we hope to help promote some of the finest talent from across Scotland.”

Some Creative Spaces tenants will live as well as work at Marchmont. The first of eight studios, more are planned, is being taken by fresco painter

Arts - Historic home for artists and craft makers

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Arts - Historic home for artists and craft makers

Julia Alexandra Mee, who was previously based in Edinburgh, who will also live in one of the estate cottages.

The studios and workshops have been created by the conversion of a series of 19thcentury outbuildings round a courtyard near the house and its spectacular walled garden. Visitors at the launch will also meet Marchmont’s first artist in residence Valentine Warner,

Marchmont House Murals

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Many will be familiar with Valentine from his books and his TV programmes. He has a deep love of provincial cooking and an attraction of the event is that he will be doing the catering.

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Arts - Historic home for artists and craft makers

who is also a well-known chef, who will be creating a 3D collage inspired by the estate and the 1750 Grade ‘A’ Palladian mansion, which has one of the finest Georgian and Arts & Crafts interiors in Scotland.

Arts - Historic home for artists and craft makers

“The artwork and the cooking will be inspired by the house, the estate and the region. I love creating food that reflects the culinary traditions of an are and what is available in the countryside and the markets, rather than imposing things from the outside. So I’ll probably never serve up a mango at Marchmont,” said Valentine, who is also taking on the role of Marchmont’s gastronomic partner – creating menus and providing catering for future events.

Similarly he will spend time

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Located near Greenlaw in the Scottish Borders, Marchmont House is only open to the public for a limited number of days each year, for tours and special events.

It was awarded the 2018 Historic Houses/Sotheby’s Award for the recently completed seven-year restoration, which was described by the jury as “stunning”.

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Arts - Historic home for artists and craft makers

exploring the estate and house for objects and features to include in the collage, but already plans to reference the William Morris interior decorations and the owl towers in the grounds.

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Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle

An actor’s life for me with... Scott Kyle

Me at New Lanark

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A day here and there

t’s a tradition going back generations. When couples or families couldn’t get away for a vacation a day out here and there was often the next best thing.

This year the Coronavirus lockdown has played havoc with everyone’s summer holidays.

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But, as things begin to relax and places start to welcome visitors I’ve been very happy to revive the custom.

The Helix Park near Falkirk is one of my favourites as it’s home to the fantastic Kelpies - the largest equine sculptures in the world.

And, the one thing about Scotland is there is never a shortage of places to visit and explore.

At over 100ft tall and weighing more than 300 tonnes each these statues, by artist Andy Scott, are truly iconic. Kelpies are mythological water horses said

Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland The Kelpies

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Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle Photo by AndiW PD The Falkirk Wheel

to haunt Scotland’s lochs and rivers with the strength of 100 horses and an ability to transform themselves in to human form.

The Kelpies are open to visitors 365 days of the year and are especially fantastic when lit up at night.

About four miles from the Kelpies lies the world’s first and only rotating boat lift. The 115ft tall structure was specifically designed to connect the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Union Canal and allow cargo barges to cross central Scotland. And, it does it all using less power than eight kitchen kettles. It is an amazing place to visit.

Photo by Dan Kearney CC BY-SA 3.0 Dumfries and Galloway

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After spending weeks stuck in the house and garden it has been great to get out and about and venture a bit further than Glasgow.

One of the most popular places

Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle Photo by Stara Blazkova PD Lockerbie

in Scotland, associated with romance, has got to be Gretna Green - so, obviously, Karen and I had to go.

The border town became famous in the 19th century for weddings between eloping couples, especially those from England where it was against the law to marry under the age of 21 without parental consent but perfectly legal in Scotland over the age of 16.

It’s estimated that around 5,000 couples travel to Gretna Green every year just to get married - what could be more romantic than that?

While we were in Dumfries and Galloway we took a trip to Lockerbie, which has been a centre of civilisation in the area since before Roman times, and along to Ecclefechan.

Ecclefechan is one of my

Photo by Phil Barker CC BY-SA 4.0 Arched House, Ecclefechan

favourite place names in Scotland. It’s a lovely little village, immortalised by Robert Burns in his song ‘The Lass O’ Ecclefechan’, and it is the birthplace of Thomas Carlyle noted philosopher and historian, among other things.

Closer to home we took a day out to Ayrshire for a walk on the beach at Largs where some 750 years ago a battle in which Scots beat off an invading army of Norwegians helped shape the country as we know today.

After a walk on the beach we

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Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle

had tea at Trump Turnberry, a grandiose Edwardian hotel and golf resort overlooking miles of glorious coastline and an expanse

Photo by Trump Turnberry Trump Turnberry courtyard

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Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle

of sea with the spectacular Ailsa Craig bird sanctuary in the distance. A magical end to a great day.

Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle Portavadie

Another day out for us included a visit to the historic New Lanark, a preserved village of cotton mills founded in 1786 which is today recognised by UNESCO as one of Scotland’s six World Heritage Sites. We spent a highly enjoyable walk around the village and a visit to the Falls of Clyde - well worth an afternoon anytime.

Sometimes great experiences result from mistakes, and so it was when Karen and I took a wrong turn out of Dunoon on a foray into Argyll. We got a little bit lost and ended up in Portavadie.

Photo by Mrslippery PD New Lanark

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We had never been before and it was an amazing surprise. This former industrial blot on the landscape has been tuned into a

Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle

state-of-the-art marina, complete with accommodation and leisure facilities to create a world-class destination.

Sitting out on the deck, enjoying a gorgeous take-away meal while watching the boats gently rocking at the moorings on Loch Fyne while the sun slipped below the horizon was a memory worth making.

So much of Scotland’s hospitality and tourism industry is suffering as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and needs our support.

If ever there was a good time to revive the old tradition of enjoying a day out here and there then 2020 has got to be it!

Me at Portavadie

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Arts - Bookmarker

Bookmarker Personal journeys join hall of fame

A

memoir by a poet whose mother was a survivor of the Holocaust and a novel told entirely via the internal monologue of an Ohio mother of four have won the UK’s longest-running literary awards.

Acclaimed writers George Szirtes and Lucy Ellmann join the illustrious list of authors who have won the James Tait Black Prizes, awarded annually by the University of Edinburgh.

The winners of the £10,000 prizes were announced at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which took place online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

George Szirtes’ winning book in the biography prize is a fascinating exploration of the life of his mother, Magda. The Photographer at Sixteen: The Death and Life of a Fighter (MacLehose Press) uses photographs and memories to

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trace her life, while introducing the reader to tales of suffering and survival.

Budapest-born George Szirtes came to the UK as a refugee in the 1950s. His poetry has received numerous accolades including the TS Eliot prize in 2004.

Lucy Ellmann’s winning book in the fiction prize, Ducks, Newburyport (Galley Beggar Press), is a complex novel based around the ruminations of an Ohio housewife. Much of it is written in one sentence, beginning with, “The fact that…”

written much as a poet would write it, not so much a straight story as a set of mysteries in reverse time order, starting from my mother’s suicide in 1975, through concentration camps and refugee status, ending with a set of studio photographs of her early childhood in Transylvania. She died before she saw any of my books in print. The Photographer at Sixteen is an attempt to bring her to life,” said George Szirtes as he expressed delight at winning.

Award-winning author Lucy Ellmann is an Americanborn British novelist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Previous accolades include the Goldsmiths Prize and a shortlisting for the Booker Prize.

George Szirtes’ book was chosen for the £10,000 biography prize from a shortlist that featured What You Have Heard is True

by Carolyn Forché (Allen Lane); Constellations: Reflections from Life by Sinéad Gleeson (Picador); and Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval by Saidiya Hartman (Serpent’s Tail).

“I am a poet and the book is

Lucy Ellmann’s book topped a

Arts - Bookmarker

Photo by Marzena Pogorzaly George Szirtes (c) Marzena Pogorzaly

Photo byAmy Jordison Lucy Ellmann

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shortlist featuring three other writers, including: Travellers by Helon Habila (Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin); Sudden Traveller by Sarah Hall (Faber & Faber); and Girl by Edna O’Brien (Faber & Faber).

“Amid the daily assaults on our lives and intelligence, it is really cheering to receive this prize,” said Lucy Ellmann.

“My father won the James Tait Black in 1982 (for his biography of James Joyce), so it feels like quite an Oedipal coup for me to get one! And I liked the international flavour of the shortlist. English literature exists and thrives way beyond the boundaries of England. If it didn’t, there’d be little hope for it.”

The prizes are for the best work of fiction and biography during the previous 12 months. They are the only major British book awards judged by literature scholars and students. Prizes are awarded

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by the University of Edinburgh’s English Literature department, which is the oldest in the world.

“George Szirtes’ reverse chronological portrait of the woman who was his mother is a piercingly beautiful memoiras-prose-poem, as generous as it is scrupulous in its searching meditation on a death and life, on memory and history, and on how we imagine the lives of those we love,” said Biography judge Dr Simon Cooke.

Fiction judge Dr Ben Bateman, said: “Lucy Ellman’s book is an experimental and encyclopedic account of one woman’s worries large and small in Donald Trump’s America, Ducks, Newburyport is the novel of our maddening moment. It would have been impossible this year to not view the prize through the experience to be in coronavirus lockdown - these four dazzling works of fiction supplied nourishing forms

of travel and encouragement of how inventive and original many forms of fiction can be.”

The James Tait Black Prizes are distinctive in the way that they are judged. Each year two academic judges rely on the help of postgraduate student readers to critically assess the entries.

Each year around two dozen students divide the 400-plus entries between them, and employ their literary training to pass on their recommendations to the judges, who select the two shortlists and the eventual winners.

The James Tait Black Prizes have been presented by the University of Edinburgh every year since 1919. In 1918 Janet Tait Black née Coats, part of the renowned threadmaking family J & P Coats, made provision in her will for the creation of two book prizes, to be awarded annually in memory to her husband, James Tait Black.

Arts - Bookmarker Robert Ferguson with his debut novel

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Supernatural adventures of a taxi driver

lmost anyone who has ever sat in the back of a taxi will be familiar with the phrase “I had [insert name of celebrity] in the back of my cab once!”

It’s a hackneyed old phrase synonymous with hackney drivers who want to strike up a dialogue with shy passengers. Sometimes

it leads to an entertaining conversation but very rarely does it result in a life-changing event.

But, if the celebrity turned out to be Jesus it would be fair to imagine that things could get very interesting indeed.

‘I’ve Got Jesus in the Back of My Taxi!’ is the debut novel of

Scottish writer Robert Ferguson.

He has taken the Dickensian concept of a Christmas Carol and created a modern exploration of life, love and humanity seen through the eyes of a Glasgow cabbie.

Despite the title the book is not a religious text, attempting to preach to the masses, anymore

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Arts - Bookmarker

than Outlander is an academic study of time travel.

The story revolves around taxi driver Donald Forbes, an ordinary middle-aged Glaswegian, who

Video QR Code

Photo by Johnny Durnan CC BY-SA 2.

George Square, Glasgow at Christmas

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picks up a 1970s George Harrison look-alike late one night in the run up to Christmas.

However, rather than the legendary Beatle, the festive fare

Arts - Bookmarker

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Arts - Bookmarker Photo by Stewart Cunningham The Wellington statue in Glasgow

turns out to be Jesus who takes Donald on a magical mystery tour of Glasgow to revisit key moments of his life and observe invisible connections between perfect strangers.

It is a thought-provoking story interspersed with moments of amusement, laughter, sadness and hope as it explores issues as diverse as homelessness and suicide, love and relationships, happiness and human frailty.

It is also something of a travelogue. Numerous prominent, and some hidden, Glasgow landmarks - such as the historic cathedral, the Britannia Panopticon theatre, George Square, the traffic cone crowned Duke of Wellington statue and the museum of transport. - all make

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cameo appearances and add to the fun for anyone familiar with the city or future visitors.

‘I’ve Got Jesus in the Back of My Taxi!’ is a remarkable first novel from a talented writer with an interesting imagination, an eye for descriptive detail and empathy for the human condition.

Although writing books may be a new experience for Robert it is not the Alloa-born author’s first attempt at putting words on a page. The 64-year-young former design consultant for an international airline has been writing short stories, songs, plays, and scripts for most of his adult life.

Robert, who is now working on a psychological thriller, has been

amazed by the positive reaction he’s received. In a matter of weeks since it was released by Austin Macauley Publishers ‘I’ve got Jesus in the Back of my Taxi!’ has achieved widespread acclaim (recording 4.9 stars out of 5 on Amazon) from readers throughout the UK and further afield. Internationally renowned Scottish actor David Hayman has even filmed a short promotional video for the book.

‘I’ve got Jesus in the Back of my Taxi!’ by Robert Ferguson is certainly a good read, especially in the run up to Christmas. It is available now from Amazon and other outlets priced at £9.99 for the paperback and £3.50 for the Kindle edition.

Arts - Bookmarker Photo by Surajit Paul CC BY 2.0 Glasgow Transport Museum

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Supernatural - Strange tales from Scotland’s thin places with…Tom Morton

Strange tales from Scotland’s thin places with...Thomas MacCalman Morton

Photo by Bewahrerderwerte CC BY-SA 4.0 A9 approaching Cromarty Bridge

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Ghost car

he A9 is a road beset with tragedy. Battlefields, murders, the inevitable crashes. Blizzards which claimed the lives of stranded motorists, pedestrians run over... and past Inverness, as you head into the more remote north eastern corner of Scotland, towards Wick and Thurso, the road itself becomes treacherous,

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full of deceptive hairpin bends, climbs and downward spirals.

Death and the risk of accident hovers over almost every mile of the route.

The Berriedale Braes in Caithness has been earmarked for improvement for generations.

Now it has actually happened, with £9m spent on making

that desperate combination of corkscrewing bends and hair raisingly steep drops safer. The spectacularly scary hairpin has gone. Smooth curves and safe ascents and descents are the order of today. And I will never see the ghost car again. I hope.

There are ghost cars in other parts of the country, most notably

https://anchor.fm/tom-morton4/episodes/Strange-Tales-from-Thin-Places-Ghost-Car-eimfu6

Listen here in Skye, on the road between Portree and Sligachan. Numerous folk report being forced off the single track by the approach of a vehicle which then just...vanishes.

These stories started in 1941 and continue today. Local legend says the car is - and this is oddly specific - a 1934 Austin 7, owned by a minister driven mad with guilt after he ran a child down on the road. He killed himself. And now he haunts the road, warning motorists to take care.

As for Berriedale, I can only tell you what I saw, and what I have since discovered. I was driving my decrepit Vauxhall Nova south one November afternoon about

Photo by Tim Green CC BY 2.0 1934 Austin Seven similar to the ghostly one on Skye

15 years ago, heading to Brora from my rented cottage, up a forestry track near Dunbeath, to meet a man who wanted to commission some work for his restaurant.. It was just getting

dark, mid afternoon in winter Caithness, when I began the tortuous 13 per cent Berriedale descent. 100 feet down for every 13 forward. A calm, fine day it had been, not icy, no rain. That

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Supernatural - Strange tales from Scotland’s thin places with‌Tom Morton

Photo by Richard Dorrell CC BY-SA 2.0 The road from Portree

Supernatural - Strange tales from Scotland’s thin places with…Tom Morton

Photo by Trevor Rickard CC BY-SA 2.0 Hairpin bends at Berriedale before improvements

Highland winter twilight, the gloaming. I was very slowly and cautiously spinning the steering wheel, doing perhaps 10 miles per hour when suddenly, a car appeared around the bend and loomed directly in front of me, heading straight towards me. I was sure a collision was inevitable.

It was a Volvo. I’ve always been good at car recognition. All those childhood journeys playing I-Spy with my sisters. One of the big old 240 Estates, its radiator instantly identifiable by the diagonal line.

And the badge saying Volvo, of course. That seventies brown, the colour bathroom suites were if they weren’t avocado. I had always wanted one of these massive beasts, legendary in the 70s and 80s for their strength and reliability. The driver...but there was no driver, or none that I could see. And then there was... the car was left hand drive, and peering over the wheel, a terrified

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Photo by O.Gwen CC BY-SA 3.0 Loch Brora

looking face, bespectacled, white, gazing right at me. I wrenched my steering wheel to the left, and thank God, there was one of the gravel escape roads.

I turned, furious, to look for the careless foreigner, because obviously that’s what he was, a tourist with a car built for driving on the right. But the car had gone. I reversed out of the soft gravel and resumed my journey.

Calmed down. And I thought no more about it. For oh, 10 years or so.

Much had happened in that decade. I had moved from Brora to Glasgow, and I had largely given up the fishing, the salmon fishing that had taken me often from Dunbeath down to Helmsdale and then inland along the river at odd times of the day and night. Well, I say angling.

It was poaching to be honest.

An honest way of occupying one’s leisure hours, or at least it seemed so to me at the time. To supplement one’s income.

And just to eat. And there was

something about fly fishing I loved. The meditative precision.

The sense of oneness with your environment. The control. The battle. The money and the food.

I was a struggling artist then, selling watercolours to tourists, or trying to. Later, in Glasgow I took a job designing brochures for one of those instant print shops, and then opened my own design company. It did well. We moved into internet design early, and flourished. I had a family by then and at last we had some security.

So of course I got divorced. New woman and a better car. A Volvo.

Not a classic 240, right enough.

A nice XC90, eventually. A model of car, they say, no one has ever been killed in. It was certainly comfortable.

Anyway, one summer about four years ago my second wife, Jasmine, who is American, asked to see some of my old haunts in the Highlands. I had some spare time so I suggested a weekend’s

Photo by Foxie001 PD Helmsdale Harbour

road trip north, up to Helmsdale, to see if the glorious La Mirage cafe was still there, maybe stop in at the crazy fairytale that is Dunrobin Castle, head up to Dunbeath and beyond to Wick and Thurso. John o’Groats. The edge of Scotland. And maybe I’d take my watercolours and do

some painting. I hadn’t painted for a long time.

We spent a pleasant afternoon in Golspie, having overnighted previously Dornoch, with its marvellous distillery and beaches.

And then, having booked an AirBnB near my old stamping

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Supernatural - Strange tales from Scotland’s thin places with…Tom Morton

Photo by John Haslam CC BY 2.0 Dun robin Castle, Sutherland

Supernatural - Strange tales from Scotland’s thin places with…Tom Morton

Photo by Jim Bain CC BY-SA 2.0 Pre-improved Berridale Brae hairpin

ground at Dunbeath, we headed northwards on the A9, up the Berriedale Braes.

Photo by Jim Bain Berridale Braes 2006

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Slowly, very slowly, because there were a couple of vehicles ahead of us. A local Toyota HiLux pickup, battered, bruised and belching diesel fumes, and, after it roared furiously and dangerously past the painfully slow vehicle in front of it, what was evidently a tourist. A Swedish tourist. With that tell tale ‘S’ sticker on the back of his... brown, Volvo 240. I momentarily registered the number plate as odd. Just six letters, like a very old British registration. The blue European Union panel. He sped up as we approached the very worst hairpin. Foolishly, I registered. That was daft. And then he slammed on his brakes. I was too close, and couldn’t stop myself in time. We ploughed right into the rear of the car. Jasmine screamed.

Even very old 240s are solid beasts, if they haven’t rusted.

The modern XC90 is huge and heavy and designed to take every punishment that can be meted out to it. But there was no screech of metal on metal, no crumple and bang as airbags exploded. Instead, the ABS clattering, we sailed straight on into the corner, and I was going slowly enough to avoid the people carrier coming the other way. The old 240 was nowhere to be seen.

I looked at Jasmine, and she looked at me. I carefully ascended the rest of the hill and as we made our way to Dunbeath, I said to her; Let me tell you a story…

When we arrived at the AirBnb, an old crofthouse, the owner was waiting for us. A spry old gent in Barbour jacket and tweed bunnet, festooned with salmon flies. He was vaguely familiar.

He explained that he used to run

Photo by Piotr Grzegorz CC BY-SA 3.0 Golspie

a small fishing supplies shop in Helmsdale, mostly for the toffs and celebrities with their expensive beats and Champagne picnics.

“Ah,” he said, “I remember you.

The painter. Up in Fergus Mowat’s old house. The poaching painter.

You used to head up towards Kinbrace, didn’t you, of a pitch black night? Caused much amusement. Still at it? Either of them?”

“Och well,” I replied, “a bit of

scribbling, you know. But I haven’t touched a fishing rod for years.”

“Just as well, maybe,” he said.

“Some of the River Helmsdale Beats are unlucky. The one you used to fish, thinking nobody could see you? We all could of course. We all knew. Turned a blind eye. Never told the fellow who leased it every summer.

Wealthy chap. Swedish. It was a pity what happened to him. The sooner they sort that road out, the better…”

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Supernatural - Strange tales from Scotland’s thin places with…Tom Morton

Photo by Les Harvey CC BY-SA 2.0 Dunbeath water

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Demand for rural properties takes off

by Paul Watson

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slice of history amid some of Scotland’s most spectacular countryside is on the market for any millionaires, tycoons or would be lottery winners with at least £7.5million to spend.

Kinrara Estate, is a stunning Speyside estate with a productive grouse moor, stalking, salmon and trout fishing and ancient woodland extending to a total of more than 9,000 acres.

In the 1700s, Kinrara formed part

of the Duke of Gordon’s empire.

The estate at that time included Kinrara House which was built in the late 1700s by the Duchess of Gordon.

When in 1793 the army was short of recruits, the Duchess is reputed to have had a bet with the Prince Regent that she could raise more men than he could.

She duly toured the villages of Scotland, organising Scottish dances and donned a military uniform complimented by a large black feathered hat. Those that danced joined the army and

Duchess of Gordo

by Daniel Gardner c1775

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Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

Kinrara Estate

Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

are said to have received the King’s shilling from between the Duchess’s lips. The Duchess is reputed to have recruited some 940 men and this is believed to have been the beginning of

Kinrara House

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the famous Gordon Highland regiment.

The Duchess died in 1812 and she is buried in the grounds of Kinrara House. The estate was

the renowned former showgirl and philanthropist, Lady Lucy Houston, who is said to have inherited a fortune from her shipping magnate husband.

Renowned as the saviour of the spitfire engine by giving much needed finance to the government for the project during the Second World War, Lady Houston also funded exhibitions

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Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

inherited by her son, George, the fifth Duke of Gordon, passing in turn to his nephew, the Duke of Richmond. It remained in the Richmond family until 1928 when it was bought by

Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

Kinrara from above

“Kinrara offers a rare opportunity to own and play a key role in the ongoing stewardship of this stunning landscape, including some of the UK’s most sensitive and important habitats,” said John Bound, a partner with Galbraith, the real estate company handling the sale.

“It is a wonderful, mixed estate, underpinned by good housing, farming, significant forestry and sporting activities.”

Kinrara estate

to Everest and gave generously to charity. She died in 1935, and the estate was bought by a Glasgow businessman. The house and the estate were divided in 2005 when the estate was bought by the current owners.

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Situated in Upper Speyside the estate forms part of the renowned Monadhliath range of hills, the land rising to 824m at its highest point with its southern most point within the Cairngorm National Park.

The Kinrara moor is one of the finest driven grouse moors in the Highlands and with its gullies, ridges and undulating terrain, it provides the most challenging and exciting driven grouse shooting. With 19 drives, the 10year average stands at 460 brace.

The estate also offers some enjoyable red deer and roe stalking and there is also a particularly challenging, high bird pheasant shoot.

Salmon fishing is available on the River Dulnain, an important spawning tributary of the renowned river Spey. Although a spate river and while no formal records have been kept, there are a number of holding pools that can provide sport in the right conditions. Loch Alvie and the hill loch, Lochan Dubh, both offer enjoyable trout fishing.

The estate comes with an attractive six-bedroom property, Lynwilg House, which boasts wonderful views to the Cairngorms.

There are seven further houses and cottages on the estate and a good number of useful outbuildings, including a wonderful shoot room and two boathouses on Loch Alvie.

For those whose budget doesn’t quite stretch so far as several million pounds Galbraith is handling the sale of Moatwell, a

Moatwell House

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Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

Kinrara estate

Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

superb Georgian townhouse with private garden and direct access to the picturesque estuary of the River Dee in Kirkcudbright.

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Moatwell House

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Occupying a prime position overlooking the River Dee in the Old High Street, and is a category B-listed townhouse, dating back to at least the late 18th century in its present form. It is one of only two houses in Kirkcudbright to

have direct estuary frontage and is on the market for offers over ÂŁ850,000.

The enclosed private garden is particularly attractive, with mature trees and borders, lawn, greenhouse and patio area. The garden has wonderful views over the water, with the sea wall forming the boundary.

The house and garden have recently undergone an extensive programme of refurbishment.

The house offers impressive and well-appointed reception and entertaining space, with

many original features retained, including sash windows and working shutters to many of the rooms, fireplaces and ornate plasterwork.

“Moatwell offers the perfect blend of privacy, practicality and comfort and while in the heart of Kirkcudbright Old Town, it feels like a rural property given its open Estuary views from the rear of

Moatwell House

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Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

Moatwell House

Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

Moatwell House

the house. It is rare to find such an exceptional property in such a private, waterside setting,” said agent David Corrie.

Kirkcudbright, known as Scotland’s Artists Town, sits

Moatwell House

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beside the estuary of the River Dee on the coast of the Solway Firth. Between 1850 and 1950 the town was established as an artists’ colony due to the quality of the light. The harbour is a main feature in the centre of the town,

and there are delightful riverside walks as well as a renowned ‘blue-flag’ marina providing excellent sailing and motor boat facilities.

Rural locations are proving very

popular among buyers looking for a new home in Scotland just now but, unlike Glenshamrock Farm in Ayrshire, few have their own aircraft hanger and landing strip.

The 25-acre secluded property

within easy travelling distance of Glasgow, available for offers over £550,000, comes with a traditional 19th century farmhouse, good quality pasture for horses or livestock, a family annexe, grass runway and hanger.

“This is a beautiful property that offers the ultimate rural lifestyle,” said agent Vivien Wright, handling the sale.

“As well as the house itself, particularly the wonderful

Glenshamrock Farm

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Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

Glenshamrock Farm

Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

farmhouse kitchen, the sitting room and the lovely bedrooms, the self-contained annexe is

Glenshamrock Farm

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ideal for extended family or visiting friends. The opportunity to acquire a private and secluded

property of this quality with its own landing strip and surrounded by scenic countryside is of huge

Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

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Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

Glenshamrock Farm

appeal.�

The house has been extended into one wing with the recent addition of a superb new annexe with sitting room, one bedroom and shower room. There is also a mezzanine area which could

Glenshamrock Farm

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be used as an office or sleeping platform.

The grounds extend to 25.25 acres, and part of the land forms the 450m grass runway which could also be used for grazing or riding. The rear garden has

a lawn, colourful borders and extensive terrace making it a particularly appealing and private area for a sunny day. There are two further fields providing grazing.

If the city life holds more appeal

there are still some luxury apartments available in the iconic Cathcart House, Glasgow.

large terrace with stunning views across the city skyline to the Campsie Fells.

This landmark building, which was the former HQ of Scottish Power, has been converted into 78 apartments with a mix of one, two and three-bedroom flats and two bedroom penthouses as part of a £40 million project by property developer the FM Group

Cathcart House, designed by renowned Scottish architect Sir John James Burnet, is a grade ‘B’ listed building and retains its original hallway entrance and its marble staircase with decorative balustrades.

The penthouses have full height glass doors from the living area and master bedroom to a private

Prices for the apartments ranging from £171k to £349k for one to three-bed apartments, and from £366k for the two-bed

penthouses.

“Cathcart House preserves several majestic aspects of its original design, such as its hallway entrance and marble staircase,” said Robert Croll, Sales Manager at the FM Group.

“Its convenient location, by being close to the city centre and yet surrounded by green areas have also proven a clear draw for people as we have just a small number of apartments left.”

View from Cathcart House

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Living Scotland - Demand for rural properties takes off

The view from Cathcart House

Destination - Scotland

Destination P Scotland

lan your trip to the most beautiful country in the world with our directory of places to stay, eat, visit and enjoy.

Rokeby Manor

Invergarry, Highlands Situated on the edge of the Highland Village of Invergarry Rokeby Manor is the epitome of a late Georgian-early Victorian country house.

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This former country house, as featured in issue 32 of Scotland Correspondent, has been turned into a romantic retreat surrounded by landscaped gardens and natural woodland.

Destination - Scotland

Royal Scots Club Edinburgh

More personal than a hotel the Royal Scots Club offers a rare combination of all the charm of a country house with the added cosy atmosphere of a private members’ club in the heart of Scotland’s historic capital of Edinburgh.

Founded in 1919 as a living memorial to those who fell in The Great War the club is situated in one of Edinburgh’s finest Georgian streets and is open for bed and breakfast, meetings and events, functions and private dining. Featured in issue 22 of Scotland Correspondent.

Meldrum House

Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire More than 800 years of history are wrapped up in this unique boutique country house hotel nestled in the heart of Aberdeenshire’s tranquil countryside.

Complete with its own golf course the 240-acre estate and 13th century baronial mansion is the epitome of luxury. As featured in issue 27 of Scotland Correspondent. Meldrum House provides a truly exceptional experience and is an ideal base from which to explore the rich and colourful north east corner of Scotland.

Chester Residence Edinburgh

A luxurious bolthole in central Edinburgh with an expanse of space and all the perks of a grand hotel as featured in issue 21 of Scotland Correspondent.

Behind the facades of gracious, listed Georgian townhouses in Edinburgh’s New Town these 5-star apartments are spacious and packed with luxury features, including a top of the range kitchen, a heavenly bathroom or two and sumptuously grand living rooms.

9 Rothesay Place (Main Reception), Edinburgh, EH3 7SL. Tel: +44 (0) 131 226 2075 enquiries@chester-residence.com www.chester-residence.com

Embo House Sutherland

Luxury exclusive self-catering accommodation in a Grad-A listed Georgian mansion overlooking the Dornoch Firth. As featured in issue 24 of Scotland Correspondent. Embo House is steeped in history.

This former ancestral castle of Clan Gordon with its 8-spacious bedrooms provides contemporary and luxurious accommodation for large family groups, golfers or even weddings.

Embo House, Dornoch, Sutherland. IV25 3PP Tel: 01738 451610 https://www.cottages-and-castles.co.uk

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Destination - Scotland Gleddoch Hotel

Carnoustie Golf Hotel

An independently owned hotel resort overlooking the Clyde Estuary with 75 bedrooms, an 18 hole championship golf course, an elegant banqueting room and a luxury Imperia Spa.

Carnoustie Golf Hotel offers an extensive collection of facilities, including 75 luxury en-suite bedrooms and 10 suites with amazing views over the Championship course, the sea and the local town of Carnoustie. Featured in issue 16 of Scotland Correspondent.

Glasgow

One of the most prestigious, luxury hotels in the Glasgow area just 10 minutes from the airport featured in issue 13 of Scotland Correspondent.

Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island Benderloch, Oban

Located on the west coast of Scotland on a private 300 acre island with gorgeous views overlooking Loch Linnhe and the dramatic Morvern mountains beyond.

Featured in issue 3 of Scotland Correspondent. The hotel offers a variety of accommodation with 16 bedrooms in the main house, five spa suites in the gardens with private hot tub, two garden cottages with two bedrooms each which are ideal for families and six hilltop reserves overlooking Loch Linnhe with private hot tub and balconies.

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Carnoustie

Mercure Hotel inverness Inverness

Featured in issue 15 of Scotland Correspondent.

This stylish Inverness hotel has been refurbished throughout, blending traditional Highland hospitality with supreme comfort in the finest waterside hotel Inverness has to offer.

Luss, Loch Lomond

Destination - Scotland

Lodge on Loch Lomond

Portavadie

Loch Fyne, Argyll

The Lodge on Loch Lomond Hotel, on the beachfront at Luss near Glasgow, is the perfect place to relax overlooking Scotland’s favourite loch.

Sitting on the shores of Loch Fyne on Scotland’s west coast, Portavadie is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and unwind amid glorious scenery.

As featured in issue 5 of Scotland Correspondent.

The 48-bedroom hotel, complete with a range of conference and banqueting facilities for up to 200 guests and leisure facilities, enjoys an intimate, warm and charming atmosphere. The awardwinning Colquhoun’s Restaurant and Lounge are the perfect place to relax and unwind and watch the changing landscape of the loch.

As featured in issue 2 of Scotland Correspondent.

The resort offers world-class marina facilities, a range of holiday accommodation, restaurants and bars, beauty and wellbeing treatments, shopping and event spaces. The spa and leisure experience provides an exceptional way to enjoy the views over Loch Fyne at any time of year, making Portavadie the destination of choice for all occasions.

Trump Turnberry

Turnberry, Ayrshire Trump Turnberry is an iconic landmark on the spectacular Ayrshire coast providing warm Scottish hospitality.

As featured in issue 7 of Scotland Correspondent.

It offers a range of exceptional venues ideal for meetings, events and weddings. Enjoy the fresh Scottish air while enjoying the wonderful scenery, exceptional dining options, indulgent spa treatments, outdoor activities and championship golf.

Dundas Castle Edinburgh

Dundas Castle is a most spectacular venue for any event. This authentic Scottish Castle has been transformed into a 5-star ‘Exclusive Use’ venue with 17 bedrooms.

As featured in issue 13 of Scotland Correspondent.

Parts of the castle date back to 1416 and has belonged to the Stewart-Clark family since the late 1800s.

Enjoy all the amenities of the finest hotels but with the exclusivity of staying in your own castle.

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Destination - Scotland George Hotel

Inveraray, Argyll Imagine relaxing by an open peat fire, sipping a single-malt whisky after a sumptuous meal before retiring to a luxury bed in a 247-year-old hotel by the side of a spectacular Scottish loch.

As featured in issue 11 of Scotland Correspondent.

Each of the George’s 17 rooms have been beautifully decorated and many boast a super kingsize bed, jacuzzi bath and even a real open log and coal fire to add an extra layer of romantic cosiness.

Glamis House Glamis, Angus

Built in 1798 Glamis House is a stunning, traditional home with an impressive history, as featured in issue 19 of Scotland Correspondent. The house is situated in the grounds of Glamis Castle. With room for up to 13 people to sleep the house is situated in a stunningly beautiful part of the country boasting superb beaches, great walking trails and renowned golf courses close by, including Carnoustie.

Glamis House, Forfar, Angus Tel: 01738 451610 https://www.cottages-and-castles.co.uk

The Station Hotel

Glen Nevis Hostel

Situated in the heart of Scotland’s world renowned whisky country the Station Hotel in Rothes, as featured in issue 30 of Scotland Correspondent, provides the perfect blend of of history, tradition and modern luxury.

Visitors on a budget looking to spend time in one of the most spectacular areas of the Scottish Highlands can do so Glen Nevis Youth Hostel in Fort William, Lochaber.

Speyside

With 14 bedrooms, including five luxury suites, the four-star hotel is ideally placed to serve as a base for visitors interested in exploring the wellsignposted nearby whisky, golf and castle trails of Speyside.

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Fort William

As featured in issue 20 of Scotland Correspondent this jewell in the crown of Hostelling Scotland has recently been refurbished to provide a mix of private en-suite rooms and shared accommodation with all the comforts and modern conveniences of a home from home.

Destination - Scotland

The Chester Hotel Aberdeen

Trump International

Balmedie, Aberdeenshire MacLeod House & Lodge is a five-star luxury hotel located near Balmedie, Aberdeenshire at Trump International Championship Links Golf Course and award-winning five-star resort.

As featured in issue 20 of Scotland Correspondent.

This historic Scottish mansion and lodge, set amid mature woodland, provides sumptuous accommodation, exquisite dining and an intimate bar. Available for exclusive use, corporate events and weddings it has all the facilities and amenities to suit the modern, traveller.

Situated in the heart of Aberdeen’s historic west end The Chester Hotel, with its 50 luxurious bedrooms and suites, renowned restaurant and stylish lounge bar, is ideally placed for accessing some of the most exciting and challenging golf courses Scotland has to offer.

As featured in issue 19 of Scotland Correspondent.

It provides a perfect base to explore the north-east with its abundance of castles, whisky distilleries and breath-taking scenery.

59-63 Queen’s Road Aberdeen, AB15 4YP. T: 01224 327777 Reservations@chester-hotel.com www.chester-hotel.com

Fingal

Edinburgh The former Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) tender, MV Fingal, is Scotland’s first floating hotel, complete with Presidential suit - as featured in issue 31 of Scotland Correspondent.

Now berthed permanently at the Prince of Wales Dock in the historic Port of Leith, it is a unique addition to Edinburgh’s booming hotel scene.

Developed by The Royal Yacht Britannia each of Fingal’s 23 luxury cabins are each named after Stevenson lighthouses, inspired by her rich maritime heritage.

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