Discover Scotland Issue 56

Club of aces - Ayrshire’s golfing legends

Legend of the Goblin Ha’

Spine tingling spooky places

Love, marriage and family history

The value of Stirling Castle

Fresh approach to home ownership

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Southerness Lighthouse, Dumfries and Galloway, South West Coastal 300 Photo by VisitScotland / Visit South West Scotland / Damian Shields

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Golf

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The miners’ sons who became golfing legends

Property

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New initiative to help struggling home buyers

Travel

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Travels on the dark side - six of the best spooky locations

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History

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The incredible beauty and history of Stirling Castle

Arts

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Live entertainment returns to the most magical of venues

Bookmark

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Uncovering hidden stories of Scotland’s lighthouses

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Arts

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Creative flow on show at nationwide photography exhibition

People

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Recognition for inspirational women

Property

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Dream homes on a grand scale

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Contributors

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Musical Discoveries...

documents with…

Dr Bruce Durie on uncovering family records of love and marriage

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Tom Morton presents Musical Discoveries and celebrates Scottish talent

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Chef in a kilt…

An actor’s life for me with…

Dishing up a celebration of

Scott Kyle takes a look at the history of His Majesty’s Theatre

Scotland’s historic links with China

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112 Folklore Scotland

Skailg: A wee livener with…

Gordon Johncock delves into the legends of Yester Castle

Tom Morton and a remarkable experience at Glenfarclas

158 Hunting antiques with…

Roo Irvine and fawning over fans

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1/216 Cover Photo/Back Photo Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland Glen Rosa with a view of Goat Fell on the Isle of Arran

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Discover Scotland is an independent magazine published

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Southerness Lighthouse, Dumfries and Galloway, South West Coastal 300 Photo by VisitScotland / Visit South West Scotland / Damian Shields

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Golf

Liberace, the Holy Grail and the Three Champions of Bartonholm

Three Scottish Amateur Champions were born and grew up in a tiny Ayrshire mining village. One of them, Hamilton ‘Hammy’ McInally, remains to this day an Ayrshire legend. Tom Morton went to Irvine, and delved into his own past, to find out more.

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his is where the Golf Coast turned toxic, where the mighty Firth of Clyde dunes still hide terrible pollutants from Alfred Nobel’s explosives factory, later owned by ICI, a city-sized, dangerous excrescence along some of the best linksland in the country, now closed and largely bulldozed.

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Dynamite was first manufactured here on an industrial, communitythreatening and sustaining scale.

Pre-nationalisation, private coal mines scarred the landscape from Stevenston through Kilwinning to Irvine, with the original Ardeer nine-hole course (designed in 1880 by St Andrews professional Jamie Anderson, who ended

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his life in the poorhouse) abandoned in 1904 “on account of subsidence at some parts, but specially by the discharge of washings from the pit, in the shape of a thick black fluid, which gradually spread over a part of the course until it formed what looked like a miniature black sea.”

A new James Braid course was built on ICI land in 1905, but it too fell victim to chemicals, reclaimed by its owners in the 1960s for

industrial developments and further impregnation with toxins.

The golf tourist lusts for a tee time at Turnberry, Prestwick or Troon, enjoys the gale-lashed classic links of Barassie and Gailes, and then they stop short at Irvine, rundown and ragged, built on myths and mysteries, and wonder about heading to Fife, maybe, or Gleneagles.

Turnberry Lighthouse Photo by Ian Dick CC BY 2.0

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There are some secrets Irvine and its hinterland - Kilwinning, Stevenston, Ardeer - won’t give up easily. Others not at all.

Did the Knights Templar, having fled mainland Europe with death at their heels, congregate within the cloisters of Kilwinning Abbey?

There are many indications that they did. Some have argued that the Holy Grail is buried there, along with the remnants of Templar riches. Templar properties abounded in Irvine.

Did that residence lead directly to the formation of the Freemasonry in Scotland, with Lodge 0, the Mother Lodge, still located in Kilwinning, and boasting Robert Burns as one of its members?

Mother Lodge, Kilwinning Photo by Secondarywaltz CC BY-SA 4.0

Kilwinning Abbey Photo by PaulT (Gunther Tschuch) CC BY-SA 4.0

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Archers trying to shoot the papingo at Kilwinning Abbey Photo by Dave Souza CC BY-SA 4.0

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Eglinton castle ruins, Eglinton Country Park Photo by Rosser1954 PD

What on earth is the Lodge’s ultrasecret, inner-core Royal Order of Scotland all about? What does the strange, centuries old annual ceremony of ‘shooting of the papingo’ ( a wooden parrot atop the kirk steeple) by the Ancient Society of Kilwinning Archers, really mean? Did Mary Queen of Scots stay at Eglinton Castle?

Was Irvine’s Bogside Racecourse once really a rival to Cheltenham?

And did Liberace really come to Irvine and declare the refurbished Eglinton Arms Hotel open for business?

Eglinton Arms Hotel and village green Photo by Elliott Simpson CC BY-SA 2.0

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Did three Scottish golf champions emerge in the 20th Century from a tiny mining village on its outskirts, a place now wiped from the map except in the name of a hole at Irvine Golf Club? A community of around 200 souls, where almost every male was reckoned to be a single handicap golfer? Did one of them, Hamilton ‘Hammy McInally’ turn up straight from the mine to contest his first Scottish Amateur Championship at Prestwick in 1937, only to be told that he was too unkempt and plain dirty to enter the clubhouse and change?

And then, having won, did he really refuse to attend the prize presentation unless it was held outside, as he certainly wasn’t going to darken the door of an establishment that had refused him entry?

The answer to all of those questions is yes. Some would disagree about the TemplarsMasons link. But the rest of it is all true. Greater Irvine is very strange.

In the 1200s, Irvine was once the capital of Scotland. It’s a Royal Burgh, was designated the last of Scotland’s ‘New Towns’ in the 1960s, initiating a massive influx of families from Glasgow’s slums chasing promised work in the factories built around the town, or employment in the ICI plant at Ardeer. The current First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon was born and brought up there. So was the singer Eddi Reader, and the author Andrew O’Hagan.

Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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It’s a community with pride and problems, industrial decline having taken its toll, the big housing schemes of the former New Town home to the usual array of unemployment-fuelled issues.

But it has a fantastic beach, plenty of green public space, and that peculiar and seductive history.

It’s always exercised a hold over me. I was brought up in Troon, a few miles south, and Irvine was an early destination for rides to Harry Fairbairn’s cycle shop, to acquire monkey bars for chopper modifications, and natter to Mrs Fairbairn about her Alpine tours on a fixed wheel. My mum’s homeopath was there. My first real girlfriend was from Irvine and the post-rugby match teas at Irvine Royal Academy (“IRA! IRA!”) were particularly appreciated by Marr College Second XV. My first job was as a children’s playscheme attendant one summer, escorting retired circus performers such as Hampe and Lola the 70-year old trampolining clowns around and protecting them from spitting bairns. I played my first faltering folk gigs at the Eglinton Arms Hotel, unknowingly

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in the footsteps of Liberace, Billy Connolly, Gallagher and Lyle.

The Marymass Festival and the Borderline Theatre company offered cultural delights Troon couldn’t compete with: we had two 1970s concerts, one by Greenslade, one by Argent, before the promoter went bust.

The Magnum Centre was built down by Irvine Beach, offering ice skating, swimming and, much later, the astonishing experience of a gig by The Smiths, festooned in gladioli, jangling and howling like Manchester aliens.

But it could be threatening too, in the 60s and early 70s. Dundonald Camp, home to the Junior Tradesmen’s Regiment where boys as young as 14 went to train for commerce and warfare, was on the linksland border between Troon and Irvine, and it was rumoured the Irvine gangs hung out there, waiting for anyone from posh and perjink Troon to appear so they could threaten them with broken American Cream Soda bottles. Though Irvine, with its port and its big red sandstone houses, had its bourgeoisie too.

And it had golf. There was always golf.

Eddi Reader Photo by Bryan Ledgard CC BY 2.0

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A professional tournament held at Irvine Bogside in 1904. The photo includes ‘Old’ Tom Morris, JH Taylor, James Braid and Harry Vardon.

Photo by Stewart Cunningham

Golf was - is - a religion in coastal Ayrshire, fuelled by the availability of cheap, almost free rounds on municipal courses - three of them over the fence from our garden in Troon, Lochgreen, Fullerton and Darnley - and in Irvine by Ravenspark, hidden away across the tracks, literally, from the James Braid-designed, ‘proper’ openqualifying links course known locally as Bogside, after the

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nearby racecourse, but officially (and much preferred by members) Irvine Golf Club.

Ravenspark, not very well disguised as ‘Ravenscourt’, in the town of ‘Ardgirvan’ is the home club of one ‘Gary Irvine’ in John Niven’s scabrous, hilarious and, for those who care to examine the author’s biography, deeply upsetting novel The Amateurs.

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The tragedy lies in its subplot.

Niven’s family come from Irvine, and his brother’s real-life smalltime gangsterism is given comedic prominence in The Amateurs. Several years after publication, Niven’s brother Gary - died after drug and crime related debts drove him to attempt suicide, and subsequently die after that caused a massive stroke.

What The Amateurs does communicate, brilliantly, is the complete and obsessive love for golf found in Ayrshire, a love which extends far beyond the traditional middle class demographic. This coast is where golf is both an escape and a gritty, life or death struggle against the self, played out on public courses like Ravenspark, with occasional bank-breaking forays onto expensive upmarket greenswards of privilege like...well, not really like the adjoining Irvine Golf Club.

Standard green fee is £70. You can reduce that to around £40 if you search the online brokers, It’s homely and welcoming. But serious. Ravenspark is £22 for 18 holes or you can buy a three course season ticket which covers it and two other North Ayrshire public courses for £290 a year.

It tells the unlikely story of a hapless 18 handicap golfer who, concussed by a stray drive, magically becomes an Open contender, as well as a sexobsessed sufferer from a form of Tourettes. The book contains more and more extreme examples of Ayrshire swearing than any other piece of literature. It is very funny. And definitely NSFW.

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For Bogside, Irvine Golf Club, you turn off the main road, cross the railway via a deceptively narrow bridge, and suddenly the built-up, forested vista opens up into pure linksland glory. A sprawling, turnof-the-19th Century clubhouse is busy on a Friday morning with members and a small corporate competition.

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Andy Arnott Photo by Stewart Cunningham

Andy Arnott is assistant secretary, and he’s proud of the club’s association with the miners’ sons known as the Bartonholm Three.

“Three Scottish Amateur Champions, all from the same 12 houses, and I believe they were cousins,” he says. “All of them were members here, as well as at the old Ardeer and at Ravenspark.” Honorary members, of course, rewarded for their prowess, and all of them originally Ravenspark players whose first ventures onto Bogside would have been as trespassers. “And what characters they were, too.”

Arnott shakes his head. “Legends.

Unbelievable stories, though it’s fair to say that Jackie Cannon was

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the quietest of the trio.”

Cannon was the last to die, in 2013 at the age of 94. He was oldest ever Scottish champion in 1969, at the age of 52, beating Alan Hall by 6 and 4 in the final over what was then called Troon Old (now Royal Troon).

He represented his country that year and in 1974, and won the Scottish Seniors title in 1978, 1980 and 1982, a number of Ayrshire Championships and 12 Bogside Club Championships. He played almost to the end of his life, and in 1999, aged 80, went round the par 72 Bogside course in 75. He worked as a stock controller at the ICI plant.

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James ‘Jimmy’ Walker (no relation to the American pro) was amateur champion of Scotland in 1961, and a Walker Cup selection that year, though he didn’t play after a car crash left him seriously injured.

It was the same year he lost the British Amateur Championship in the final to one Michael Bonallack, later of Royal and Ancient fame.

Walker was a Scottish internationalist every year except 1959 from 1953 to 1963.

Outgoing, highly sociable, and, like many amateurs of his era, a keen gambler, the problem with Walker, who died aged 73 in 1995,is that the more lurid tales about him tend to merge with those about his fellow

Bartonholmian, Hamilton ‘Hammy’ McInally.

For instance, Andy Arnott isn’t sure if it was McInally or Walker who was asked after the war to travel to France to play a round with the then King, George VI. But it doesn’t sound like a servant of the Crown, a career policeman, who cast about looking for French words and phrases for his journey abroad. Who was schooled by courtiers on how to address his Royal Highness, and succeeded in adhering to protocol until the King teed off, shanking the ball horribly. At which the visiting Ayrshireman exploded: “For fuck’s sake Geordie!”

Jimmy Walker

Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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Billy McDowell (86), who played with all three of them and Jack Moore (74), who played with Jimmy & Jackie, holding a replica of the Scottish Amateur Championship Cup Photo by Stewart Cunningham

That sounds much more like the near-mythical McInally, whose status as one of Scottish golf’s true titans runs parallel with an almost total absence of written historical detail about him. He was, like his father, a miner, and it’s more likely to have been him in France with Geordie as he was Scottish Amateur Champion in 1937, 1939 and 1947, as well as coming second in 1949. He was an inveterate gambler, trick shot master, sardonic wit and enthusiastic drinker who retained a massive following in Ayrshire until the end of his too-short life.

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From the day he won that first Scottish Amateur Championship at Prestwick, an unwashed miner straight from the pit, he was the darling of Ayrshire’s working class golfers and golf fans. Prestwick, steeped in tradition but unwilling to let him wash before the match, really was embarrassed into holding the prize ceremony out of doors, surrounded by thousands of Hammy’s friends and supporters, many of them flush with cash after having bet on his success.

“They widnae let me gie ma face a dicht,” he’s alleged to have said.

“They can come oot tae me.”

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Andy Arnott talks in awe about following, as a boy, a 60-year-old McInally around Troon Old in 1970, when he was partnered with none other than Arnold Palmer in the first Sean Connery Pro-Am. The starting lineup was extraordinary - also playing were Christy O’Connor Junior (the eventual winner) Tony Jacklin, Billy Casper, Eric Brown, Bobby Locke, Lee Trevino, Kel Nagle and Gary Player, as well as Connery himself and various showbiz denizens of the UK pro-am scene.

“The biggest gallery was for Palmer and Hammy,” says Arnott, “and most of the crowd were there to support Hammy. Or just to see him.”

There is a picture of McInally and Palmer together, the American in glowing artificial fibres, compact, at his peak. McInally, heavy by this time, grim faced, perhaps unwell, looking much older than his years, is dressed like the men I used to see battering balls around Darley, a half bottle in their brown leather bags, Embassy Red eternally lit, all chest-height twill trousers, khaki cotton jerkins and flat caps. He looks scary. He looks elemental.

He looks like I imagine Shivas Irons from Michael Murphy’s Golf in the Kingdom, only bigger, glum, more self-possessed, less interested in Buddhism and more prone to putting £20 on his next putt. And a hint of pain in his eyes

Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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In fact he looks like he’s wearing expanded versions of the clothes he had on in 1937 when he was pictured as scrawny 27-year-old with the Scottish Amateur Trophy, the Arrol Cup and the Belleisle cup. He looks absolutely full of cheek, confidence and challenge.

He looks dangerous.

What was it about Bartonholm that produced these champions?

I take a motorised wander out to the 15th in the company of Bogside head greenkeeper Derek Wilson. The morning has darkened into a grim, blustery, cold autumnal afternoon. We trundle over the rough at speed in a whining buggy built for bumpiness.

“There was nothing else to do, basically. They all grew up learning golf from their elders and each other, sharing clubs, and there was a definite Bartonholm style - you can see it in the pictures. A wee short backswing, nothing much of a follow through, a lot of wrist.

Right foot up, body ending up right round facing front. There was a family called the Haswells who were legendary. And they all loved to socialise after work, back from the mine, game and then a few drinks. There’s a story that they had a horse and cart and driver to take them to the Turf Inn, and never a driver to take them home.

The horse knew the way.”

We pass the clubhouse flagpole, another part of the McInally legend. He was in the habit of waiting for visitors who had not

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heard of his abilities, and betting them he could chip a ball over the top of the pole from its base.

“There was some story that he used two balls, hitting one into the other then up the pole” says Wilson. “He could hit balls into people’s pockets, over roofs, through windows. Apparently he would practise at home with his own kitchen window, gradually shutting it until it was almost closed, firing balls through it from further and further away.”

The 15th is a 338 yard mild dogleg to the left, on a course which when I visit is recovering well after a baking summer. In some ways Bogside is reminiscent of Royal Lytham - a links course within contained boundaries, separated from the sea itself. It looks tough, but not treacherous.

The 15th green lies on the edge of an overgrown out-of-bounds area of dank, scrawny woods, bordering the railway line from Ayr to Glasgow, and marks the barrier between Ravenspark and The Irvine Golf Club. “This where Bartonholm was,” says Wilson.

“There’s nothing to see of it now, nothing at all. But right here is where the boys from the miner’s row would sneak on.”

The championship tee for the 16th is high on a mound surrounded by scrubby bushes and trees, and as you penetrate the out-of-bounds, the ruins of old brick structures emerge from the darkness.

Have I found some remains of Bartonholm? Wilson shakes his head.

Derek Wilson Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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“No, those are old industrial buildings, from the mine, probably.” Nevertheless, they’re remnants of the era when Walker, McInally and later Cannon would crawl through the undergrowth with a set of the several shared sets of Bartonholm clubs, and try their municipal skills against the best that James Braid could do with gorse, sand and heather. You can imagine a greenkeeper of the past chasing those boys back to where they already knew they didn’t belong.

Back at the clubhouse, the Hammy stories are coming thick and fast. Officials and members come and go, chatting easily and openly. This is not a formal club.

Everyone’s welcome.

At the first post-war British championships at Birkdale, McInally was on demob leave from the Royal Navy in which he’d served during the war. He reached the last eight, the final Scottish player in the tournament.

He was there with his close friend Hugh Banks, who on the eve of the final round informed McInally that there was to be no alcohol, or to be precise no proper alcohol, no whisky. He had to take this seriously. Avoiding whisky was a major sacrifice as the spirit was in short supply due to wartime restrictions, and the club had by surreptitious means managed to acquire a stock solely for the players, officials and press.

3rd green overlooking Irvine Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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Walker and Cannon on their way to another victory

They compromised. Beer would be permitted, and “by all accounts, Hammy had a pint or two”. Next day dawned raw and miserable, McInally did not play to his best and he was beaten by a few holes. The golf writer Percy Huggins was at the clubhouse bar when McInally strode in, furious, and ordered a large dram. He turned to the sportswriter, and said: “That’s the last fucking time I’ll ever go into training.”

The tales continue. Some of them are less than politically correct.

Playing a mixed foursome, McInally was partnering a woman who completely lost her nerve on the tee for a par three. “Just miss it,” he whispered. She did, and then McInally played the ball off the tee close enough to the pin

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for even his nervous partner to hole out.

At least two sources say that McInally could play almost as well left handed as right, borrowing Percy Huggins’ left-handed wedge for a blocked shot against a wall during practice at Hoylake for the 1947 internationals. And there are numerous accounts of the well-funded and financially rewarding - even for ‘amateurs’ - challenge matches that took place all over the country. There were ‘prizes’ involved in most of the serious contests, ranging from three-piece suites to holidays and ‘vouchers’. But on one occasion McInally turned up at a challenge match without his clubs. He played, and won, using the only ones available - a set of lefthanders.

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Photo by Stewart Cunningham

McInally was a local hero, and a cash cow for many of the men who followed him - men - nearly all men - to whom gambling on golf came as naturally a breathing.

And then there was his own gambling on himself, sometimes coalescing with competition into something quite extraordinary.

Especially if a grudge was involved.

That happened in 1949, when he failed to make the Walker cup team - he never was selected - to play the USA at Winged Foot, New York. An Irishman called Cecil Ewing had been chosen, however, and as it happened, he and McInally were drawn against each other in the Irish Amateur

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Championship at Portmarnock.

There was, to say the least, a bit of needle. No quarter was asked, none given. There were no appeals to the crowd for calm. It went to the 18th, which McInally won. After the match, one commentator writes, “his progress to the clubhouse was continually interrupted by one Irishman after another coming up to him and thrusting money into his hands.

Apparently the evening before he had taken several bets from Irishmen convinced he could not beat their hero.”

A huge financial killing was duly made. But that was hardly enough to gain him a place in the British ‘amateur’ team...

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Gambling was endemic in the game, with these hard men, at this time. Some of it perhaps led to less than honourable on course antics. But there was great and honest fair play too.

McInally was famous for evening up scores by letting his game slip if his supporters got out of hand and put an opponent off.

And he liked competition. In one international he was playing a young man and was four or five up after 18 holes. During the second round, however, his captain was dismayed to hear that McInally had slipped and was being speedily caught. He rushed to the match and asked what was wrong. McInally cheerfully replied: “Och, the boy here was having a bit o’ trouble wi’ his grip. I sorted him out and we’re having a much better game noo.”

McInally died in 1976, aged just 66. The hearse carrying his body detoured to the Irvine Golf Club and circled the Bogside clubhouse, as one friend apparently said; “just to let him have a last look at the course.”

The course he would only play as a boy when he could slip through across the railway from Bartonholm and scamper round a few holes before he was caught.

Re-reading John Niven’s book, you can see the ghost of Hammy McInally stalking through his tales of small-town hoods and mad gambling on Open Championship contenders with no apparent hope of success. You can see Irvine, its drugs and deprivation, its strange, mystical and glorious history. And you sense too the way this North Ayrshire landscape,

Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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so perfectly designed for golf, so ravaged by industry and political neglect, could give birth to a Gary Irvine, a Hammy McInally, a Jimmy Walker, a Jack Cannon. When you emerge into the open panorama of the Bogside links, there is a sense of arrival. Isn’t this, not St Andrews, really the home of golf?

Well, for any Ayrshire boy. For this Ayrshire boy.

And there are plans, more plans to revitalise and renew. The polluted dunes where Nobel built his dynamite plant, where the second Ardeer course was built and then built over, could once again be given over to golf. Part of the

site has already been reclaimed, and was operated as a high-tech visitor centre called The Big Idea.

It’s derelict and vandalised, but it would make a possible clubhouse.

Maybe. With a bit of work.

Anyway, isn’t the Holy Grail buried just along the road in Kilwinning?

I think it is. I believe it is. As did Liberace. Or so they say in the Ravenspark clubhouse. *My thanks to Lawrence Donegan and McKellar Magazine for permission to use parts of this article which originally appeared in that publication.

Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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Ravenspark Golf Club, Irvine:

The Irvine Golf Club:

Royal Troon Photo by Dave Souza CC BY-SA 4.0

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Property

revelation in property investment conomic fallout from the coronavirus crisis is fuelling a change in property investment as an increasing number of landlords switch from buy-to-rent to rent-tobuy properties.

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Although the concept has been tried and tested over a number of years it has remained little known among a large section of the public and the property investment community.

It may seem only a minor difference in terminology but it’s a rapidly emerging trend that has massive benefits for both tenants and landlords.

“Everybody’s heard of buy-to-let, where investors acquire properties and then let them out to tenants in order to generate regular income and make a profit, but fewer people are aware of the growing rent-to-buy market,” said Gordie.

“Whenever, and wherever, we offer a rent-to-buy property we get inundated with applications from potential tenants,” said Gordie Dutfield, Glasgow born entrepreneur and Director of pioneering property company Diamond Estates, the UK’s foremost authority on rent-to-buy.

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Property specialists have long recognised there’s quite a few downsides for both parties in the traditional landlord and tenant relationship.

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Tenants can get trapped into just paying the rent and are unable to save the deposit needed to buy their own home. They can have their agreements terminated at any time and often can’t decorate, renovate or even have pets.

Landlords have the responsibility of continually maintaining their properties. They also have to live with the constant uncertainty that a tenant could suddenly stop paying the rent, or damage the property. There might also be times, between lets, when a property is empty resulting in a loss of income.

During the coronavirus crisis quite a few tenants stopped paying their rents and landlords were prevented from doing anything about it. While it was fair there should be protection to prevent tenants, who couldn’t pay through no fault of their own, from being made homeless most landlords, many of them with just one or two properties, had no help at all,” said Gordie.

“It is estimated that 80,000 landlords in the UK could go bankrupt as a result of the crisis. That isn’t going to help the tenants who will be made homeless as a result, or with the country’s long term housing problem.

“Rent-to-buy goes a long way to providing a solution to these issues. It allows more people the chance to own a property and gives investors a reasonable return without any of the usual stress.”

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The initiative is simple. An investor buys a property or they can use their current buy to let as a rentto-buy and Diamond Estates helps find a suitable tenant from the many thousands of people looking for an opportunity to own their own home.

Homes are rented out for a period of usually five, seven or ten years with the tenant paying a fair rent, plus a small top up fee which goes towards the deposit on a mortgage. From day one the landlord agrees to sell the property to the tenant for a fixed price at the end of the rental agreement.

“We have a vast range of people looking to rent-to-buy each with their own reasons as to why this model suits them best,” said Gordie.

“We have couples, young families, people who have gone through a divorce or broken relationship and are looking to start again. There are those who are self employed or just find this a much easier way of saving to put down a large deposit on a home.”

Research by Halifax suggests that, across the UK, the average amount needed for a deposit towards buying a home rose by £10,8290 in 2020 to £57,278.

As the cost of the average home ranges between 3.1 and 11.9 times earnings, depending on location, it’s no surprise the number of first time buyers in the UK fell last year by an average of 13 per cent.

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Lee and Ashlyn Jones are typical of the many rent-to-buy tenants who chose this option after having to move from rented properties several times due to landlords selling their home from underneath them.

As parents of three young children they decided it was time to put down more permanent roots and are now settled in a rent-to-buy end of terrace house.

It has made the process of buying a home easier and more affordable as they now pay their rent with a little bit extra each month, which goes into a secure untouchable client account.

They admit that in the past it was always too easy to dip into their savings to pay day-to-day bills so they never seemed to be getting anywhere.

“Now that it all goes out in a single payment each month we don’t really notice it, and we have the added security that the landlord isn’t going to suddenly ask us to leave because he wants to sell the property. We are the buyers and this is our home now,” said Lee. For property investors the benefits pf rent-to-buy are numerous. As buyers of the property the tenants are liable for its maintenance and upkeep so there are less responsibilities and costs for the landlord. It also means the property of never empty between lets. At the end of the rental term there is already a buyer in place and a guaranteed sale price to deliver a respectable return on the initial investment.

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Karen Bock is one of the new breed of socially responsible property investors. She currently has four rent-to-buy properties, bought to provide financial security for her disabled son, and is looking for more.

“My son, Robert, is a permanent wheelchair user. I wanted something that would provide him with a long term passive income so he won’t ever have to rely on the care system to meet his needs. He is not able to visit properties and carry out the usual maintenance or repairs that landlords frequently have to do so this is an ideal solution,” said Karen.

Karen’s first investment was semi-detached house bought for around £82,000. It had about

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£10,000 spent on upgrading and was then rented out to a family for a period of five years. At the end of that time the tenants will buy the house at an already agreed price, calculated in line with average property price increases for that area over the last few years.

“I have no ongoing maintenance costs as it is essentially now the tenant’s property. They pay a fair rent plus a little bit on top towards the deposit for a mortgage,” said Karen.

“The strategy makes a lot of sense for everyone. It allows me to provide an income for my son while at the same time giving people a chance they might not otherwise have to buy their own home.”

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In the last year Diamond Estates has helped investors and tenants with properties in Aberdeen, Ayrshire, Glasgow and across the UK. The company is now involved in a major expansion in Scotland and is looking to attract more landlords seeking less stress with their investments while, at the same time, catering for an increasing demand from tenants eager to get on the property ladder.

“Interest among potential tenantbuyers is huge and as more landlords turn to this model we expect to at least double the number of rent-to-buy properties in our portfolio,” said Gordie.

“We recently helped with a property in Glasgow which was let within days of going on the market. More than 50 people applied to take advantage of the rent-to-buy offer. In the end we found a nice tenant who now has her dream home years ahead of expectations and the landlord is happy to have seven years of regular, passive income and lower costs with a guaranteed reasonable return at the end of it.

Everybody’s happy!”

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Travel

Six of the best… haunted locations Dark shadows with long memories

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cotland is renowned the world over for its tales of ghostly apparitions, mysterious monsters and extraordinary experiences.

For a country so old, and with such a long and bloody history, there is little wonder that things occasionally go bump in the night.

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However, you don’t have to stay in a haunted castle or visit a creepy crypt to experience a shiver down your spine. There are many open air locations where the veil between this world and the next is especially thin.

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Glen Coe For most visitors the majestic peaks of Glen Coe provide a spectacular view of the ever changing beauty of the Highlands.

Rain or shine the deep sided valley never fails to disappoint tourists as they pass through on their way to and from Fort William on the A82.

However the name, for more than 300 years, has also been associated with one of the most infamous massacres in Scottish history.

In the early hours of 13 February 1692 British government troops turned on the unarmed Highlanders in Glencoe and murdered them in cold blood.

Glen Coe Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland

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Glencoe massacre memorial Photo by Kim Traynor CC BY-SA 3.0

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The soldiers were acting under orders to “put all to the sword under 70”. Around 38 men, women and children of the Clan Macdonald were killed in their beds or trying to escape.

Many more are believed to have perished in the bitterly cold winter weather as they tried to hide among the rocks of the mountain landscape.

Highland hospitality is legendary.

The fact that the soldiers had spent several days living in the homes of the villagers, sharing the warmth of their fires and eating their food before carrying out such a treacherous deed made it all the more sickening.

Even today people have claimed to hear the pitiful wailing of women and children’s screams carried on the winds that sweep through the glen, known as the Valley of the Weeping. Others say they have watched ghostly figures in the mist replaying the day of slaughter over and over again, especially around the anniversary of the massacre.

The order for the massacre of the innocent villagers of Glencoe Photo NLS

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Culloden Just a few miles from the city of Inverness lies Culloden moor, site of the last pitched battle between opposing armies in Scotland.

It was here on the 16 April 1746 that the dream of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite followers of restoring the Stuart monarchy to the throne was destroyed in less than an hour of bloody combat.

Centuries later the sounds of marching men, chilling cries of wounded warriors, the clashing of swords and muffled sounds of musket fire can sometimes be heard echoing across the battlefield.

Occasionally a startled visitor will report seeing forlorn Highlanders walking the site where they, and more than 1,500 of their fellow Jacobites, were killed without mercy as the wounded were bayoneted where they fell. Others claim to have seen spectral figures fighting on the moor as the events of the day are replayed again and again.

There is a sadness that envelops Culloden to this day, an eerie atmosphere devoid of birdsong, especially around the graves where some visitors have claimed to see ghostly soldiers visiting their fallen comrades.

Culloden Moor Photo by Mike Pennington CC BY-SA 2.0

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Original Tay Bridge before the collapse

Old Tay Bridge It was a dark and stormy night when the train from Dundee set out across the icy cold waters of the River Tay on the evening of 28 December 1879 and into the annals of history and folklore.

Despite the violence of the 80mph gale force winds and power of the waves crashing into the steel girders of the Tay Bridge the driver and passengers were confident the two-year-old structure would see them safely across the water.

But, as the engine and six carriages neared midpoint of the crossing the central section of the bridge collapsed plunging all on board into the swirling river below.

The driver and all 75 passengers were killed in what remains one of the worst engineering catastrophes in Scotland’s history.

Only 46 bodies were recovered.

Contemporary illustration of the disaster

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Designed by Thomas Bouch the bridge was an engineering triumph of its time. It took six years to build and attracted tourists from far and wide, including General Ulysses Grant, the 18th President of the United States of America, in 1877, who came to marvel at the achievement. When tragedy

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struck it sent shock waves around the world.

Almost 150 years later the disaster remains fixed in the collective memory of the people of Dundee, not least because the remains of the old bridge’s pillars can still be seen beside the current Tay Bridge when the tide is right.

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Every year, on the anniversary of the tragedy, it is said a ghostly train can be seen crossing the Tay where the ill-fated bridge would have stood. As it reaches the point

where the old bridge collapsed the apparition disappears into the waves and the ghostly screams of the terrified passengers are carried in the wind.

After the storm, fallen girders from the collapsed section of the Tay Bridge

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Southern Necropolis Overlooking the city of Glasgow the ornate Victorian monuments of the Necropolis mark the final resting places of thousands of souls.

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Visitors to the burial ground, opened in 1833 and modelled on Paris’s Père Lachaise cemetery, have reported strange lights dancing amid the gravestones and the ghostly apparition of a woman in white.

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And, in 1954, it was the scene of an extraordinary event which captured headlines around the world. Hundreds of Glasgow children, between the ages of four and 14, armed with knives, stones, wooden stakes and crucifixes swarmed through the cemetery in search of a 7ft-tall child-eating

vampire with metal teeth.

Fuelled by rumours that two young boys had been murdered by the monster primary schoolchildren from across the city descended on the Necropolis cemetery hell-bent on ‘revenge’.

Southern Necropolis, Glasgow scene of a vampire hunt in 1954

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The Glasgow Necropolis was modelled on Paris’s Père Lachaise cemetery Photo by Postdlf CC BY-SA 3.0

View from the Necropolis overlooking Glasgow Photo © MSeses CC BY-SA 4.0

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Startled residents from nearby houses called the police but when officers arrived they were greeted with a surreal sight.

Smoke and flames from an old steelworks behind the cemetery lit up the skyline and shrouded the Necropolis in an eerie red light to create a supernatural atmosphere.

Attempts by the police failed to

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stop the children who only gave up their hunt after several hours when it began to rain.

A year later, politicians alarmed by the great Gorbals’ Vampire hunt introduced the 1955 Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act limiting access to the kind of lurid comic books blamed for the hysteria.

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Forest of Rothiemurchus If you go down to the woods today be sure to stay calm and brave…or you may not get out alive, especially if it’s the forest of Rothiermurchus.

This deep and dark wood in Inverness-shire is the home to the ghost of Seath Mor, one-time Chief of Clan Shaw. Back in the 14th century he was a fearsome warrior who stood over 6ft tall and had a twisted smile that was said to strike fear into the hearts of those who crossed him.

Although dead for many centuries his spirit still guards the forest and is said to appear before anyone who ventures too far into the woods where goblins, elves and magical creatures live. However, if you stand your ground and show no fear he will disappear but anyone who runs is never seen again.

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Rothiemurchus Forrest Photo by Damian Shields / VisitScotland

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Lochan Mor, (Lily Loch) Rothiemurchus Forrest Photo by Damian Shields / VisitScotland

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His grave, close to the kirk of the Doune of Rothiemurchus, is protected by five cursed cylindrical stones which if tampered with causes Bodach an Duin, which means Goblin of the Doune, to exact revenge.

According to folklore several people have fallen victim to the curse over the years, including a 19th century tourist who threw one into the River Spey. Within a few days the stone was back in its place and the thief was found drowned.

In the 1940s it’s said a skeptical journalist took one and lifted it above his head to challenge the curse - he was killed in a car crash later the same day. And, as recently as the 1970s, three friends who tampered with the stones were struck down by mystery illnesses and one died suddenly.

You have been warned!

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Greyfriar’s Kirkyard No visit to Scotland for any selfrespecting ghost hunter would be complete without a visit to Greyfriar’s Kirkyard in Edinburgh the most haunted graveyard in the world.

While the historic burial ground is associated with the story of Greyfriar’s Bobby, the cute little dog that wouldn’t leave the side of his master’s grave, there are darker forces at work too.

Situated in the heart of the city it was here, in the 17th century, that hundreds of Presbyterian Covenanters, who had the audacity to petition the King for the right to freely practice their religion, were imprisoned for months on meagre rations and in terrible conditions. Many died while others were brutally prosecuted by Lord Advocate George “Bluidy” Mackenzie.

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East wall of Greyfriars kirkyard Photo by Kim Traynor

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The Mackenzie mausoleum at Greyfriars Photo by Kim Traynor

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Ironically, when Mackenzie died he was buried in a mausoleum in the churchyard close to where the Covenanters had been imprisoned.

At the end of last century a homeless man seeking shelter broke into the mausoleum and disturbed something evil. Since then hundreds of people have reportedly been attacked, fainted, scratched, bruised and had objects thrown at them by an unseen entity while visiting the churchyard.

Believed to be “Bluidy” Mackenzie himself the poltergeist has defeated at least two attempts at exorcism and is credited as being at the centre of one of the best documented hauntings in the world.

Stone carving in Greyfriars kirkyard Photo by Magnus Hagdorn

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Family History

Discovering Scotland’s documents with…Dr Bruce Durie

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ou might think marriage – or at least the ceremony itself – was a straightforward affair.

The happy couple goes on a pre-arranged day to a church, or in more modern times to a Registry Office or to some other designated place, takes the vows, signs the register, and is told “You are now man and wife”.

But no – this is Scotland we’re talking about, and nothing is ever that simple, especially back in the days of Parish Records.

At its simplest, there was the whole business of what the Established Church of the time

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considered “regular”. From the Reformation of the 1560s until 1834 (and for Episcopalians from 1712) there were three essential conditions for a “regular” marriage: • proclamation (banns) of the intended marriage in the parish church or churches of both parties • celebration of the ceremony by a minister of the established Church of Scotland • celebration in church and on a Sabbath (Sunday) – but this one rather went away.

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A Victorian illustration of Robert Burns with Jean Armour circa 1878

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Gretna Green Photo by Niki Odolphie CC BY 2.0

Meet all these criteria, and you were married. But there were also “irregular marriages”. It was perfectly valid simply to consent in the presence of two witnesses.

It was even valid to have no witnesses, but just to live openly as husband and wife – known as “cohabitation and repute”, which was evidence of marriage, but not a form of marriage, and finally abolished in 2005. This sometimes called “common-law marriage” but that’s legally wrong as this never existed in Scotland.

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Just think about that for a moment – two people of the right age who were free to marry could just assemble two witnesses and announce they were married. Or they could simply behave like a married couple. Either way, they were a married couple. No benefit of clergy, not even the need for any kind of written record. Just a promise before two other people.

This was at times illegal, but was still a valid marriage. And, amazingly, that was the case right up to 1939 – see the example below.

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There were other forms of irregular marriage, including one used by the rich and landed classes, where it was all about dynastic alliances, cash and property settlements, inheritances, and so on. This usually involved a Marriage Contract – with agreements about payments, who gets what, what happens to the children, the arrangements if one partner dies, and the like – then what was described as “betrothal followed by intercourse”. In other words, having signed the deed, the newly-weds go upstairs to do the deed, and there’s no way back from that!

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OPR Marriage records Records are available for the Established Church of Scotland and some other Presbyterian churches from the 1560s up to 1854, and for the Roman Catholic Church (in theory from 1736 but mainly from the 1780s onwards) They usually give a date of proclamation, but some have an actual date of marriage. Do not confuse the two. Go to www. scotlandspeople.gov.uk then Advanced Search then Church Registers. They are free to search, and downloaded page images cost 6 credits (£1.50, about US$2).

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Errol Parish Church Photo by James Denham CC BY-SA 2.0

The earliest such records are from Errol, Perthshire in the 1550s, and they can be a challenge to read.

But the associated index gives useful details.

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Even the great and the good were recorded – here is the second marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to her half-first cousin Henry Stuart Lord Darnley, Earl of Ross, Canongate, Edinburgh 1565.

Henry duk of Albany erll of Rois. Marie be the grace of God quen souerane of this realme. 1 2 3. Maried in the chappell.

Henry, Duke of Albany, Earl of Ross [Lord Darnley]. Mary, by the grace of God, queen sovereign of this realm.”

The stroke through the figure 3 probably means that the Royal pair were married after being thrice ‘cryit’ [proclaimed]. They were married on Sunday 29 July 1565, and Darnley was murdered just over 18 months later.

Mary Stuart and James Darnley

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There is much more information in this record…

21/03/1734 453/120 190 St Andrews and St Leonards We have the parish (St Andrews and St Leonards, Fife), the names of both parties (Alexander Durie and Janet Mitchell), the date of proclamation (14 February 1734) and in another hand at the foot, the actual date of marriage (21 March 1734). There is no occupation given, or names of parents of the bride or groom, but John and David Durie are likely close relatives.

Statutory (post 1855) Marriage examples

• the date and place of the marriage

All marriage record entries more than 75 years old (about 1945-46 at the time of writing) may be freely accessed and downloaded at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk (go to Advanced Search, Statutory registers, Marriage). More recent records can be obtained by ordering an official Certificate.

• whether it was according to the forms of any particular church (which it needn’t have been)

What we actually see are not Marriage Certificates as such, but a page from the Registrar’s book, which will contain (typically) two records. Reproduced here is the page with the marriage of my grandparents, David Durie and Isabella Garden McGregor in 1921. You can see that it gives a great deal of information:

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• the two parties, the occupations, ages and addresses • the parents of both parties, including their fathers’ occupations, their mothers’ maiden names, and whether they were deceased.

All of this is gold-dust to a genealogist, and much more detailed than, say, English marriage records. DURIE DAVID and MCGREGOR ISABELLA GARDEN 1921 442/ 69 Kirkcaldy

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Irregular Marriage examples Here is the Kirk Session of Mauchline, Ayrshire, recognising and “regularising” the pre-existing irregular marriage of Robert Burns and Jean Armour, 5 August 1788.

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Robert Burns

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Burns Robert in Mossgiel and Joan [sic] Armour in Mauchline came before the Session upon 5 Aug and acknowledged that they were irregularly married some

years ago. The Session rebuked both parties for this irregularity and took them solemnly bound to adhere to one another as husband and wife all the days of their life.

Jean Armour Burns. circa 1826 by Gilfillan

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This record, from 1939, shows a couple registering a marriage by declaration in front of witnesses, possibly in anticipation of the groom, John Abbott, a veterinary surgeon, being called up to fight in World War II, and not wishing to wait the usual three weeks or more for the Banns to be proclaimed by the Registrar.

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Inside the Gretna Hall Hotel Blacksmith’s Shop, Gretna Green Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland

Irregular marriages – why Gretna Green?

The fact that in Scotland it was possible to be married simply by declaring so in the presence of two witnesses, became especially important in 1754 when Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act was passed in England banning such marriages and requiring a threeweek residence in the parish etc.

The result was English couples crossing the Border to marry at places like Gretna Green,

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Coldstream, and Lamberton Toll, where the marriages were carried out by “priests” who also provided witnesses. They were not priests at all, of course, and the most famous example was the “Blacksmith” at Gretna Green.

This came to an end with Lord Brougham’s Act for Amending the Law of Marriage in Scotland in 1856. (Brougham had an axe to grind, as he had made such a marriage on a whim and regretted it for 37 years.)

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There was nothing special about Gretna Green – it was just close to the English border, and coaches ran from Carlisle for the purpose – but it gave the town the reputation it still enjoys today. The famous “Wedding Blacksmith”, John Linton, didn’t set up shop until he leased the local inn early in 1825, and he was not himself a Blacksmith.

There were other examples – the Canongate Marriages, for instance, took place in a popular Edinburgh coaching inn. Another was Allison’s Bank Toll near the Sark Bridge, which became the first house in Scotland in 1830 when a by-pass road affected the trade at Gretna Green – the toll keeper, Mr Murray performed the ceremony himself and made a fortune.

Fortunately some of the “Borders Priests” and other irregular celebrants kept records, which are part of the OPRs at ScotlandsPeople.

Handfasting Despite what you will read on the internet, this was not some kind of trial marriage or marriage for a year and a day. It simply means the ceremonial binding of the couple’s hands at betrothal, or as they take their marriage vows at the same time as the legal marriage registration. It is not even unique to “Pagan” or socalled “Celtic” marriages – in the Episcopal Church in Scotland the priest will bind the couples hands in the stole.

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The Kissing Gate in Gretna Green, Dumfries and Galloway Photo by Paul Tomkins / VisitScotland

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Musical Discoveries

To the victor the spoils H

istory, as they say, is written by the victors. And, that’s why a scenic beauty spot seven miles from the Moray town of Forres is called Randolph’s Leap, even though it was men of the Comyn clan who actually did the deed that made it famous.

Back in the 14th century this part of the country was fought over between rival families. While the land on the west side of the River Findhorn was owned by Thomas Randolph, the Earl of Moray, the opposite bank was under the control of Sir Alexander Comyn, or Cumming, and his six sons.

For many year the Comyn family held the prestigious post of Ranger of the Forest of Darnaway which carried a lot of influence.

However, the forest lay within the lands of the nearby Darnaway, Castle which was given to Thomas Randolph, along with the Earldom of Moray, by King Robert The Bruce.

Randolph’s Leap from the footpath to Daltulich Bridge Photo by Julian Paren CC BY-SA 2.0

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Music to accompany reading Discover Scotland www.discoverscotlandmagazine.com 1: Colin Clyne - Within Hindsight 2: Michael Marra - Hermless 3: Findlay Napier - Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice 4: Randolph’s Leap - I Can’t Dance to This Music Anymore 5: Blue Rose Code - Edina 6: Adam Holmes and the Embers - I Can’t be Right 7: Sorren Maclean - Science or Fiction 8: Lindisfarne - Clear White Light 9: Rab Noakes - Your Clear White Light 10: Stealer’s Wheel - Let Yourself Go 11: Karine Polwart - Dignity

with Tom Morton

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The Comyns were fierce rivals to The Bruce and as Thomas Randolph was the King’s nephew it’s no surprise there was bad blood between the factions on opposite sides of the Findhorn river.

When Randolph told the Comyns to stay away from Darnaway, Alexander, the eldest son, took offence and launched an attack on the castle with up to 100 men. Unfortunately they were ambushed before reaching their target and were either killed or forced to flee.

Chased by Randolph’s men Alexander Comyn and three of his men found themselves cornered between the river and their enemies. Fearing for their lives the four men leapt across a rocky chasm to, what they hoped was, safety on the opposite bank of the river Sadly for the Comyns they were eventually tracked down to a hiding place in a nearby cave by Randolph’s men and put to the sword.

Despite it being the Comyns who made the dramatic attempt to escape by jumping the river the site became known as Randolph’s Leap and remains so to this day.

It is a popular location for local people and visitors to enjoy the Moray countryside, so much so that the name has become famous across the country and was adopted by an eight-piece indie band from Glasgow as their own.

Founded by frontman Adam Ross in 2006,the band is a popular draw at music festivals around the UK and is featured in the latest episode of Musical Discoveries, presented by Tom Morton exclusively for Discover Scotland magazine.

Listen to their hit “I Can’t Dance To This Music Anymore” in this month’s show along with performances from Colin Clyne, Michael Marra, Findlay Napier, Blue Rose Code, Adam Holmes and the Embers, Sorren Maclean, Lindisfarne, Rab Noakes, Stealer’s Wheel and Karine Polwart.

Adam Ross of Randolph’s Leap Photo by Paul Hudson CC BY 2.0

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Food & Beverage

Chef in a kilt with… Gordon Howe

Culinary celebration of Scottish and Chinese links S

cotland and China have a long history. Chinese people have settled here for many years. There have been students who came to Scotland to further enrich their education and ours, entrepreneurs who invested heavily in the Bank of Scotland and Chinese sailors who worked on our ships.

China is the largest nation on earth and Scotland is one of the smallest in Europe. But, remarkably, they have had a

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longer relationship with each other than Scotland has had with England. For over three centuries a unique bond has been built on a shard interest in trade and the synergy of a collaborative mindset.

Two Scottish exports which have become firm favourites in China are our whisky and seafood, especially our world renowned langoustines.

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To honour this continuing association, history and mutual culinary taste I have combined the newly released and lightly peaty Isle of Raasay Hebridean Single Malt Scotch Whisky with mallard duck breasts, local cabbage and imported pak choi.

The result is mallard duck breast, sautéed cabbage and pak choi with beetroot syrup buttons and beetroot pearls served with an Isle of Raasay whisky sauce. An opulent dish fit for any occasion.

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Whisky is a perfect ingredient for any Asian recipe, or as a finish to a dish. It has been used as a marinade in berry or fruit salads and traditional Scottish fruit cake.

It is used with the French cooking method of flambé and to sauté scollops or langoustines, usually once they are removed from the heat. A single malt makes a delicious flavour enhancement to a variety of dishes, once the alcohol is burned off to remove the bitterness.

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Ingredients: Serves 4. 540 Kcals per serving.

Prep Time 30 mins / Cooking time 40 mins.

4 mallard (female) duck breasts 1 medium head white cabbage 2 pak choi 1 tbsp salted butter Smoked sea salt and black pepper to season 1 teaspoon of beetroot pearls Beetroot syrup 5 tbsps of Isle of Raasay Whisky 100ml double cream 50ml chicken or vegetable stock Tbsp of butter 1 tsp Arran mustard

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Method: Take the four medium female duck breasts and pat dry before cutting scores into the skin side with a sharp knife. Rub in the sea salt.

Heat a heavy based frying pan until it’s starting to smoke and fry the duck breasts skin down until golden and crisp. This usually takes about 15 minutes.

Finally, season the breasts and turn them over to cook for a further four or five minutes.

Remove and rest.

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Next, put the shredded cabbage and pak choi in a large pan and cover halfway with water. Bring to the boil, cook (just past blanch) for 10 mins and then transfer the leaves to cold water to refresh.

They can be sautéed just before plating.

Trim the pak choi hearts into a flower and cook in boiling water for four minutes, remove and let air dry. Adorn with a little beetroot syrup and add to your finished dish as a lovely complimentary garnish.

Meanwhile, heat a pot to medium heat, add the knob of butter and melt. Add the Isle of Raasay whisky then set it alight to burn off the alcohol and make the sauce taste less bitter. When the flame dies out, add the cream, stock, and Arran mustard to the pan.

Now reduce while gently stirring before seasoning with sea salt and pepper to taste.

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Before plating to serve warm the whisky sauce through and place the sautéed cabbage and pak choi in a bundle on the centre of each plate. Put three beetroot syrup buttons around the plate, with three individual beetroot pearls in between.

Carve the duck breast into slices and lay across the top of cabbage and pak choi. Pour a little whisky sauce across the sliced duck breasts or present it as I would in a little jug or ramekin. Serve immediately.

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Arts

An actor’s life for me with… Scott Kyle

leasure at His Majesty’s H

is Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen is unique in many ways, not least being the only one of its kind in the world to be built entirely of Kenmay granite.

As the largest theatre in northeast Scotland the 1,400 seater venue on Rosemount Viaduct in the centre of the city sits as the third in a trio of beautiful buildings known locally as the Three Bastions: Education, Salvation and Damnation - the other two being the city’s public library and St Mark’s Church.

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Designed by the celebrated architect Frank Matcham for Victorian impresario Robert Arthur of Glasgow, who owned a number of venues including Her Majesty`s Theatre in Dundee and others in England. Construction took two years at a cost of £35,000, a considerable investment at the time.

Arthur staged a range of plays, variety shows, operas, revues and pantomimes until his company ran out of funds in 1912.

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Over the next 60 years or so ownership of the theatre changed hands several times until, in 1975, it was bought Aberdeen Council for £250,000 who ploughed £3.5 million into ensuring the building’s survival.

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Photo by Ragazzi99 CC BY-SA 3.0

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Since then it was been refurbished more than once and extended to maintain the venue’s reputation as one of the best in Scotland and continue to attract top quality theatre productions.

Honor Blackman

The theatre opened its doors for the first time on 3 December 1906 with a performance of the operatic pantomime Sweet Red Riding Hood. It proved so popular police had to be called to control the enthusiastic crowd.

Ever since then pantos have become a major staple of the theatre attracting big names such as Stanley Baxter, Honor Blackman, Harry Gordon and Will Fyfe - taking to the stage to play in these annual productions which have become a major tradition for generations of Aberdeenshire families.

His Majesty’s is renowned for the lavish pantomimes and Christmas shows put on every year since 1906, including during the two World Wars, until 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic forced the 114-year-old tradition to be put on hold.

Errol Flynn

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Noel Coward Photo by by Allan Warren CC BY-SA 3.0

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Charlton Heston

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Other major stars of stage and screen to appear at His Majesty’s over the years include Noel Coward, Vivien Leigh, Errol Flynn, Harry Lauder, Charlton Heston, Dick Emery and comedians Morcambe and Wise before they became a double act. Even a young Sean Connery appeared in the chorus of South Pacific twice, in 1953 when he was bottom of the bill and again in 1954 when his emerging talent saw his name appear a little higher up.

Lana Turner and Sean Connery in 1957

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Vivien Leigh

Harry Lauder in costume

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However, possibly the most popular act was the legendary entertainer Andy Stewart. He still holds the record for attracting the biggest audience. His summer show in 1964 drew in more than 150,000 people.

Today, this category A listed proscenium arch theatre, ”twinned” with His Majesty’s Theatre in Perth, Western Australia, is managed by Aberdeen Performing Arts.

His Majesty’s Theatre Photo by Watty62 CC BY-SA 4.0

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Statue of Sir William Wallace Photo by Ronnie Leask CC BY-SA 2.0

It remains one of the most beautiful theatres in Scotland. In the world of show business His Majesty’s is a true icon, rather like the giant statue of Scotland’s greatest hero Sir William Wallace which stands in front of the theatre, seemingly ushering audiences towards the box office.

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Folklore

Folklore Scotland with… Graeme Johncock

ester Castle and The Goblin Ha’ H

idden in the woods of East Lothian, near the village of Gifford, are the ruins of Yester Castle. These are some of the most memorable ruins in Scotland due to one unique feature. Buried deep below Yester Castle is the mysterious Goblin Ha’.

Yester Castle was built in the 13th Century by Sir Hugo de Giffard on a small peninsula above a winding river, surrounded by steep cliffs. In public Sir Hugo was a respectable man, a powerful member of the nobility and entrusted as one of the guardians of the young King Alexander III. However, in private

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he was rumoured to be a sorcerer in league with the Devil. True or not, his dark reputation spread, and the nobleman picked up a nickname - The Wizard of Yester.

Local people claimed Hugo had some supernatural help in the construction of his new fortress.

The story says that Yester Castle had been thrown up in a single night with the help of an army of goblins, summoned from hell by the Wizard. The castle would be inhabited by his descendants for another 300 years before eventually abandoned for a more modern residence.

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Ruins of Yester Castle Photos by Graeme Johncock

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What remains of the castle has been slowly reclaimed by nature and almost become part of the woodland itself. The walls that still stand are impressive enough, but

the real draw of Yester Castle is inside the hill. Hidden away from sight and almost perfectly intact is what became known as The Goblin Ha’.

Inside the remains of Yester Castle

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Entrance to Goblin Ha’

This underground vault was where Sir Hugo was said to perform his necromancy and arcane rituals. For those brave enough to explore it, there is a small path that skirts around the hillside leading to a small arched doorway. Through this short tunnel, the 13th century Goblin Ha’ is reached and it looks as strong today as it did over 700 years ago.

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In the corner of the hall is a single staircase but not leading up towards the surface. These steps take you even deeper underground although there is no corresponding exit on the steep hill outside. The end of the tunnel has been blocked up by rubble and nobody truly knows where it originally went.

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There have been plenty of theories about the tunnel leading to an underground storeroom or the castle well but it’s the supernatural story that has stuck.

The staircase is too low and narrow for a human to use comfortably because it was never designed for humans at all. This was how the Wizard of Yester’s goblin workers would travel back and forth to the castle. This was a tunnel straight to hell and it’s no surprise that the tunnel would be filled in once the infamous Wizard of Yester was out of the way.

We will never know how many stories about the Wizard of Yester are true, but he was infamous enough to feature in early Scottish chronicles. One thing is for certain, if goblins did have a hand in creating Yester Castle then they were among the finest builders of their day.

Blocked exit from the Goblin Ha’

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Goblin Ha’ staircase

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Food & Beverage

Skailg: A wee livener with… Tom Morton

Meet the family: Glenfarclas and the casks other distillers dream of I

t was a stunning early autumn day in Aberdeenshire and Morayshire. That amazing low yellow light you get in Scotland at that time of year. The leaves just turning. It was 14 years ago and thoughts of pandemics and travel restrictions were the stuff of dystopian science fiction. It was a day I won’t forget.

I left Aberdeen at about 7.30 am, heading for Glenfarclas Distillery near Ballindalloch. It would have been a wonderful drive, had it not

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been for the tractors, elderly folk in Rovers doing 25mph in a 60 limit, and overloaded trucks.

The smell as you enter Dufftown begins with warehouse whisky, the evaporating ‘Angel’s Share’. But in this, the epicentre of Scottish distilling, you can smell every part of the process - mashing, brewing, even the feinty whiff of hot stills.

People who live here must have a ‘resting’ blood alcohol level much higher than normal.

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Clock tower in the centre of Dufftown Photo by Karora PD

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Glenfarclas was a remarkable experience, with my first warehouse tasting (mostly nosing, unfortunately. I knew I shouldn’t have driven) for 15 years. What I was most impressed with, and always have been about Glenfarclas, is the simple and straightforward approach to making whisky. There was pretence, no faffing about, and it was refreshing to hear chairman John LS Grant be so scathing about artificial finishing of whiskies, and some of the ridiculous descriptions people come up with of tastes and aromas.

Glenfarclas is special in many ways. For one thing, it is

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completely independent, family owned, by the Grants (not the same as Glen Grant or the Glenfiddich Grants, by the way). It goes its own way, too, pioneering the production of undated caskstrength malt whisky in the form of the mighty Glenfarclas 105, a heavily sherried, oaky dram guaranteed to warm up the chilliest traveller after too long in the icy winter blasts! powerful doesn’t even begin to describe it, but I have an abiding memory of ending a winter motorcycling trip in a hot bath with a glass of 105. Bliss! And of course the no-age-statement cask strength whisky has become a staple of the industry.

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The Grant legacy goes back a long way, though not quite to the beginning of Glenfarclas.

It is, like many a family saga, complicated. It all began in 1805, when John Grant, the present Chairman’s great-great grandfather, was born on the farm of Lynbeg, at Glenlivet, in the Speyside heartland. He became a successful farmer, owning a lot of land, breeding champion cattle, and living at Blairfindy, just two miles from his birthplace. In 1827, he married Barbara Grant, and they had six children, including a son called George, born in 1830.

John and George: mark those names!

George, striking out on his own, became tenant of Rechlerich Farm, on the Ballindalloch Estate, when it became vacant in 1865. Rechlerich Farm was also renowned in the area for the Glenfarclas Distillery, established in 1836 by the previous tenant farmer Robert Hay. When John Grant signed the tenancy agreement in 1865, he purchased the distillery for £511.19s.0d.

He remained at Blairfindy and sent his son ,George, to look after Rechlerich Farm, whilst the distillery was sub-let to John (he would be called John) Smith, a descendent of John Grant’s great uncle, for five years.

Dufftown clocktower and old jail Photo by Rosser1954 CC BY-SA 4.0

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In 1870, John Smith left to build Cragganmore distillery and John Grant took his son into partnership. This was also the year that George married his cousin Elsie Gordon, and they went on to have five children, including two sons called, you guessed it, John and George.

Still with me? In 1889, John Grant senior died, leaving George (the elder George) to run both the distillery and the farm. Sadly, a year later George also passed away, leaving the license to his widow and his two eldest sons.

Remember? They were called...

John and George. They later formed the Glenfarclas-Glenlivet distillery company, with Pattisons of Leith, and held a half share.

This did not work out, and John and George had to go it alone: They formed their own company, J. & G. Grant. The J and G standing for...that’s right!

By 1914, at the beginning of World War One, all seemed well: the future of Glenfarclas was secure in the hands of the Grant family. But ill health struck, and John Grant retired, leaving his brother George to continue in sole charge.

After the war, in 1921, George married Jessie Stuart Scott and they had two sons, with extra names added for easier identification: they were George Scott Grant, and John Peter Grant. But of course, peace was not to last long, and with the advent of World War Two, both sons enlisted,

George in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and John with the Gordon Highlanders and First African Rifles. After they re-entered civilian life, in 1948, a somewhat bizarre event took place in Elgin. Their father held a party to celebrate his Silver Wedding Anniversary and his sons’ 21st birthdays, which had taken place during the War, along with what was supposed to be the distillery’s supposed centenary. Glenfarclas, it was then thought, had been established in 1845; embarrassingly, it was later discovered that Glenfarclas was first licensed in 1836.

The line of Georges and Johns continued: 1949 saw the death of George Grant senior, and the marriage of his son George S. Grant, to Catherine. They went on to have three children, including a son, John L.S. Grant, who joined Glenfarclas in 1973.

George S. Grant retired in 2001, after 52 years as Chairman, and sadly passed away in 2002, John L.S. Grant succeeded his father as Chairman.

John L.S. Grant also has a son, yes, that’s right - George, who was born in 1976, and represents the sixth generation of the Grant family. He’s now director of sales.

A family concern then. And now. Visiting Glenfarclas comes highly recommended,and not just becauseof the exemplary visitor centre, but because there’s always a chance that you’ll bump into somebody called....John. Or possibly George. Family being so obviously important to the Grants.

Glenfarclas 15-year-old Photo by Yoshee CC BY-SA 4.0

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The stock of whisky warehoused at Glenfarclas is quite extraordinary.

That legend of the industry, Richard Paterson, once told with me with a glint in his eye that he longed to get his hands on the Glenfarclas casks. Their careful husbandry is one of the keys to the distillery’s longevity in the hands of one family, and its continued success.

Glenfarclas from the year of your birth? Hint!

Your loved one, or possibly (and perhaps more likely) yourself, will be getting a traditional Speyside style malt with a heavy sherry influence. As Chairman John explained, “good wood is vital in maturation, and the resulting richness and sweetness from sherry casks is delightful.”

And that is perhaps best represented in the ‘Family Cask’ range of limited edition drams.

Glenfarclas has whisky in its warehouses representing every year from 1952 to the present day.

Six decades worth. The perfect, if not cheap, present for that very special anniversary. What could be nicer than a bottle of

The Family Casks are bottled at cask strength. During maturation the strength of the whisky reduces slowly, thanks to ‘the angel’s share’. Cask strength is the natural strength after maturation, hence each bottle in the collection is presented at a different strength.

Depending on what the angels have appropriated.

Glenfarclas Visitor Centre Photo by Lungfish83 PD

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Photo by Numitr0n CC BY-SA 4.0

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I was lucky enough, that day back in 2007, just before the range was launched, to sample some of the youngest whiskies in the Glenfarclas warehouse. They were enormously impressive, and a real tribute to the painstaking approach the distillery takes to its ageing processes. I also tasted some of the older ones, including a Glenfarclas from 1955, the year of my birth. It was then £750 a bottle. These days, some of the years have sold out and if you want, for example, a 1961 bottle, it will set you back around £5000.

Such is the effect of the secondary collector’s market and the whole idea of investing in whisky.

But say you don’t want to spend anything approaching that kind of money, but do want to enter that Glenfarclas world? Well, the 15 is still available and offers fantastic value for money. The entry-level 10-year-old hints at the sherrie grandeur of its more expensive siblings, but just feels a wee bit thin to me. For less than £50 a bottle, though, Glenfarclas 15 is a splendid dram. And while you sip, you can dream of that special occasion, and the hints you might drop in order to enter the world of the Family Cask.

Photo by Yoshee CC BY-SA 4.0

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Tasting Notes Glenfarclas 15

Nose Fresh undergrowth in pine forests after rain; moorland, the ashy whiff of old warehouses and oak barrels. Old aramac snapped open fresh from the silver paper wrapper.

Taste Gloriously assured combination of leather clubroom sofas, tobacco and wedding cake, a wood fire burning in the grate.

Hot builder’s tea. Sherried oak of course

Finish Touch of biscuity vanilla, custard creams then fruit, berry compote, autumn and the crunch of leaf mould beneath your feet on winter’s day, with the promise of a warm fire waiting.

Around £49 a bottle

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History

Stunning Stirling Castle A

lmost wherever you go in Scotland you are never far from a castle. It’s estimated there are more than 1,500 of these magnificent artefacts of the past dotted throughout the country.

Some are now little more than a pile of stones while others have found a new lease of life as hotels, private homes or popular tourist attractions.

While Edinburgh holds the title as most visited and photographed castle in the land there are others equally worthy of a visit yet often bypassed by tourists. Stirling Castle is such an overlooked gem, despite being one of the largest and most important, both historically and architecturally, castles in the country.

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Sitting on top of a 350million-yearold hill with steep cliffs on three sides, making it almost impossible to attack, it has a commanding view of the surrounding countryside for miles in every direction. Its strategic importance

guarding what was, until the late 19th century, the lowest downstream crossing point of the River Forth ensured it played a highly important part in the history and politics of the nation for hundreds of years.

Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland

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Although most of the current buildings date from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries it’s possible a fortification has stood on this spot since much earlier times.

Early medieval scribes claimed the Romans were probably the first to fortify the site while others, such as the 15th century English chronicler William Worcester,

linked Stirling to the real King Arthur.

The first known record of the castle dates back to 1110 when King Alexander I dedicated a chapel there. Over the following decades the town became a Royal Burgh and the castle grew in strategic importance.

Courtyard at Stirling Castle Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland

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With the death of Alexander III in 1286 England’s King Edward I tried to take control of Stirling and invaded Scotland in 1296, sparking the Wars of Independence.

A unicorn at Stirling Castle Photo by Postdlf CC BY-SA 3.0

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Stirling Castle Palace siege plaque Photo by Wknight94 CC BY-SA 3.0

Over the following years the castle was laid siege to and changed hands several times as English and Scottish forces fought for control of Scotland, culminating in the Scots victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 within sight of the castle walls.

Between the late 15th and 17th centuries successive Stuart kings transformed Stirling Castle into a show piece of Renaissance architecture and opulence to

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match almost any other European monarch.

It was King James IV (14881513) who was responsible for constructing the King’s Old Building and Great Hall.

Unfortunately he was killed at the Battle of Flodden before work was finished leaving it up to his son, King James V (1513-1542) to create a new Royal Palace as the centrepiece of the castle.

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The Great Hall at Stirling Castle Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland

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Stone carving at Stirling Castle Photo by Postdlf CC BY-SA 3.0

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To the left of the gatehouse, and forming the south side of the Inner Close, the Royal Palace was the first Renaissance palace in the British Isles. Considered one of the most architecturally impressive buildings in Scotland it is covered with unique carved stonework.

James V’s daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, was crowned at the castle in 1543 while still only an infant less than a year old. In turn, her son, King James VI of Scotland and I of England was baptised at Stirling in 1566.

Following the Union of the Crowns between Scotland and England in 1603 Stirling ceased to become such an important royal residence and the castle returned to being principally a military garrison and jail for important prisoners.

Robert the Bruce at Stirling Photo by Wknight94 CC BY-SA 3.0

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Restored ceiling of the King’s Chamber Photo by Kim Traynor CC BY-SA 3.0

When King Charles I was executed Scotland declared his son Charles II as King and he became the last monarch to live at the castle, although only briefly. His Royalist troops were defeated by Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Dunbar near Edinburgh in 1650 and he was forced into exile.

After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, when Charles II returned to the thrones of England and Scotland, the castle once again became more of a prison for political and religious dissenters.

The last time the castle came under attack was during the Jacobite rising of 1745 when Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army tried unsuccessfully to take the fortress on their way back from England in 1746 on their way to Culloden.

Replica Unicorn tapestry Photo by Kim Traynor CC BY-SA 3.0

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Prince’s Walk at Stirling Castle Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland

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During the 19th and early 20th centuries the castle was again mainly used as a military barracks and remains to this day the official headquarters of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The regimental museum is located within the castle.

Now a Scheduled Ancient Monument in the care of Historic Environment Scotland much work has been done over recent years to restore parts of the castle to its former glory.

Display in the castle kitchen Photo by Postdif CC BY-SA 4.0

Inside the Castle kitchens Photo by Postdlf CC BY-SA 3.0

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Stirling Castle Palace rain water spout Photo by W.Knight94 CC BY-SA 3.0

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Detail of the outside Palace wall Photo by W.Knight94 CC BY-SA 3.0

A popular destination for tourists, with more than half a million visiting each year, the castle, which features on the back of Scottish £20 banknotes, is often used as a venue for open air concerts, events and film making.

Indeed, due to the castle’s similarity with Colditz Castle in Germany it was used as a stand-

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in for exterior shots featured in the 1970s television show about the former allied prisoner of war camp.

Stirling Castle is undoubtedly a ‘must-see’ destination for anyone visiting Scotland with an interest in the history of the country.

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Arts

usic at the Multiverse T

wo great days of live music aims to put one of Scotland’s most magical outdoor venues firmly on the map as a centre of live entertainment.

Crawick Multiverse, near Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, is a 55acre visitor destination featuring standing stones, great sculpted mounds and other breathtaking features – all inspired by astronomy and the cosmos.

On 28 and 29 August its beautiful Sun Amphitheatre will host a series of musicians playing everything from rock, reggae and indie through to trad, classical and opera.

The Saturday will be dedicated to the contemporary sounds of The Dangleberries, Lucky Doves, The Peas, Tom Spirals and Fathers Medicine.

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Sun Amphitheatre Crawick Multiverse Photo by Mike Bolam

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On Sunday Crawick Multiverse welcomes Smith & McClennan, Claudia Wood with pianist Katharine Durran, Flew the Arrow and Wendy Stewart.

For the musicians it’s a significant moment – part of a welcome

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return to live performance, taking place at a location that hopes to establish itself as a major outdoor venue for events and performances of all kinds – ranging from gigs and exhibitions to stargazing and pilates.

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Music at the Multiverse, which will be all seated on grass, is also designed to provide a showcase for the wide range of musical talent based in – or with strong connections to – Dumfries and Galloway.

“We are really excited to be part of this event. It’s not only a spectacular location in which to

perform, it represents a stepping stone for moving forward in the most challenging of times for performers, venues and all other creatives that have been massively affected. We still have a long way to go but this is a great start,” said Grant Dinwoodie, of The Doves, a band with a distinctive folk, rock and roots sound.

Smith & McClennan

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Emily Smith, from Thornhill, will be appearing alongside her partner Jamie McClennan, to play music from their Small Town Stories album. For many it will be a first chance to hear music from the 2019 album live as COVID forced them to abandon most of their planned gigs.

“It’s great to be able to get out and play live again and it’s really exciting that Dumfries and Galloway has a new outdoor venue, and especially as it’s somewhere with a backstory, that’s somewhere to visit in its own right,” said Emily.

Crawick Milky Way and Andromeda at Crawick Photo by Mike Bolam

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Wendy Stewart

International harper Wendy Stewart, from near Moniaive, will present traditional pieces and compositions she’s written that celebrate the wonders of science, some played on her electroharp.

“I love performing in the landscape and this is such an incredible and inspiring space, and so full of hidden meanings.

I’m really looking forward to playing there and exploring the acoustic possibilities it offers,” said Wendy.

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The event is part of the Sanquhar Arts Festival and is also exploring Cracks’ potential as an outdoor venue in easy reach of central and southern Scotland and Cumbria.

Gill Khosla, Chair of Crawick Multiverse Trust, said Music at the Multiverse will be just the start.

“In years to come our plan is to host performance events and other activities of all sorts and sizes – appealing to the local community as well as audiences from all across the region, the rest of Scotland and far beyond,” said Gill.

Crawick Multiverse is a great venue for events

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Collecting

Antique Hunting with… Roo Irvine

The Secret Language of Fans…

E

very Antique has a purpose and a story that begins somewhere. Born from a need or a desire everything has a core reason for existing, much the same with what is produced today.

However, few antiques push that sole purpose to the back of the room, and instead, mesmerise, seduce and distract with a myriad of meanings, secrets and

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symbolism until we have forgotten what it was made for in the first place!

More than 5,000 years ago, long before electric fans and airconditioned cars people, and especially ladies, kept themselves cool with the simple yet effective fan.

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Mother of pearl, paper, metal fan circa 1855 Photo from Metropolitan Museum of Art CC0 1.0

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The use of a fan in an advertising poster of 1898

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Throughout ancient India to China, Japan, Egypt, Greece and Rome materials such as palm leaves and ostrich feathers formed the earliest fans. Two opulent fans made of gold, ebony, precious stones and ostrich feathers were found in Tutankhamen’s tomb, suggesting that the humble fan was as much a status symbol as an instrument of practicality.

However, there is much more to these items of history. Not only were they used in religious ceremonies or as a symbol of wealth, power and status. They were also designed to give protection against the rain and were even used to swat flies away from sacred church vessels.

Some were also used as a tray for serving or receiving refreshments.

In terms of human interaction a fan could be used to hide bad teeth, flirt, signal marital status and even to punctuate sentences.

At one point it was considered a woman’s weapon in the art of love.

Allen & Ginter, Richmond, Virginia, fans of the period

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Round fan from Japan advertising Jintan, with photos of Fujiko Hamaguchi and Takako Irie, early 1930s, paper and wood Photo by Hiart CC0 1.0

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Back in 1711 the Spectator stated: “Women are armed with fans as men with swords, and sometimes do more execution with them.”

In the same way men have been given military instructions, the ladies of the time were told to “handle your fans, unfurl your fans, discharge your fans, ground your fans, recover your fans, flutter your fans”.

In times of real conflict it was used in Japan as a weapon where the art of fighting with fans is a theatrical sight to behold, almost as captivating as dance.

The secret language of fans has a name - Fanology. Whether it was ever officially recognised or not there is no denying ladies of days long gone used them to convey a message they could never have spoken aloud.

Ribbon lace made to fan shape circa 1890 Photo Auckland Museum CC BY 4.0

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The Ladies’ home journal 1948

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In the 18th and 19th centuries women were shackled by strict rules of etiquette. Most ladies aren’t short of admirers and a carefully choreographed use of a fan allowed a woman to discretely communicate with a flirt or a potential dalliance. She could use it tell an admirer she was married, engaged or even open to the possibility. The way a fan was held could even invite a man to “follow me…”

There is much debate about whether a covert language actually existed or whether it was merely a clever marketing ploy by fan-makers to sell more products.

The natural coyness that comes with attraction is a master class in body language. Often when a feeling is strong the body betrays its emotions, and perhaps the fan was merely along for the ride, and that’s how these ‘positions’ were created.

Of course, industry found a way to capitalise and monetise these paper creations. They were used as menus, dance and theatre programmes, and could even be written on for reminders and important notes. It almost seems a shame to drag this wonderful creation down to the depths of ‘promotional material’.

Vintage RCA advertising hand fan Photo by Joe Haupt from USA CC BY-SA 2.0

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As technology progressed fans became printed but early fans were beautifully handmade.

Naturally, some of the most famous figures in history have been depicted on these fans. One in particular depicts the escape of Mary Queen of Scots from Lochleven, printed on pale blue silk.

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In ancient times fans were often flat paddle-style instruments with plumes of feathers, whereas the folding fan that we know of, originated around 670 A.D in Japan. This folding fan spread throughout Europe and was wildly popular from the 16th century onwards, thanks to Elizabeth I for being a fan of fans.

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The Japanese folding fan was supposedly inspired by the folding wings of a bat - a beautiful image and an elegant inspiration from nature to create something so useful for mankind.

The world of Fanology is vast and deliciously intriguing. In summer, especially during the latest heatwave, they provide an opportunity to keep cool and maybe even indulge in a little old world glamour and elegant fantasy. I dare you!

18th century Scottish fan Photo: MET

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Queen Victoria in mourning, seated facing forward, her hand to her hair and holding a fan 1860 Photo © The Trustees of the British Museum CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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Bookmarker

Spotlight on iconic lighthouses T

he fascinating history of Scotland’s lighthouses is revealed through the stories and voices of their keepers in a new book written by award-winning Scottish author Donald S Murray.

For the Safety of All, which has been published in partnership

by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), brings to life previously untold stories of former keepers and historic plans and drawings from NLB which have been published for the first time.

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Eilean Glas Photo HES Canmore

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Among the untold stories and first-hand accounts by former keepers and their family members is one tale told by a retired fisherman from Shetland who recounted the story of when his

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aunt, Mary Anderson, became a local casualty of the Second World War after a German bomb was dropped in the vicinity of the Out Skerries Lighthouse on Shetland.

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Another first-hand account came from a former keeper of the Pentland Skerries Lighthouse who, for the first time, recalled rescuing survivors from an East German cargo ship carrying sugar from Cuba in 1965. Later reports from a local fisherman suggested that the cargo was in fact hiding nuclear weapons amongst the sugar.

Pentland Skerries Photo HES Canmore

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Helicopter at Skerryvore Photo HES Canmore

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Author Donald S Murray Photo: HES

Readers can also discover how nearly £300,000 worth of goods washed ashore on the west coast of Scotland in 1866, as well as the dramatic rescue efforts of keepers including an incident during a storm at Skerryvore Lighthouse in Shetland in 1978.

In order to facilitate the rescue of a helicopter pilot and injured keeper, a former keeper who was on site tells the story of his colleague creating a makeshift

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cradle out of rope so that the damaged pilot could be airlifted to safety.

Delving into the history of the beacons that mark Scotland’s dramatic coastlines, the book touches on the construction of Scotland’s first lighthouse which was built on the Isle of May in 1636, as well as the important role played by those stationed at Scotland’s lighthouses during the Second World War.

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This includes the radar team at Sumburgh Head Lighthouse helping to prevent the destruction of the British Home Fleet in Scapa Flow, as well as a keeper rescuing a survivor from a German U-boat which had been blown up by hauling them by rope from the foot of a cliff.

Readers can also find out about some of the country’s most renowned lighthouses and the contribution made by the Stevenson family. This includes Bell Rock Lighthouse, built by Robert Stevenson between 1807 and 1810, which is the world’s oldest working sea-washed lighthouse, as well as Kinnaird Head Lighthouse and Museum of Scottish Lighthouses where generations of Stevenson family members made alterations and improvements to the lighthouse between 1824 and 1902.

Bound Skerry Photo HES Canmore

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Construction of the Bell Rock lighthouse Photo HES Canmore

Growing up under the gleam of the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, and now living in Shetland, author Donald S Murray describes lighthouses as being a ‘sacred place’ for him.

“This book is a reminder of those members of the Stevenson family who did so much to ensure the construction of these towers on islands, peninsulas and the coastline’s edge in both Scotland and the Isle of Man – many of which still stand today… but mainly, this book is a love-letter to lighthouses, a paean of praise to their fidelity and continual presence in my life,” said Donald.

For the Safety of All beautifully showcases original drawings and descriptions of daring construction methods and the frequent and dramatic setbacks.

Many images featured in the book were discovered in the HES archives, having never been published before.

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Around 150 lighthouses in Scotland are designated as listed buildings, with many listed at category A for their special architectural or historic interest.

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For the Safety of All by Donald S Murray is available online from Amazon and in bookstores.

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Arts

ide turns for art exhibitions O

ne of Scotland’s leading photography arts organisation, Street Level Photoworks, is launching a fourmonth photography exhibition trail in some of the country’s bestloved coastal galleries.

Called ‘Everything Flows’, the photographic trail will mark the reopening of several galleries in

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Scotland’s west coast as well as in Dunoon and Rothesay.

Photographer David Gordon and his ‘Fishing the Minch’ show got the trail off to a successful start at Dunoon Burgh Hall. This will be followed by exhibitions in Irvine, Greenock, Rothesay, Oban and Glasgow.

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Salting mackerel at Olsen’s Photo © David Gordon, courtesy of Street Level Photoworks

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“It has been a difficult time for artists, cultural venues and local communities, so we are particularly excited to now be able to launch the Everything Flows photographic trail with partner venues in regional locations,” said Malcolm Dickson, Director at Street Level Photoworks.

“This coastal-inspired trail of exhibitions and events celebrates Scotland’s coexistence with and dependency on our waterways and coastal lands, promoting the protection and preservation of this vital resource.

“We can’t wait for people to come along and enjoy these shows which capture a fishing boat and its crew based in the Western Isles, the working landscapes of Northern and Western Scotland, the landscapes, geology and the ecology of the Arctic, Subarctic and Antarctic regions, life on the Forth & Clyde Canal, portraits of young Scots, a poignant exploration of plastic debris collected from shorelines across the world and former Buzzcocks drummer John Maher’s study of abandoned crofts from across the Outer Hebrides.”

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An abandoned croft in the Outer Hebrides Photo © John Maher, courtesy of Street Level Photoworks

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For those unable to visit the exhibitions in person, a digital programme of online resources and artist talks will make the programme accessible to a wide range of people whether they live locally or around the world.”

Venues include Street Level Photoworks and Trongate 103 in Glasgow, with various partner venues in coastal locations including The Rockfield Centre (Oban), Harbour Arts Centre (Irvine), Scottish Maritime Museum (Irvine), Beacon Arts Centre (Greenock), and Dunoon Burgh Hall.

The popular pastime of a trip doon the watter from Glasgow to the Firth of Clyde is further celebrated with a photography trail around many window locations on Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.

The full programme of Everything Flows exhibitions can be viewed at the Street Level Photoworks website:

An exploration of plastic debris from shorelines across the world Photo © Mandy Barker, courtesy of Street Level Photoworks

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People

Encouraging

women to cycle T

hree women from Fife have been named in a list of the UK’s 100 Women in Cycling.

Abigail Melton, Marianne Scott and Tamzin Dewar were all included by the charity Cycling UK for their work encouraging women to get on their bikes.

They join TV and film actress Maxine Peake, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Melanie Abbott and gold medal winners Katie

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Archibald and Elinor Barker who have been recognised for their significant achievements in promoting the activity among women of all ages.

The list includes names of women who have been working tirelessly at grassroots level during particularly difficult times to encourage and support more women to ride: people such as Abigail, Marianne and Tamzin.

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Photo by Andy Catlin

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Abigail Melton from Dalgety Bay has been recognised for her work promoting body positivity and encouraging LGBT+ women to cycle. After receiving an unkind comment from a boy, Abigail stopped cycling as a teenager.

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With the help of her partner, she eventually rebuilt her confidence to cycle again and in 2016 they undertook a cycle tour across Europe together, writing the book Gears for Queers about their experience.

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Abigail Melton

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Marianne Scott

Marianne Scott is a cycle influencer included for her promotion of cycling and active travel in Scotland. A lifelong cyclist and now Cycling Scotland regional cycle training and development officer, Marianne enjoys passing on her knowledge to others.

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During lockdown she provided her local community in Kennoway with free bike servicing from her house to make cycling accessible to all in an area that is rural, remote and in a high area of deprivation.

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Tamzin Dewar of St Andrews is the founder of the Switching Gears Festival which aims to encourage more diversity and inclusivity in cycling. Starting to cycle as the quickest way to get around while she was at university, Tamzin now

enjoys bike-packing and ultradistance cycling. She works in the active travel sector and wants to help people look beyond stereotypes and make cycling an activity for all.

Tamzin Dewar

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According to Cycling UK more women than ever have taken up cycling during the coronavirus pandemic. A survey found that 31 per cent of women surveyed switched from a car to a cycle for everyday journeys, and those who cycled regularly reported improvements to their wellbeing.

Although the number of women cycling increased during lockdown, men are still cycling nearly twice as much as women.

Cycling UK is encouraging women to stick to the pedals and continue to replace their car journeys with cycling, and is highlighting women who are inspiring, teaching and encouraging others to do so.

“Every woman on our list is a powerful ambassador for women’s cycling, and many have done outstanding work supporting women to cycle during lockdown. But sadly, women remain underrepresented when it comes to everyday cycling,” said arah Mitchell, Cycling UK chief executive.

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Cycling in Edinburgh Photo by AndyCatlin

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Property

The grandeur of country living A

mixed estate in Sutherland with residential, conservation, sporting and tree planting potential is up for sale for £1.7million.

Challenger Estate, just 49 miles from Inverness, extends to about 937 acres and comes with trout fishing on Loch Craggie and Loch Dola, as well as some spectacular views towards the peaks of Ben Kilbreck, Ben Hope and Ben More Assynt.

The estate has a spacious principal residence, a detached modern two bedroom farmhouse and a charming timber-built bothy.

Photos by Galbraith

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“The trout fishing at Challenger is highly regarded, particularly on Loch Craggie, with excellent catch records in recent years. The Estate enjoys wonderful seclusion and privacy in a spectacular setting, home to many rare native species, in particular birds of prey, including hen harriers,” said Rod Christie of Galbraith, who is handling the sale.

Challenger Lodge, built in the 1990s, offers spacious and flexible accommodation including three bedrooms, kitchen/dining room, sitting room, conservatory, office, utility room, two bathrooms and a wine cellar.

Challenger Estate

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The Bothy offers a kitchen, bathroom, sitting room, dining room and two bedrooms. There is a garden area around the property with mature trees to the rear. The Bothy and Challenger Lodge are connected to the electricity supply generated from a wind turbine adjacent to the Lodge.

The Farmhouse sits at the westernmost point of the Estate and enjoys a pleasant southerly outlook. The farmhouse provides accommodation including entrance hall, utility/boot room, kitchen, sitting room, cloakroom, bathroom and two bedrooms.

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Largs House

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For much less than half the price of the Challenger Estate an elegant country house, set in four acres of ground, near Kirkcudbright is on the market for offers over £600,000.

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Largs House in Twynholm comes with many original period features including working shutters, ornate cornices, a glass domed staircase, and numerous fireplaces.

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The property offers three spacious and tasteful reception rooms all with woodburning stoves, supported by excellent ancillary accommodation including a bright and airy breakfast room, kitchen and large utility room leading down to a useful cellar.

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A master suite on the first floor is complemented by four additional bedrooms and a main bathroom.

A versatile attic floor, in need of some refurbishment, provides two additional bedrooms, a bathroom, and two further attic rooms.

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Broadchapel

For offers over £800,000 Broadchapel, is an equally stunning period property with a rich history. Set amid the in beautiful Dumfriesshire countryside it comes with equestrian facilities, private grounds spanning nine acres, a tennis court, grazing paddocks and woodlands.

Prior to 1671 it is thought the house served as a fortified Pele tower, and during the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 a stand of Stuart arms was kept at the property.

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By the 1820s it the six-bedroom country house was in the ownership of a wine merchant who imported wine from Guernsey, storing it in the fascinating ‘chapel’, a vaulted room attached to the main house.

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Remodelled in 1878 by the noted architect James Barbour it now provides comfortable family accommodation with many period features, including original fireplaces, wooden shutters, service bells and a superb dumb waiter system running between the ground and first floor pantries to serve the dining room.

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August 2021 This month’s Discover Scotland multimedia magazine has been brought to you by: Sponsors Loch Lomond Seaplanes Glenturret Distillery Lochter Activity Centre Turin Castle Argyll Walks

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

Find out Here Photo by VisitScotland / Discover Clackmannanshire / Damian Shields Views of the Wallace Monument as seen from Dumyat at the western end of the main range of the Ochil hills

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