Discover Scotland Issue 58

Raising spirits with Johnnie Walker

Beware the Baobhan Sith

Lochside luxury at Cameron House

Scotland’s calling you

Back to black & white

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Kinnoull Hill Tower, Pearth Photo by VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

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Experience

Travel

Johnnie Walker’s new whisky experience

A peek inside the newly refurbished Cameron House

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Whisky

Experience

Tom Morton and his two wheel whisky adventure

Return to the golden age of photography

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Music

Music

Musical celebrations of Glasgow and Gaelic culture

Proving Scotland’s got talent - Musical Discoveries

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People

Experience

In search of Gaelic speaking Afro-Caribbeans

Ten top pubs worth walking to

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Food & Beverage

Highlander Fling

A national dish and a winter warmer

An annual event that’s so much more than just a fling

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Food & Beverage

Folklore

Edinburgh’s new tantalising tea shop

Dark legend of the Baobhan Sith

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154 History

Food & Beverage

Shedding light on history and tradition

Championing fine food in North Berwick

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History

Travel

Irvine Welsh and a love of old Leith

Everyone’s welcome - come visit Scotland

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Food & Beverage

People

Award for a hangover free lager

The homeless charity changing lives

198 Property A Hebridean hideaway for sale

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1/210 Cover Photo/Back Photo The Black Route, part of the Balblair mountain bike trails near Bonar Bridge, Sutherland Photo by VisitScotland / Paul Tomkins

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Discover Scotland is an independent magazine published

by Discover Scotland Ltd. The monthly digital title provides an international audience of readers with comprehensive coverage of modern day Scotland, its people, achievements, culture, history and customs.

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

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

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

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

General Enquiries info@discoverscotlandmagazine.com

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

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Experience

Raising the flag for the future of whisky tourism

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iageo’s Johnnie Walker Princes Street, the new, eightfloor visitor experience for the world’s best-selling Scotch whisky, has opened its doors to the public in the heart of Scotland’s capital city.

Four and a half years in the making, Johnnie Walker Princes Street is the centrepiece of Diageo’s £185million pound investment in Scotch whisky tourism in Scotland – the largest single investment programme of its kind ever seen in the sector.

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To mark the opening a Johnnie Walker flag was raised above the landmark building by Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive, Diageo, and Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, against the backdrop of Edinburgh’s iconic skyline, including the worldfamous Edinburgh Castle.

“Last year Johnnie Walker celebrated 200 years since founder John Walker opened the doors to his small grocery store and this represents the next chapter of the incredible story,” said Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive as he proclaimed the opening of the visitor attraction a “proud day for everyone”.

“Johnnie Walker Princes Street is a landmark investment in Scotch whisky and into Scotland and it sets a new standard for immersive visitor attractions. It celebrates Scotland’s remarkable heritage, our incredible skilled whiskymakers, and looks to the future by engaging new generations of consumers from around the world in the magic of Scotch whisky.”

Ivan Menezes and Barbara Smith raising the flag from Johnnie Walker Princes Street

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The new Johnnie Walker Princes Street visitor experience is set over 71,500 sq ft and it takes the concept of personalisation to a scale never before seen in a global drinks visitor experience.

Visitors on the Johnnie Walker Journey of Flavour tour can have their personal flavour preferences mapped with drinks tailored to their palate. And, with more than 800 flavour combinations available in the innovative dispensation systems, one person could visit Johnnie Walker Princes Street every day for more than two years and not have the same experience twice.

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To cater for the world wide audience expected to flock to the new attraction more than 150 diverse and talented new employees, speaking 23 languages between them, have been recruited to bring to life the 200-year story.

The building – formerly a traditional department store for almost 100 years – has been transformed to contain a state-ofthe-art experiential retail space where shoppers can select from rare and exclusive whiskies, fill their own bottles and have them personalised.

Even the cellar has become a true whisky treasury with some of the most unique whisky casks in the world gently maturing and waiting to be sampled by guests.

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Johnnie Walker Princes Street is crowned by two world-class rooftop bars and a terrace with breath-taking views of the Edinburgh skyline, including the Explorers’ Bothy whisky bar stocked with 150 different whiskies, and the 1820 cocktail bar where drinks are paired with a carefully curated menu sourced from, and representing in culinary form, the four corners of Scotland.

“We’re thrilled to be opening the doors and helping to re-build the tourism and hospitality industry after a very difficult 18 months,” said Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Johnnie Walker Princes Street.

“The story of the world’s bestselling whisky has been brought to life with flair and imagination and we have built a team which includes some of the most talented individuals in their fields.

We are now ready to welcome visitors and begin telling the next chapter of how we are woven into the fabric of Scotland’s history and communities.”

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In 2019, the Scotch Whisky industry attracted a record 2.16 million visitors and Johnnie Walker Princes Street, and Diageo’s £185m tourism investment programme aims to help rebuild Scotch whisky tourism for the future.

The investment includes the transformation of distillery visitor experiences around Scotland, including Glenkinchie, Clynelish, Cardhu and Caol Ila – the Lowland, Highland, Speyside and Islay homes of Johnnie Walker, linked to Johnnie Walker Princes Street to form a world-class network of attractions the length and breadth of Scotland.

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Travel

Return to luxury by Loch Lomond C

ameron House on the banks of Loch Lomond has welcomed some of the richest and most famous people in history.

For more than 300 years a majestic mansion has stood on this site, surrounded by more than 400 acres of beautiful countryside straddling the line between Scotland’s highlands and lowlands.

Once owned by the shipbuilding and merchant Smollett family the most famous of which was the writer Tobias Smollett who is credited as being the father of the modern novel - the baronial mansion at the heart of the hotel is enshrined in history.

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The new reception area

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For most of the last 40 years the estate has been home to one of Scotland’s most popular luxury hotels, after being sold by the Smollett family in 1985, and played host to political leaders, sports people, celebrities and visitors from around the world.

Now, after four years and a multimillion pound renovation, the five-star luxury hotel and resort is once again welcoming visitors keen to experience the beautiful surroundings The hotel’s magnificent new ground foyer, the library complete with signature Timorous Beastie’s wallpaper, and the brand-new Lobby Bar featuring a grand marble-top bar that will serve the finest champagnes, cocktails and afternoon teas exude luxury and opulence.

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The Library

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The Lobby Bar

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Ideally situated in the heart of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, Cameron House Hotel offers 140 guest bedrooms, including 24 luxury suites, that have been individually designed with exceptional attention to detail to ensure a truly memorable stay.

New features include the splendidly intimate lobby bar, serving cocktails, champagne and Cameron House’s Signature Afternoon Tea. In addition, the completely remodelled Cameron Leisure Club and The Tavern Bar provide the perfect retreat.

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The wider Cameron House Resort is also home to an awardwinning spa complete with a rooftop infinity pool, an 18-hole championship golf course, and a 234-berth marina.

Guests can enjoy an array of water activities along the banks of Loch Lomond, including adrenalinefueled speed boat and jet-skiing trips, kayaking and katakanu excursions, as well as peaceful paddle boarding, fresh water fishing, or opulent champagne cruises onboard the impressive Celtic Warrior.

With 400 acres of majestic countryside on its doorstep, Cameron House also boasts breathtaking 360-degree views of the Scottish landscape. Visitors can enjoy unparalleled views through scenic bike hire trails, falconry experiences, pony treks, clay pigeon shooting, 4x4 off-road driving adventures, Segway safaris, as well as a list of picturesque walks and hikes curated by the hotel’s leisure and events team.

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Cameron House Leisure Club

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Auld House, Loch View one bedroom suite

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The main hotel building dates back to the 17th century. This former baronial mansion is now fondly known as The Auld House and is home to 14 exquisite suites complete with furnishings and designs influenced by Glasgow-based Timorous Beasties as well as enhanced luxurious touches including cashmere throws by Scotland’s second oldest family business, Johnstons of Elgin. From lavish duplex apartments to romantic one-bedroom suites, guests residing in the Auld House will enjoy enhanced amenities including in-suite check-ins and chauffeur transfers.

The resort’s most exclusive rooms, The Cameron and The Tower Suites exemplify luxury living at its finest. Perfect for entertaining, the light and airy spaces take design inspiration from the hotel’s magnificent natural setting with furnishings that mirror the rich colour palette of Loch Lomond.

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Cameron Suite lounge with two private terraces and floor to ceiling windows

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Most impressive is the 110 square metre Cameron Suite, a duplex penthouse with two separate terraces affording unrivalledviews of its stunning surroundings. the double-height sapce exudes a timeless Scottish elegance and features its ownprivate bar.

Located in the original mansion tower, The Tower Suite epitomises Scottish charm with a captivating colour palette of greys and warm golds. Complete with an opulent living area, it is the perfect place to unwind and soak up the surrounding views. Guests staying in both the Cameron and the Tower Suites can also take advantage of a complimentary private Champagne cruise around Loch Lomondduring their stay.

Each of Cameron House’s additional 116 guestrooms offer exceptional luxury and exude the Scottish charm the resort is famed for.

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Loch View one bedroom suite - Auld House

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Designed with the surrounding Trossachs in mind, each of the bedrooms feature Scottish artwork and the chance to take in the sweeping views of the grounds and shores of Loch Lomond, while the bespoke furnishings and fine textiles create beautiful relaxing spaces for leisure and business travellers alike. And to ensure little ones feel just as special, children can enjoy enhanced amenities with compliments including a welcome gift, bathrobes and ponchos, family board games and Lego.

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Drawing on inspiration from the reinstated hotel’s new décor and reimagined suites, Johnstons of Elgin has developed a bespoke tartan, the Cameron House tartan, which offers an instant sense of Scottish heritage with a modern edge. Its colours perfectly reflect the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond and heather-dappled glens. The iconic tartan brings together considered design and exquisite craftsmanship and will feature throughout the uniforms of the concierge and kilted doormen, as well as front of house, guest relations and food and beverage teams.

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“We’re enormously proud to be opening our doors once again, welcoming both our returning guests and new faces to our beautiful resort,” said Andy Roger, Resort Director at Cameron House, following a three-year-long meticulous restoration.

“Completely remodelled to the highest standards, guests can enjoy a truly luxurious experience while relaxing in the beautiful surroundings of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park.”

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Whisky

Skailg: A wee livener with… Tom Morton

Whisky, Motorcycles, Ireland and Scotland T

then descend towards my aged body...

There was no pain. There was horror, a sense of awful inevitability as, swinging my leg over the heavily-laden bike to get off, I caught my foot on the saddle, fell heavily to the ground and watched the Grey Beast teeter on its dodgy kickstand and

Worse, there were witnesses.

As I lay on the ground waiting for the impending agony and damage to both myself and the motorbike (brand new, borrowed, amid much dubiety about its insurance status, from the Triumph factory press fleet) I could see the horrified face of Gordon Donoghue, Scottish manager of Bushmills and keen motorcyclist himself. It was manoeuvring my bike close to his immaculate Triumph Bonneville that provoked my awkward and ultimately failed attempt to dismount. In fact,

he year was 2010. Forty years of motorcycling, and I’d never fallen off once. Now here I was, in the deceptively sloping car park of Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland, lying underneath a Triumph Street Triple R, 675cc of expensive motorcycle that had just toppled with a sickening crunch onto my legs and torso.

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it was all Gordon’s fault. And I could see in his eyes he thought so too. Or rather, that it was all the fault of Bushmills Whiskey, its manager, Pernod Ricard, owners, and possibly the Protestant God who inhabits this part of Northern Ireland, makes the populace paint the paving stones red, white and blue, spreads Him (or Her) self among the dozens of competing churches of a Sabbath morning, and turns a blind Presbyterian eye to the fact that Jameson’s, that good Catholic whiskey made at Cork in the Republic of Ireland, is actually bottled in Bushmills, mostly by Protestants.

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Bushmills whiskey range Photo by Van Helsing CC BY-SA 3.0

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In the milliseconds the whole incident took, I could see Gordon’s brain turning over various considerations: The array of Bushmills new make spirit and finished whiskeys I had inhaled, if not drunk, that morning: had I addled my motorcycling body and brain, despite a rigid adherence to the sniff-spit-don’t-swallow rule? Would there have to be a full Health and Safety inquiry into the incident? Would I sue for compensation due to bad car park camber? Meanwhile, I could hear the sound of laughter, somewhere. That would be Rob Allanson, my companion on this motorcycle adventure, editor of Whisky Magazine, rider of an identical Triumph and unsympathetic critic of my clumsiness, age and hapless incompetence as a motorcyclist.

Not to mention my inability to wax lyrical about (1) the bass playing of Stanley Clarke (jazz noodling, in my opinion) or (2) the cinnamon overtones to be detected in the nose of a 1994 Glen Rothes single malt whisky (I’d go for warehouses, ash, sherry, dirty socks and ginger with the merest hint of baby sick and quarry dust).

Bladnoch Distillery, near Wigtown Photo by Alan Jamieson CC BY-SA 3.0

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What has brought me to this?

Well, a motorcycle, obviously.

Whisky, though, is the overriding reason for this trip. We’re collecting bottles from distilleries in Ireland, Scotland and, yes, England and Wales for charitable purposes. We’re stopping overnight at most of the booze factories to sip some of the stuff too. But you guessed that.

Why whisky? Why not...I don’t know, sail around rum distilleries in the Caribbean? Sledge around Siberia looking for Vodka?

Skateboard from primary school to youth club, celebrating the alcopop, bigging up the Bacardi Breezer?

Well, the thing is, I have got form with whisky. The two of us go back a long, long way. It’s a Scottish thing, and Scotland and myself have a shared history too. Mostly, like many Scots, I am a bit of a mongrel. Scots-born parents, but I was born in Carlisle, England.

Mum’s mother was from Northern Ireland, Dad’s father was born in Africa. It’s complicated.

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I happen to think that whisky is very...nice. Very interesting. And much more. I have spent a great deal of time sniffing it, tasting it, talking about, listening to music which mentions it. While drinking. and I know it is seen very much as synonymous with Scotland, as crucial to the country’s culture and identity, but for me, it’s also about music. Rock’n’roll music.

Whisky and rock’n’roll go together like...motorcycles and injury. Think of Keith Richards on stage with the Stones, in the old, pre-headband days, a bottle of Jack Daniels or Jim Beam atop his amp. The Faces with their infamous on-stage bar. Tom Waits before he sobered up, married and turned into a Bertolt Brecht tribute act. Lynyrd Skynyrd. Thin Lizzy.

I know quite a lot of about whisky.

I have strong opinions about the nonsense some so-called connoisseurs spout when faced with a dram and an audience.

Indeed, I have myself uttered such unutterable rubbish, during whisky tasting events I have hosted from Johannesburg to Wigtown.

Lynyrd Skynyrd Photo by Selbymay CC BY-SA 4.0

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There are worse places to die. Distilleries are, after all, locations of glory and delight, magical repositories of wondrous, alchemical arts, centres for the transformation of base agricultural substances into golden spirit. I’ve visited stills and their accompanying mills, maltings, mash tuns and other ancillaries. Slurped from illicitly opened barrels in dank, cavernous warehouses. I’ve been from Wigtown to Wick, from Bruichladdich to...Bushmills.

Where it now looks as if I may have to stay for a while. Resting here in my back, a rather nice Triumph on top of me, like some kind of mechanical comfort blanket in steel and plastic.

A song pops into my head. Lynyrd Skynyrd, it could be argued, only had about three real tunes (Freebird, Sweet Home Alabama and The Endlessly Extended Chug-a-Lug Blues Jam). Whiskey Rock’n’Roller tended to become The Endlessly Extended Chug-aLug Blues Jam live on stage, but its lyrics have that genuine sense of breast-beating look-ma-ah’mdrinkin’ rock excess that has, in a moderate, restrained sort of way, informed my life.

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Motorcycles, whisky and music: central to the Skynyrd myth (and cars, and aeroplanes, sadly, like the one that nearly wiped the band out) and to my own. You could add some religion to the mix, if you like. Skynyrd certainly would have been uneasily aware of that Robert Johnson rock’n’roll deal with the devil they’d made, and the fact that God was just longing to take a little vengeance.

Me, I’ve been waiting for the lightning bolt to fall from an annoyed divinity ever since I gave up my faith and life as a travelling evangelist to follow alcohol and music and moderate excess.

Journalism was the obvious place to pursue these interests.

There was a time when journalism was a reasonably exciting occupation. And you got paid real money for doing it, too.

Anyway, there are a couple of lines from Whiskey Rock’n’Roller that capture it all: religion, in the form of a prayer: ‘Lord, don’t you take my whiskey and rock’n’roll,’ And the rest. Sex, alcohol, movement across the planet: ‘Women, whiskey and miles of travelin’ is all I understand.’ Quite.

Couldn’t have put it better myself.

Didn’t. Though I might have spelt whisky without the ‘e’.

This whisky/whiskey spelling conundrum: It’s basically down to Scotch having once been absolutely terrible. Poor quality, frequently toxic. Bear with me.

Bruichladdich Distillery Photo by Laddie09

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The name comes from Gaelic (pronounced Gaylic, if we’re talking in Irish, or Gaelic (pronounced Gallic, if we happen to be in Scotland). Scots Gaelic developed from the Irish version, and it’s more than probable that the magical recipe for whisky came from there too, courtesy of Columba or his various monkish followers. Uisge beatha, in Scots Gaelic, Uisce beatha in Irish. Water of Life. And if you’re thinking that seems awfully similar to the Latin aqua vitae, as in Aquavit, or Eau de Vie, as in Cognac, Armagnac or Calvados, then you’re absolutely right.

Those Latin-speakers have been using the term since the 1300s.

But in every culture, in every country, distilled alcohol has been seen as a life-affirming, life-giving liquid. Magical. An elixir, in fact.

Of course, in large quantities, it will kill you, but its origin was as a medicine. And to go back to Gaelic (Scots) that’s why it’s best to moderate your intake by asking for te bheag. A wee one. You can have several wee ones. Lots of wee ones. Enough wee ones to sink the proverbial Titanic. But stick to wee ones and you’ll be all right, mostly.

Alcohol, then. Did the Irish monks invent it? Some would say it’s impossible to believe that alcohol could first have been distilled anywhere else. But no, the Celts did not pioneer the hard stuff.

Forget the monks. Forget (for the moment, as we shall return to it) Christianity. Alcohol is an Islamic invention. Sort of.

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We’re talking ‘pure’ distillation here, as there’s been a form of it on the Indian subcontinent since 500BC. Ethanol - C2H5OH – boils at 78.4 degrees centigrade, which is lower than water. That means it comes wafting off heated, fermented liquid before watery steam does. All you have to do is condense it on something cool, and bingo: Bob is your wobblylegged uncle.

Forget all that mystical Celtic twilight nonsense about some pre-croft heathery crofter accidentally boiling up beer and licking shockingly strong ethanol off the top of his curiously-shaped iron pot. It was all happening way to the east.

Arab and Persian chemists, at the absolute cutting edge of science in their day, took the technology forward, developing processes and equipment that would be recognised and admired today within the precincts of the Heriot Watt University Brewing and Distilling of Mind-Altering Liquids Department. Even the word ‘alcohol’ itself comes from the Middle East. The term appears in English in the 16th century, entering the language via French from medical Latin, ultimately from the Arabic al-kuhl, Kuhl (kohl) is a powder used as an antiseptic and eyeliner then and now, and ‘al’ is the Arabic for ‘the’.

So alcohol takes its name from eye shadow, though not because it caused a natural equivalent to occur in those who’ve been up all night sampling the stuff. One explanation is that ‘Kohl’ was seen as the essence of the plant it was extracted from, Indian Devilwood, and became a generic term for Pulteney Distillery, Wick Photo by K. Schwebke CC BY-SA 3.0 DE

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the essential spirit of something.

Better than ‘Max Factor’, anyway.

Alternatively the word ‘kuhl’ may come from ‘kahala’, which means to colour or stain.

By the mid-18th Century, alcohol was solidly defined in English as the ‘intoxicating ingredient in strong liquor’. What about those Celts, though? Ireland first. In 1405, in the Irish Annals of Clonmacnoise, (a lost Irish chronicle translated in the early 17th century) the death of chieftain is recorded. He perished at Christmas, after “taking a surfeit of aqua vitae”. As for Scotland, we have to leap forward 89 years, to 1494, for the famous in entry in the Exchequer Rolls where the malt was sent “to Friar John Cor, by order of the king, to make aquavitae”.

How did the Gaelic ‘uisge beatha’ turn into ‘whisky (no ‘e’)’? Soldiers, probably, invading Ireland, beating up monks, pronouncing very badly the name for their medical liquid (because before it was quaffed recreationally, it would have been the magical preserve of mysterious healers).

You can just imagine these rough chaps, grabbing a bottle marked ‘do not take internally’, and knocking it back. What’s this called? Ooshkiva! Whit?

Ooooshhhkivaaah….Oosh... ooshhka...oooshki...

Whisky.

The thing is, whisky is more than indulgence, more than drunkenness. It is both magic and science, conviviality and solitary insight. And to those

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who say, it’s all the same...well, yes. You’re right. And you’re wrong. The difference between a childishly disgusting George T Stagg 2009 small batch Kentucky straight bourbon, bottled by at 70.7 per cent alcohol (a Friday night Humvee, steering erratically along a single track road), and a stunningly sophisticated Glen Rothes 1994 (a smooth-butheartbeat-thumping Moto Guzzi Bellagio on a deserted A96, the smell of sherry butts and pine trees wafting down on you as you power along towards Speyside nirvana) should be obvious to any consumer. One tastes of burnt forests, the other doesn’t. One is a bad car, the other a motorcycle (Note: an Italian one; they don’t traditionally make whisky in Italy but they really, really like it).

On the other hand, there is the Truth According to Hamish Henderson. Henderson was (he died in 2002) an intellectual, lecturer, folk song collector, hero of the German resistance to Hitler, pacifist, soldier (he personally accepted the surrender of Italy from Marshall Graziani) and poet, seen by many as Scotland’s greatest since Robert Burns. He was, in many senses, Scotland.

Once, a friend of his who was involved in the whisky industry decided it would be a good idea to obtain the great man’s verdict on a few rare single malts, for possible marketing purposes.

After all, wouldn’t the great poet capture the grandeur and greatness of these fine spirits with words of deathless beauty, aesthetic insight and intellectual rigour?

Highland Park Distillery Photo by Alan Jamieson CC BY-SA 3.0

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The tasting began with due ceremony. The correct glasses, the small jug of water, the holy libations themselves. Henderson sniffed and sipped, a beatific expression on his face. Time passed. At length the poet was asked to describe the experience of drinking this excessively expensive, hugely aged dram.

What, he was asked, was it like.

There was along pause. And then Henderson smiled, shook his head, and held out his glass for a refill.

“I’ll tell you what it was like,” he said. “It was like...whisky.”

Here comes Gordon and Rob. They’re gingerly lifting the bike off me. Does it hurt, they’re asking? Are you all right? Not yet, I’m thinking. And all right?

Well, is there any of that Bushmills 10-year-old new-make spirit handy? I think a wee sip might help...or we could rub it on my mild abrasions as disinfectant.

And send for some proper whisky.

From Scotland.

As it turned out, I was not seriously damaged, although the bike was: Over £2,000 to repair, Triumph insisted. It was a severe lesson to me. I have never touched Irish whiskey since. and as I write, in September 2021, I have just sold my last motorcycle, ridden it one final time to the ferry from here in Shetland to mainland Scotland, and come back home for a wee dram of Highland Park 12, the greatest value of any whisky, in my opinion, anywhere.

Even under its daft ‘Viking Honour’ branding. Skol!

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Photo by Bingar1234 CC BY-SA 4.0

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Tasting Notes Highland Park 12 year old ‘Viking Honour’ Available from £30-£38 in the UK. I bought mine in the local community shop here in Shetland for £36. And as it’s made in Orkney, where vikings dwell, I claim it as very nearly Shetlandic, where I dwell, and where the vikings tended to leave all their seasick crew, the ones who couldn’t face a further hop to Orkney aboard a longship.

Nose Windswept and interesting. all the freshness and salty cleanliness of an equinoctial Orcadian gale. Flowers fading gently on a centrally heated windowsill. Honey and lemon with a touch of sweet ginger.

Palate Full and deep, combining the sherry casks Highland Park have made from wood chopped down in their own forests with the peat smoke from their own matings. Just superbly balanced.

Toast and a sweet marmalade.

Finish Long and spicy.

Personal note: I won’t be held to this, but I seem to suffer less from a hangover if I stick to highland Park. I put this down to it being an exceptionally well-made whisky. But as in all writing about alcoholic spirits, I would add the necessary statement: Could be talking nonsense.

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Experience

Return to a golden age of photography

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t a time when instant gratification at the touch of a button often replaces quality, talent and patience one of Scotland’s most experienced photographers is turning back the clock.

For more than 45 years Stewart Cunningham has been photographing people, events and products for newspapers, magazines and corporate clients across the world.

Although, in recent years, digital photography has become the mainstay of his craft Stewart’s passion has always been film, along with the skills needed to develop and hand print the kind of images that really capture people’s attention.

Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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In a world where vinyl records are back in the groove he’s reequipped and refurbished his original studio and darkroom to provide a unique service to those who yearn for ‘proper’ photographs.

“I love digital photography for its ease and immediacy but there is a quality about a hand printed photograph from a negative that it cannot capture. At every stage of the process, from lighting and shooting to the finished print, I’m in control. It’s a very hands-on business. Every print is unique and a very personal piece of work, both for the photographer and the client,” said Stewart.

Shot on black and white film and then lovingly developed and printed in a fully equipped professional darkroom clients can have their portrait lit and shot at home or in his custom-built Clydebank studio.

Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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“I have sourced some rare photographic papers and all the necessary films and chemicals are still available,” said Stewart, who also provides classes in film photography, lighting, developing and printing for those who wish to learn skills that are becoming increasingly rare.

“The skills I acquired at Glasgow’s old College of Building and Printing and practised for many years in newspaper darkrooms are all intact and I’m keen to pass them on to a new generation.”

Indeed, an increasing number of photographers are putting away their smartphones and digital DSLR cameras in favour of going back to film.

A young Stewart Cunningham in Paris

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Photo by Stewart Cunningham of workers on the Forth Rail Bridge

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Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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There is a growing appreciation among a new generation of photographers, most of whom have grown up in the digital age, for the skills needed to shoot photographs with film that the new technology cannot provide.

Film photographers can’t just shoot off 2,000 images on a memory card and hope one or two turn out right. They have to take their time, compose the shot and capture the moment at precisely the right time, especially when they’ve only got 24 or 36 frames to work with.

Having to think about every shot before it’s taken encourages creativity and there is something romantic about developing prints by hand and seeing the results magically appear on paper in the darkroom.

Stewart in his rebuilt studio darkroom

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Collectors and clients are also recognising the unique qualities of film. As a result of the skills and talent required there is a growing demand for paper prints. Just as there are people who prefer to read a printed book rather than download an electronic copy there is a rising desire to own physical paper prints.

“Black and white photography is coming back into fashion in the same way vinyl records have come back into fashion,” said Stewart.

“I am doing it the old fashioned way. I take the negative and I print from the negative so no two photographs printed by hand can ever be the same.”

Stewart regularly photographed the Royals at Braemar Photo by Stewart Cunningham

Celebrities such as the Proclaimers were frequent subjects for Stewart Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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There was a time, not that long ago, when all photography was on film and processed by hand.

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Music

Month of musical celebrations

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ome of Scotland’s favourite musicians are to headline Glasgow’s newest music and dance festival, CeilidhFest.

The gathering is intended to be a celebration of Glasgow – its people, culture, musicians, artists, hospitality, and entertainment – and takes place throughout November at various venues across the city Headline acts include Hipsway, Dougie Maclean, Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain along with young neo-trad rising stars Project Smok, the UK’s best shanty band, Kimber’s Men, and many other great bands and musicians.

The festival, billed as being ‘by Glaswegians for Glaswegians’ features famous and unknown musicians playing modern and traditional Scottish and international music and dance.

Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain Photo: CeilidhFest Glasgow

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Dougie MacLean Photo by Jamie MacLean

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Hipsway Photo: CeilidhFest Glasgow

The full line-up includes an eclectic mix of indie, rock and club music as well as traditional Scottish, modern Celtic and all sorts of music and dance – champion Highland and break dancers, bhangra and other multicultural fusions and mash-ups.

“CeilidhFest is a great big gathering and sharing of everything that’s fabulous about our city; our people, our culture, our musicians, our artists,” said Kate Walker, founder of CeilidhFest Glasgow.

“It’s an opportunity for us to share the biggest warm Glasgow welcome and display of hospitality and celebration in such iconic venues as the legendary Barrowland Ballroom and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.”

As part of the month long festival Dougie MacLean will perform a special one-off St Andrew’s Day concert at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum.

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MacLean, who has an international reputation as a composer and extraordinary performer, is probably most famous for his song ‘Caledonia’ which has become an anthem for Scots and their descendants around the world.

Many of his other works have been covered by hosts of artists, including Paolo Nutini, Amy MacDonald, Ronan Keating, Mary Black, Frankie Miller and Kathy Mattea.

November also heralds the start of the Blas Festival, featuring some of Scotland’s top traditional musicians and singers, in a celebration of Highland music, Gaelic language and culture.

This year a new piece of music debuting at the festival draws inspiration from the lives and works of some of Gaeldom’s finest female bards and their fight against injustice and for equality.

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Kim Carnie

Buaidh nam Ban (Influence of Women) is a new musical work by singer and TV presenter Kim Carnie to mark the 200-year anniversary of Màiri Mhòr nan Òran (Big Mary of the Songs/Mary Macpherson). She was a nurse and prolific songwriter from Skye, known for her powerful songs of protest, praise, exile and hope.

The work also commemorates other great female bards of the Gàidhealtachd, including Sìleas na Ceapaich, Maighread Nighean Lachlainn and Mairi Nighean Alasdair Ruaidh, with the work of Màiri Mhòr nan Òran taking centre stage.

“At the heart of this commission is the female bard; their life, their legacy, their struggles, and their

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values. Stories passed down the generations through our rich oral tradition will be woven throughout the performance; from the imprisonment of Màiri Nic a’ Phearsain (Mary Macpherson) and her fight for crofters’ rights, to the face-down burial of female bards and the exile of others, including that of Màiri Nighean Alasdair Ruaidh.

“Buaidh nam Ban is an exciting new piece, taking the listener on a journey through the centuries from the rarely heard perspective of the female Gaelic Bard,” said Kim. The festival runs from 19th to 27th November at various venues across the Highlands and online.

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Music to accompany reading Discover Scotland www.discoverscotlandmagazine.com 1: Bert Jansch - How Your Love Is Strong 2: The Waterboys - Where the Action Is 3: Milo Castaneda - Manos Arriba 4: The Legendary Hearts - Make a Home 5: Hipsway - Ask the Lord 6: Lloyd Cole - 2CV 7: Hamish Hawk - Calls to Three 8: Robin Trower - Little Bit of Sympathy 9: Stone the Crows - The Touch of Your Loving Hand 10: Frankie Miller - A Fool in Love 11: Average White Band - Work to Do 12: Michael Marra - Hermless

with Tom Morton

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People

Gaelic speaking AfroCaribbeans and their place in Scottish culture

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to uncover the Gael’s role in the slave trade.

In a new documentary made for BBC ALBA Cass Ezeji, 27, gives a personal insight into her life in Trusadh: Afro-Gàidheil - AfroGaels, as she explores her place in a culture where she has rarely seen herself represented.

Cass attended Scotland’s first Gaelic primary school in Glasgow where she, unfortunately, first experienced racism. As a young mixed-race woman, she felt unsure of her place within the Gaelic community and, although she speaks the language fluently, she’s often questioned that part of her identity.

In making the show Cass met with Gaelic speakers of African and Caribbean descent to discuss how they connect to the language and culture and also talked to experts

“We were totally immersed in Gaelic at school and I don’t think I knew that was going to be the case so I felt a little lost,” said Cass.

Gaelic speaking singer with Scottish and Nigerian roots has embarked on a quest to explore her relationship with Gaelic culture and history.

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Cass Ezeji and Alicia Matthews

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“The impression I had when I left school was that I didn’t feel part of the Gaelic world. I didn’t see myself represented in the culture so there was something of a disconnect.”

Cass’ parents are both from Glasgow. Her paternal grandfather was from Nigeria and lived in the west end of Glasgow with her grandmother who was from Newcastle.

“There weren’t many Black people living in Scotland at that time.

They were one of the few Black families in the city,’ said Cass, who sings in a band called LAPS with her best friend Alicia Matthews.

“Growing up, I had no experience at all of Nigeria. I was very fortunate because my grandfather on my mother’s side told me a lot about it.

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Cass Ezeji

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Cass and the Maramba family

“We had a large globe and he would show me where Nigeria was. There were two ethnicities in Nigeria he knew about - Igbo and Yoruba; My family are Igbo.”

Cass visited Nigeria for the first time two years ago and, although it was a culture shock, it was a very special trip and she felt a strong connection with the place and the people.

In speaking with fellow Gaelic speakers of Afro-Caribbean heritage, Cass examined what it means to be part of the Gaelic community and discovered she is not alone in feeling uncomfortable with the Gaelic word for ‘Black’: dubh. She considers alternative ways to selfidentify and tries to reconnect to the language through her passion for music as she sings in Gaelic for the first time.

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Cass Ezeji researching for Trusadh: Afro-Gàidheil

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Cass Ezeji at Green Door Studio

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Cass Ezeji and Amina Davidson

Cass met with historical expert Dr David Alston and Glasgow’s first Afro-Caribbean Councillor Graham Campbell to look at the evidence of slavery that can still be found in Glasgow and the Highlands today.

She discovered that the first Gaelic dictionary was funded with donations from slave plantations and learns the story of mixedrace girl, Eliza Junor, who came to Cromarty from Demerara in the 1800s with her Highland father at a time when around 10 per cent of the pupils at Inverness Royal

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Academy were listed as having come from the Caribbean.

She uncovered the historical ties between the Gaels and the slave trade and how Highland families greatly profited from this enterprise, and addressed some difficult questions about racism and slavery as we continue to live with the legacy to this day.

“When we consider Scotland and slavery, we rarely hear about the connection with the Gaels,” said Cass.

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Cass Ezeji and Carrie Prescott

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Cass Ezeji and Tawana Maramba

“It’s vital that we speak about this in our community because we’ve always seen ourselves as the heroes and the victims but not the perpetrators. It’s a painful history but we were part of it. We need to listen and not disbelieve it.”

Also featured in the documentary is Amina Davidson who lives in Glasgow. She is a traditional musician but only two per cent of traditional musicians are Black. At the end of the first pandemic lockdown in Scotland, her neighbour, Tide Lines singer Robert Robertson, posted a video of himself and Amina singing Teann a-Nall to entertain the residents of Partick. It eventually

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got 1.5 million views.

Also contributing to the programme is Alicia Matthews, musician and singer who lives in Lewis and is an Arts Worker at An Lanntair in Stornoway, and Tawana Maramba from Tranent, East Lothian. She is a student and Gaelic singer whose parents hail from Zimbabwe, and Karrie Prescott of Wishaw. She started learning Gaelic as an adult and is now very much involved in the language and culture.

Trusadh - Afro-Gàidheil -AfroGaels is available on the BBC iPlayer until around the end of October.

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Experience

Welcome walk inns

by Scott Aitken

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and enjoy some of the country’s legendary hospitality.

New research, by country-lifestyle brand Hollands Country Clothing, has revealed 10 of the country’s top pubs where weary walkers and travellers can rest their tired legs

Compiling a list of the best walks across the country experts identified pubs that serve as a way or end point along each route. They then compared review scores from Trip Advisor and Google reviews to find the best experiences before cross referencing the results to find

here are few things more pleasing than a pet friendly pub with an open fire, good food, delicious drinks and a cosy atmosphere. Fortunately, Scotland has them in abundance.

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locations that not only have a roaring fire, but are also dog friendly for those who want to take their furry friends along on the adventure. The results were compared and given a total out of 10.

a welcome cosy rest for weary, hungry or thirsty travellers navigating the 7.2mile long Sand and Applecross Bay walk, scoring marks of 9.1 out of 10.

The Applecross Inn in Wester Ross took top spot to be crowned the number one best pub walk in Scotland. The Inn provides Applecross Bay in Wester Ross Photo by VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

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Boats moored at Balmaha on Loch Lomond Photo by VisitScotland / Richard Elliot

Second place, with 9 out of 10, went to the Oak Tree Inn at Balmaha on the banks of Loch Lomond on the 7-mile long Dryman to Balmaha route.

The Inn is an ideal base from which to explore the natural attractions and beauty of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. There’s easy access to several magnificent walks including The West Highland Way, Millennium Forrest and Conic Hill.

Next on the top 10 list is the Dores Inn, Inverness on the 7-mile-long South Loch Ness Trail. It scored 8.9/10 for its cosy and informal, warm and relaxing atmosphere providing great food, wine and ales.

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The famous award-winning Clachaig at Glencoe came fourth, with a score of 8.5/10. Located at the end of the 6.2mile walk from Glencoe to Clachaig the Inn, where Scotland’s first Christmas romantic comedy film was shot, is renowned for its hospitality summed up in it’s motto “real people, real hospitality, real craic.”

At Brig O’Turk at Loch Lomond the Byre Inn is a welcome spot for adventurers traversing the 4milelong Glen Finglas walk. It scored 8.4/10 as it promises authentic Scottish food, great drinks and the “most ecclected music selection played in any pub”.

Scenery near the Clachaig Inn, Glencoe Photo by VisitScotland / David N Anderson

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Over on the Isle of Skye the Sligachan Hotel, with a respectable 8.3/10, is renowned for its warm welcome to walkers completing the 11-mile long route through Glen Sligachan. Situated among the Red and Black Cuillins by the romantic waters of Loch Sligachan the hotel has served visitors to this spectacular location since 1830.

On Mull, walkers on the 6.3mile long Aros Park and Tobermory Circuit route, can relax at The Mishnish overlooking Tobermory bay. This classic 150-year-old pub serves a large selection of craft beers and fine food.

Sligachan on the Isle of Skye Photo by VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

Looking over to Loch Tulla from Near Inveroran Photo by VisitScotland / Paul Tomkins

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Again, along by the side of Loch Lomond at Inveranan travellers can be assured of a warm, and maybe even ghostly, welcome at the Drover’s Inn at Inverarnan.

Situated on the 9.5mile long

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Tyndrum to Inveroran walk this 300-year-old haunted hostelry and favoured drinking hole of the legendary Rob Roy MacGregor scored 8/10.

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In Edinburgh the Sheep Heid Inn on The Causeway was awarded 7.8 out of 10 for its charm and character that attracts walkers completing the 1.1mile stroll up Arthur’s Seat. Located in the heart

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of Edinburgh this historic premium bar was once a favourite spot for royalty, poets and raconteurs and is one of Edinburgh’s oldest surviving watering holes.

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Edinburgh Castle viewed from Salisbury Crags Photo by VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

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Lastly, with a score of 7.5/10 the Deeside Inn at Ballater is a popular destination for participants touring the six miles long Balmoral Cairns Circuit on Royal Deeside. It provides a welcoming place for visitors to relax after exploring the best of everything the Cairngorms National Park has to offer.

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“As the last 18 months have shown us, being able to go outside and enjoy the outdoors is important for our mental health and wellbeing,” said Matt Holland, MD at Hollands Country Clothing, which commissioned the research.

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Loch Muick; Balmoral Estate; Ballater Photo by VisitScotland / Damian Shields

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“While the autumn days are coming in and the brisk weather is making itself known, there’s even more reason to head out to see the beautiful countryside in all its glory.

“After a long autumn walk, there’s nothing better than finishing up in a cosy pub with a good pint, great food and a roaring fire.

We decided to put this research together to encourage people to

head out and explore some of the best pub walk experiences this season.

“Not only is it a great way to get out and about and find some amazing hidden gems - it’s a great way to support some truly wonderful local pubs, many of which have been hit hard throughout the pandemic, and give a much needed boost to local economies.”

A rough track up Glen Sanda near Inversanda Photo by VisitScotland / Paul Tomkins

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Food & Beverage

Chef in a kilt with… Gordon Howe

taste of autumn A

s autumn turns to winter and frost sweeps across the land there are few things more comforting and heart warming that a bowl or two of Scotch Broth.

This traditional delicacy has been a staple of the national diet for centuries although its origins have been lost in the mists of time.

The earliest known mention of Scotch Broth is in a cook book that dates back to the middle

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of the 17th century. Even the renowned 18th century diarist James Boswell mentions it in his famous work, “The Life of Samuel Johnson”.

During the pair’s visit to Scotland Dr Johnson is reported by Boswell to have enjoyed several plates of the broth. When asked by a surprised onlooker “You never ate it before?” the good doctor is said to have replied “No sir, but I don’t care how soon I eat it again.”

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Photos by Gordon Howe

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Like a lot of traditional Scottish dishes there are numerous variations as families have handed down their own recipes through the generations. But, common to them all is the use of stewing or braising cuts of lamb, beef or mutton with barley and root vegetables, particularly onions, carrots and turnip, along with some dried pulses, usually a mixture of split peas and red lentils.

Leeks and cabbage are often added minutes before serving to preserve their texture, colour and flavour.

A filling dish it is usually served as a main meal on its own and is often at its best when made in advance and reheated a day or two later, once all the flavours have had time to mature.

Scotch Broth is a great way to start autumn, followed with a wee peaty malt, to warm the parts other soups rarely reach.

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Scotch Broth Recipe Serves 6 320 Kcal per person Prep time: Cooking time: 3hrs 35mins INGREDIENTS 1 large lamb shank (Scotch beef if you prefer) 2 tbs butter 1 medium diced onion 2 cloves minced garlic 1/2 cup pearl barley 1/3 cup dried green split peas (Alternatively use total quantities of Scotch Broth Mix) 4 sprigs thyme 2 bay leaves 1 tsp sea salt salt 2 tv 1.2 litre of chicken broth (fresh or a good quality stock) 1 large carrot, diced 1 turnip, peeled and diced 1 parsnip, peeled and diced 1/2 shredded small seasonal cabbage Small handful of fresh chopped parsley

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INSTRUCTIONS In a heavy based pot, cook down the onions and garlic in butter until soft (5 minutes). Now add the lamb, herbs, barley, split peas, salt then pour in the broth. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for two hours. Remove/skin any froth or foam from the surface. Next, add the carrot, turnip, and parsnip.

Simmer for another hour.

Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Remove the meat, shred it and discard the bones.

Return the shredded meat to the pot along with the leek and cabbage. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Add sea salt to taste.

Serve with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley. Warm crusty bread or rolls. I love a toasted Soda Scone with lots of creamy Scottish Butter.

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Highlander Fling

They came, they saw, they ceilidhd!

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isitors from across Scotland and numerous countries around the world gathered together to celebrate a showcase of Scottish talent at the Highlander Fling.

Despite being cancelled last year due to the Covid pandemic hundreds of lovers of all things Scottish were back in the mood for a party at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.

Organised by actor, and regular Discover Scotland contributor, Scott Kyle the 5th annual Highlander Fling heralded the beginning of a return to some kind of normality following a year or more of frustration and disappointment.

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Dancing at The Fling Photo by John Cooper Photography

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Scott, who was recently interviewed by presenter Gary Innes on the BBC radio show Take the Floor (https://m.youtube. com/watch?v=WtB4murPEic), about the growing success of the Fling described the event as one of the best yet.

“The Fling has indeed been an incredible journey, but I can’t take any credit for it,” said Scott. “It’s all down to Outlander fans.”

“Since being on Outlander my Twitter followers rocketed to more than half a million and there’s been a huge amount of engagement and interest in my other projects, for which I’m incredibly grateful.

“Although Outlander has been the biggest project by far I have done it’s not the only one.

However, it has shone a light on the other things I do. A lot of the Outlander fans kept messaging me to say they were coming to Scotland and asking if I would meet them for a coffee.

“There were so many requests I would be drinking coffee for the rest of my life if I accepted all the invitations. That’s when I had the idea to put on a ceilidh for all these people and have a night when we could all get together.

That’s how it started but now it’s so much more than a ceilidh. At the latest event we had almost six hours of solid entertainment.

Scott Kyle’s interview on BBC Radio Scotland’s ‘Take the Floor” 120

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A trip to Largs on the Hangover Tour Photo by John Cooper Photography

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The Dunfermline Pipe Band gets the party going on Argyll Street Photo by John Cooper Photography

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“The Dunfermline Pipe Band and the Highland Dancers opened the show outside the hotel in Argyll Street in Glasgow and caused a sensation. It stopped the traffic as people were stopping their cars to get out and watch or take photographs. It was more like a festival of Scottishness than a single evening of entertainment.”

According to Scott the Fling is now a huge showcase of talent and a chance for lovers of Scottish culture, history and heritage to get together, make friends and have a party.

“We’ve got a youth ceilidh band that does the music to get everybody up on the dance floor for a reel or two. There’s a youth choir singing traditional Scottish songs, youth street performers and break dancers. This year we also had a swing band which brought something fantastically special to the mix.

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“A lot of Outlander fans come along. This year we had guests from Sweden, America, England, Wales, Ireland and Germany as well as some home grown Scottish fans. Among the celebrities this year was actor Fraser Hines, whose role as the kilted Jamie McCrimmon in Dr Who from 1966 to 1969, inspired Diana Gabaldon to write her series of Outlander books. Indeed, Diana has said that, depending on the pandemic and travel restrictions, she would like to attend next year’s Highlander Fling in Glasgow.

“Every year I invite some of the cast members from Outlander, as well as faces from other films and shows I’ve been in such as Kajaki: Bravo Two Zero, The Angels’s Share and I’m No a Billy, He’s a Tim. It’s nice when they come to the event and get to meet fans of their work and the projects we have collaborated on.”

Photo by John Cooper Photography

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A Highland Fling at The Highlander Fling Photo by John Cooper Photography

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All aboard for the Hangover Tour Photo by John Cooper Photography

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Tennent’s Wellpark Brewery Photo by John Cooper Photography

Once the party is over the fun doesn’t stop as Scott also a tour of some distinctly Scottish sites for visitors to enjoy.

The Fling Tour, which has come to be known as the Hangover Tour, is held the day after the night before and takes folk from the hotel on an open top double decker bus

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to see some of the sights. This year the tour went for a trip on the Waverley paddle steamer down the Clyde to Largs, just like millions of Glaswegians have done over the decades, and finished off with a visit to the Tennent’s Wellpark Brewery, home to the UK’s largest beer attraction.

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The growing success of the Highlander Fling in Glasgow has resulted in fans of the show requesting similar events in their own countries. Now, there are Flings in Canada, Holland, France, and in several locations in the USA, including New England and Florida.

“All of these festivities are made possible because of our sponsors, such as Dylton’s Locksmith and Security, Mary and Larry Slocum - Humminghill Arts, Bar Sport & Premier Events and Greater Escapes Travel,” said Scott who is looking for more sponsors to help make the Highlander Fling events even bigger and better in 2022.

Next year’s Highlander Fling takes place in Glasgow on 10 September. But, if you can’t make it to Scotland there’s always Florida on 30 April, Canada on 25 June and New England on 27 August. Tickets are available to book online at: www.scottkyle.co.uk

Photo by John Cooper Photography

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Singer Kevin Gore Photo by John Cooper Photography

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Food & Beverage

Blends with benefits R

enowned blenders PekoeTea have opened a new studio in Edinburgh to provide a worldclass venue for bespoke tea tasting and blending sessions.

Situated on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk it is a specially designed space that showcases PekoeTea’s range of teas with a stone topped central counter, at which customers can sit and experience flavours ranging from white, green, black and oolong teas to Kinnettles Gold Scottish Grown Tea, Cherry Sencha Green Tea, Chocolate & Coconut Black Tea and a range of single malt whisky teas.

With a sleek hot water tap dispensing water at a variety of temperatures, beverages are brewed especially for visitors, providing an insight into the unique ingredients and blending process behind PekoeTea.

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PekoeTea has openned a new Tea Studio on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk

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Esther Kungu, co-founder, of PekoeTea

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Customers can see the dedicated blending area, complete with walls decorated in more than 30 base teas, 20 flowers, 10 fruit flavours and a variety of oils, which combine to provide notes for PekoeTea’s renowned range of products.

Group or bespoke tastings allow visitors to find their favourite flavours, while tea blending sessions enable customers to develop their own custom made delicacy – all under the expert eye of the PekoeTea team.

“Our new tea studio provides a base for us to share our blending processes and work more creatively as a team but, most importantly it is a destination for tea lovers and aims to bring people together over delicious tea,” said Esther Kungu Cooper, co-owner.

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“We want to draw back the curtain on tea blending, revealing some of the aromas and flavours, which go into creating the perfect blend.

This project has been planned for over 18 months, so we’re delighted to open the doors and share our love of teas from across the world with a wider audience!”

PekoeTea is run by Esther Kungu and Jon Cooper, who started the company more than 11 years ago with a base on Edinburgh’s Leven Street.

Esther and Jon have developed a unique process that allows them to create their own flavours - instead of simply buying in pre-flavoured teas - alongside sourcing single estate teas from around the world.

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PekoeTea is run by Esther Kungu and Jon Cooper

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The new studio is designed to showcase PekoeTea’s range of teas

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The company has created unique blends for some of Scotland’s most prestigious hotels and venues: from The Royal Yacht Britannia to Edinburgh’s Waldorf Astoria; Cameron House to Glasgow’s Mackintosh at The Willow. PekoeTea has also supplied the Japanese Embassy with Kinnettles Gold Scottish Grown Tea.

With a nod to Japanese tea ceremonies, the studio has been developed by award-winning interior designers, Splintr, who have added a washi paper screen and high oak shelves, lined with tea caddies, that reach up towards the original Victorian cornices.

In a curious coincidence, the new studio is just a few doors down from what was originally a Melrose tea and coffee house, one of the historic tea producers and importers that has provided Edinburgh with such strong links to tea over the centuries.

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The tea studio is conveniently located on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk

The studio also allows the team to provide specialist training for wholesale clients and produce online workshops that can be used to spread the word to the company’s increasingly global audience. With an increased focus on their digital presence, the PekoeTea Studio also provides a useful creative space to facilitate product design and photography, alongside blend development.

Working directly with tea growers from Scotland to Sri Lanka, Kenya to China, PekoeTea sources the finest single-estate teas, to create unique handcrafted blends:

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the only company in Scotland to specialise in such blending techniques rather than relying on simply adding to pre-flavoured teas.

Bespoke blends can be created privately for customers, and seasonal flavours like a comforting Christmas blend with flavours of apple, cinnamon, cloves, and orange or a summery Orange Blossom Oolong are also available at certain times of year.

All PekoeTeas are loose leaf and many are also available in biodegradable pyramid teabags.

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Folklore

Folklore Scotland with… Graeme Johncock

he Baobhan Sith S

cotland has many terrifying stories of supernatural creatures, perfect for Halloween.

Some of these monsters are hideous and scare their victims into submission. Others, like the bloodthirsty Baobhan Sith will trick you with their beauty and lure you to your death.

Four young men had just finished a day’s hunting in the Highlands when they spotted an isolated bothy nestled in the hills. Tying the horses up nearby they looked

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inside to find a large pile of firewood and comfortable chairs.

With the fire blazing, they rested their weary legs and started to brag about the day’s success.

The youngest of the men idly wished for some female company to make their night more comfortable. At that very moment, there was a delicate knock at the door. Opening the latch, they couldn’t believe their eyes as four of the most beautiful women they had ever seen stood outside.

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Scottish Highlands - Bealach na Ba Photo by Graeme Johncock

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Wooden Bothy - Eas Mor Photo by Graeme Johncock

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The men practically fell over themselves as they made space for their guests. They didn’t notice anything unusual as the ladies swept into the bothy with their long, green dresses. Soon, the women were singing an enchanting song and the hunters needed no more invitation to dance.

Three of the men were completely captivated by the mysterious visitors, but not the oldest and wisest of the friends. He had a wife back home and wouldn’t betray her love no matter how beautiful the dancing partner. He was making his excuses when he noticed the sound of dancing had stopped. Then he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye.

Slowly turning his head, one of the women had used her sharp nails to slit the youngest lad’s throat. She was drinking his blood as he slumped to the floor. The other two were staring deeply into their companions’ eyes as they succumbed to the same fate.

Traditional fireplace - Auchindrain Photo by Graeme Johncock

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The surviving hunter was horrified.

He now knew that he was facing the Baobhan Sith. Their weaknesses were daylight and iron, but his weapons were on the other side of the room and it was hours until dawn.

His temptress was still trying to seduce him, but he turned and fled out into the night. Seeing the horses tethered nearby, he remembered they had fresh iron shoes. The hunter sprinted as fast as he could towards the animals and dived in among them for protection.

All four Baobhan Sith came out of the bothy and circled the horses but were so afraid of the iron that they wouldn’t come any closer.

They tried to flatter the hunter into coming back inside, but he wouldn’t move. Then they tried to enrage him by describing how delicious his friends had been but that just made him shrink back further.

Glen Shee Photo by Graeme Johncock

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Stone Bothy - Arran Photo by Graeme Johncock

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Lastly, in desperation they screamed at the hunter to stop delaying the inevitable. He looked east and saw the faint glow that told him the safety of dawn was coming. As he looked back to the bothy, the women had already disappeared.

When the sun was high in the sky, the man was finally brave enough to step back inside the building.

He wept over the bodies of his friends but vowed to spread the story of what had happened to make sure nobody would suffer the same fate again.

Glen Nevis Photo by Graeme Johncock

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History

Bringing Scotland to

LIGHT

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udiences will see history light up like never before as an immersive new film narrated in English, Gaelic and Scots is screened for the first time as part of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 2020/21.

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Historic Environment Scotland (HES) will premiere Light Waves – a 10-minute film celebrating Gaelic and Scots culture, heritage and tradition and its association with coasts and waters - at 7pm on Sunday 17 October via livestream.

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This one-of-a-kind film is set against the backdrop of some of Scotland’s most iconic locations including Historic Scotland properties Blackness Castle, Iona Abbey and Urquhart Castle which are managed by HES. The

film also features dramatic projections including artwork of St. Columba and animated archive imagery of Herring girls, fishermen and historic maps to showcase the heritage and traditions of Scotland’s coasts and waters.

Blackness Castle Photo by HES

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Produced by Double Take Projections, Light Waves is accompanied by a specially commissioned soundtrack by the Scottish band Niteworks and multilingual poetic narration.

Three Scottish poets were asked to create poems in English, Gaelic and Scots in response to the provocation of the Gaelic word ‘Aiseag’ which can mean ‘sea vessel’

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‘crossing’, ‘journey’ or act of deliverance and restitution in English.

The film begins with Colin Bramwell who reflects on the importance of our past connections with coasts and waters and how they have shaped communities with his poem Caledonian Canal, narrated in English.

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On the shore of Loch Ness by Urquhart Castle Photo by HES

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Following this, Pàdraig Macaoidh explores Scotland’s long-standing connection to the seas, coasts and lochs through myth and folklore with his Gaelic poem Mìorbhailean (Wonders).

The film then reaches a crescendo with award-winning poet Roseanne Watt who considers our past, present and future relationship with, and our responsibility in looking after, our coasts and waters with her poem

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narrated in Shetlandic Scots.

“With dramatic and immersive displays which have been projected onto historic sites located near Scotland’s shores, and powerful soundscapes of the multilingual poetic narration and emotive music, viewers will be taken on a journey to see Scotland’s history light up like never before,” Gillian Urquhart, Events Manager at HES.

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Urquhart Castle Photo by HES

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“Aiseag is a fascinating word that has many meanings that correlate to the narrative and themes explored in Light Waves which not only celebrates our love of Scotland’s coasts and waters but showcases the important link with Gaelic and Scots culture and traditions, and the impact that Scotland’s waterways have had on communities throughout the country.”

Light Waves will premiere at 7pm on Sunday 17 October on the HES Facebook and Youtube

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accounts and is free to watch. For further information, visit: https:// www.historicenvironment. scot/visit-a-place/whats-on/ event/?eventId=95586fa5-d8484fa8-a208-ad8a008b83c8 “Scotland offers the perfect stage to explore our natural environment and built heritage, and this film provides a great opportunity to celebrate the best of our Gaelic and Scots culture, heritage and our beautiful coasts and waters,” said Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland.

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On the coast Photo by HES

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Ioana Abbey Photo by HES

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Food & Beverage

Fine food from a Masterchef A

new restaurant, headed up by Chris Niven of ‘Masterchef: The Professionals’ has opened in North Berwick championing hyper local ingredients.

The Lawn restaurant, and Bass Rock Bar, at Marine North Berwick aims to showcase the quality of Scotland’s larder with a range of seasonal a la carte cuisine.

Niven, who was previously executive chef at The Fairmont in St Andrews and The Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh, has created a menu with a focus on local produce, including lobster fresh off the Seacliff fishing boat, vegetables from Phantassie Organic and meat from Castle Game.

Chef Chris Niven

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The Lawn restaurant and Bass Rock Bar will specialise in locally sourced food

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The Lawn Halibut

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The Lawn Beef

The a la carte menu will feature a choice of snacks, starters, mains and desserts and includes the likes of Cumbrae oysters, Tweed Valley beef, Loch Duart salmon, St Brides farm duck, Gigha halibut and Cranachan.

Niven, who has a particular passion for pastry, has created an afternoon tea menu that elevates the classic sweet treats. Beyond Dundee and lemon drizzle cake, it will feature Cranachan choux buns and Chocolate & pistachio “nemesis” served alongside dainty savouries like Duck egg, mustard and watercress sandwich and Pork & haggis sausage roll.

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The Lawn Cranachan

Afternoon tea will be served in the stylish Bass Rock Bar from this Autumn.

Niven has designed Bass Rock Bar’s food menu to complement its extensive drinks list. Dishes will serve a range of small and large plates including Belhaven smoked salmon with creme fraiche, capers, dill, rocket and Truffle mac & cheese made with St Andrews farmhouse cheddar, black truffle, cauliflower.

The bar team has created bespoke cocktails that take inspiration from well-known Scots like the Young Tom Morris made with Champagne and Highland Park 12yr whisky.

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The Bass Rock Bar

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Cocktails will be featured alongside new and old-world wines, renowned whiskies and local spirits, and Scottish craft beers and ales. Every Friday in the Bass Rock Bar there will be a rotation of local musicians playing live for guests.

Loch Duart Salmon

The Lawn restaurant

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History

Bringing back memories of Leith elebrated author Irvine Welsh has hailed a new project to preserve and commemorate the people and places of old Leith as a magnificent way to remember the rich heritage of the historic port.

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organisations open a second Wee Museum of Memory in Ocean Terminal dedicated to the project.

The new venue also has a walk-in exhibition space to celebrate the memories, places and people of Leith.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £90,100 to The Living Memory Association to create a unique experience of the streets, buildings and people of old Leith.

Much of old Leith was swept away as part of Edinburgh’s ‘improvements’ of the 1920s and 1960s and knowledge of what was lost now relies mainly on old street maps and photographs.

One of these maps, a Fire Insurance Plan dating to 1892, records significant details, such as building footprints, construction materials, number of storeys, room arrangements and function, location of doors and windows, and much, much more.

The project, named Old Leith Rediscovered, is a collaboration between the Living Memory Association and Spirit of Leithers Facebook page.

It comes as the partnership

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Leith Folk Photo University of Edinburgh

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Leith Folk Photo University of Edinburgh

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Using a digital copy of a map, created by the National Library of Scotland, which shows the old Kirkgate experts from Old Leith Rediscovered have been able to add a wealth of information, including hundreds of surviving images scattered across numerous collections, to bring the historic townscape of Leith to life.

“In the current age of drab uniformity, as manifest in our urban architecture and design, where modern construction renders everything generic, it’s important to remember the richness in the heritage of places like the great port of Leith,” said Irvine Welsh, author of the Leithbased classic novel Trainspotting, “Thanks to this magnificent project, Leithers old and new can now immerse in the vibrant community of bygone days. As Bob Marley once said ‘in this great future you can’t forget your

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past…’ So we can now connect with where we came from, which you have to be able to do in order to truly know where you are going.”

The project team conceived the idea of Old Leith Rediscovered during the pandemic lockdown as a way to celebrate the history of the area and the people. It also aims and to foster a pride and inquisitiveness about Leith’s past and provide a focus for Leithers to share memories and stories of days gone by. The interactive web-based map of Leith will be published online at the end of 2022.

“We are thrilled to have received funding for this exciting project, which will link these wonderful historical maps with the Leith community,” said Miles Tubb, Project Co-Ordinator, The Wee Museum of Memory.

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“Our Wee Museum of Memory has been based in Ocean Terminal for over seven years and this new unit dedicated to memories of Leith will bring different generations together to learn about the rich history of the Leith community.”

Christopher Fleet, Map Curator at the National Library of Scotland said the project would integrate the library’s maps with related

historical information, including photographs and oral history resources.

“Maps present the past in one of its most engaging forms, allowing endless insights into what was there, and into how people lived and worked. Moreover the plans that form a focus of this project are one of the most detailed types of urban mapping ever surveyed of places such as Leith,” he said.

Old map of Leith Photo: National Library of Scotland

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Travel

Scotland wants you!

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n international campaign to capture the imagination of overseas visitors and attract them to Scotland has been launched by the country’s national tourism organisation.

VisitScotland’s latest global marketing campaign aims to keep the nation front of mind for potential visitors as they make future travel plans for this year, next year and beyond.

Scotland is Calling is aimed specifically at overseas visitors who, research suggests, spend longer planning and researching their trips.

It will form a strategically timed global roll-out to key markets – critical to helping to build back Scottish tourism sustainably – to support the long-term economic recovery the impacts of COVID-19.

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The absence of overseas visitors, particularly from the likes of North America and Europe has been sorely missed. On average US visitors spend four times more than UK visitors, with European visitors spending twice as much.

In 2019, prior to the pandemic, Scotland welcomed 3.5 million overnight international visits which generated 43 per cent of

the total tourism spend that year.

Re-engaging with international visitors now aims to benefit Scotland against competitor destinations.

Scotland is Calling will also be rolled out across the UK to support the domestic market recovery and extend the visitor season through autumn and winter.

Ring of Brodgar, Orkney

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The campaign aims to appeal to the hearts and minds of future visitors, inviting them to enjoy Scotland’s world class food and drink, events, film and culture.

Targeted consumer content will feature on digital channels, social media and through publishing partnerships.

The £6.5 million marketing campaign supports Scotland’s brand positioning as a welcoming, inclusive and progressive nation with content telling Scotland’s story as a responsible destination where you can slow down, re-charge, escape and enjoy immersive and sustainable tourism experiences.

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Corrie Fee, Glen Clova, Angus

“Scotland is one of the world’s leading tourism destinations and we want it to remain one of the top destinations for visitors from across the world,” said Ivan McKee, Scotland’s Tourism Minister.

“We have so much to offer, from crystal clear blue waters and white sands to rolling hills and bustling

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cities. There is something for everyone and we want visitors to start thinking about and planning their trips to Scotland when the time is right.”

As part of the campaign a new video featuring a range of destinations, activities and experiences aims to showcase the variety of what’s on offer.

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Ubiquitous Chip, Glasgow

“International visitors are critical in helping Scotland’s tourism industry to build back sustainably as it recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know there is pent-up demand for travel and we want to ensure that we inspire potential visitors with what Scotland has to offer and make it their first-choice destination when they can travel,” said Vicki Miller, Director of Marketing and Digital at VisitScotland.

“VisitScotland is focused on the recovery of the industry, building a destination and visitor experience which allows tourism and events to flourish now and in the future.”

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Among the locations featured are Glamis Castle in Angus, the romantic ruins of Dunnottar Castle in Aberdeenshire, the iconic Edinburgh Castle and Glenapp Castle, Ayrshire.

Other places and businesses included in the film are the Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Edinburgh, E bikes at Corrie Fee, Angus, The Ubiquitous Chip in Glasgow, West Sands & Old Course St Andrews, Fife and the famous Lobster Shack, North Berwick

Johnnie Walker Princes Street

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Food & Beverage

Best lager in the world and guaranteed hangover free Y

ardarm lager from Jump Ship Brewing, a Scottish alcoholfree brewing company, has been named as the best alcoholfree lager in the world at the prestigious World Beer Awards.

More than 3,000 beers from 52 countries around the world entered the awards across a number of categories, with a lineup of over 90 international judges tasting the contenders.

Yardarm is a crisp, lively lager with a good balance of malt and hops and was the first beer released from Jump Ship Brewing.

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Brewed in small batches, Jump Ship Brewing uses natural brewing techniques, combining barley, hops and yeast with soft Scottish water, to create as much flavour as possible, with minimal alcohol.

It is brewed with Citra and Styrian Bobek hops for a full flavour finish, creating a zesty, biscuity and discretely bitter lager. The beer is gluten-free, vegan and lower in calories than standard beers.

“I’m absolutely delighted Yardarm has been selected as the best alcohol-free lager in the world at the World Beer Awards,” said Sonja Mitchell, founder of Jump Ship Brewing.

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“We were up against giants like Stella Artois 0.0 and legendary US-based Athletic Brewing: not bad for a tiny wee startup brewing company from Edinburgh! We’re on a mission to brew world-class alcohol-free

in Scotland and this award shows we’re bang on target!”

Sonja, a keen sailor, beer-lover and mother of three, decided to ‘jump ship’ from her marketing job to launch the business.

Yardarm lager

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Sonja Mitchell, founder of Jump Ship Brewing Photo by Chris Watt Photography

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The idea behind Jump Ship was born in December 2018 out of a love of beer but a horror of hangovers. Keen to enable more people to enjoy great beer without the booze, Sonja set out to discover if she could produce a world-class alcohol-free beer in Scotland.

Yardarm was launched in December 2019 after a successful crowdfunding campaign that saw Sonja raise £15,000 in just six days.

In June, Pete Sharp, joined Jump Ship Brewing as head brewer.

Pete joined from the Caledonian Brewery, making the leap from Edinburgh’s oldest and largest brewery to one of its smallest and newest.

Yardarm takes its name from the edge of the spar (or yard) on a mast where sails are set. It was once a tradition in the navy that sailors were given their first ration of rum when the sun reached over the yardarm (about 11am in summer in the North Atlantic).

‘Sun’s over the Yardarm’ is a common call out for the first drink of the day, and at less than 0.5% ABV, Yardarm lager could even be served at breakfast.

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Available in 330ml cans, Yardarm contains 40 calories per can with roughly a third of the calories found in an equivalent can of 4% ABV beer. At less than 0.5% ABV, it contains roughly the same level of alcohol as a large ripe banana.

Jump Ship Brewing also brews Flying Colours, a distinctive pale ale, with a rich amber colour and deliciously fruity flavour, and Goosewing IPA, a hazy IPA brimming with Galaxy and Azzacca hops for tantalising hints of mandarin and mango.

Jump Ship Brewing donates at least 10 per cent of the profits to a variety of charities, which are nominated by Jump Ship’s customers or ‘ship mates’ as they are aptly called. The beers are also stocked at a number of independent retailers as well as some of Scotland’s best bars and restaurants.

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People

Reward for changing lives

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charity that helps former homeless people to rebuild their lives has honoured one of their founding members with a special award.

Ernie Hasler, who helped set up Emmaus Glasgow in 1997, has received an Emmaus UK 30th Anniversary Founders’ Medal.

The honour is in recognition of outstanding service to the organisation that provides meaningful work and a safe place to live for people often excluded from society.

Ernie was instrumental in securing the funding for Emmaus Glasgow’s first building in Hamiltonhill, when the seeds of building an Emmaus community in the city were sewn by four likeminded people in 1997.

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He got involved with the charity after watching a film of a woman given the chance of a better life.

“We watched a video made by Emmaus Cambridge, featuring a middle-aged woman with a face like a professional boxer, from many beatings, she simply said.

‘I like Emmaus because I have my own room and a key to lock my door.’ That simple statement began the Emmaus Glasgow journey,” said Ernie.

Emmaus Glasgow now supports up to 27 formerly homeless people by giving them a home, meaningful work in a social enterprise and an opportunity to regain lost self-esteem to help rebuild their lives.

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Chair Frank McCabe, Ernie Hasler, Admin Norma McKenzie

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There are currently 28 Emmaus communities across the UK, supporting more than 850 companions, formerly homeless people.

Social enterprise is central to the Emmaus model as it provides meaningful work for companions but also generates funding to maintain communities.

Companions living in Emmaus communities are expected to sign off all benefits, with the exception of housing benefit, which is used to help to support the community.

The rest of the funding that is needed is generated through social enterprise and fundraising.

Emmaus communities deliver a significant return on investment.

Research shows that for every £1 invested in a community, there is an £11 return, with savings to the benefits bill, health services and a reduction in crime reoffending.

Presenting Ernie with his medal Richard Allwood, Director of Emmaus Glasgow, said: “Ernie is an inspiration to everyone at Emmaus Glasgow because of what he has achieved to help tackle homelessness.

“He has helped created a home, a place of work and training, solidarity, a sense of companionship and belonging for our charity beneficiaries. I don’t know what is better than this!”

Information on how to volunteer with Emmaus Glasgow or help in other ways can be found at: www.emmaus.org.uk/glasgow/

Emmaus UK 30th Anniversary Founders’ Medal

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Property

Rare chance to buy a Hebridean cottage with a touch of celebrity

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Hebridean hideaway with a touch of celebrity fame and spectacular surroundings has been put on the market for less the cost of a one bedroom city centre flat.

The property, 8 Scaristavore has spectacular views over the white

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sands of Scarista beach and to the Isle of Taransay, where Castaway was filmed. The cottage was glimpsed in several episodes of the series and also appeared in another BBC miniseries, Crowdie and Cream, based on the memoirs of Finlay J. MacDonald, who lived in Scarista around 1930.

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“Properties on the Outer Hebrides always attract significant interest from buyers due to the sense of space and superb natural beauty the isles offer. Harris is the ultimate get away from it all destination,” said Phiddy Robertson of Galbraith who is handling the sale.

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8 Scaristavore is a charming traditional cottage retaining many original features including wood panelled walls, four fireplaces, antique doors and banister.

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“The property, which is coming to the market for the first time in 15 years, has been wellmaintained and offers spacious accommodation in an idyllic location within walking distance of the beautiful Scarista beach.”

The cottage, which includes three double bedrooms, a bright and airy sitting room with open fire and a well-appointed dining kitchen, bathroom and additional WC. There are energy-efficient radiators, while thick stone walls provide good insulation. Every room in the house has a sea view and there is the option to use the ground floor bedroom as an additional reception room if desired.

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The grounds, which extend to approximately 0.34 acres, are laid mainly to grass enclosed by stone walls and post and wire fencing.

Within the grounds is a recently constructed timber garden shed.

No 8 Scaristavore is in the scattered crofting township of Scarista on the west coast of Harris and just a short walk to the beach.

The island of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides is the largest island in Scotland, renowned for its diverse landscapes, fascinating history and cultural heritage. The coastline is dotted with beaches ranging in size from the small to the three-mile wide Luskentyre and Scarista beaches, all with stunning views over clear blue seas to the neighbouring islands of the Outer Hebrides.

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Leverburgh, about six miles away, has a shop, restaurant specialising in local seafood and a primary school, while secondary schooling along with more shops and restaurants are available in

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Tarbert. Harris links golf course is within walking distance and Scarista House, a renowned small hotel and restaurant is a short stroll across the glebe in the picturesque former manse.

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Stornoway, about 1.5 hours’ drive away, has a wider range of shops and facilities along with its airport and mainland ferry terminal.

Ferries to Skye and Uist depart

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from Tarbert and Leverburgh.

8 Scarista is for sale for offers over £275,000.

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October 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 Great Scot Photography

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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