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West coast gems
Clan castles, island holidays & Highland hideaways
SAOIRSE RONAN
“Enchanted” by Scotland
RABBIE BURNS
Legacy of our nation’s favourite son CULLEN
Award-winning
CLAN COURIER
An iconic castle is to be restored, and a new play tells of Scotland’s greatest literary hoax
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NEW BURNS BOOK
A new book captures the essence of Scotland’s natural landscapes as seen through the eyes of Scotland’s beloved bard. Robert Burns Nature Poems, compiled by Robert Tuesley Anderson and illustrated by The Ink Bothy, is like a love letter from Burns to his homeland, just in time for Burns Night. £10, Hardback, octopusbooks.co.uk
VICTORIA’S SECRET SHARED
A cute picnic cottage where Queen Victoria would stop on her countryside walks when holidaying in Balmoral has been restored and will reopen to visitors in 2025.
Hidden away amid native woodland on the Mar Lodge Estate National Nature Reserve, near Braemar, the cottage, which had been on Scotland’s ‘At Risk’ register, has now been restored by architects Moxon, thanks to funding from the NTS USA Foundation.
David Frew, Head of Mar Lodge Estate, said: “The building is a fascinating look back at how the royals used to spend their free time and we’re incredibly proud to see it restored to how it was in its heyday when Queen Victoria and the Royal Family would holiday in Balmoral.”
The cottage will officially reopen in 2025 and will include new information boards and specially commissioned furniture, allowing visitors to relax as they appreciate the same woodland and nature views that Victoria herself once enjoyed. nts.org.uk/stories/royal-picnic-cottage-saved
Words by KENNETH STEVEN
The West Into
As a gateway to the isles, Oban is about as perfect a port town as one could hope to find
A TIGHT SHIP
A small-ship cruise in the Inner Hebrides turns out to be surprisingly sociable, as our assistant editor discovers
Words by HENRIETTA EASTON
Castle Stalker sits majestically, surrounded by the waters of Loch Linnhe
INSET: Writer
Henrietta on board Glen Massan
Secrets of Scotland’s royal palace
A new book, released by the Royal Collection, reveals some of the untold stories of the Palace of Holyroodhouse
Words by SALLY COFFEY
The grand facade of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile
Published to coincide with the 900th anniversary of the Royal Burgh of Edinburgh, which will be celebrated throughout the capital until August 2025, The Palace of Holyroodhouse: ‘A house of many memories’, promises to be the most comprehensive account of the King’s of cial residence in Scotland: The Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Standing at the opposing end of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse has long played a pivotal role in Scottish history.
Taking an audio tour of the palace is highly recommended to hear all about the evolution of Holyroodhouse from 12th-century abbey to palatial royal residence. Beginning with King James IV, the transformation continued with his son, King James V, and much later, with King Charles II, who renovated it at immense cost, but never once set foot inside.
A tour also allows you to step into the incredibly rich rooms that were once home to Scottish icons such as Mary, Queen of Scots; King James VI; even (for a short while) Bonnie Prince Charlie.
However, even the audio guide doesn’t cover all the detail of this new book, which draws on a huge amount of archive material to shed light on some of the most famous events in the palace’s turbulent history.
ABOVE:
Bonnie Prince Charlie entering the ballroom at Holyroodhouse, by artist John Pettie, 1892
Though Mary, Queen of Scots only lived at the palace for six years, they were perhaps the most eventful six years of her life – a period that saw her married twice and feel her grip on power slip through her ngers.
