Scotland Correspondent issue 1

Exploring a snow-capped landscape Scotland’s new model crime fighter

Serious Burns an’ a that 2017 - Year of History

Eddi Reader’s journey from a 3ft cupboard to the global stage p1

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inside this issue

46 Rebel with a

cause

Eddi Reader’s rise to fame from a cupboard to the world stage

54 Picture this…

The scenic shots taking social media by storm

62 Holiday homes

from home

8 Head for the hills Time to take a winter walk in the Highlands

Escape to the country and relax in style

20 A year to

remember and celebrate

100 Go Glasgow Visiting Scotland’s largest city

Looking to the past to build on the future

28 Introducing a

66 Dram good way

The fresh face vying to be Scotland’s fictional top cop

The entrepreneur showcasing the luxury of whisky

new Scottish sleuth to enjoy a trip

110 On a slippery

slope

Taking to the piste

114 Telling tales

34 Commemorating

84 Jewels in the

Uncovering the past of the often forgotten Small Isles

The ploughman poet who became an international icon

How a young designer created her dream job

120 Love and the

39 Transforming

history

tastebuds

How the humble Haggis found new favour

crown

Forgotten court papers reveal details of Thomas Muir, Father of Democracy

133 From page to The best books turned into movies

past

Robert Burns

dissent

screen

76 A face from the After 800 years the face of Robert the Bruce is revealed

124 The roots of

Cover Photo

Bidean nam Bian Massif, Glencoe by Gerry McCann

death of a legend

94 From rags to rich The last moments of The extraordinary discovery that turned out to be a priceless treasure

Robert Louis Stevenson revealed

124 Global Scot

Celebrating the founding father of Canada

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info@scotlandcorrespondent.com Tel: 0141 255 0965

Editorial:

news@scotlandcorrespondent.com Tel: 0141 255 0965

Scotland Correspondent is an independent magazine celebrating the heritage, history, innovation and entrepreneurship of Scots everywhere.

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For more information on where to get a copy, how to subscribe or to enquire about advertising please visit www. scotlandcorrespondent.com or contact info@scotlandcorrespondent.com Flag Media Limited cannot accept responsibility for any claim made by advertisements in Scotland Correspondent magazine or on the Scotland Correspondent website. All information should be checked with the advertisers.

The content of the magazine does not necessarily represent the views of the publishers or imply any endorsement.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior agreement in writing from Flag Media Limited.

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Walking in a winter wonderland

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pictures by Gerry McCann

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very year thousands of winter sports enthusiasts take to the hills and mountains of Scotland to enjoy the atmospheric snow-capped peaks and frost-dusted landscapes Many are following in the footsteps of world class mountaineers such as as Harold Raeburn, Dougal Haston, W.H. Murray, Hamish Macinnes, Tom Patey, Tom Weir, and Malcolm Slesser. They, like the members of the Ladies Scottish Climbing club - Monica Jackson, Betty Stark, and Evelyn Camrass - who made the first all women expedition to the Himalayas and accomplished the first ascent of a 22,000 feet mountain, all share a common bond.

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In addition to having made great contributions to world mountaineering, including the first ascents of fearsome Alpine faces and forging new routes in the Himalayas, they cut their teeth on the accessible mountains of Scotland.

Like thousands of climbers before and since they honed their winter skills using ice axes and boots with tricouni nails, and later, crampons on the challenging peaks of Glencoe, Skye, Torridon, the Cairngorms and Ben Nevis. They mastered essential techniques on the snow and ice in, sometimes, Arctic conditions which even today bring Alpine guides to the Big Bad Ben to try their skills.

“In winter the mountains seem

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to regain their primitive, virginal pride….,” said the enigmatic Douglas Haston in summing up the appeal of Scotland’s snow-capped peaks.

And you don’t even have to go very far North to see for yourself.

In recent years The Pentland Hills just outside Edinburgh have had enough snow to get walkers out on skis and snowshoes. The Cobbler, Ben Narnain, and Ben Ime in the Arrochar Alps are only an hour from Glasgow and provide an exhilarating introduction to Scotland’s outdoor winter attractions.

Glencoe, at first sight may appear daunting but well equipped walkers

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have a feast of winter trails. The most accessible goes from roadside over the Devil’s Staircase and on to Kinlochleven by an old military road. And right in the middle of the Pass is a route which goes first into Coire Gabhail, or the Lost Valley where, so legend has it, the MacDonalds hid their rustled cattle. The valley itself is large and flat and those who carry on can get access to Bidean nam Bian, and Stob Coire Sgreamhach.

From either of these summits the views in all directions are stunning but none more so than the one to the North over the Aonach Eagach Ridge to the Mamores and to Ben Nevis itself.Â

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At the start of winter the days are short and the weather is very unpredictable. So canny walkers who have not had crampons on since the previous May choose shorter routes.

Near the Rest and Be Thankful is a car park, already at 246 metres , which marks the start of a fun route on sometimes rock and ice goes

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which to the top of Being an Lochan at 901 metres.

Maiden’s Pap, or more worryingly Constant Storm.

Further West in Perthshire, car park at 331 metres gives meandering access to the beautiful Schiehallion, or Fairy Mountain at 1083 metres.

This munro is also known as The

The views from both of these mountains are spectacular. On clear days The Arrochar Alps stretch out and from Schiehallion and even Ben Nevis is visible. Gaining ground and

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height on fresh days in the Scottish winter landscape has rewards as compelling as the views in the French Alps.

As winter goes on the days become longer and it becomes possible to tackle the larger mountains.

Big days out are feasible on the Ben, perhaps by the Carn Mor Dearg Arrete, and further North on the Torridon giants of Liathach, Beinn Eighe and Beinn Alligin.

In the Cairngorms there are the Arctic fastnesses of Ben Macdui, Ben Avon

and Cairn Toul. Some sections of the fabled Skye Ridge are accessible for those with no climbing skills. And then there are long and spectacular trails through the mountains such as the Lairig Ghru and the route through Glen Affric goes into the remnants of the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest

that once covered much of the Highlands.

All in all the beautiful and changing winter landscape of Scotland has a lifetime of challenges.

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Scotland to celebrate 2017 as Year of History and Heritage

S

Photo Gerry McCann

cots from around the world are being encouraged to explore and celebrate their ancestral past this year as 2017 is hailed as the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.

A vast array of festivals, exhibitions and clan events are being planned and supported by the country’s

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government-backed tourism body to give Scots everywhere a chance to ‘come home’ and relive Scotland’s fascinating past.

With over one third of visitors drawn to Scotland for its history and culture, VisitScotland is determined to ensure #HHA2017, as it’s been called on social media, will inspire visitors to

Photo VisitScotland

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Photo VisitScotland

Photo VisitScotland

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Photo VisitScotland

Callanish Stones - Photo Peter Broz

#facethepast in new and innovative ways.

“Scotland is the land where great legends were made throughout history, and so it is only apt that we should have such a unique line-up of events and activities for the 2017 Year of History Heritage and Archaeology,” said Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland.

“We know for a fact that visitors come to Scotland in their droves to experience its heritage whether that’s visiting a castle, exploring a battlefield or tracing ancestral roots. From World Heritage Sites to ancient monuments, cultural traditions to our myths, stories and

legends – the year-long programme will spotlight some of our greatest assets and icons as well as our hidden gems. We look forward to delving into Scotland’s past with visitors and locals alike and coming face to face with history, heritage and archaeology across the country.”

At least nine clan gatherings and nine special events are being supported by a special fund, including a Great Roman Bake-Off, large scale projections of Viking imagery, a live archaeological dig of St Kilda in Minecraft and a colourful international weaving festival. Even more events will be announced early in the New Year.

“We are so fortunate in Scotland

to have the most fascinating and inspiring history and heritage on our doorsteps, bringing the spirit of Scotland alive. The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology will highlight and showcase our history and heritage to the world,” said Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs.

“As well as our history of many wellknown stories and famous, indeed some infamous, historical characters, 2017 will also give us an excellent opportunity to focus on Scotland’s world-renowned archaeology, enticing visitors and locals alike to visit not only our known iconic landmarks with their thousands of years of history, but also our many hidden gems.”

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Clan Events 2017 Clan Maclean International Gathering 20 - 25 June 2017

Stewart Highland Games 12 August

Burnett Gathering 31 Jul - 5 Aug 2017

Clan Carmichael International Gathering 21 - 26 August

Clan Hay ‘Tartan Ties’ 3 - 6 August

Elliot Gathering 24 - 27 August

Clan MacPherson Annual Gathering 4-7 August

Clan MacThomas Gathering 25 - 29 August

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Clan Lamont Society Annual Gathering: ‘Hands Across the Seas’ 1 - 3 Sept 2017 The launch hashtag is #facethepast and the hashtag for the year is #HHA2017

Edinburgh - Photo Ad Meskens

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Tartan Noir with a French twist

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atch out Rebus, McRae and Perez there’s a new detective in the running to become Scotland’s fictional top cop.

The adventure-sports loving eligible bachelor with model good looks, Scottish heritage and a French accent is about to make his debut in a new fast-paced crime novel.

Luc Callanach, a former Interpol officer who has swapped the Gaulic charms of Lyon for enigmatic Edinburgh, is the lead character in Perfect Remains, the first in a trilogy of books by former barrister Helen Fields.

Callanach has all the makings of a

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Braemar - Photo Gentry Graves

long-running serial sleuth capable of rivalling Ian Rankin’s DI John Rebus, Stuart MacBride’s DS Logan McRae and Anne Cleeves’ DI Jimmy Perez in the affections of Tartan Noir fans.

as both a prosecution and defence barrister Helen Fields has created a story which accurately portrays police procedure and provides an insight to the criminal mind.

Like all good crime fiction heroes the Franco-Scottish detective has his flaws and inner demons which the Hampshire-born author does an excellent job of teasing out as the story unfolds.

“I spent a lot of time as a barrister in prisons with psychiatrists and sitting opposite people who had committed horrible crimes,” said Helen, 46, who admits to still being haunted by some of her old cases.

Slow character building, creative use of sub-plots and adept control over the nail-biting pace of the narrative makes Perfect Remains a real cracker of a page-turner that is truly difficult to put down.

“I have always been fascinated by what goes on inside the heads of very dangerous and damaged people. Too often we stereotype bad guys as being evil but the problem is that within their own heads they are never that.

“In their minds there is always some

Drawing on years of legal experience

Author Helen Fields

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Photo Ad Meskens

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justification for what happened which seems perfectly reasonable. Things are very rarely black and white.”

But, it’s not just the criminals that Helen can draw experiences from.

As a defence barrister she saw first hand how people coped under pressure of being accused of crimes they didn’t commit.

“Those were the ones that always haunted me the most,” said Helen.

“There were probably three trials I was involved with during my time at

the bar, all rape trials, in which men came to me with absolute evidence they were innocent. Fortunately those men were not convicted and got the right result but I saw the emotional toll and impact the allegations had on them and their families.”

Helen, who lives in Hampshire with her husband, three children and two dogs, said she had chosen Scotland as the location of her debut novel for a number of reasons.

“I wanted my main character to

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experience enough of a clash of cultures to make the story and his experience of moving from France more interesting,” said Helen, a frequent visitor to Scotland since childhood.

“My father loved Scotland and would regularly take us there on holiday.

He always had a fascination for Scotland which he passed on to me. I fell in love with the country and the people so when I came to write the book I didn’t even really think about setting it anywhere else.

I had the opportunity to put the characters in Scotland and it felt right immediately.”

Helen said her choice of Edinburgh as the setting for the book was also based on her desire to find somewhere her French hero could identify with but still experience a culture change.

“I thought if I dropped Callanach into London the city has gone so metro he wouldn’t stand out as much,” she said.

“It was also a really good excuse

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for me to come up to Scotland a lot more often to do research. I don’t put locations in the book that I haven’t been to. Google Maps and the Internet are great, but until you go somewhere you can’t really begin to get the true feeling of a place.

“Also, when I come up to Scotland everybody is always so willing to engage and give me help by explaining how things work and how to make scenarios realistic. It is absolutely joyful,” said Helen whose research took her from the central belt into the Cairngorms and across the country.

Perfect Remains is Helen’s first novel with a mainstream publisher and is part of a three-book deal featuring DI Callanach. Already the second book, Perfect Prey, is in the hands of the publishers to be released later this year and Helen has nearly finished writing the third.

“It takes about six months from starting to write to getting a book into a reasonable shape,” she said. “But, I have to set myself tight deadlines.

Monday to Friday I have to produce at least 2,000 words a day, and if I haven’t managed that I make myself work weekends.

“It’s really hard sometimes when I’m not in the mood to write so I have to force myself to treat it like any other job in which there has to be output.”

Even before Perfect Remains goes on sale on 26 January negotiations are already underway about turning the crime series into a television drama.

“The TV people absolutely loved the fact it is set in Scotland and that it has a variety of characters. Certainly Scotland lends itself to television because it is so visually captivating, both inside and outside the cities,” said Helen.

“They also like that Callanach has a completely different look to what we have all come to expect from the usual stereotypical detective.”

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Tam O’Shanter and the Witches

Wha’s

like us?

H

ere’s tae us; wha’s like us? Gey many... actually!

From Hong Kong to Hawaii and Edinburgh to Dunedin January 25 is becoming more of an international festival each year as the world celebrates the birth of the Bard.

Burns’ Night is probably the one annual event most associated with Scotland, its culture, food and drink than any other day of the

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year, including St Andrew’s day and Hogmanay.

It is the single occasion when Scots, their descendants and anybody with even the most tenuous link to old Caledonia – maybe they ate a McDonald’s burger once – suddenly discovers there’s a hint of Scottishness, or even just Scotch, in their blood.

A menu of cocka leekie soup with haggis, neeps and tatties followed by clootie dumpling and a large side order of Celtic kitsch may not be to everyone’s taste but it helps ensure that for one night at least people of all classes, creeds and colours the world o’er shall brothers be for a’ that.

January is the busiest time of the year for purveyors of Scottish cuisine. From haggis and shortbread to whisky and Irn Bru markets around the world stock up on produce from Scotland to meet the demand for Burns’ Night celebrations.

VisitScotland has even produced a free ebook, “Hold Your Own Burns Supper”, for the uninitiated offering hints and tips on everything from choosing the venue, what to wear, eat and drink, through to the running order and addressing the haggis.

It even provided the words to Auld Lang Syne, even though Guinness Book of World Records claims it is one of the three most popular songs in the English language. The other two being ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’.

Robert Burns

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Robert Burns’ House - Dumfries

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Even though Burns never wore a kilt, especially as they were illegal for much of his life, his birthday celebrations now provide hire shops with a roaring trade in tartan outfits. Burns’ night celebrations the world over have now made the kilt almost de rigueur.

But it’s not just the fashion, food and drink industries that benefit. Tourism remains a major money spinner, especially in Ayrshire where there are numerous locations connected to the poet who was born there in 1759. Visitors to the area can follow in his footsteps from the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway to the Auld Kirk where “Tam O’Shanter” had his run-in with the witches.

“Since the poet’s death in 1796, visitors from across the world have come to Alloway in their millions to see for themselves where it all began for Burns,” said Dr David Hopes, Director of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

“This is also where the tradition of remembering the poet began: the world’s first Burns Supper took place in the humble room where Burns was born less than five years after his death and is now celebrated internationally. The rise of Burns’ fame and the popularity of the Burns Supper is truly unparalleled.”

Voted the Greatest Ever Scot in a television poll in 2009 Burns is a very valuable asset for the Scottish economy. His legacy brings in more than £160million a year, making him probably the richest member of the dead poet’s society.

Not bad for a farmer turned exciseman with a fondness for wine, women and song who died at the age of just 37 leaving behind 12 children by four different women and a string of brokenhearts.

His yearly income outstrips those of top earning passed-over pop stars such as Michael Jackson whose estate makes around £92million a year and Elvis Presley who still earns about £36million annually. Jackson was a huge fan of Burns and even recorded an album setting the Bard’s poems to music.

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Robert Burns’ Mausoleum Dumfries - Photo MSD

of films and television programmes, including ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, ‘When Harry met Sally’ and ‘Sex and the City’ and he has been credited with inspiring other literary giants.

JD Salinger’s novel ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ is based on the poem ‘Comin Thro the Rye’ and and John Steinbeck took the title of his book ‘Of Mice and Men’ from Burns’ poem ‘To a Mouse’.

More than 218 years after his death Burns remains an international beacon of Scotland’s cultural life.

He is a global icon recognised as one of the top literary figures in the history of the planet. His work is out of this world – literally. A miniature book of his work was carried into orbit by British-born astronaut Nicholas Patrick on a two-week space mission in 2010.

It is estimated that more than 160

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substantial memorials dedicated to Robert Burns are dotted around the globe. The only person with more statues is Queen Victoria.

“Robert Burns is Scotland’s greatest cultural icon, recognised and celebrated all around the world. His legacy is of incalculable value to Scotland and the country’s image abroad,” said Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture.

His work has appeared in hundreds

“Burns and his work are emotive subjects owned by many and of significant future importance for the nation,” said Professor J. John Lennon of the Moffat Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University.

“The value of Burns as an international icon for Scotland’s creative and literary tradition can and must be celebrated on a comparable stage to Joyce in Ireland and Hans Christian Andersen in Denmark.”

The ‘Hold your own Burns Supper’ ebook can be downloaded from www.visitscotland.com/burnssupper

Hoorah for the I Haggis!

t’s a Scottish institution that has proudly held its own throughout the centuries, despite hordes of foreign invaders trying to usurp its throne.

But now Haggis, our national dish, has staged a culinary coup of sorts with sales of the dish abroad outstripping those at home, adding more than ÂŁ1million a year to the national economy.

Photo - Stewart Cunningham

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No longer always the main course the ‘great chieftain of the puddin’ race’ is lording it over cucumber sandwiches and dainty finger foods after becoming a surprise hit with the hors d’oeuvre and canape set.

Haggis bon-bons, haggis-stuffed mushrooms, haggis tarts, haggis ravioli, haggis pakora and even haggis hot-dogs have all helped create a new life for the old favourite.

Such is the appetite for the humble dish that it has now scaled the culinary charts and is being served in top London restaurants and Scotland’s best known maker of haggis sells the majority of its product in England.

Jo Macsween, managing director of Macsween of Edinburgh, said Haggis was taking the menus of some of the top restaurants by storm.

She said: “Of the millions of portions of haggis produced each year, almost 60 per cent are sold in England,

Photo - VisitScotland

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Photo - Stewart Cunningham

around 35 per cent sold in Scotland and the rest overseas to other EU countries, especially France.

“London loves haggis. We did a tasting down there and out of the hundreds of portions we served up, only two people didn’t like it. We served it up on a nacho chip with some salsa, which surprised a lot of people because it’s like a taste of summer.”

Chefs in London, which is now the UK’s haggis-eating capital, account for more than 20 per cent of all haggis sales and are using the delicacy to add a ‘wow’ factor to dishes.

The dish has even been given the Royal treatment with an Indian twist.

Scottish comedian, broadcaster and celebrity chef Hardeep Sing Kohli was the first to unveil a new dish mixing traditional Scottish and Indian recipes.

Photo - VisitScotland

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Balmoral Chicken Pakora mixes

together a signature dish, said to have been created by a Ballater butcher for Queen Victoria, using chicken breast stuffed with haggis, with the traditional spicy deep fried snacks found across India, Pakistan and Nepal.

“It had never been done before.

Nobody had ever tried it. I invented it as a bit more than a wee nod to the mix of cultures and Scotland’s love of curry, especially in the West,” said Hardeep.

“Glasgow people know their curries really well because there has been a vibrant Asian community there for as long as anywhere else in the UK. Glasgow is an international city and there has always been a sense of people looking to try something new.

That’s why you’ll notice there is more

innovation in Glasgow restaurants compared to almost anywhere else in the country, even London.

“If you look at the menu of a typical Indian restaurant in the city there is always something a wee bit different on it, such as haggis pakoroa. I’ve never come across another city in the UK where there is so much love for the pakora dish.”

There is also hope that haggis, which is traditionally served on Burns Night across the world, could once again be sold in the USA later this year the first time since 1971.

Because of a ruling by the US Department of Agriculture almost five decades ago, that livestock lungs shall not be saved for use as human food, Haggis has been off the menu.

The ruling was strengthened in 1997 with a US ban on all British lamb imports as a result of fears over a possible link between BSE and CJD, the animal and human variants of mad cow disease.

Officials in Scotland, and in the US where there are an estimated 10 million Americans of Scottish descent, have suggested the 1997 ban could be overturned in 2017 and, provided an alternative to lungs is used, haggis could get back on the shelves.

“Getting back into the US market in 2017 would unlock a huge market and millions of pounds of business for our Scotch Lamb and haggis producers,” said Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment.

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Eddi Reader, the perfect rebel with the voice of an angel

Photos by - Genevieve Stevenson

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by Jo De Sylva

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ddi Reader has come a long way from the 3ft cupboard in the family home, where she started performing as a child, to achieve international acclaim on the world stage as one of Scotland’s foremost female singers.

But despite a career spanning more than 30 years playing with some of the biggest names in modern music she remains fiercely proud of her roots and the climb to the top has not been all glitz and glamour.

Eddi’s professional career started as a backing singer on the ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’ with ‘Gang of Four’, before she went on to work with the Eurythmics, The Waterboys, Billy MacKenzie, John Fox and Alison Moyet.

After forming Fairground Attraction she went on to have a UK Number 1 with ‘Perfect’, which won ‘Best

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Eventually, the family decided she needed her own space but the only place that might be suitable was the cupboard in the hall. For Eddi this was a luxury.

“My dad let me use it, he took out his tools, his rubbish and the Hoover so I could have a bit of space. I painted the door and they put in a light bulb and I sat in there,” she said.

It’s only now that Eddi can look back on those early days and begin to understand why the teachers thought of her as someone who would never do much with her life.

Today she might have been thought of as being close to the edge of the autism spectrum but not actually in it.

Single’ at the 1988 Brit Awards while the subsequent album achieved another Brit in 1989 for Best Album.

However, the girl with a voice of an angel whose first musical venue was a 3ft by 3ft cupboard in a Glasgow council house has no doubt that those who knew her in her early days didn’t think she’d amount to much.

The opinion of many of her teachers was that she was never going to very far.

“I’m sure they thought I was just this little lassie and that they’d better just go on teaching me how to wash clothes because that will be it,” explains Eddi who didn’t see the world in quite the same way as those around her.

She began life in the tenements of Anderston in Glasgow where there was a very solid matriarchal way of life. She remembers dusty dirty back courts...her granny’s close being cleaner than the close she had to share.

“We lived at number 7 and we had to use the next door’s close for toilets

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and stuff but it was broken and the wooden door was off it. The ceramic of the toilet pan was full of bricks and cracked so we couldn’t use it.

We had to go across the street to my Gran’s at number 23 to use the toilet and her’s was always pristine with carbolic soap”.

Eddi’s family were moved to the newly built estate of Arden to the south of Glasgow when she was 6-years-old. Although the homes had the luxury of an inside toilet there was still the issue of space.

“It felt like my mum was constantly pregnant,” said Eddi. “She had one kid every year after me. We had two little bedrooms that we filled.

Eventually five girls were in one room and two boys were in the other.”

While Eddi and her siblings shared the bedrooms their parents slept on a pull down couch in the living room.

Although space was at a premium that didn’t dampen Eddi’s passion for music in any way.

She commandeered the toilet for practicing guitar so there were many crossed legs for her younger siblings.

“Maybe not autism, but just maybe a little bit removed, like when I heard voices I saw them as outside. I heard a kind of music in them rather than in the actual things the teachers were saying,” said Eddi.

“I was just looking at them with a vacant stare, but in actual fact what I was doing was making music in my head all the time.

“I could only hear a jumble of sound in a sing song way so that meant the teachers thought I was just a dreamer of no use to anyone and was never going to amount to much.”

However, music became an escape route to a better life and it gave her a bravery she didn’t naturally possess to find acceptance among her peers.

“I was just a wee working class lassie fae Glesga. I used to bring my guitar into school to stop the bullies focusing on me,” said Eddi.

“Music made me attractive to everybody – Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, upper and lower middle class. I was accepted because I could sing.”

While Eddi has become synonymous with the works of Robert Burns, and has even been credited with almost

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single-handedly bringing the songs of the Bard to the attention of a whole new audience, it was never a grand plan but rather a a happy development.

Eddi was first exposed to the poet when her family moved to Irvine in Ayrshire. She remembers the long hot summer of 1976, the hottest on record for the longest time, and she recalls the beach looking to her like the images of Miami beach she had seen on television.

“Suddenly it got really sunny, really open. The air was beautiful, the sea gulls were singing, there was music in the air and the language was amazing. There was all these different accents that made me feel as if I was in a foreign environment but it was a beautiful and exciting foreignness. It felt like I was suddenly learning about Scotland.”

It was here she discovered a whole new genre of music. Eddi began visiting folk clubs in Ayrshire and they

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left a lasting impression on her.

“I first heard Heather Hayward singing at Kilmarnock folk club and she sung ‘The Blacksmith’, which it turns out is a Portsmouth song, but she sung it in her Kilmarnock voice and it amazed me that you could do that,” said Eddi who said that was where she fell in love with folk music.

“I heard real raw songs sung to me that I recognised. I think genetically I recognised it and resonated with it, therefore I became fiercely convicted about Scottish music, but not Scottish music I had ever heard of before. A much more authentic Scottish music.”

Nowadays Eddi has no worry about being accepted and is very confident in her views. She remains faithful to her core beliefs and feels Scotland has it’s own very unique take on the way things should be.

“We are not impressed by snobbery.

We are not impressed by social

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climbing. We notice it, we clock it, we mark it down and we understand it,” she said.

“As a person who has lived away from Scotland and come back I can see we treat everybody as equals and I think that is really valuable. It’s not about ‘don’t think too much of yourself’, ‘get beneath me’ or ‘get above me’. We are all just as good as each other.”

Like a lot of people Eddi admits she didn’t know much about politics and wasn’t so politically aware before the independence referendum debate.

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She now feels Westminster wanted people like her to be apathetic and not to think about the deal Scotland has.

might not be right wing but they still have predilections of acceptance of class structure that I don’t think we do so much.”

“Somehow I felt the message we were getting from Westminster was that it is better for Scotland to be filtered through a political direction that was chosen by a group of people that we share an island with who are of a different sensibility.

Eddi hopes Scotland will stand up for itself and is adamant that her days of not taking any particular interest in what is happening in politics are over.

“I’m not saying anyone is better or worse, but I am saying that people want different things. My beautiful English family and English friends

“From now on I am always going to vote for a party that talks about the Union but not in sacrosanct terms. I don’t believe the Union is a religion.

I believe it’s a political deal and that it should be questioned as our democracies change,” she said.

Tickets now on sale for Eddi Reader Live in Concert Spring 2017 13/04 • EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE 14/04 • ABERDEEN BEACH BALLROOM 15/04 • STRATHPEFFER PAVILION 17/04 • INVERNESS EDEN COURT 18/04 • KIRKCALDY ADAM SMITH THEATRE 20/04 • GLASGOW CITY HALLS 21/04 • GREENOCK BEACON ARTS 22/04 • KILMARNOCK PALACE THEATRE 23/04 • SALFORD THE LOWRY 25/04 • BRISTOL ST GEORGE’S 27/04 • NEW BRIGHTON THE FLORAL PAVILION 28/04 • SALTAIRE VICTORIA HALL 29/04 • LONDON UNION CHAPEL 30/04 • MILTON KEYNES THE STABLES 02/05 • CARDIFF CARDIFF TRAMSHED 03/05 • CAMBRIDGE CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION 05/05 • LINCOLN DRILL HALL 06/05 • CONGLETON CLONTER OPERA 07/05 • GATESHEAD SAGE GATESHEAD

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News of the views St John’s Church - Photo Donna Bramhan

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hey are some of the most shared images in the world. A set of photographs depicting the blue seas and white sands of an island paradise.

But these are not pictures of a Caribbean idyll but instead one of Scotland’s most remote communities - the Isle of Harris.

Taken by photographer Mo Thomson the image is the most popular to

have featured on the social media channels of the country’s tourism organisation.

Now, VisitScotland has revealed the images which have topped the list of all destinations in Scotland to receive the most engagement on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram during summer 2016.

The beautiful images of the colourful beaches on a sunny summer’s day captivated the social media world with more than 333,400 likes, shares,

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White Horse Close, Edinburgh - Photo Paul Cameron

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retweets and comments.

Overall, posts about destinations in Scotland across all VisitScotland media channels led to more than 7.3 million shares, likes, retweets and comments from April – September 2016.

VisitScotland’s social media channels have some of the largest followings

and engagement of any other destination marketing organisation globally. The channels provide inspirational images and information about Scotland to inspire people worldwide to visit the country every year. With more than 2.3 billion people around the world, 30 per cent of the total population, using social

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Isle of Hariis - Photo Mo Thomson Digital Media

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networking sites, VisitScotland has a dedicated social media team to ensure destination information about every region of Scotland is represented across different channels to different audiences.

The majority of images posted on VisitScotland channels are provided by visitors to and lovers of Scotland, with user-generated content of great importance to the national tourism organisation.

VisitScotland launched its first ever global campaign – the Spirit of Scotland – in February 2016, with a large emphasis on creating a social movement to help promote the country to the world. The #ScotSpirit social campaign has been VisitScotland’s most successful social media campaign to date with

nearly 200,000 uses of the hashtag across all platforms, averaging 1000 per day, and more than 63 million views of the Spirit of Scotland advert and mini documentaries.

“The way that visitors access information about Scotland has changed dramatically over the past five years and our ambition is to reach more people than ever before with inspirational and exciting information about Scotland,” said Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive at VisitScotland.

“We regard our social network followers very much as a community and we enjoy engaging with both our regular contributors as much as those who communicate with us for the first time.”

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Romantic retreats and fairytale castles among Scotland’s top holiday homes Old Milton, Kingussie

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he New Year has started with a boom for many of Scotland’s top tourist locations as an increasing number of visitors opt for a winter break.

New research into the demand for self-catering accommodation has revealed the top five getaway destinations for holidaymakers.

Arran, Inverness, the Cairngorms National Park, Fort William & Glencoe and the Isle of Skye have come out tops for mini-breaks.

Lettings company Cottages & Castles, has reported a 25 per cent increase in the total volume of bookings for 2016 compared to the previous year, with the majority of bookings being from people across the UK.

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Knock Old Castle, Ayrshire

The low value of the pound against the Euro has helped fuel a boost in staycations as holidaymakers, from families to young couples and large groups of friends, look for value, luxury and adventure at home.

However, there has also been a steady increase in the number of international visitors booking selfcatering properties. Figures compiled

by Cottages & Castles show 10 per cent increase at least on last year’s figures, especially among visitors from Germany and America.

“One of the growing trends we have experienced throughout the year is the increase in popularity of large properties for group bookings,” said Sue Bourne, manager of Cottages & Castles.

“Destinations including the Highlands and the West Coast have enjoyed a surge in popularity this year where a large group of family or friends can enjoy their own private house located in some of the most spectacular

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scenic locations around.

“The draw of Scotland, steeped in history, is evident with its numerous castles, beautiful scenery and fantastic outdoor activities for all ages to enjoy.”

Cottages & Castles has seen its portfolio of large top quality selfcatering houses grow considerable over recent months to cater for the demand from group bookings.

Among the new additions to its books include Old Milton, Kingussie.

The former sporting lodge has been stylishly renovated mixing traditional features with modern aspects and presenting a sophisticated dining room with hand crafted chandeliers and wooden beams capable of seating 20 guests.

Some very quirky and unique properties have come onto the market, such as Knock Old Castle, Ayrshire. This recently renovated 14th century fairy-tale castle offers

luxurious accommodation for eight people complete with its very own turret sauna.

If castles are your thing there’s also Muckrach Castle, Grantownon-Spey in the midst of whisky country. Set in an acre of ground within the Cairngorms National Park, this historic and romantic retreat, with fairytale turrets, has been sympathetically restored to offer a unique stay for guests wishing to sample the Scottish Highlands in their very own castle.

Seabank, Lamlash, Isle of Arran

Muckrach Castle, Grantown-on-Spey

Other, less majestic but still grand, examples include Seabank, a a traditional house on the Isle of Arran.

Recently renovated with traditional open fire offering a warm friendly atmosphere. The house is beautifully positioned to enjoy views across Lamlash Bay with direct access to the beach at the bottom of the garden.

Then there is Balnain Farmhouse, Muir of Ord. This fine sandstone farmhouse is ideal for large parties set amidst the 4000 glorious acres

Balnain farmhouse, Inverness

of the Brahan Estate in Easter Ross.

This property can also be booked together with three other properties on the estate for even larger parties offering a wonderful location from where to explore the West Coast with its stunning scenery and a choice of destinations from Ullapool to the Isle of Skye.

For a little more intimate getaway there is the Old Croft, Roy Bridge.

With an open log fireplace and heated slate floors, this cosy cottage for two offers an ideal base to explore Glencoe, the Nevis Range and Fort William and is the perfect retreat to unwind in at the end of the day. Located up a majestic Lochaber

glen, this property enjoys far reaching views across native woodland and heather clad hills to Aonach Mor and the Grey Corries.

Larger parties, up to about 12 people, can find plenty of history and comfort at Hamara Lodge, Glendale on the Isle of Skye. This former Clan MacLeod hunting lodge, dating back to 1770, is reached by private drive through wooded grounds and enjoys stunning views of the Western Isles.

With a self-catering holiday at home offering an affordable getaway, 2017 looks set to a boom year for selfcatering holidays in Scotland.

Hamara Lodge, Glendale - Isle of Skye

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Entrepreneurial spark ignites passion for the luxury of whisky Photos Gavin Host & Ayesha Martin

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hisky, that great social leveller enjoyed by all walks of life for more than 500 years, is attracting attention from a new class of connoisseurs.

Cash-rich, time-poor enthusiasts from around the world are flocking to Scotland in increasing numbers to indulge their passion for the water of life.

Whisky tourism is now big business, with around 120 active whisky distilleries, 40 more in the pipeline and distillery visitor numbers reaching upwards of 1.5 million per year. More than 95 million cases are sold across 256 countries yet when it comes

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to promoting the product to wellheeled fans and welcoming them to the home of their favourite drink there is often a disconnect between distilleries and the visitors.

“There is a definite gap in the market,” claims entrepreneur Kirsty MacGeoch, founder of the new luxury whisky experience service, Whisky Co. Based in Edinburgh, and supported

by RBS’ Entrepreneurial Spark startup business accelerator, the 27-yearold former whisky PR manager has discovered there’s a growing demand for tailored whisky experiences.

Kirsty MacGeoch

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“Whisky is a huge Scottish success story, but there’s a missing link between the distilleries and the whisky lovers coming to visit,” said Kirsty, who first began drawing up plans for her business five years ago when she left university “I’ve always felt that there wasn’t a luxury, personalised service available to the public that offered something special to visitors. Whisky Co. is here to do just that, by providing extraspecial whisky experiences based on exactly what the customer wants, rather than providing just another pre-packaged whisky holiday.”

Visiting distilleries is one of the most popular types of visitor attractions in Scotland, attracting more overseas visitors than any other attraction and generating the highest average spend per trip.

“There are plenty of little tours all aimed at the mass market rather than the higher end, and that’s where there is definite need,” said Kirsty,

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who creates bespoke itineraries individually suited to guests’ requirements whether they are novices or connoisseurs.

“Often high-worth visitors don’t have a lot of time so they are looking for someone to organise everything for them, from accommodation and restaurants to travel and personalised distillery tours.

The whisky industry accounts for more than 25 per cent of the UK’s food and drink exports, contributing more than £5 billion a year to the overall value of the UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Many overseas visitors come from Germany and France or the USA but increasingly the number of whisky tourists visiting from Russia, China, Israel and India have been on the increase, many of them women.

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Industry research suggests that almost a third of whisky drinkers in the UK, and more than 25 per cent globally, are now female. Images of celebrities such as Canadian Super Model Coco Rocha, Bollywood actress Mandira Bedi, singer KT Tunstall and model Kate Moss enjoying whisky have helped to turn more women onto the drink. “Much more women are getting into whisky than ever before. Although it’s still often seen as a male thing women actually have a better palate when it comes to testing things. They have a better sense taste and smell and can really appreciate the subtle differences of each whisky,� said Kirsty, who has seen an increase in enquiries from high-end stag and he parties.

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“Scotland really isn’t capitalising enough on the top-end of the market.

These people spend more than £50million pounds a year on tours, meals, accommodation or bottles of whisky but many leave disappointed because they don’t feel they have seen or done everything they wanted to do.

“These are people who have money and want to spend it on their passion for whisky. It’s up to all of us to ensure visitors get the best out of what our country and its wonderful whisky have to offer so they want to keep coming back.”

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Scottish hero of Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce, brought back to life virtually

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ore than 700 years after his most famous victory secured independence for Scotland the face of Robert The Bruce has been revealed - probably.

No contemporary portraits exist of the King who crushed the ambitions of England’s Edward II at Bannockburn and laid the foundation for modern Scottish identity.

However, using the latest 21st century technology scientists and historians have joined forces to create a detailed image of what they believe is a true-likeness of The Bruce.

Using a cast taken from a human skull discovered beneath Dunfermline Abbey in the early 19th century, and

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now held by the Hunterian Museum, a team of experts have brought the 742-year-old monarch back to life virtually.

The realistic images are the outcome of a two-year-long collaboration between historians from the University of Glasgow and craniofacial experts from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).

One image depicts Bruce in his prime, a large and powerful male head that would have been supported by a muscular neck and stocky frame – a match for the superathletes of today. As a privileged individual he would have enjoyed the benefits of a first-class diet, and had a physique suitably equipped for the brutal demands of medieval warfare.

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Robert Bruce, hero-king of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329 aged around 55, was no stranger to the battlefield. He waged war to wear down his Scottish opponents and the English regime in Scotland, culminating in the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. To legitimise his kingship and free his kingdom, Bruce also campaigned in northern England and Ireland.

However, the second image reveals that strength co-existed with frailty.

The skull exhibits likely signs of leprosy, disfiguring the upper jaw and nose.

Historians believe Bruce suffered

from an unidentified ailment, possibly leprosy, which laid him low several times during his reign, and probably killed him. In Ulster in 1327, he was said to be so weak that he could only move his tongue.

The project to put a face to the Hunterian skull was led by Dr Martin MacGregor, a senior lecturer in Scottish history at the University of Glasgow. Dr MacGregor was inspired by the discovery of the skeleton of King Richard III of England beneath a car park in Leicester in 2012.

“I was aware of previous attempts to recreate the face of the skull linked to Robert the Bruce,” he said.

“The case of Richard III revealed how far the technology had advanced.

I saw an opportunity to apply the technology to the Hunterian skull held here at Glasgow: first to test the credibility of its connection to Bruce, and then to try to add to our knowledge of Scotland’s greatest king.”

Dr MacGregor requested the expertise of Professor Caroline Wilkinson, Director of LJMU’s Face Lab and a world-renowned craniofacial identification expert, to carry out the facial reconstruction of Robert the Bruce. Professor Wilkinson was also responsible for the facial reconstruction of Richard III.

Professor Wilkinson said: “Using the skull cast, we could accurately establish the muscle formation from the positions of the skull bones to determine the shape and structure of the face. But what the reconstruction cannot show is the colour of his eyes, his skin tones and the colour of his hair. We produced two versions – one without leprosy and one with a mild representation of leprosy. He may have had leprosy, but if he did it is likely that it did not manifest strongly on his face, as this is not documented.”

No reliable visual depictions of Robert the Bruce were made in

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his own time, and written records reveal nothing about his appearance.

Although DNA could offer another way to establish hair and eye colour there is a problem.

“The skull was excavated in 1818-19 from a grave in Dunfermline Abbey, mausoleum of Scotland’s medieval monarchs,” explains Dr MacGregor.

“After the excavation the original skeleton and skull were sealed in pitch and reburied, but not before a cast of the head was taken. Several copies of the cast exist, including the one now in The Hunterian, but

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without the original bone we have no DNA.”

“The Hunterian also holds a piece of toe-bone said to have come from the same grave, and not returned to it.

We had hoped to try and obtain DNA from this and test it against a living descendant of Robert the Bruce, but the bone would probably have been destroyed in the process.”

Professor Wilkinson added: “In the absence of any DNA, we relied on statistical evaluation of the probability of certain hair and eye colours, conducted by Dr MacGregor

and his team, to determine that Robert the Bruce most likely had brown hair and light brown eyes.”

“There have also been a number of advances in facial reconstruction techniques since previous depictions of this Scottish hero, including better facial feature prediction and more advanced CGI.”

“This is the most realistic appearance of Robert the Bruce to-date, based on all the skeletal and historical material available.”

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Winning the British Designer of the year award was a pivotal moment in the career of Linda MacDonald.

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s the first person to receive such an honour in the 126 year history of the British Jewellers Association it was official recognition from her peers that the fledgling empire she built up from the backroom of a tiny village shop is now a universally recognsied brand.

Linda, who was raised in the Cardross, launched her handcrafted jewellery business with her husband Matthew Scott in 1997 and since then her designs have found increasing popularity among collectors of all ages across the UK and beyond.

Photos by Image Prodigy - Stuart Wilkie

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Although she initially wanted to be a book illustrator Linda changed direction after studying design at Glasgow School of Art. It was there she discovered a talent for making jewellery which, when combined with her imagination and passion for story telling, brought out a unique innate creativity.

Inspired by the legends, fairytales and romantic landscape of Loch Lomond and its surroundings her work has become synonymous with style and quality.

“I have always been a creative person, even as a child. My father worked in a thread company and always had samples of tapestries he had brought home with him so I have always been quite hands on and like making things,” said Linda.

“I was fortunate to get into Glasgow School of Art and studied there. In my first year I wanted to be a book illustrator, which is quite different from jewellery. However, I found

I enjoyed the process of building products from a sketch and so went on from there.”

Mainly fashioned in silver, with touches of gold, Linda’s handmade elegant necklaces, stunning, bracelets and distinctive rings are renowned for their sensual, fanciful and delicate qualities.

Linda, who works with a small team of skilled jewellers to assist with production at the family run business in Cardross is proud of her roots and acknowledges some of her success comes from the landscape around her.

“I have spent most of my life in Cardross, apart from going away to study. I decided to come back here again as I find the area, particlulalry the countryside, a big inspiration for me. It is full of romantic imagery,” she said.

“A lot of our designs are around hearts and flowers, that’s what we

have become quite well known for over the years. I feel vey lucky to have the shop here in the middle of the village.”

The Linda MacDonald label can now be found in numerous stores across the UK, including retail giant John Lewis, and she is working on expanding into foreign markets.

Earlier this year she made her debut at the Inhorgenta Munich Jewellery show in Germany and attracted lots of interest from across mainland Europe, especially Germany, Austria and Holland.

Her collections, ‘Lily Pond’ and ‘Ever After’ especially have been critically acclaimed. The geometrically styled ‘Lily Pond’ illicits visions of lily pads in a secret moonlit garden while ‘Ever After’ draws on the notions of romance and love from childhood fairy stories.

“I think my desire to illustrate when I was younger probably comes through in the designs now,” said Linda.

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“I like to tell a story so our designs over the years have all had a connecting element continuing a theme.�

Over the years Linda has won numerous awards for her talent and business accumen. As far back as 1998 Livewire magazine awarded her then one-year-old company the accolade for Best Business Plan (Scotland), and in 1999 her original design was selected for the Scottish gift of the year awards. In the same year she won the Achievement in Business Planning from the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative.

In 2002 Linda was honoured with the prized Scottish Gift of the Year award and in 2007 she reached the final five in the Charles and Colvard’s Design Competition.

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However, it was her success in winning British Designer of the Year 2012 which looks set to propel, her expansion into the overseas market.

As the only Scottish label to be nominated for the shortlist of the British Jewellery Association’s Designer of the Year Award Linda was up against some of the best contemporary designers in the UK.

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“Just being shortlisted for the award was really exciting for us,” she said.

“We are still a small brand even though we are getting better known throughout the UK. It was a big step for us to be recognised by the industry.

“We can see a lot more growth for the business and have plans to expand, with more stockists in the UK and abroad. All of our customers are telling us we are one of the better designers and we’re selling really well.”

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Ra discover save

The Art of Painting - Photos by National Library of Scotland

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are antique map red in a chimney ed for the nation

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rare 300-year-old antique map found stuffed up a chimney in Aberdeen to stop draughts has been saved from the garbage dump.

The late 17th century wall map of the world, produced by the Dutch engraver Gerald Valck, has now been preserved following intricate conservation work at the National Library of Scotlandand.

There are only two other known copies of the map in existence. The new discovery was made during renovation on a house and the map was destined for the rubbish bin before someone had second thoughts and it was gifted to the National Library.

Although in very poor condition, encrusted with dirt, and severely damaged in places after being attacked by vermin and insects, specialists thought they had to attempt a rescue.

The map arrived at the Library rolled up in a plastic bag. Once removed, it looked like a bundle of rags and had to be handled extremely carefully as fragments of the map fell off like confetti every time it was moved. On closer examination, it became clear the canvas backing on the map had survived better than much of the paper itself which had disintegrated in a number of places.

The map, measuring 2.2 metres by 1.6 metres would have originally been hung on a wall to be admired by visitors. A similar map from the same period is shown in the famous painting by Vermeer called Painter in his Studio.

The work to clean and restore the map proved to be one of the most complex yet undertaken by the Library’s conservation department. “Once the map was unfurled I was able to assess its condition, which I must admit filled me with dread,� said Claire Thomson, book and

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Devil untreated

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paper conservator at the Library, who worked on the project. “Much of the paper had been lost, and the remainder was hard and brittle in places and soft and thin in others. We needed to stabilise it to prevent any further deterioration, make it robust and easier to handle to get to a point where it could be studied by researchers.�

The map was originally printed in eight separate sections and adhered to a linen backing. It was already splitting along the joins between the sections and the decision was taken to separate the sections to make the map easier to work with. These were each placed in a humidifying chamber as the gentle introduction of moisture made it easier to flatten out the map.

Removing the backing without further damaging the paper proved to be one of the most difficult tasks.

This involved using a thick cellulose solution to fix light weight Japanese

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Chimney map unrolled

paper to the front of the map in two layers. This secured the paper map while the backing was peeled off using hand tools.

The final stage of cleaning involved suspending the map sections

Opening up map

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individually in water in a heated sink at 40C for 40 minutes with the water being gently agitated to clean dirt from the surface. On removal they were placed in blotters to remove any excess water. After unknown years of neglect and misuse, the detailed

splendour of a map created in a 17th century Dutch printing house was revealed.

National Librarian Dr John Scally said: “This is one of the most challenging tasks our conservation

Devil detail treated

team has faced and they have done a terrific job. Although significant sections of the map have been lost, the remainder has been cleaned

and stabilised for future study and enjoyment.

It would have been very easy for this

map to end up at the bottom of a skip but thankfully it can now take its place among the magnificent maps held within our collection.�

The Chimney Map What to do with a huge seventeenth century map found up a chimney in the North East of Scotland? A jigsaw of paper, fabric, pictures, text and images which needs to be conserved and presented. Follow the Claire Thomson’s painstaking conservation project at the National Library of Scotland.

Unravelling the Chimney Map The continuing story of a huge 17th century map found stuffed up a chimney is told by a conservator, a map curator, a historian and an explorer. As the map is painstakingly conserved at the National Library of Scotland, it unfolds stories of exploration, battles, slavery, kingship and knowledge.

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A city of culture, history and fun

Photo Marc Turner

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few years ago Scotland’s largest city adopted a very cleaver marketing campaign to show the world how much it had changed.

Wherever you went there were bumper stickers and button badges of a happy face proclaiming “Glasgow’smiles better”.

The forerunner of the emoji was a clear message that the international image of the second city of the former British empire as a hard and dirty industrial centre is long gone.

Instead, this former European Capital of Culture is now widely regarded as one of Europe’s most lively and stylish urban destinations, boasting

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Photo Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

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the best shopping experience in the UK outside of London.

It is home is home to a variety of annual festivals celebrating everything from rock music and comedy to literature and the arts.

The city is easy to get around and is packed with numerous museums and art galleries, of which more than 20 are free to visit.

Many attractions are within walking distance of each other or can be reached by the city’s unique subway system known fondly as the Clockwork Orange. Opened in 1896, it is the third oldest metro

system in the world after London and Budapest, and has only one circle line serving 15 stations with a train every four minutes at peak times.

The streets of this 800-year-old city are paved with history built upon the profits of shipbuilding, Caribbean sugar and American tobacco and cotton.

Glasgow was designated UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999 and even a brief walk through its streets will reveal the legacy of renowned architects and designers, such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Alexander “Greek� Thomson among others.

There are numerous monuments and statues to leading scientists, inventors, poets, politicians and war heroes throughout the city. The most popular is that of the Duke of Wellington outside the Gallery of Modern Art but the statue is rarely seen without a traffic cone on its head. What started as a joke by students more than 40 years ago is now an almost permanent symbol of Glaswegian humor. When the city council tried to raise the statue higher to stop the prank, there was a public protest which attracted tens of thousands of supporters calling for the cone to stay.

Among the most modern city

Photo - Stewart Cunningham

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attractions is the Riverside Museum on the banks of the Clyde. Designed by the late Zaha Hadid, this iconic building, which was voted 2013 European Museum of the Year, has more than 3,000 exhibits showcasing a variety of ‘Clyde-built’ trams, trains and cars. It also includes three reconstructed streets showing Glasgow as it would have been between 1895 and 1930.

Visitors are encouraged to climb aboard many of the exhibits, including the U.K.’s only floating Clyde-built sailing ship, which is permanently moored outside the museum.

Riverside `museaum & tall Ship - Photo Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

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Royal Exchange Square - Photo Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

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Glasgow University Skyline - Photo Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

Contrastingly, the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery at the University of Glasgow is the oldest museum in Scotland, dating back more than 200 years.

Used extensively for academic research as well as a visitor attraction, the collection features a wide range of artifacts ranging from an entire section of the Roman Antonine Wall to scientific instruments used by some of the world’s greatest scientists and objects from Captain Cook’s voyage across the Pacific Ocean.

The Art Gallery is home to one of the world’s greatest collections of work by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, including the reassembled interior of his former Glasgow home. It also houses paintings by famous artists such as George Stubbs and James McNeill Whistler.

If you don’t mind something a little more macabre, the Necropolis is well worth a wander.

Regarded as one of the most significant cemeteries in Europe, the immense Victorian monument garden of 37 acres is overlooked by Glasgow Cathedral and provides a stunning elevated view of the city. As the final resting place of more than 50,000 people, many of them notable, it is full of amazing stories and gothic monuments.

from around the world to explore.

Open from 7 a.m. to dusk every day, the gardens are within a short walking distance of Byers Road, one of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan areas of the city, filled with a range of cafes, bars and some of Glasgow’s most popular restaurants.

Glasgow is renowned for its nightlife and as a centre for international conferences and entertainment events.

More cheerfully there is the Botanic Gardens n the heart of the West End of Glasgow providing an oasis of calm and respite since its foundation in 1817.

Just 15 months after opening the SSE Hydro is now officially the world’s second busiest live entertainment arena, according to a poll of the “Top 100 Worldwide Arena Venues”.

There are more than 50 acres of formal gardens, woodland walks and architecturally impressive glasshouses filled with an extensive array of temperate and tropical plants

Since opening in September 2013 the iconic venue has played host to a number of major stars, including One Direction, Taylor Swift, Elton John and Take That.

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Downhill Photos by Gerry McCann

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he glamour of Chamonix, Val d’Isere or St Moritz may be lacking on top of Scotland’s snow capped mountains but the country’s five ski resorts can certainly hold their own where it matters - on the slopes.

Each year thousands of people from across the UK and further afield flock to spend around £30million to enjoy Scotland’s winter wonderland. It’s estimated that for every £1 spent on the hills an additional £4 is spent in the surrounding areas, providing a substantial economic boost to Scotland’s rural communities.

In recent times more than £5.5 million has been invested in upgrading the country’s ski centres, including the replacement of improved chair and tow lifts.

Glenshee, which opened in December 1962, has invested around £2.474 million replacing ski lifts to improve access to higher altitude

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snowfields in a bid to retain domestic and attract international snowsport enthusiasts Similarly, Glencoe, the country’s oldest winter sports centre, have been upgraded at a cost of £1.89 million while the Lecht and Nevis Range have also undergone improvements at a cost of £456,000 and £707,000 respectively.

Nevis Range Development Company has owned and operated the ski centre on Aonach Mor since it was built almost 30 years ago. Over that time the company has grown the skiing infrastructure and developed mountain biking facilities to a world class standard. It also provides the only mountain gondola system in the

UK which is one of the Highlands busiest visitor attractions.

Never has there been such a good time to visit Scotland’s ski resorts as Brexit has made the country an even better attraction and value for money.

The weak pound, caused by uncertainty in the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the EU, means costs of travelling to resorts in Europe have spiralled. Now, winter sports enthusiasts can enjoy great deals at Scotland’s five ski centres, which have all ploughed significant investment into upgrading facilities in the past few years “As a snow sports destination, Scotland represents great value for

money for skiers and snowboarders from across the UK,” said Kate Forbes, MSP for Skye Lochaber and Badenoch, whose constituency is home to Glencoe, Cairngorm and Nevis Range resorts.

“You don’t need a passport, you don’t need travel insurance and you won’t be hit by the terrible exchange rates caused by Brexit.

“These past few years have seen significant snowfall for most of the Scottish resorts, allowing the season to continue well into the spring.

“The Highlands of Scotland offer among the most beautiful landscapes in the world, great food and drink and fantastic hospitality.”

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Grubbing cabbages by traditional farming methods in the early 1960s. Muck was well known for producing high quality cabbages. © Scottish Life Archive, licensor Scran

Small landscape but a big story

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he forgotten stories of four of Scotland’s islands have been explored, for the first time as part of a single project, to uncover the true historic value of the lands known collectively as the Small Isles.

Situated on the sea routes running up the west coast of Scotland these islands share a rich but often bloody history. Each offers great insights into Scotland’s past, from its first inhabitants to the key moments of Highland history, from the Lordship of the Isles through to the Clearances and the rise of crofting and community.

Once populated with some 1,600

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people all four of the islands are now permanently inhabited with just 200 residents or so in total.

Rum, and its 45-strong community, is by far the largest of the four. It is made up of a cluster of hauntingly beautiful volcanic peaks providing an idyllic backdrop for sea-eagles and other wildlife which inhabit the island, run by Scottish Natural Heritage as a National Nature Reserve.

It was here that Scotland’s first settlers arrived on Rum around 7500 BC. Mesolithic man built a community at the head of Loch Scresort where they turned the highly sought flint-like bloodstone into arrow heads which were traded

throughout Western Scotland and further afield.

Later, the adjacent fertile islands of Eigg, which is just five miles long by three miles wide, Canna, at five miles by one mile, and treeless Muck, the smallest of all, attracted the attention of early Iron Age farmers.

By the early 7th century the Small Isles lay at the north-western frontier of the Pictish kingdom and were fought over physically by the Picts and Vikings, and spiritually between Christian missionaries and practitioners of the old Pagan beliefs.

It was on Eigg that St Donnan was martyred in 617.

In Medieval times the islands became a stronghold of the Lords of the Isles in Islay. As such they were often riven by feuding and bloodshed over the following centuries, culminating in the massacre of the entire population of Eigg, suffocated in a cave, by the MacLeods of Dunvegan in 1577.

Looking towards Scresort Bay, Rum. It is thought that this rock may have been rolled into its present position as a protest against the Clearances. © Sylvia Beaton

But it was the Jacobite uprisings which eventually began to break-up the island communities. The men of Canna and Eigg rose with Clanranald in 1715 and 1745 and were on the losing side both times. In the wake of Culloden, and subsequent clearances in favour of sheep, many of the islanders were forced to emigrate to Canada and America.

By Victorian times the depleted islands were largely the playgrounds of rich landowners, such as shipping magnate Lord Runciman, who created his own fiefdom on Eigg, and Lancastrian textile mill owner John Bullough, who bought Rum for £35,000 in 1870 as an exclusive retreat. It was on his orders that gamekeepers often shot at passing boats to deter visitors so the island earned a “forbidden” reputation.

Now, for the first time the social and economic devastation of the Clearances and the construction of elite Victorian sporting retreats have been explored in the round to

build a picture of the giant influence the Small Isles have had on life in Scotland and beyond.

Archaeologist, Professor John Hunter OBE, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Birmingham and Honorary Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, has spent decades surveying the rich history of Scotland, with a particular focus on the Northern and Western Isles.

After years of exploring the physical evidence that remains he has been able to reveal how Rum, Eigg, Canna and Muck have been at the heart of key moments in Scottish history.

“These quiet-seeming landscapes hide centuries of hardship, intrigue, controversy and violence. They are small islands with big histories.

Yet, over the last two centuries, the traditions, customs, buildings and even place-names of these four

Photograph from an album from around 1880 showing visitors fishing on Loch Beinn Taighe, Eigg. The images is labelled, Loch where we caught a fish.

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p116 to Kinloch Castle around 1910 at the height of its opulence.

The approach

islands had been depleted and erased.

They had become islands without memories,” said Professor Hunter, who was commissioned by Historic Environment Scotland to write a book, ‘The Small Isles’, on his research.

“The islanders took their traditions and memories with them. They were economic migrants. All that remain are ruined townships, like Port Mor on Muck, where islanders, forced off the land, tried to make a living before leaving for the New World”.

Professor Hunter travelled extensively across the islands to draw on 150 years of archaeological source material – including many never before published maps, drawings, and photographs from the collections of Historic Environment Scotland, and field surveys carried out by the organisation’s archaeologists – in an attempt to reveal for the first time the stories of past cultures in danger of being lost forever.

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found a new life in 19th century North America and left the shadows of there former lives on the landscape of the Small Isles.

From rock shards that speak of prehistoric trading networks, and forts built by ancient warlords, to the chassis of a 1930s sports car dumped in the sea by its aristocrat owner, the stories of the islands are told through the objects and landscapes left behind by generations of islanders.

The fort of Dun Channa, located below the cliffs, may have been a symbol of status rather than a military stronghold.

“On Rum, 400 people left in one day.

You can imagine the impact that had on the community. All these people took their memories, place names and traditions with them,” said Prof.

Hunter.

There is an Eigg Mountain and Eigg Road in Canada, both named by former inhabitants of the island who

p118harbour between Canna and Sanday brought the islands into consideration The natural for industrial fishing in the 18th century, although the plan never achieved realisation.

“The Small Isles are fascinating in how they both display and hide their secrets within their modern landscapes. There are few places so geographically concentrated that provide such a vivid illustration of Scotland’s past from prehistory to the present day,” said Prof. Hunter.

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Heartbreak of a lost love

Photo - National Library of Scotland

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heartbreaking letter from the widow of Robert Louis Stevenson detailing the last moments of the writer’s life has been acquired by the National Library of Scotland.

Indianapolis-born wife in Samoa.

The emotional transcript, written just hours after her husband died, reveals the emotional pain and loss suffered by his wife of 14 years, Fanny Stevenson .

“His life had been one long romance and he hoped to have a romantic end; the artist in him demanded that completeness,” writes Fanny in her tight script on small notepaper.

The letter was sent to a family friend the day after the sudden collapse of the 44-year-old author of classic tales, such as Kidnapped, Treasure Island and the Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

“To grow old he could not bear. He has had his wish and, for that, I try to be thankful, though all the rest of my life will be empty and lonely.

True, I have my children but I have not Louis. No one knows what that means but me.”

Stevenson was just 44-years-old when he died on 3 December 1894 from a suspected brain haemorrhage at the home he shared with his

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In the letter Fanny Stevenson expresses her sense of loss but also her gratitude that her husband had achieved his wish of dying before he got old.

In the days leading up to the writer’s collapse Fanny claims she had been crushed by a sense of impending

Robert Louis Stevenson

Fanny Stevenson

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Photo - National Library of Scotland

disaster and her Edinburgh-born husband had sought to lighten her mood by playing cards and making mayonnaise together for dinner.

“I began to mix the mayonnaise; he dropping the oil with a steady hand, drop by drop. Suddenly, he set down the bottle, knelt by the table, leaning

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his head against it. I cannot go on just now.

“It was the hand of death that had stricken him down. In less than five minutes he was profoundly insensible and so remained till the end. It was about six when he knelt at the table and at ten minutes after eight, he

passed away. In a very short time, we had two doctors and a medical missionary here but there was nothing to do.”

The letter is one of a series sent by Fanny and her husband to Anne Jenkin, the wife of Stevenson’s former Edinburgh University tutor and

of Stevenson material which includes important papers about his early life in Edinburgh, his development as a writer and his time in Samoa.

Details of the latest acquisition, which was bought with the support of the Soutar Trust and the Friends of the National Libraries, are being released to coincide with the anniversary of Stevenson’s death.

“It is pleasing that these letters relating to one of Scotland’s greatest ever writers are part of the collection in the city and the country of his birth. They are sure to be of interest to scholars and the wider public and we are delighted to have acquired them,” said Dr John Scally, National Librarian.

Fanny’s letter also describes the devotion of native Samoans to her husband, who was known to them as Tusitala – story teller. Stevenson’s wish was to be buried at the top of Mount Vaea which overlooked his home on Samoa.

That task involved 40 Samoans labouring for hours to cut a path through the bush to the ancient burial place of chiefs. There, his grave was dug and a makeshift tinsel cross was placed at its head.

“Nothing that money could buy would have pleased Louis more or more clearly touched his heart than that little tinsel cross,” said Fanny.

Stevenson had been dogged by ill health for most of his life and lived in many places to try to find a climate best suited to his health. He had no expectation of a long life.

“I try to remember how he had hoped to go like this,” Fanny writes. “That very day he had said to me ‘the thought of dying in bed is horrible to me; I want to die like a clean human being on my feet. I want to die in my clothes, to fall just as I stand.’ He did. It was only at the very end, for the last few breaths, that we laid him down.”

professor of engineering, Fleeming Jenkin.

The letters, together with an incomplete manuscript of an essay, telegrams, photographs and newspaper cuttings, were bought by the Library at auction. They add to the Library’s existing rich collection Photo - National Library of Scotland p123

Photos by Dyanne Wilson

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The great Canadian kilt skate honours Scottish father of their nation

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round this time every year thousands of Canadians put on their skates and kilts to celebrate Canada’s connections to Scotland by honouring the Glasgow boy who became the father of a nation.

The Great Canadian Kilt Skate marks the birth of Sir John A Macdonald, a Scot who became Canada’s first Prime Minister. This year, with the help and support of the Canadian and Scottish Governments, events have been scheduled in several cities.

The Great Kilt Skate has become something of an annual tradition after it was first held by the Scottish

society of Ottawa who skate in their kilts on January 11th each year to mark Macdonald’s birthday.

The Great Canadian Kilt Skate now attracts skaters in kilts to frozen waterways and ice rinks across the country with many more spectators donning at least some tartan to honour the “Old Chieftain”, as Macdonald was sometimes nicknamed, in recognition of his origins.

This year events were organised to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, as well as Macdonald’s 202nd birthday, in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Calgary.

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Sir John Macdonald’s legacy is an important part of the special connection between Canada and Scotland. He and the other Scots who travelled to Canada to start a new life have left a lasting bond of friendship between the two nations which continues today.

“More than five million Canadians trace their ancestry to Scotland,” says Chris Maskell, Scottish Government representative. “We’re incredibly proud of that Scottish heritage, and we want to celebrate the enormous contribution that Scots and those of Scottish descent have made here in Canada – perhaps none more so than Sir John A. Macdonald.”

Macdonald, who is considered one of the founding fathers of modern Canada and is the second longest serving Prime Minister of the country, was born the third of five children in Brunswick Lane Glasgow in 1815.

Although his birthday is officially recognised as January 11 official records in Edinburgh have it down as the 10th.

His father Hugh had a business in the Merchant City but after it ran into trouble and the family was left in debt they emigrated to Canada when Macdonald was just five years old

and settled in Kingston, Ontario.

It wasn’t an easy childhood. His younger brother James died soon after the family arrived in Canada as the result of a blow to the head by a servant who was supposed to look after the boys. Despite his best endeavours Hugh Macdonald suffered a series of other business failures and the young John was forced to leave school at 15 and take a job as an apprentice lawyer to help keep the family.

After qualifying he set himself up as a criminal lawyer and took on a number of high-profile dramatic cases which got him noticed and earned him a reputation as a good orator as he went on to a career in politics. He entered the Canadian parliament in 1843 aged just 28.

As a colourful politician he was renowned for being fond of a drink or three and was frequently castigated for being the worse for wear during debates. However, he remained popular with the public and

John A Macdonald

was often able to win support with his quick wit at the expense of his opponents.

Despite a troubled private life which included the death of a wife and son and the birth of brain damaged daughter, he became a driving force behind the unification of Canada and held the position of Canadian Prime Minister for 18 years.

When he died on June 6th, 1891 he was universally mourned as the Father of a nation that is now modern Canada and memorial to him can be found across the country.

“Sir John A’s Great Canadian Kilt Skate is indelibly Scottish and undeniably Canadian,” says Kevin MacLeod, Chair of The Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO) which coordinates the national event. “It speaks to the Scottish contribution to Canada’s multicultural heritage, and this winter, for Canada’s 150th birthday, it’s bigger than ever.”

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Kilt Skate Events 2017 January 14 at the Natrel Skating Rink, Vieux Port, Montreal

January 21 at Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto; January 28 at Dow’s Lake, Rideau Canal Skateway, Ottawa; January 28 at The Forks River Trail, Winnipeg; January 28 at the Cameco Meewasin Skating Rink, Saskatoon; and February 12 at Olympic Plaza, Calgary.

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New evidence reveals rebel nature of ‘Father of Democracy’

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orgotten court papers recently unearthed after being lost in the judicial archives for more than 200 years cast new light on one of Scotland’s most colourful characters.

The historic Court of Session papers uncovered by the Faculty of Advocates and Professor Gerard Carruthers of the University of Glasgow provide a fresh insight into the early life of Thomas Muir.

Often regarded as the ‘father of democracy’ Muir was a legal reformer, a champion of the poor and oppressed, and a thorn in the side of the 18th century establishment, resulting in his arrest for sedition on 2 January 1792.

The new papers show how Muir courted controversy in his early years, a habit which may have contributed to his mis-treatment by the justice system later.

They detail a well-known chapter in Muir’s early life, while he was representing his local church, when he challenged local and powerful land owners over their right to choose a church minister.

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The Court of Session papers show how Thomas Muir upset powerful key members of Scotland’s political and legal establishment, including key figures who were later instrumental in having him transported to Botany Bay, Australia for sedition.

Between 1790 and 1792 Muir represented his local kirk congregation at Cadder in today’s East Dunbartonshire. The new papers show the minutiae of Muir’s opposition to James Dunlop of Garnkirk, a local land owner who wished to control the appointment of a minister for the parish rather than allow the congregation to have a free hand in the decision.

Although the preferred candidate of the congregation represented by Muir eventually secured the appointment, what the Court of Session papers

show is that Muir lost the case, contradicting the usual biographical account.

Thomas Muir was not afraid to challenge the system. He was used to taking on the “establishment”.

He was an 18th Century political reformer, who in another controversial episode voluntarily expelled himself from the University of Glasgow in 1785.

people who are sitting in judgement on him in Edinburgh in 1793 just a few years earlier were aware of Thomas Muir making trouble as a representative of his local church.”

{Prof Carruthers film link: http:// media.gla.ac.uk//web/news/ campusenews/thomasmuir.mp4}

The Bishopbriggs lawyer refused to apologise after he campaigned for the reinstatement of John Anderson, University of Strathclyde, who had accused the then principal and faculty members of mismanaging funds. Muir subsequently expelled himself.

He later campaigned for political reform, demanding greater democratic rights for the people. This angered the political establishment, seeing him as a ring leader, and they tried him for sedition in 1793.

Muir was found guilty in a show-trial widely regarded as being rigged against him and banished to Botany Bay, Australia, for 14 years.

Although Muir escaped from Australia two years later and fled to America, before ultimately ending up in Paris calling on the French Government to “liberate Scotland”, he died in exile on 27 January 1799 aged just 33.

“I think people had just been looking in the wrong place. They had perhaps been looking under Thomas Muir rather than looking under the Campbell papers or the Dreghorn papers,” said Professor Carruthers about the discovery.

“I think partly the reason why these papers were overlooked was because they didn’t deal with the 1790s trial where Muir is sentenced to 14 years in Botany Bay. “These papers dealt with an earlier period when he is involved in local kirk politics. But the real significance of these papers is they show that he was a ‘well kent face’, and the same

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Outlander wins vote for best book turned into a film

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ime-travelling fantasy romance Outlander has overwhelmingly won the accolade of the best Bookto-Screen adaption.

Thousands of book-readers and film fans from around the world took part in a poll organised by the Scottish Book Trust to select their favourite film or television adaptation of a book set in Scotland or written by a Scottish author.

By far the biggest share of the votes, 65 per cent, were cast in favour of Outlander, beating the likes of Trainspotting, Crow Road, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Kick Ass. Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series of books, said: “I’m deeply honoured at having OUTLANDER even included in such company. I’ve been a huge fan of Irvine Welsh, Iain Banks and Dame Muriel for years and years. To have the books and show win such an award is fabulous, and a testament

to the richness of Scotland and its people.”

Members of the public were invited to submit their nominations to form a longlist, which was then whittled down to a shortlist of 40 films by a panel of Scottish Book Trust staff

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Photo Rob McDougall

Some 3,380 voters from more than 60 countries, including Germany, Australia and America, named Sony Pictures’ book-to-screen adaptation of Outlander as the best.

“The top five adaptations are undoubtedly a mix of very different genres and filming styles, reflecting the vast range of books and films set in Scotland,” said Marc Lambert, Director of Scottish Book Trust.

“It is no surprise, however, to see Diana Gabaldon at the top of this list – her fan-base is huge, loyal and fantastically supportive of the Outlander series of books, which are meticulously researched and have done wonders for Scottish tourism over the past few years.” and film and literature experts.

Almost 5,200 people took part in the poll to mark Book Week Scotland 2016 which includes a rich and varied programme of more than 500 events across the country for all tastes and ages.

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Top 10 Book-toScreen Adaptions and their votes Outlander: 3,380 (65%) Trainspotting: 250 (5%) The Crow Road: 146 (3%) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: 135 (2.6%) Kick-Ass: 107 (2%) Sherlock: 104 (2%) The Prisoner of Azkaban: 72 (1.4%) Rebus: 65 (1.2%)

Photo Rob McDougall

Filth: 64 (1.2%)

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6th 2 ed 17 h s li 20 b y u r P ua n a J

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