Scotland Correspondent Issue 42

Deep inside whisky country

Game of Thrones in a glass

The building blocks of history

Stylishly practical Harris Tweed

Putting Scotland on the menu

Dumbarton’s rock of ages p1

June 2020

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K eepin g t he f la g f lying

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Index - Inside this issue

inside this issue 14 The

spirit of Scotland via the NE250 Part Three

28 A

view to the future

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foundations of the past

54 History

mystery appeal

64 Ancient

secrets revealed

80 The

castle that’s as solid as a rock

72 Hunting

antiques with...

Roo Irvine

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Index - Inside this issue

34 Exploring

Index - Inside this issue

inside this issue 90 A

round with…

Michael Buchan

102 A

wee livener with...

Tom Morton

118

Chef in a Kilt with….

Gordon Howe 122 Upping

the quality steaks

110 Celebrating

Scotland’s larder p8

taste of nature

132 Musical

Correspondent and the story behind the song

146 Thoroughly

Modren

138 An

actor’s life for me with...

Scott Kyle Thriving inside the box

156

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Index - Inside this issue

126 A

Index - Inside this issue

inside this issue 164

Escape to the seaside

187

176

Strange Tales from Thin Places

192

Sweat of power

197

184

Naturally deceptive

202 Our

guide on where to stay

Tackling Malaria

Saving butterflies

1 Cover

Photo

Photo by Damian Shields / VisitScotland The village of New Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway p10

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Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland The road to Craigellachie

T

Follow that dram

he stretch of road from Tomintoul to Fochabers is only 36 miles long but takes travellers on a journey through time and the very heart of Scotland’s whisky country.

As the trail winds its way through beautiful countryside there are numerous picturesque villages, distilleries, castles, historic battle grounds and wild secluded glens,

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once home to whisky smugglers, to grab the attention of tourists.

Setting out from Tomintoul, on the B9008, the tiny village of Knockandhu, which lies just eight miles to the north-east, is the first stop. The settlement takes its name from the Gaelic ‘Cnoc Cheannachd’ meaning “Hill of Commerce” and is home to two world renowned distilleries of note.

Knockando distillery was the first in Scotland to be built with electric lighting and the nearby Tamdhu distillery is one of the last distilleries to malt all of its barley on the spot.

Less than two miles further on lies Tomnavoulin, a small hamlet situated a short distance south of the Glenlivet Distillery. Back in the late 1700s this area was full of illicit stills making illegal spirits

Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Paul Kelbie Image of the original Glenlivet distillery

to be smuggled through the surrounding hills to other areas of the country and abroad.

However, with the passing of the 1823 Excise Act it was possible to get permission to produce whisky and local farmer George Smith, who had been operating an illicit distillery, became the first person in Scotland to be granted a licence. The original Glenlivet distillery was built at Upper Drumin, not too far from the present site.

Today, Glenlivet is the best selling malt whisky in the USA and the second most popular single malt in the world with sales of over 6million bottles a year.

However, there is a darker side to Glenlivet too. As beautiful and tranquil as it appears now this remote glen was the scene of a horrific battle.

On 3 October 1595 the Earls of

Photo by Paul Kelbie Copy of the first licence to make legal whisky

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Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Paul Kelbie Plaque commemorating the site of the first Glenlivet distillery

Huntly and Errol led a force of 1,500 mounted troops and six artillery pieces against a Royalist force of up to 10,000 men, commanded by the Earl of Argyll, and won. It was a bloody lesson in what heavy guns and mounted cavalry could do against infantry.

Further inside the glen there is another monument to an almost forgotten conflict. Close to the point where the Conglass Water joins the Avon lies the ‘Soldier Stone’. A monolith engraved with the date1690 to mark the spot where an unknown warrior fell while escaping the aftermath of the Battle of Cromdale on 1 May that year.

Photo by Paul Kelbie Cairn to commemorate the first legal distillery

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Jacobite clansmen clashed with government troops in the shadow of Creagan a’Chaise on the other side of the Cromdale Hills. Although described as little more than a skirmish some 400 Highlanders were captured or killed compared to less than 100

Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Paul Tomkins/VisitScotland Main Street of Fochabers

Redcoats. Many of the Jacobites tried to escape but were hunted down or collapsed from their wounds.

Back on the road to Fochabers the route winds its way through the historic hamlet of Drumin, which sits at the junction of Glenlivet and Strathavon.

The settlement takes its name from Drumin Castle, built sometime in the 14th century on the possible site of an Iron Age fort and abandoned some 400 years later.

Situated on a ridge above the confluence of the Rivers Livet and Avon the now ruined tower house stands on land once owned by the notorious Wolf of Badenoch, Alexander Stewart (13421406), who burned down Elgin Cathedral in 1390 during a feud with the Bishop of Moray.

Although the castle can be visited

Photo by Andrew Stuart CC BY-SA 2.0 Drumin Castle

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Travel - Follow that dram

there is little left other than a couple of partially standing walls.

A much better visitor experience

Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland Ballindalloch Castle

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lies less than five miles further along the road at Ballindalloch.

Often referred to as ‘The Pearl of the North’ Ballindalloch is one Scotland’s most impressive and

A private family residence of the

Macpherson-Grants it has been lived in continuously by the same family for more than 450 years.

Over the centuries the castle has seen, and participated in, many important events of Scottish

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Travel - Follow that dram

most romantic castles.

Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Paul Tomkins/VisitScotland Gatehouse To Ballindalloch Castle at Bridge of Avon

history. It was here, in 1725, that William Grant, the 9th Laird

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of Ballindalloch formed an independent company of militia,

which were to become known as The Black Watch, to patrol the

Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland Romantic Ballindalloch Castle

Highlands against cattle rustlers and smugglers.

Today, the castle is open to the public and is full of personal

heirlooms and memorabilia, including a collection of 17th-

Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland The Ballindalloch Distillery

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Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland The Ballindalloch Distillery

century Spanish paintings. It also boasts one of best country house libraries in the country and an impressively grand dining room.

Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland The Ballindalloch Distillery

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The castle remains the centre of a thriving country estate with several different businesses, including the highly popular

Ballindalloch Distillery and visitor centre.

From Ballindalloch the NE250

Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland The Cardhu Distillery

route goes through the hamlet of Marypark, close to the site of the Glenfarclas distillery and on to the 18th century model village of Archiestown. Originally intended to be a centre for weaving it is probably best known today for its proximity to the Cardhu distillery.

Cardhu was established in 1824 by former whisky smuggler John Cumming and his wife Helen.

Before turning legit the couple used to make and sell illicit spirits to passersby from the kitchen window of their farmhouse. Being located on a hill Helen could see any approaching Excise men and used to cover herself in flour and pretend she was baking bread to disguise the smell of the whisky.

The distillery is now run by Diageo and the produce makes up a major part of the Johnnie Walker whiskies.

Next stop on the route is Aberlour or Charlestown of Aberlour, to use

Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland The Cardhu Distillery

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Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland Walkers shortbread factory and visitor centre, established 1898

its formal title. Although officially founded in 1812 there is evidence people were living in this area for around 1,000 years before that.

The origins of the village can be found at the west end of the modern settlement where the Burn of Aberlour is crossed by an ancient pack horse bridge built before 1624.

At the other end of the village is where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army crossed the Spey on the way to Culloden.

Although overwhelmingly associated with whisky - the Aberlour distillery is a popular attraction for visitors - the village is also home to the world famous Walker’s Shortbread and can claim to be the birthplace of Alexander Cameron Sim, the man who introduced lemonade, aka ramune, to Japan.

Just under two miles from Aberlour lies the beautiful village

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of Craigellachie, marking the confluence of the Rivers Spey and Fiddich. The impressive bridge which dominates the village was built around 1814 by the celebrated engineer Thomas Telford.

There is evidence of habitation in the area going back to at least the 7th century. In 2013 archaeologists discovered the Dandaleith stone, a 5ft 7in piece of pink granite carved with Pictish symbols, including the engravings of an eagle and a bear. It is now on display at Elgin Museum.

The current village dates back as far as 1750, when a ferry used to carry travellers across the Spey, and has two malt whisky distilleries, the Craigellachie Distillery and The Macallan, which has an excellent visitor centre which includes Easter Etches House. This magnificent country house, with crow-stepped gables and turret, was built for

Captain John Grant in 1700. It’s maintained as the spiritual home of Macallan and an image of it appears on every bottle.

Near the village is the Speyside Cooperage, where 100,000 barrels a year are made or repaired. The whisky industry relies on these stocks for creating the flavour and character of the spirit stored in them for a minimum of three years.

One other claim to fame is that the location in British Columbia where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven in to signify completion of the transcontinental railroad is named after this Scottish village.

Moving on from Craigellachie, three miles down the road, lies the village of Rothes which can trace its origins back to AD600.

Situated in a position to command the surrounding

Travel - Follow that dram Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland Craigellachie Bridge designed by Thomas Telford

Photo by Damian Shields/VisitScotland Easter Elchies House above the River Spey

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Travel - Follow that dram Jane Duchess of Gordon by Daniel Gardner 1775

countryside of Strathspey it was the site of an impressive 13th century castle complete with portcullis and drawbridge. Now a ruin it’s known to have hosted King Edward I of England in 1296 during his invasion of Scotland.

Sometime in the late 14th century the castle passed to the Leslie family but was destroyed in 1692.

Many of the oldest houses in Rothes were built using recycled stones from the castle.

Today, Rothes is renowned for its four distilleries - Glen Grant Speyburn-Glenlivet, Glen Spey and Glenrothes. The village’s Station Hotel, featured in issue 30 of Scotland Correspondent, has an impressive wall of over 500 whiskies to tempt the connoisseur. It also makes an excellent place to stop for a meal or overnight stay.

The final 10-mile long section of this part of the NE250 route

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Gordon Castle

takes travellers from Rothes to Fochabers.

Although people have lived here for centuries the village, as we know it today, was founded by the 4th Duke of Gordon in 1776 as a model community. With its wide, straight streets, rectangular layout and central square it is regarded as one of the best examples of an 18th century planned village.

The village is home to the world famous family run food manufacturers Baxters, which has been supplying traditional Scottish fare to outlets around the world for four generations.

Other claims to fame include being the former home of Jane Maxwell, 4th Duchess of Gordon (1748-1812) who founded the Gordon Highlanders with a rather unusual recruitment strategy.

The attractive Duchess toured the region dressed in a military

uniform and large highland bonnet. She offered any man who enlisted a shilling, held between her lips, which volunteers received by kissing her. In less than a year she recruited 940 men for the regiment raised in 1794.

The village is also the birth place of Sir James Cantile, co-founder of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and pioneer of First Aid, and of Alexander Milne who emigrated to the USA and helped build New Orleans.

On the outskirts of Fochabers lies Gordon Castle and gardens.

As the principal seat of the Dukes of Gordon it was once one of the largest country houses in Scotland. Much of it has since been demolished but the 200-year-old, eight-acres of walled garden remains a major visitor attraction as one of Britain’s largest and oldest working kitchen gardens.

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Travel - Glimpses of the future Photo by Cool Cottages Scotland Loch Carron from the window of Stationmasters Lodge holiday house at Stromeferry

Glimpses of the future

by Scott Aitken

A

national campaign to encourage stay at home Scots to share the view from their windows has been hailed as a major success by the country’s national tourism organisation.

In just a few weeks the organisation has been inundated with images of spectacular views

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from people willing to share the sight from their windows at home or their, currently closed, business premises.

landscape surrounding Morton Castle in Dumfries and Galloway there are views to brighten anyone’s day.

Many Scots have been enthusiastic about sharing what’s on their doorsteps to remind the world of what awaits when travel restrictions are changed. From images of Jimmy Perez’s ‘home’ in Shetland, famous for appearing in the TV crime drama, to the lush

Since the national tourism organisation launched the social media campaign the hashtag #AWindowOnScotland has been used thousands of times across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, creating a visual map of the country’s villages, towns and

Travel - Glimpses of the future

cities.

Popular posts include images of the coastline at Oban, a video of lawn mowing at lighthouse cottages on Orkney, the sunset from Gourock and a video from a lodge on the banks of Loch Ness.

Despite having a clear stay at home message the campaign was created to encourage everyone to show their part of Scotland to the world.

It was launched as day visits and staycationing are set to be the focus of Scottish tourism when restrictions are eased, as set out in the National Action Plan published by the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group, chaired by VisitScotland.

Abbey Cottage Tearoom, Dumfries & Galloway

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Travel - Glimpses of the future

“We’re thrilled at the reaction to #AWindowOnScotland from residents and heartened that businesses are engaging with the campaign and using the opportunity to share their windows on Scotland with the world during this challenging time,” said Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland.

Photo by Steve Mathieson Window in Levenwick

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“The staycation market will be a key driver in the country’s economic recovery and the many wonderful views people have been sharing while they stay at home will surely be an incentive for many to travel when the time comes.

“The campaign is far from over

Travel - Glimpses of the future

and we’d encourage residents and businesses to continue posting their views, however they may look, as it is all Scotland, to help lift the spirits of those at home and abroad.�

The Big Houses in the Scottish Borders Group, which represents eleven of the finest

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Travel - Glimpses of the future Photo by @Kirstyjag Gourock

historic houses, is among the organisations that are supporting the campaign. #AWindowOnScotland campaign provides us with a great visual opportunity to continue to promote our Houses, their gardens and their wildlife from the same perspective as everyone at home,” said Gillian Steele, Chair of Big Houses in the Scottish Borders.

“I don’t think people will necessarily forget we are here, but with us all looking out of our windows dreaming of that day when we can travel again, and indulge our passion for Scottish heritage, this campaign strikes a chord. I’m encouraging all the Big Houses to take part, and I hope between the eleven of us we will give visitors a reminder of how beautiful our Houses and gardens look.”

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Scotch Whisky, Edinburgh

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by VisitScotland Dunfermline Abbey

Landmark history and intrigue

by Tracey Macintosh

I

mpressive as it may be there is so much more to Scotland’s man-made heritage than first impressions would suggest.

The tales behind the numerous landmark structures which dominate the nation’s psyche are often surprising, sometimes intriguing, occasionally shocking but always entertaining.

Across the country there is a huge array of fantastic buildings to explore, from grand

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Victorian sandstone houses and picturesque village halls to iconic Scottish Castles and ancient monuments. Many are perched on dramatic coastlines, in the midst of spectacular rolling countryside or in the heart of historic communities.

Not least, there are numerous gothic churches and elaborate cathedrals which provide a window on the country’s sometimes turbulent religious past.

One of the most famous of these is Glasgow Cathedral.

Recognised as the oldest building in Scotland’s largest city and the earliest cathedral on the mainland, it is steeped in history.

Built on the site where St Kentigern - the founder and patron Saint of Glasgow, who is also known as St Mungo - is believed to have been buried, the current Cathedral was originally consecrated in 1197 and enlarged, improved and expanded throughout the 13th

Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Kenny Lam/VisitScotland The Cloisters, University of Glasgow

and 14th centuries.

The University of Glasgow began in 1451 with classes held within the Cathedral until it moved to its own premises just off the High Street In 1460. It wasn’t until 1870 that the University moved again to its current site in Gilmorehill.

The University is a jewel, among many, in the architectural crown of Glasgow. The cloisters connecting the University’s east and west quadrangle, leading to Bute Hall, are stunning to behold.

It’s no wonder they have featured in numerous films and television shows, including Outlander.

In the east of Central Scotland the site of the original Dunfermline Abbey and neighbouring palace are hugely impressive, although now mainly ruins.

As the seat of power in Scotland from the mid 11th to 15th

Photo by Kenny Lam/VisitScotland Bell Tower, University of Glasgow

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Chiswick Chap CC BY-SA 3.0 Dunfermline Palace south wall and gatehouse

centuries, when Edinburgh became the country’s capital, Dunfermline Palace was home to many Scottish monarchs. The adjacent Benedictine Abbey was founded by Queen Margaret in the 11th century as a place of worship befitting a Royal stronghold.

Photo by CormacTH CC BY-SA 4.0 Dunfermline Palace, southern view

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Margaret was the second wife of Malcolm Canmore, the son of the King killed by Macbeth. Malcolm regained his throne after Macbeth was killed in battle and then he killed Lulach, who was Macbeth’s step son and successor to the throne on Macbeth’s death. All very complicated, but history is made of such machinations and it’s these twists and turns of time that create the tales visitors find

Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Mcwesty CC BY-SA 3.0) Dunfermline Palace Abbey

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue

so enthralling.

Queen Margaret had a farreaching impact on 11th century Scotland. Favouring the Roman Catholic Church over the incumbent Celtic Church

Photo by VisitScotland Dunfermline Abbey

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Margaret also instigated a ferry service for pilgrims travelling to St Andrews in the 11th century

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue

she brought Benedictine monks to establish the Abbey at Dunfermline.

Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Yottanesia North Queensferry from Forth Rail Bridge

which crossed the River Forth, giving two picturesque coastal villages their names – North and

South Queensferry.

Margaret was canonised in the

Photo by Rennett Stowe from USA CC BY 2.0 South Queensferry

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mid 13th century and many churches and chapels throughout Scotland bear her name. One of

Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Mattias Hill CC BY-SA 3.0 St Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle

these is the small Romanesque St Margaret’s Chapel within Edinburgh Castle. It is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh and was founded by Margaret and Malcolm’s youngest son, King David I of Scotland, around 1130 AD.

Today St Margaret’s Chapel is normally open to visitors to Edinburgh Castle and is available to hire for small wedding ceremonies.

Margaret and Malcolm had eight children and, remarkably for this era, all of them lived into

adulthood. The couple, along with many other Scottish monarchs are buried at Dunfermline Abbey, at least partly. Many years later Mary, Queen of Scots requested that St Margaret’s head be exhumed and taken to Edinburgh Castle to assist her through childbirth.

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue

The relic was later taken to a Jesuit Colleague in Douai, France and is thought to have been

destroyed during the French Revolution.

Photo by Kenny Lam/VisitScotland The nave of Dunfermline Abbey which features in the Netflix film, Outlaw King

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Benedictine Abbey and continues its long history as a place of worship, holding regular services

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue

The current Dunfermline Abbey is built on the site of the chancels and transepts of the medieval

Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Otter CC BY-SA 3.0 Robert Bruce tomb, Dunfermline Abbey

for the local community.

One of the many remarkable features inside the Abbey is the tomb of King Robert the Bruce,

who was reinterred within the new church during the building process.

The tomb is beautifully marked

with The Bruce depicted in brass and the Abbey Tower incorporates the words King Robert The Bruce along the upper parapet – a defining landmark in

Photo by Kenny Lam/VisitScotland The tower of the Abbey Church of Dunfermline, which contains Robert the Bruce’s tomb.

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Andrew Bowden CC BY-SA 2.0 Exterior of Melrose Abbey

the area.

But, as with St Margaret, he is not all there either. The Bruce’s heart is interred more than 60 miles away at Melrose Abbey.

How it came to end up in Melrose, via Spain, is somewhat convoluted. It appears that as The Bruce lay dying in 1329 his final request was that his friend, Sir James Douglas, take his embalmed heart on a crusade to the Holy land and fulfil a pledge he had been unable to honour in his lifetime.

In 1330 Douglas got his chance and he set off with a band of 26 men to join King Alfonso XI of

Castile and march against the Moors at Teba, Andalusia.

Unfortunately during the fighting the Scots contingent found themselves surrounded and just before he was killed Douglas is said to have hurled the heart of The Bruce at the enemy.

After the battle the body of Douglas and Bruce’s heart were recovered and returned to Scotland. Today there is a plinth in the ground of Melrose Abbey marking the spot where the King’s heart is buried.

In Dunfermline, the older Abbey Nave, along with the ruins of the original Benedictine Abbey and palace, are in the care of Historic

Environment Scotland and are normally open to visitors.

Local legend suggests William Wallace’s mother is buried in the Abby grounds and a hawthorn tree was planted to mark the site of her burial so Wallace could visit while in hiding without attracting attention. Today, there is certainly a hawthorn tree on a small raised area in the Abbey grounds that often has flowers left in tribute.

Although it is unknown whether or not the tree definitively marks a significant gravesite it is true that more monarchs are buried within the grounds of Dunfermline Abbey than any other mainland site in Scotland.

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue

For anyone who likes their history even older and more enigmatic Scotland has its share of standing stones and stone

Ring of Brodgar, Orkney

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This Neolithic stone circle

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue

circles.The most famous of these is the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney.

Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Steve Keiretsu CC BY-SA 3.0 Ring of Brodgar,

forms part of the UNESCO site also incorporating Skara Brae,

Maeshowe and the Stones of Stenness.

Photo by cowbridgeguide.co.uk CC BY 3.0 The Standing Stones of Stenness, Orkney

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Estimated to be more than 5000 years ago these extraordinarily

Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Wknight94 CC BY-SA 3.0 Skara Brae passageway

well preserved locations provide a tantalising view of the domestic

life and spiritual beliefs of the people who populated these

lands long before the name Scotland was even thought

Photo by S Marshall CC BY-SA 4.0 Skara Brae

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Travel - Landmark history and intrigue Photo by Gerry McCann Clava Cairns, Inverness

about.

Clava Cairns, a stone circle around five miles from Culloden near Inverness enjoys a similar link to the past.

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These incredibly well preserved, 3,000-year-old burial cairns are often referred to as the ‘real’ gateway to the past which helped inspire Diana Gabaldon’s epic time-travelling books.

Even though Clava Cairns look little like the mocked-up styrofoam standing stone circle Craig na Dun, built for filming the television series Outlander near Kinloch Rannock in Perthshire, they still attract thousands of

Travel - Landmark history and intrigue

fans of the show every year.

Situated towards the north-east of the Great Glen Clava Cairns is believed to have been built to commemorate the departed with great care given to astronomical

alignments. Research has indicated the stones were deliberately placed to ensure light shines through the central passage way of the cairns to flood the interior chamber during the winter solstice.

Clava Cairns, like a lot of places in Scotland, is far more interesting and complicated than first impressions would suggest.

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Photo by Guy Phillips

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History - Can you help identify mystery photos?

Photo © Crown Copyright/ HES Does anybody know where this is?

Can you help identify mystery photos?

by Scott Aitken

digitised, with the images now being added to Canmore – the online catalogue of HES archives.

time the photographs were taken might be able to provide useful details about the images.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has asked the public for any information which could assist with efforts to more precisely catalogue over 5,000 archive images, which are now available online for the first time.

The new online records include digitised copies of photographic negatives and printed photographs from the Scottish Development Department (SDD) which was formed in 1962. The images showcase rural and urban Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s, from crofts in the Highlands and farms in Orkney to large estates in Fife and tenements in Glasgow.

The collection is highly valuable as it gives a rare insight into what life was like throughout Scotland at that time, with pub interiors, fashion trends and interior design choices all documented.

In 2019-20, over 170,000 historic items from the HES files were

It is possible that people who lived in, or visited, Scotland at the

Over 5,000 images of locations and building exterior and interiors

E

xperts working to preserve Scotland’s past have launched a global appeal to help identify thousands of mystery archived photographs.

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There are also extensive records of Glasgow and Edinburgh and nearby localities, as well as Scotland’s new towns.

History - Can you help identify mystery photos?

Photo © Crown Copyright/ HES Any clues?

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History - Can you help identify mystery photos?

are currently unidentified as part of this collection, with HES aiming to identify as many as

Photo Š Crown Copyright/ HES Recognise this place?

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possible with the help of the public.

Also digitised this year were prints relating to significant archaeological digs including

Approximately 14,000 prints were also digitised from personal research and work by prominent

archaeologists such as Dr Euan Mackie, Roger Mercer and Vere Gordon Childe, with the oldest

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History - Can you help identify mystery photos?

images of excavations at historic sites such as Skara Brae in Orkney and Edinburgh Castle.

History - Can you help identify mystery photos?

image dating from around 1927.

“These archives give a unique perspective on civic planning

in the 20th century including the development and growth of Scotland’s new towns, while the images of excavations

Photo © Crown Copyright/ HES Unidentified image from the Dr Euan Mackie Collection 1963

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showcase the sites that helped archaeologists unlock the secrets of Scotland’s past – from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages,”

“Unfortunately, we don’t know

where some of these historic photographs were taken and that’s why we are asking for the public’s help. Perhaps there’s

a photo of your street, or your local pub, or even the flat you lived in as a student. Help us discover more of Scotland’s past

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History - Can you help identify mystery photos?

said Lesley Ferguson, Head of Archives at HES.

History - Can you help identify mystery photos?

Photo © Crown Copyright/ HES Where is this?

by visiting Canmore and letting us know if you recognise any of the places documented in these archives.”

Over 1 million archives documenting Scotland’s archaeological sites, buildings, industry and maritime heritage are currently available on Canmore.

“By digitising our archives, we’re able to make them available to even more people.

Digitisation helps us make heritage accessible to all as well as ensuring the long-term preservation of these important documents and photographs,” said Lesley.

To provide HES with details or locations of its archives, please email archives@hes.scot or get in touch via Facebook and Twitter.

Photo © Crown Copyright/ HES Berneray Harris 1983

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History - Can you help identify mystery photos?

Photo © Crown Copyright/ HE Old Toll Bar, Glasgow 1982

Photo © Crown Copyright/ HE Fyrish Monument, Highlands 1981

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History - Largest Pictish site ever discovered in Scotland

Photo by Richard Slessor CC BY-SA 2.0 Rhynie Village Green and Tap O’Noth

Largest Pictish site ever discovered in Scotland A

by Paul Watson

spectacular hillfort overlooking a tiny Aberdeenshire village has been revealed as one of the largest ancient settlements ever discovered in Scotland.

Archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen have

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uncovered evidence that up to 4,000 people may have lived in more than 800 huts perched high on the Tap O’ Noth close to the village of Rhynie.

Radiocarbon dating suggests the fort – a settlement within a rampart which encloses an area of around 17 acres - was constructed in the fifth to sixth centuries AD and that settlement

on the hill may date back as far as the third century AD, meaning it is likely to be Pictish in origin.

The discovery means that the area, which today is a quiet village home to just a few hundred people, once had a hilltop settlement that at its height may have rivalled the largest known post-Roman settlements in Europe.

History - Largest Pictish site ever discovered in Scotland

Researchers have conducted extensive fieldwork in the surrounding area since 2011 but had previously focused on the lower valley long noted for its Pictish heritage thanks to the famous Rhynie Man standing stone found on Barflat farm.

At a settlement in the valley they discovered evidence for the drinking of Mediterranean wine, the use of glass vessels from western France and intensive metalwork production which suggested it was a high-status site, possibly even with royal connections.

However, the hillfort overlooking it at the top of Tap O’ Noth had generally been assumed to date from the Bronze or Iron Age.

Photo by University of Aberdeen Rhynie Man

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History - Largest Pictish site ever discovered in Scotland

Photo by University of Aberdeen Gordon Noble

Professor Gordon Noble, who led the research, described the discovery through carbon dating that activity at the site extended into the Pictish period as the ‘most surprising of his career’.

“I was absolutely stunned when I read the results,” he said.

“We took samples from the site really just to begin placing the important discoveries we have made at Rhynie over the last few years in a broader geographical context.

“Because of the sheer scale of the fort and its location clinging to the side of a hill at the edges of the Cairngorms, some scholars had suggested occupation dated from a time when the climate was warmer, possibly during the Bronze age, and our earlier excavations have shown the vitrified fort on the summit of Tap O’ Noth dated to 400-100 BC.” “Over the last two years we have

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been investigating the lower fort at Tap O’ Noth which is enclosed by a rampart that encircles the lower slopes of the hill.

“The results of the dating were simply incredible. They show that the huge fort dated to the fifth to sixth centuries AD and that it was occupied at the same time as the elite complex in the valley at Barflat farm. Dating shows that settlement on the hill extended as far back to the third century, but both hut platforms excavated also had fifth to sixth century AD phases.”

The Aberdeen team then conducted drone surveys and utilised laser technology which showed that there are hundreds of hut platforms within the fort – perhaps as many as 800 – making it one of the largest ancient settlements discovered in Scotland.

The distribution of the buildings

suggests they are likely to have been built and occupied at a similar time as many are positioned alongside trackways or clustered together in groups.

Drone surveys also showed that within these groups was one notably larger hut, indicating that there may have been some form of hierarchical organisation within the fort.

Professor Noble added: “The size of the upper and lower forts together are around 16.75 hectares and one phase at least dates from the fifth to sixth centuries AD. “This makes it bigger than anything we know from early medieval Britain – the previous biggest known fort in early medieval Scotland is Burghead at around five and a half hectares and in England famous postRoman sites such as Cadbury Castle is seven hectares and Tintagel around five hectares.

History - Largest Pictish site ever discovered in Scotland Density analysis of Tap O’Noth hut structures. The original fort is shown by the inner blue circle and the outer Pictish fort and location of buildings in the outer blue circle

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History - Largest Pictish site ever discovered in Scotland Photo by University of Aberdeen Site of the fort on the Tap O’ Noth

“The Tap O’ Noth discovery shakes the narrative of this whole time period. If each of the huts we identified had four or five people living in them then that

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means there was a population of upwards of 4,000 people living on the hill.

“That’s verging on urban in scale

and in a Pictish context we have nothing else that compares to this. We had previously assumed that you would need to get to around the 12th century in

History - Largest Pictish site ever discovered in Scotland

Scotland before settlements started to reach this size. We obviously need to do more to try and date more of the hut platforms given there are

hundreds of them, but potentially we have a huge regional settlement with activity emerging in the Late Roman Iron Age and extending to the sixth century.

“It is truly mind blowing and demonstrates just how much we still have to learn about settlement around the time that the early kingdoms of Pictland

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History - Largest Pictish site ever discovered in Scotland

Tap O’Noth LiDAR

were being consolidated.”

Permission to excavate and film at Tap O’ Noth was granted by Historic Environment Scotland and supported by Aberdeenshire Council. The fieldwork was funded by the University of Aberdeen Development Trust and Historic Environment Scotland.

“To say these results are completely unexpected is an understatement. However, they could be key to understanding changing settlement patterns at the time,” said Bruce Mann, Archaeologist for Aberdeenshire Council.

“In the early centuries AD there were widespread small communities scattered across the landscape. These then largely disappear during the time of the Roman campaigns and we’ve struggled to understand what happened. Perhaps now we have evidence of people coming

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Photo by Ray Berry CC BY-SA 2.0 “Craw Stane” with Tap O’Noth in the background

together in large concentrations at a handful of places, a reaction to the threat of external invasions.”

Kevin Grant, Archaeology Manager at HES, said the findings at Tap O’ Noth represent a discovery of international significance and suggests the site may have been far larger than any previously known in Britain in the

period.

“This find of historic importance will be of huge significance.

Aberdeenshire is an already popular tourist destination due to its picturesque mountains and coastline as well as its rich history and cultural traditions,” Cllr Jim Gifford, Leader of Aberdeenshire Council.

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History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine

Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine

Diamonds are forever

Marilyn Monroe in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

I

may be that rare breed of woman who doesn’t like chocolate and I also prefer pearls to diamonds. Although I have a feeling I am quite alone on both counts, I can’t help but love the old-school elegance of pearls, and yes I am fond of a cashmere

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twinset.

But, even I can’t deny the sheer beauty and magnificence of a diamond. Hollywood has done a wonderful job of stirring up that desire in women, not that we needed any encouragement.

Think Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and you’ll get my drift.

However, let’s strip away the hard sell and take it back to where it all began… perhaps 3 billion years ago. You might need to bring a

History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine

Breakfast at Tiffany’s 1961 movie poster

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History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine Marriage of Mary of Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria

packed lunch and a flask for this theoretical meander.

Why is a diamond so rare, valuable and sought after? We need to understand the stone itself to unlock its magic, mystery and undeniable seduction. Born deep inside the Earth, diamonds are propelled to the surface by fiery and magnificent volcanic eruptions.

Placed on a pedestal by our ancient ancestors their love and wonder for the sparkling stone has passed down the centuries.

The Greeks believed diamonds were tears of the Gods. The Romans believed the jewels were the most wonderful kind of splinter, falling from the heavenly stars above.

Such romantic notions meant

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the pedestal was set very high indeed. No wonder diamonds have become a symbol of eternal love.

Why do we associate a diamond with love? Millions will be wearing them as we speak, but may not know its romantic beginning.

In the late 1400’s, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who went on to become Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, gifted the first diamond engagement ring to Mary of Burgundy in a move designed to capture her attention in the face of stiff competition from a number of other eligible suitors.

He chose to place it on the finger that apparently sends the blood straight to the heart - the vein of love! Something to remember

ladies every time you look fondly (or not) at your engagement ring.

The name itself derives from the Greek ‘Adamas’, meaning unconquerable, - an apt name indeed for the hardest, most durable substance known to man.

Diamonds were even used to cut jade, such is its strength.

Diamonds are coveted for their rarity, durability, immaculate beauty and their everlasting value. The most expensive diamond in the world is the KohI-Noor. Although officially listed as ‘priceless’ those who have ventured to try and give it a value have suggested there wouldn’t be much change from £1billion.

It is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, clocking in at a gargantuan 105 carats, and

History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine Mary of Burgundy, recipient of the world’s first engagement ring (PD-Art)

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History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine Koh-I-Noor diamond on Queen Mary’s crown

today forms part of the British crown jewels.

However, the Koh-i-Noor also remains a subject of international controversy. India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan all claim rightful ownership and, at various times, have demanded Britain gives it back.

Indeed there has been so much blood shed over the diamond through the centuries that it is surrounded in superstition. The Koh-I-Noor is reputed to be unlucky for any man who wears it. Since being acquired by Queen Victoria in 1849 the diamond has only been sported by female members of the Royal family.

particularly the nine of diamonds in a pack of playing cards, is considered a bad omen and is often referred to as the Curse of Scotland.

In Scotland the nine diamonds,

There are many suggestions as

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After the Massacre of Glencoe by Peter Graham

to why this should be. The most common theory is that it comes from being the playing card written on by Sir John Dalrymple, the Earl of Stair, to order the massacre of Glencoe.

History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine Sir James Dalrymple of Stair (PD-Art)

Other suggestions include the belief that every ninth King of Scotland was a tyrant and a curse to the country; that James IV lost the battle of Flodden because he spent time searching for a missing nine of diamonds playing card instead of preparing properly for the conflict; or that a thief

stole nine diamonds from the crown jewels during the time of Mary Queen of Scots resulting in higher taxes for the people.

In truth nobody really knows why the nine of diamonds is called the Curse of Scotland, especially as, to date, few if any diamonds are

known to have been discovered in the country. However, we live in hope!

Several years ago there were some exploratory investigations made at secret locations in the Highlands and islands by geophysicists who thought the

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History - Antique hunting with... Roo Irvine Photo by the Scottish Government The Queen at the Scottish Parliament

rock structure looked promising in terms of bearing priceless fruit.

There are many who still believe there could be riches similar to those found in Australia as Scotland is known to have produced its own gold and sapphires. Britain’s biggest gold nugget, at 85 grams, was discovered in a river in Dumfries & Galloway while the UK’s largest sapphire, at 9.6 carats, was found in a stream near Uig on Lewis in 1995.

While diamonds may be scarce in Scotland, pearls, on the other hand, used to be abundant. The River Ythan in Aberdeenshire once produced freshwater pearls so valuable they were used to adorn the crown jewels, aka The Honours of Scotland.

Perhaps that’s why, as a Scot, I have a particular affinity for pearls.

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Photo by Robert Watson Stair House, East Ayrshire birthplace of Sir John Dalrymple

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History - The rock with a major role in history Photo by Stewart Cunningham Dumbarton Castle

The rock with a major role in history

by Paul Watson

O

nce the jewell in the crown of the ancient capital of Scotland Dumbarton Castle is spectacularly situated on a 350million-year-old volcanic rock overlooking the River Clyde, near Glasgow.

Throughout its 1,500-year long, and often bloody, history Dumbarton Castle has been a Royal residence, a prison and a strategic military fortress. It has played host to a wealth of legendary characters over the

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centuries and borne witness to some of the greatest moments in history, from Viking invasions to the medieval wars of independence.

Initially called Alt Clut, or ’Rock of the Clyde’, it later became known by the Gaelic name Dun Breatann, which means ’Fortress of the Britons’, from which the name Dumbarton is derived.

The rock has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. People are known to have lived on this easily defended natural wonder since the Iron

Age. The first written account of a settlement here was recorded in a letter from Saint Patrick to King Ceretic of Alt Clut in the late 5th century. It is even reputed to have been visited by Myrddin Wyllt, the real inspiration for King Arthur’s legendary wizard Merlin, in the 6th century.

For centuries it stood as a bastion of strength and power. However, in 870 the fortress suffered its first recorded defeat when a Viking invasion succeeded in capturing it after a four-month siege when

History - The rock with a major role in history Photo by Paul Tomkins/VisitScotland Looking north across the Firth of Clyde to Dumbarton Castle

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History - The rock with a major role in history

the water supply failed. All the inhabitants were taken prisoner as slaves along with enough looted treasure to fill 200

longships.

Throughout the following centuries the fortunes of the rock

Photo by Kenny Lam/VisitScotland Across the Firth of Clyde to Dumbarton Castle

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and the fortress upon it ebbed and flowed like the tidal waters of the Clyde that swirl around its base.

the Hebrides and the islands in the Clyde until the Treaty of Perth in 1266.

It was here, in 1305, that Sir William Wallace, one of Scotland’s greatest heroes, was imprisoned after being captured

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History - The rock with a major role in history

Sometime around 1220 Alexander II built a castle on the rock as a defence against any attacks from the Kings of Norway who ruled

History - The rock with a major role in history

by the castle’s governor Sir John Menteith and sent to London to be hanged, drawn and quartered on the orders of England’s King

Photo by Paul Tomkins/VisitScotland A floodlit Dumbarton Castle

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Edward I. Today, on the walls of the16thcentury guard house there is a

gargoyle which is said to depict the face of “Fause Menteith” (which means “Menteith the treacherous”) which is the name

Dumbarton rock is also the spot

from where Mary Queen of Scots set sail for France as a child in August 1548 to be betrothed to Francis, the young dauphin of

France.

Little remains of the earlier structures on the rock. Most of

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History - The rock with a major role in history

given to the man who betrayed William Wallace.

History - The rock with a major role in history Photo by Stewart Cunningham Dumbarton Rocks commands a strategic view of the Firth of Clyde

the buildings visible today were constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries to counteract the Jacobite threat and subsequent

Photo by Paul Tomkins/VisitScotland 17C building at Dumbarton castle

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dangers from France during the Napoleonic wars. The castle remained a military garrison up until the end of the Second World

War. Today, Dumbarton Castle is preserved by Historic

Photo by David Kelly CC BY-SA 3.0 Gargoyle head of Sir John Menteith at Dumbarton Castle

History - The rock with a major role in history Photo PD John Stoddart Dumbarton castle 1800

Environment Scotland as a fine example of early 18th-century military architecture.

It is a popular attraction for visitors and those willing, and fit enough, to climb the 557 steps to the top of the rock are rewarded

with breathtaking views over the Clyde, Loch Lomond and into the distant mountains of Argyll.

Photo by Stewart Cunningham

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Activities - A round with…Michael Buchan

A round with... Michael Buchan

Photos by Royal Dornoch Golf Club 8th Green, 9th Tee, of the Championship Course

The majesty of Royal Dornoch

M

ore than 130 years before 22 noblemen, academics and landowners got together to found the Society of St Andrews Golfers in 1754 the game, in some form at least, was being played on the links at Dornoch.

Golf has been played on the lands

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around this Sutherland town and the links bordering the seashore since at least 1616 and maybe even earlier.

There has been a community in this part of Scotland for a thousand years or more, long before the Vikings arrived on the shores of what they called ‘Suderland’ - the Southern Land.

As the native Pictish-Celtic people were driven inland, or integrated with the new arrivals, this coastal region fell under the Norse influence that can still be seen today in place names such as Skibo, Skelbo, Embo, Brora, Helmsdale, Wick and Thurso.

The name ‘Dornoch’ comes from the Gaelic for ‘pebbly place’

and the town became a Royal Burgh under a charter granted by Charles I in 1628.

Up until the later half of the 19th century the area was possibly best known as the last place in the British isles to legally execute a witch by burning.

However, in 1877 the Dornoch Golf Club gave the town a new

and far less gruesome claim to fame. It was founded under the auspices of Alexander McHardy, a pioneer of golf in the north of Scotland, and Dr. Hugh Gunn, who had learned the game while a student at St Andrews.

Initially it was just nine holes but in 1886 the club invited Old Tom Morris to come and survey the links and create a first-class

course which made the most of the natural contours which define this stretch of the coastline.

Over the following years Dornoch worked hard to build a reputation as a world-class destination, continually keeping pace with developments in the game.

When the new rubber-cored golf ball was introduced in 1899,

Shot of the 3rd, on the Championship Course

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Activities - A round with‌Michael Buchan

www. bandbgt.com

Activities - A round with‌Michael Buchan

heralding the phasing out of the old and slower gutty ball, the course was redesigned to

Royal Dornoch Golf Club

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accommodate the faster game and for a time Dornoch was renowned as the fifth longest

course in Britain.

The club’s reputation was further

It attracted some the world’s biggest names in the game, including Ernest Holderness,

Charles E. Dick, Roger Wethered and J. Gordon Simpson.

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Activities - A round with‌Michael Buchan

enhanced in 1901 when Andrew Carnegie presented a silver shield as a competition prize.

Activities - A round with…Michael Buchan

Perhaps the biggest accolade for the club came five years later when, through the influence

The view from the RDGC

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of the Duchess of Sutherland, Dornoch Golf Club secured the title of ‘Royal’ from King Edward

VII. It gave the club an air of grandeur befitting its standing and reputation.

challenging.

The natural lay of the undulating

landscape, overlooking the white broad beaches of the Dornoch Firth, provides all the most

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Activities - A round with‌Michael Buchan

Even today, playing the par 70 championship course at Royal Dornoch is both inspiring and

Activities - A round with‌Michael Buchan Shot of the 4th Green

attractive qualities of the best links courses in the world and just as many of the difficulties.

Shot of the 15th

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The make up of each nine is such that the majority of holes are a par four with a couple of par

threes and a par five thrown in for good measure.

Activities - A round with‌Michael Buchan

Due to its position overlooking the windswept coastline no two rounds are ever the same. The

speed and force of the sea breeze often dictates the style of play and is guaranteed to provide even

the most competent golfer with a memorable experience.

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Activities - A round with‌Michael Buchan 11th green from the 7th hole

Although largely remodelled in the late 1940’s, to create a design

Shot of the 15th green

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that remains a firm favourite for golfers from around the world,

many of the original features created by Old Tom Morris

Activities - A round with…Michael Buchan

survive, including the plateau greens renowned for their unique size and inverted saucer shapes.

And, if one first class course is not enough, the Royal Dornoch’s second course, known as The Struie, is also in the Top 50 Links layouts in the UK. Initially opened in 1899 as a 12 hole course for ladies it has been modified and extended over the years and was reopened in 1999 with 18 holes capable of challenging the best of either sex.

To play the links of Royal Dornoch is to enjoy the essence of how

golf is, and has been for hundreds of years, in Scotland. It’s no wonder the club can boast five times Open Champion Tom Watson as a member.

Factbox:

• Location: Highland

A visit to Dornoch is not just another course to be played and ticked off a bucket list of top Scottish courses. For the dedicated golfer with a sense of history it is akin to a pilgrimage. A place to experience the game the way it was always intended to be played.

• Year Established:1877 (although golf has been played here since 1616)

*Michael Buchan is one of the founding directors of Buchan & Byers Golf Tours Ltd

• Signature Hole: 14th (Foxy)

• Longest Hole: 12th, 535 yards (Sutherland) • Best Views: 7th Tee

• Course Record: 62 (professional) & 64 (amateur) • Best played: Summer / Autumn

Shot of the 11th

• Most Scenic: Late Spring when the multitude of gorse is in full bloom. p99

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

Skailg: A wee livener with... Tom Morton

Photo by Andrew Wood CC BY-SA 2.0 Brora Distillery

Game of Thrones?

Is that a kind of Monopoly?

A confession: I have never watched a single episode of Game of Thrones. I know, I know.

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What kind of true Scot am I? Well, the fact is that Game of Thrones neither claims to be set in Scotland nor was it, for the

most part, filmed here. With the exception, it should be said, of the pilot episode, which used Doune Castle in Stirling to depict

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

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

Winterfell. Whatever that is.

Doune Castle is no stranger to the world of cinema, and it plays a role in Outlander among other

productions (another confession: I’ve never seen an episode of that either). But for many comedy fans of a certain age Doune’s prime claim to fame is the starring

Photo by Photo Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0 Doune Castle

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role it had in 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Dozens of students from nearby Stirling University were recruited as extras for the shoot, among them

What has any of this got to do with whisky? Well, there is

an odd whiskatorial aspect to Game of Thrones, and that is the collaboration between Home Box Office, its producers, and spirits behemoth Diageo to produce a

variety of bottlings inspired by the series. Some, such as the 15year old super premium Mortlach ‘Six Kingdoms’ are standalone products (£78 if you can find it),

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

the late best-selling author Ian Banks.

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

Photo by Stanley Howe CC BY-SA 2.0 Harbour Road, Brora

but what interests me more is the Game of Thrones ‘Original Houses’ set. This comprises no fewer than eight 70 cl bottles of

• • • • • • • •

you will) of the TV series. These are:

Game of Thrones House Stark – Dalwhinnie Winter’s Frost Game of Thrones House Tully – Singleton of Glendullan Select Game of Thrones House Targaryen – Cardhu Gold Reserve Game of Thrones House Lannister – Lagavulin 9 Year Old Game of Thrones The Night’s Watch – Oban Bay Reserve Game of Thrones House Greyjoy – Talisker Select Reserve Game of Thrones House Baratheon – Royal Lochnagar 12 Year Old Game of Thrones House Tyrell – Clynelish Reserve

Supply seems to have outstripped demand for this rather spectacular box (it comes in a chest which retails for around £58, devoid of bottles or liquid) as you can pick up the whole kit and kaboodle for around £300 if you shop around. The individual bottles have for the most part been reduced too, which is the reason we’re here. Or to be precise, just outside Brora in the north east Highlands, site of the Clynelish distillery.

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single malt whisky from around Scotland, each representing one of the ah, houses (tribes, legions, armies, families, call them what

Because I managed to score a bottle of House Tyrell (and that just makes me think of longvanished Formula One racing teams, and Sir Jackie Stewart) Clynelish for less than £30, with free delivery. One of the bargains of the Lockdown. No age statement, but it’s cask strength at 51.2 percent alcohol.

For comparison, the current Diageo ‘Flora and Fauna’ 14-yearold Clynelish is 46 per cent and between £45 and £50.

I’ve always loved Clynelish, right from the start of my whisky adventures back in the early 1980s. The original 14-yearold Diageo expression was an absolute delight (though I recall some faulty bottlings in the 80s).

And the history was fascinating too. If a bit confusing.

Because there’s Clynelish, and there’s Brora. Which are both near Brora. Clynelish came first, then it became Brora, then it became Clynelish again. And now there’s

built next door to the old one to increase capacity. For a while, the two operated in tandem, with the new plant producing a lighter but still distinctive spirit.

going to be Clynelish AND Brora.

Probably. If things settle down after the pandemic crisis.

Confused? Well, basically, it happened like this. The notorious Marquis of Stafford, later Duke of Sutherland, was determined in the early 19th Century to modernise his estates and this led to the infamous clearances of crofters from their rented land, many of them forced into destitution or emigration.

They were replaced by sheep, but Stafford’s ambitions were for industrialisation. And so, there was briefly a coal mine at Brora, where a seam had been discovered, and the planned distillery, which opened in 1819, would be fired by local fuel. It would use Stafford’s own barley and employ local folk. Not that a distillery ever has that many staff.

From the beginning, Clynelish was a very good, highly distinctive whisky, a coastal,

Photo by Thomas Lawrence CC BYSA 4.0 George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland

peaty Highland malt. It was much favoured by blenders though difficult to get. Clynelish is still a big component of Johnnie Walker Gold Label.

There was the usual tortuous business of partnerships, buyouts and takeovers until in the late 1960s, with the Distillers Company Limited (DCL, which eventually became Diageo) as owners, a new distillery was

Customs and Excise objected to the idea of there being two Clynelish distilleries, however, and the old one became known as Brora. Gradually, it operated less and less until eventually it was mothballed, and there was only one Clynelish.

Three years ago, however, with demand for malt whisky surging worldwide, Diageo announced it would rebuild and relaunch Brora, using the original, refurbished copper stills. This was in conjunction with the reopening of the company’s Port Ellen distillery on Islay.

The ‘new’ Brora was meant to open this year, and 2019 saw the launch of a 40-year old bottling of the ‘old’ Brora (there are still

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

Photo by John Haslam CC BY 2.0 Ben Bhraggie monument to the 1st Duke of Sutherland

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

much sought after stocks of Brora in warehouses) to celebrate the 200th anniversary of…well, of Clynelish. I told you this was confusing!

A bottle of the 40-year-old Brora will set you back a cool £4,900.

Compared to which £30 for House Tyrell (motto - ‘Growing Strong’) seems beyond a bargain. Especially as fans of the programme were being asked to pay upwards of $200 a bottle

in the USA when the Tyrell was launched, between the showing of seasons seven and eight.

The canister containing this particular ‘Clynelish Reserve’ helped me understand at least a little about Game of Thrones, or GOT as I believe it is often referred to: “House Tyrell of Highgarden rules over the Reach, the lush and fertile region of Westeros whose

abundance feeds the realm. The Tyrell golden rose is beautiful but hides razor sharp thorns beneath the surface. They have lived up to their house words of Growing Strong, defending their position of power with weapons of sharp words, sharp minds and sharp action.”

So no need to watch the series now. Maybe I’ll just have a dram instead…

Tasting Notes

Clynelish Reserve Game of Thrones limited edition, ‘House Tyrell’.

51.2 per cent, no age statement.

NOSE: You can tell it’s Clynelish. There’s that odd combination of sea salt and forest, golf courses (Brora has a superb championship links) and the merest hint of peat. The trademark candlewaxiness is there too.

MOUTH: Youth. But by no means as aggressively hooliganesque as you might have expected.

And again, those drying tannins (imagine a very strong cup of black tea, ten minutes after you’ve stopped drinking it) bring back memories of the 1980s 14-year-old bottling. They keep the honey sweetness in check.

There’s salt and that evanescent whiff of peat.

FINISH and BREATHE: Smoke from that just-snuffed candle. The afterburn is spicy, fruity and with that stewed tea flavour alleviated by a mild fruitiness, a touch of cinnamon and ginger. A quick fade to having another.

Overall: It’s a pleasant deep golden colour. Aged in Bourbon casks, it has to be more than three years old or it couldn’t legally be called Scotch whisky. This is not an old whisky, and that colour may owe its lustrous depth to a little bit of (completely legal) messing about with spirit caramel, or E150a. The only permitted additive for Scotch whisky.

Clynelish purists will dismiss this whisky as a gimmicky piece of branding aimed at collectors and people who don’t normally drink whisky at all. But I like it. While my default at this price level is always going to the painstakingly made base Highland Park 12, if you can pick up a House Tyrell for £30 or equivalent, I think you’ll find it’s an easy-drinking bargain with a real Clynelish identity lurking amid the label’s razzamataz.

Just £20 cheaper than the real thing.

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Food & Beverage - Spread upon the water

Spread upon the water

“Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it: But we hae meat and we can eat And sae the Lord be thankit”

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t’s more than 300 years since those words were first spoken.

Although attributed to Robert Burns the Selkirk Grace, as it has become known, was around for at least a century before Scotland’s national poet made it globally famous.

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And, today more than ever, those words couldn’t be more accurate.

Scotland’s larder is teeming with produce unrivalled anywhere else in the world.

Scotland’s food and drink sector is booming! Home grown consumers and overseas connoisseurs continue to demand world-class Scottish produce on menus.

Forget the negative stereotypes of Scots living on a diet of porridge, haggis and deep fried Mars Bars because the truth couldn’t be any further from the fiction.

Sales of Scottish products are now worth more than £15billion year to the economy and the sector is now the country’s biggest employer.

Food & Beverage - Spread upon the water Chef Gordon Howe on board the Majestic Line

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Food & Beverage - Spread upon the water

from the likes of the USA, China and France.

Scottish beef, venison and other red meat products are renowned around the world for their quality.

Top restaurants from London to New York and Paris to Tokyo seek out Saltire labeled products because they have a reputation for being among the very the best.

“I’ve worked all over the world but Scottish produce is amazing.

Nothing can really touch it!,” said Gordon Howe, alias Chef in a Kilt.

Gordon Howe

Everybody knows about the success of Scotch whisky but fewer people realise that the country’ second biggest export is its seafood.

From shellfish to whitefish

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Scotland’s marine harvest is exported to more than 100 countries and is worth almost £1billion annually - double what it was just a decade ago. Salmon is both Scotland’s and the UK’s top food export with growing demand

The 50-year-old award winning chef is passionate about creating fine dining dishes using the best locally sourced Scottish ingredients.

When he’s not catering for domestic international guests on the award-winning Majestic Line luxury cruise company Gordon works as a private chef for the

Food & Beverage - Spread upon the water

likes of Dame Judi Dench, the Duchess of Northumberland and many other dignitaries.

Brought up in Glasgow, where his father and mother had an Italian bistro, food played a major role in his life from an early age.

“By the time I was 14 I could cook the full Italian menu,” said Gordon, who, after a spell in the military as a medic, became a fully trained chef, working in numerous top venues around the UK and Europe creating classic Scottish, French, Italian and Japanese dishes.

“My father’s family came from Sicily and my mother’s family from South Uist where many of my relatives were fishermen.

Most of my childhood holidays were spent in the Western Isles.

Fish was a staple, as was all the other local produce. That’s when I learned to appreciate everything Scotland has to offer.”

Dame Judi Dench shows her appreciation

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Food & Beverage - Spread upon the water

As a chef on the Majestic Line Gordon gets to sample a range of delicacies from the Highlands and islands which he puts to good use on the boat. “I use as much home-grown produce as possible to give our guests a true taste of Scotland, whether it’s using Argyll smokies, Gigha halibut, Mull cheddar, Harris gin or another delicious locally sourced ingredient.

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“Being able to source, buy, prepare then cook Scotland’s amazing produce is exhilarating.

The country has an abundance

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Food & Beverage - Spread upon the water

“I love experimenting with cooking styles and cultures to make dining an experience. I use only the best organic produce, West Coast of Scotland seafood, prime hung meats, poultry and game and nurtured fruit and vegetables infused with herbs and spices.

Food & Beverage - Spread upon the water of talented producers, culinary artisans and purveyors of fine foods.

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“My mission is to get the message about Scottish produce out there. The more interest

there is the more sustainable the industry becomes for small, independent producers.�

Food & Beverage - Spread upon the water

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

Chef in a kilt

with….Gordon Howe

Confluence of Seafood

Photo by © Guillaume Piolle CC BY 3.0 Eilean Donan castle

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ilean Donan Castle sits on a small tidal island amid the splendour of the west coast highlands between

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the Scottish mainland and Isle of Skye.

Located less than mile from

the picturesque and peaceful village of Dornie, and within easy travelling distance over the road bridge to Skye, the castle is

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

one of the most photographed landmarks in the world.

When the sea was the main transport links through the highlands this spot, where Loch Long, Loch Duich and Loch Alsh meet, was an important strategic position.

A stronghold of Clan Mackenzie and their allies the MacRaes a castle has stood guard over the confluence of these three sea lochs since the early 13th century.

For centuries Highlanders have sailed and fished these waters, living off the abundance of seafood that lies beneath the surface.

In recognition of this important and historic location I’ve trawled the confluence seafood list to choose three species of fish, cod, mackerel and whiting - commonly found in each of the lochs, to create a modern version of a classical Scottish dish.

The Recipe Cod steak, with a finger fillet of Whiting sautéed in sage butter and a mackerel goujon and Bilge Water Gin (Edinburgh), served with baby new potatoes and sea greens, with parsley butter and micro Lemon Balm.

Serves 4 Prep 20 mins Cooking time 25 mins Approx 550 kcal pp

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

Ingredients: 4 160g Cod Steaks 4 whiting fillets (Goujons) I mackerel fillet 400g New baby potatoes (16-20 small) 300g mixed Sea Vegetables 400mls Chicken Stock 100mls of dry white wine 100mls Bilgewater Gin 40g Butter 2 garlic cloves finely minced 1/2 small onion finely chopped 2 large fresh sage leaves 1 finely chopped medium shallot Small bunch of flat leaf parsley finely chopped 30g Micro Lemon Balm 2 sprigs if fresh thyme A few edible borage flowers Sea salt Ground black pepper

Directions: Wash the potatoes, place in a pan of boiling salted water then simmer for 16-18 mins until soft

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and tender, (drain and set aside) After 5 minutes poach the cod steaks. Put the wine, thyme, finely chopped shallot, Chicken stock and a good pinch of sea salt in a saucepan. Bring up to the boil then reduce to a gentle simmer, gently drop in the fish and reduce the heat so the liquid is just simmering . Gently simmer to poach for 10 mins, then remove.

Once the cod has been removed from the poaching liquor pre-heat the grill.

until cooked for three to four minutes. Continually Spoon over sage butter to baste. Remove and set aside In the pre-heated grill place the seasoned mackerel fillet.

Remove, pick the flesh carefully to separate any bones. Heat the Bilgewater Gin in a pan until a simmer, add the grilled mackerel, reduce for two minutes then set aside.

To serve:

While waiting for the grill to warm, sautĂŠ the onions in a frying pan for four to five mins, add finely minced garlic and then add washed sea vegetable. Continue to simmer and sautĂŠ for six minutes until tender.

Place some sea greens on the centre of the plate and spoon the Gin and Mackerel sauce over them. Place four to five new baby potatoes at the side.

Position the cod steak on top of sea greens and then a whiting goujon.

Melt butter in a small frying pan with two sage leaves torn in half.

Add the four whiting goujon fillets and cook over a medium heat

Drizzle with parsley butter and top with some fresh micro lemon balm and a few borage flowers.

Srve immediately.

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Food & Beverage - A cut above

A cut above

Sophie Cumber at Bowhouse

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farmer’s daughter with a background in drama and a passion for cooking has found a new starring role as a leading light in the male-dominated world of butchery.

Sophie Cumber swapped the lure of the stage and clamour of the kitchen to launch a new business supplying the best in beef and other meats at Bowhouse, the space for artisan food and drink producers in Fife.

A qualified chef and experienced butcher Sophie is sourcing beef, lamb and game from Balcaskie Estate, where Bowhouse is situated. She specialises in a nose-to-tail approach, traditional

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hanging techniques and cuts that allow the natural flavour of the meat to shine.

The farming system on Balcaskie Estate focuses on natural, native and wild meat production, producing organic beef, lamb and mutton, alongside free-range pork and wild venison.

Butchery at Bowhouse will initially trade online via Open Food Network, which allows Sophie to sell her meat direct to households across the UK. When social distancing guidelines make it possible, the butchery will open to the public in a more conventional butchers shop format.

Butchery at Bowhouse stocks a range of roasts, steaks, mince, offal and stewing cuts alongside Sophie’s own seasoned sausages and bacon. One of the attractions for Sophie taking on the role is that estate’s organic, grass fed meat is hung for longer, making it more tender and tasty.

“It’s been a pleasure to go back to my roots and work so closely with farmers again,” said Sophie, who grew up on an Oxfordshire livestock farm before studying drama at university and then cookery at Leith’s School of Food and Wine. She then went on to work at London’s Barbecoa butchers and Turner & George Meat Merchants for several years before moving to Bowhouse in

Food & Beverage - A cut above

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Food & Beverage - A cut above

January this year.

“This proximity to the source is one of the reasons I made the move to Bowhouse. Working so directly with those rearing the animals is really important. A single-link supply chain like this is at the heart of controlling quality, sustainability and is of course, much more resilient during these turbulent times. I’m delighted our online shop allows us to send our top quality meat direct to people across the country,” added, Sophie who has already had orders from across Scotland and as far afield as London.

Since its inception in 2017 Bowhouse, which is part of the Balcaskie Estate, has been a destination to connect shoppers with food and drink producers offering the best ingredients and finished produce the East Neuk of Fife has to offer.

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Food & Beverage - Taste of the wilderness

Taste of the wilderness

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walk on the wild side may be out of the question this Father’s Day but a pioneering Scots company have come up with a unique solution to celebrate the occasion in style.

The company, founded by entrepreneurs Tom Chisholm and Rupert Waites, has built a reputation over the last 12 years for creating a variety of products using only ingredients foraged from the landscape.

East Lothian-based Buck & Birch have created a selection of limited edition cocktails inspired by nature to provide a taste of the outdoors.

Buck and Birch specialises in going back to nature and harvesting by hand the myriad of flavours found along Scotland’s shores, in woodlands and

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hedgerows to create a range of unique, contemporary drinks befitting purists, cocktail makers and gourmands alike.

The cocktails can be purchased individually for £10, or as part of a gift set combining all three for £25. Each bottle contains two cocktails and all purchases can be delivered with a handwritten card containing a personal message.

Food & Beverage - Taste of the wilderness

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Food & Beverage - Taste of the wilderness

First in the range is the Aelder Sour. Rich, dark and fruity it combines Buck & Birch’s

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gently warming, award winning elderberry liqueur, Aelder elixir, with whisky and citrus. Smooth

as silk, it is casually complex with a gentle whisky glow.

rum and wild bitters, creating a delicious twist on a classic cocktail. There are hints of

juicy green apple, honey and herbs with a spiced vanilla and molasses finish. It’s been hailed

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Food & Beverage - Taste of the wilderness

Second is the the Amarosa Old Fashioned. It blends aromatic rose hip rum liqueur with dark

Food & Beverage - Taste of the wilderness by the creators as the perfect choice for the macho-man who, like the cocktail, is sophisticated, suave and smooth.

Last but by no means least, the caffeine rich Espresso MartAna

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packs a powerful punch. Sweet, smooth and indulgent, Ana liqueur is combined with the finest birch vodka and coffee resulting in a delightfully sweet espresso martini laced with notes of butter caramel and toasted nuts.

Inside each gift box, there’s also a voucher for £5 off the purchase of a large bottle of the favourite tipple. Gift vouchers can also be purchased here https://www.aelderelixir.com/ aelder-shop

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Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton

Photo by Fiona McRae/ VisitScotland / Discover Fraserburgh Night sky over Cullykhan bay

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Story behind the song‌The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen

n the early 1950s a young Scots woman by the name of Winnie Forgie was working in the kitchen of a west London hospital. She was more than 500 miles from where she had been brought up near Ellon, Aberdeenshire and was desperately homesick.

Winnie would regularly regale her English friend Mary Webb with tales of growing up in the northeast corner of Scotland and of

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watching the natural wonder of the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, which locals referred to as the heavenly dancers, illuminating the autumn and winter skies.

Although Mary, who was born the daughter of a bootmaker in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, had never been to Scotland she was enchanted by the stories.

In an attempt to cheer up her wistful friend, Mary, a keen

amateur musician, composed The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen.

It was a catchy tune and, sometime around 1952, Mary sent a copy of it to Scottish tenor Robert Wilson who performed it during a concert at The Royal Albert Hall in London.

The song quickly became a firm favourite with audiences and is still performed at major events and ceilidhs around the world.

Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton

with Tom Morton

#world #folk #scottish

Music to accompany reading Scotland Correspondent, the world’s only free online magazine dealing with Scotland all things Scottish. scotlandcorrespondent.com 1) Fiddler’s Bid - The Pumping Bass 2) Shooglenifty - The Tammienorrie 3) Michael Marra - Harmless 4) Blair Douglas - Michael Marra 5) The Big Dish - Another People’s Palace 6) Jimmy Shand - The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen 7) The Waterboys Church - Not Made with Hands 8) Mr McFall’s Chamber - The Beast 9) Runrig - The Years We Shared 10) Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham - The Jig Runrig 11) The Blue Nile - Tinseltown In the Rain 12) Karine Polwart - Tinsel Show 13) Breabach - Glasgow of the Big Shops

with Tom Morton

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Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton Photo by Fiona McRae/ VisitScotland / Discover Fraserburgh Rattray Head, Aberdeenshire

It is even sung by supporters of Aberdeen Football Club and is considered an anthem for the city.

However, other than a paltry cheque for royalties twice a year, Mary never got the recognition she deserved.

Photo by VisitAberdeenshire Beach view of Aberdeen

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When renowned Scottish journalist Jack Webster was writing a story about the song in the mid-1980s he tracked Mary down to a less than salubrious part of London. She was a widow by then and living in a single room with little more than a bed, wardrobe, two-bar electric fire and the old John Broadwood piano on which she had composed her famous song.

Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton

Mary died penniless on 27 May 1989 in London’s Charing Cross Hospital from a stroke. Her funeral, in Leamington Spa, was a poorly attended affair. There was little family and few friends to mourn the woman who created an anthem for generations of Aberdonians.

In an attempt to ensure she was not forgotten Jack Webster acquired the piano on which Mary wrote Northern Lights and donated it to the people of Aberdeen. It is now on permanent display at the city’s Music Hall.

As for Mary, he helped arrange for her ashes to be brought to Aberdeen where they were

Photo by VisitAberdeenshire Aberdeen at night

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Broadcast - Musical Correspondent... with Tom Morton Photo by Fiona McRae/ VisitScotland / Discover Fraserburgh Fraserburgh Mounthooly Doocot

Listen here scattered in the grounds of old Kaimhill Crematorium in the city which became her spiritual home.

The tune Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen can be heard in this

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month’s Musical Correspondent podcast performed by Jimmy Shand.

This months show, exclusive to Scotland Correspondent and presented by Tom Morton, includes performances from

Fiddler’s Bid,Shooglenifty, Michael Marra, Blair Douglas, The Big Dish, The Waterboys, Mr McFall’s Chamber, Runrig, Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham, The Blue Nile, Karine Polwart and Breabach.

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

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

Opportunity knocks?

Solo stage performances are part of the future

M

uch has been written and said about the impact of the Coronovirus lockdown on the Arts. Certainly, the sudden slow down has been damaging and unsettling but it has not been

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without its advantages.

I should have been filming a movie in March, touring in a play last month and preparing for our Highlander Flings in Canada and the USA. However, just having

the time to sit back and press the reset button on life has given me time to look to the future - and it’s exciting!

I’ve never been one for following the path of least resistance or

Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle New technology will mean more live streaming performances

accepting the status quo because “that’s how things have always been done”. Sometimes we achieve success because we don’t know its supposed to be impossible.

When I wanted to go to drama college I was told I couldn’t because my family wouldn’t survive without my supermarket wage. I didn’t give up. I stacked shelves by night and studied by day.

I quickly saw how difficult it would be to get a job after graduating so I set up a theatre company and, with my friends, took the shows we were performing at college on tour at weekends.

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Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle Bars and other spaces can be used as performance venues as Bruce MacGregor has been doing since before the lockdown started.

Following graduation, and with no acting job in sight, I went to the library for inspiration. I found a play about two rival soccer fans sharing a police cell after being arrested ahead of the big match and thought it was fantastic. I gathered my friends and put it on in the backroom of a local pub and then took it on tour.

Everywhere the show played we would go out to residential areas and push leaflets through doors to promote it to people who

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would never usually go to the theatre.

Within five years we were playing to 3,000 people and grossing £50,000 a night. Over time we took £3million at the box office and become one of Scottish theatres’s greatest success stories of recent times - all without any funding or outside financial support.

Many performers are finding themselves in similar circumstances now.

Social distancing is here to stay, for a while at least, and even when it stops will audiences rush back to packed theatres?

Many venues have closed, some for ever, and funding for projects is drying up.

However, we live in interesting times where a mixture of creative minds and new technology is building a new stage for us all.

Last month I mentioned the

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

brilliant Reely Jiggered who’ve been performing to a global audience live every Saturday from the driveway of their home in Glasgow.

Musician, broadcaster and entrepreneur Bruce MacGregor has been putting on live shows from MacGregors bar in Inverness to thousands of people and supporting lots of fellow performers.

A couple of weeks ago I was a

guest on The Ted Show, a daily, live-streamed talk show hosted

by Ted Bogart based in Orlando, Florida. I was able to talk to a world-wide audience from my home in Glasgow.

venues, television shows are being made with new formats, plays are being written for solo artists and socially distanced performers but much more can, and should be, done.

What all these people have in common is that they didn’t sit back and wait for a return to normal - they have created a ‘new normal’.

Streaming technologies are not just providing a life-line for storytellers and performers they are creating a level playing field.

Emerging and established talent are being forced to experiment.

There are theatres now experimenting with drive-in

We are on the edge of a new

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Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle opportunity to change the way the arts is enjoyed by millions of people and to open up new channels for creative minds to flourish.

If we think of what’s happening now as hitting a reset button we can find new ways of opening up theatres, utilising small spaces and outdoor venues to put on performances for even bigger audiences.

We need to encourage the best

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Live streaming of performances, such as this one at MacGregor’s Bar in Inverness before the lockdown, are part of the future.

Arts - An actor’s life for me... by Scott Kyle creative minds and the ‘can do’ people. If that means putting on a two or three handed play in an empty theatre but streaming it live to a global or niche audience then so be it.

How ordinary people relate to the arts, consume information and enjoy entertainment has been changing for years. Covid-19 has just speeded up the process and is forcing the industry to adapt or die.

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Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed

The need for tweed

by Scott Aitken

islanders who create it.

everything else in between.

here is no other intrinsically Scottish textile with the pedigree, recognition, style and substance of Harris Tweed.

As strong and colourful as the landscape that inspires it yet as soft as the Gaelic accents of the

Once made by families solely for their own use this highly prized and hard-wearing 100 per cent wool fabric is now internationally fashionable. Hundreds of thousands of metres are shipped all over the world every year to be used for hats, footwear and

Although there are many imitations nothing has the same quality of excellence as the big cloth, or clò-mòr as it’s known in Gaelic.

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To legally be considered genuine only material that has been “hand

Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed

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Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed

woven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the islands of Harris,

Photo by Chris Combe CC BY 2.0 Isle of Harris

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Lewis, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra� can be called Harris Tweed and carry the

Orb Trade Mark.

The image of Harris Tweed as the

This most noble of distinctive fabrics is much more versatile and functional than that.

Sandra MacLeod is the founder and owner of Modren, an up and coming design company

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Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed

preserve of the ageing country pursuits brigade and academic types is, thankfully, long gone.

Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed

specialising in bespoke bags, hats and other accessories.

Her father, brother and sister are all weavers so she is well aware of the fabric’s history but, since launching her brand, she has discovered there is a growing demand from a new generation of fashionable professionals who appreciate the heritage and craftsmanship.

Much of the material used by Sandra has been hand warped and handwoven by her sister Christina, one of only 150 or so registered Harris Tweed weavers

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Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed

in the world, and one of just a handful of remaining independent weavers. “If people could only see the work that goes into each product they would be amazed. There is skill involved at every step of the manufacturing process, not just the weaving,� said Sandra, who has customers from as far a field as Scandinavia, Alaska, California and Japan.

In keeping with the spirit of craftsmanship Modren uses a traditional linen factory in Dunfermline to supply fabric

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Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed

for the linings. Crafted brass hardware, old school copper rivets and leather straps made with age-old vegetable tanning techniques complete the attention to detail.

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Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed

“I think that’s an essential part of what makes Modren accessories look and feel special. People want something that is made to last and means something unique to them.

Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed “I’ve created bags specially for artists that are big enough to carry their sketch pads and pens. I’ve designed accessories for allergy users with special

Photo by Lorna M Campbell CC BY 4.0 Isle of Harris

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compartments for an Epipen and for diabetics so they can carry insulin kits or a bottle of Lucozade.

“Customers like the fact that they can work with me to design something that is both personal and practical for their needs.”

Hot Scot Shop - The need for tweed

17th April 2021

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Hot Scot Shop - Local hero

Local hero

by Scott Aitken

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bid to help independent businesses weather the storm of Covid-19 has sparked the launch of an international initiative predicted to generate £1million for local economies by the end of the year.

A few weeks ago everything changed overnight for cafes, restaurants, boutiques, artisans, creators and small retailers.

Social distancing measures forced them to close their doors indefinitely and the future became somewhat uncertain.

Upset by the impact the pandemic was having on

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commerce in his home city of Edinburgh entrepreneur Robbie Allen decided to try and do something about it.

In an attempt to provide independent vendors with a much-needed lifeline he launched ‘Keep Edinburgh Thriving’, a service that provides a selection of local, high-quality products packaged up into gift boxes and delivered to customers to support the local economy.

Two sizes of boxes were made available to begin with – a small parcel of four or five items for £39 and a large one of six or seven items for £55. Each one contained a variety of locally

sourced products, including artisan food and snacks, art, drinks, craft coffee, beer, spirits, skin care treatments and lifestyle products, such as candles, coasters, notebooks and mugs or tumblers.

Robbie initially thought he would be able to sell around 100 boxes a week which would be hand delivered to addresses in Edinburgh.

However, he sold out his first batch in just two days as the idea caught the imagination of consumers and orders started coming in from around the world.

In the first six weeks alone Robbie

Hot Scot Shop - Local hero

Robbie Allen

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Hot Scot Shop - Local hero

sold over 2,000 ‘Keep Edinburgh Thriving’ boxes, generating over £55,000 in revenue for 47 local businesses.

“Our aim is to Keep Edinburgh Thriving. We are partnering with a bunch of amazing local businesses in Edinburgh and taking these high-quality products and handling all the logistics and e-commerce side of things for them so that they can continue to grow and sustain

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“This is a really tough time for our beloved high street, and we want to help as many local businesses as possible. As soon as you place an order this instantly benefits our local partners providing the products in each gift box.”

Interest in the idea quickly spread and Robbie set up a

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Hot Scot Shop - Local hero

their company and livelihood,” said Robbie.

Hot Scot Shop - Local hero similar operation, “Keep Glasgow Thriving’, in Scotland’s largest city and announced plans to do the same in Aberdeen and other communities across the UK. As the initiative expands to other cities so does the number of businesses taking part and the range of products available to

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consumers.

In recognition of Father’s Day the company created a limited edition ‘Keep Daddy Thriving’ box packed full of goodies supplied by local independent retailers.

The company has also launched a range of special Quarantini boxes

to help bars and restaurants that have been forced to close their doors.

Starting in Edinburgh, each Box is filled with cocktails lovingly crafted by local bartenders and restaurateurs as well as beers and spirits from local distilleries and breweries.

Hot Scot Shop - Local hero

“We have been completely overwhelmed with the support we have seen for ‘Keep Edinburgh Thriving’ and it’s been amazing to be able to support local independents to stay in business through such a tough time,” said Robbie.

are expected to stay closed until at least July or early August so we want to support them as much as we can as well as bring a little bit of the Edinburgh bar scene to customers across the city who will be missing their favourite bars and restaurants.”

“Our local bars and restaurants

Again, there are two box sizes of

gift box available – a small box of four cocktails and one beer for £39, and a large box of six cocktails and one beer for £55.

More details available from www.thrivingboxco.com

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Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

The view from Balcary House

Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

by Paul Watson

D

emand for homes by the seaside is set to grow as more people look to swap city living for the good life with a water view.

Property experts are predicting a revolution in lifestyles will create a boost for rural and coastal properties as working from home, full or part-time, becomes the new normal.

The dream of a sea view may no longer need to be a luxury reserved for holidays, and Scotland, with over 10,000

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miles of coastline, is well placed to benefit from any emerging property boom.

The country is home to some of the most magnificent sea views in the world. The west coast in particular, with an abundance of lochs dotted with small islands, and set against a backdrop of dramatic mountain ranges, is breathtakingly beautiful.

Over on the other side of the country the east coast is every bit as spectacular, but different, with numerous long sandy beaches, links golf courses, craggy shores, sheer cliffs and wide open skies.

From Dumfries and Galloway to the Highlands and Islands Scotland boasts some fantastic coastal properties with stunning views overlooking long stretches of idyllic coastline.

For a fraction of the price of similar sized city properties buyers are being increasingly drawn to waterside properties where the can relax and enjoy the ever-changing landscape.

Properties such as the fivebedroom Balcary House, near Auchencairn, Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway, provides a stunning view from every

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Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside Beach at Balcony House

Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

window. It also comes with its own heated swimming pool, potential boat shed and direct access to the beach.

Situated in its own large garden grounds of 1.59 acres, next to an

Balcary House

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Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

area of established woodland, with a small stream running along the boundary of the garden, it is an oasis of tranquility overlooking the Solway Firth. It is currently on the market with Galbraith for offers over ÂŁ700,000.

Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

At the other end of the country 26 Camuscross, Isle Ornsay, Skye is for sale for offers over ÂŁ575,000 and comes with two reception rooms, four bedrooms and a self-contained apartment with holiday or residential letting potential.

Camuscross

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Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

The property enjoys spectacular views over the Sound of Sleat as well as elevated views to the mainland. There is direct access to the sandy beach and the property is within easy reach of the Skye bridge and Mallaig ferry.

Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

A modern property located in the coastal hamlet of Camuscross,

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on the Sleat peninsula, it enjoys stunning views across the Sound

of Sleat to Knoydart, Arnisdale and Loch Hourn on the mainland.

Alternatively Taigh na Coille on North Uist, at offers over

ÂŁ325,000, comes with 5.29 acres, stables and outbuildings. It

borders a large, privately owned forest providing a natural habitat

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Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

Taigh na Coille

Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

for the white tailed eagle, owls and deer and many other wildlife species.

Taigh na Coille

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The architect designed Taigh na Coille, with its vast cathedral style window extending the full height of the house, is located close

to the small crofting township of Sollas in Lochmaddy, on the island’s north west coast, with panoramic views of the

Although situated as far from the hustle and bustle of city life

as it’s possible to get the area enjoys a choice of transport links, including a ferry terminal at Lochmaddy with regular services

to Uig on the Isle of Skye and Benbecula airport offering direct flights to Stornoway on the Island of Lewis and Glasgow.

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Living Scotland - Everyone likes to be beside the seaside

surrounding countryside and sea.

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Supernatural - Strange Tales from Scotland’s Thin Places with... Thomas MacCalman Morton

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

Photo by Chmee2 CC BY-SA 3.0 North Uist

I

The secondhand shoes

have been to the Outer Hebrides many times, travelled from Barra through North and South Uist to Harris and Lewis.

I have walked, cycled, driven and

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ridden a motorcycle.

I have attended funerals, researched religious revivals, listened to the wonderful and

unearthly Gaelic singing of the Free Kirk congregations. I have met some lovely and some very strange people, sometimes one and the same folk. But I

https://anchor.fm/tom-morton4/episodes/Strange-Tales-from-thin-Places-The-Brogans-ee7lbu

Listen here have never yet bought a pair of second hand shoes there, despite some of the best charity or thrift shops in the world, places where generosity meets need, and where bargain galore lurk.

Shoes, my mother always told me, should be bought new, worn in and adapted to the particular design and needs of your own feet. She would murmur darkly about the risk of terrible infections from other people’s footwear.

Her family on her father’s side, the MacCalmans, came from the island of Islay, nearer to Ireland than to the Outer Hebrides.

There’s a great story about one of her, and my ancestors, who was accused by the local kirk session of witchcraft. But that’s for another time.

My mother would definitely have advised against buying the shoes that were for sale in that charity shop in Stornoway, capital of Lewis and indeed the whole Western Isles. But Angus MacEachain was not her son, and indeed I am no longer sure if he is dead or alive. I met him one Sabbath lunchtime in the County

Photo by Chmee2 CC BY-SA 3.0 Cost around Port of Ness

Hotel, which at the time, the early 1980s, was one of the few places in Lewis where you could buy alcoholic drink on a Sunday.

The strict presbyterianism of the Northern Hebrides meant that even buying basic groceries on a Sunday was difficult, if not entirely impossible.

But if you knew that the back fire door of the County Hotel was left slightly ajar, you could prise it open and slip inside, meeting a motley crew of thirsty sinners in the lounge bar. And it was there, over a couple of fine Talisker single malts from the isle of

Skye, I fell into conversation with Angus.

“I like your shoes.” that was the first thing he said to me. “Allow me to buy you a drink and I’ll tell you a story about shoes.” And so he did.

I was wearing a nice pair of leather brogues I had bought in Glasgow. They were good quality, newly polished, but I had got them cheaply in a sale from a large department store that was closing.

“Brogans” said Angus, who said

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Supernatural - Strange Tales from Scotland’s Thin Places with... Thomas MacCalman Morton

Old style Brogans CC0 1.0

Supernatural - Strange Tales from Scotland’s Thin Places with... Thomas MacCalman Morton

he came originally from Harris, but had lived in Stornoway most of his life. He was about 50, but it was hard to tell exactly. He could have been any age between 40 and 80. “Brogans.That’s from the Gaelic word for shoes. I bought a pair of brogans once. The finest

Photo by GerritR CC BY-SA 4.0 Kisimul Castle, Barra

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shoes I ever owned. And the worst.”

Cancer Research shop or the Red Cross, but he wasn’t sure.

And the story began. Angus had been browsing, as was his habit, the charity shops of Stornoway when he came across the shoes.

He thought it was either the

Cancer Research, as he supported that charity, was more likely. The shoes were glowing in the window as he passed.

“A beautiful golden brown,

It became clear that the shoes were almost unworn. Though there were just a few oddlyshaped scrapes on the leather soles. They had been handmade, that was clear, by a maker in Edinburgh, though Angus told me that when he checked to see

if they were still in business, it turned out that they had closed several years previously.

“These shoes had been made many years ago,” he said, “and hardly worn. They were of the very highest quality. The finest

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Supernatural - Strange Tales from Scotland’s Thin Places with... Thomas MacCalman Morton

uncreased, and with the punched holes of classic brogans.

Originally, they were worn by gamekeepers and the holes were there so water could drain out of them. I wondered if they might fit me. So I went in and tried them on.”

Supernatural - Strange Tales from Scotland’s Thin Places with... Thomas MacCalman Morton

Photo by Chmee2 CC BY-SA 3.0 Ness coastline

leather. Anyway I tried them on, and they fitted not just perfectly, but as if they’d been made for me. And strangely, as if they had been worn in as well. They fitted like the softest gloves.”

Angus paid, he thought perhaps a pound for them. Shoes which would have cost hundreds, even in the past when they had been made.

Over the next few weeks, Angus wore the shoes almost every time he went out of doors from his little flat in Stornoway. He found walking became a pleasure in them, that he’d been right they fitted perfectly and needed no breaking in. There were no blisters or callouses, no pain. He felt like he had feet with wings.

His walks grew longer and longer, until one dawn he found himself many miles from the town, standing on the edge of Port of

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Ness beach, 19 miles north of Stornoway.

“I had no recollection of how I had got there,” Angus told me. “It was morning, and as if I had awoken from a dream. It was midsummer, and I was not dangerously cold, but my clothes were dishevelled and I had no anorak or coat. The peculiar thing was that my feet were not sore, though I must have walked at least 20 miles from Stornoway to get to Ness.

And when I looked at the shoes... they were as immaculate as when I had bought them. I had never even touched them with brush and polish.” Of course, he added.

At the time he was drinking occasionally to excess, which could have explained things. But he felt not hungover but fresh and completely sober as he hitchhiked back into town.

There was something about the shoes that concerned Angus.

They sat in his hallway, glowing and golden, just like new, until one day a friend was round visiting, and perhaps having a dram or two.

“His name was Peter Macdonald, known as Peter the Lorry, from his former job as a driver,” said Angus.

“As he was leaving the house, Peter saw the brogans. My, he said, those are fine, fine shoes.

Och, I said, try them on and if they fit, you can have them.

They don’t suit me. And the odd thing is that Peter was a small man, perhaps a size seven in the foot, unlike myself, who is a size nine. But sure enough he tried the shoes on. And they fitted perfectly.

“My, Angus, he said, I have never felt comfort like these shoes provide. Are you sure you won’t take something for them?” It’s fair

to say that we had shared a few drams by this time or I may have thought more carefully. Anyway, I told him no, take them with my blessing.”

At this point Angus paused, and looked inquiringly at our empty glasses. I took the hint and bought two more double Taliskers. He added a little water to his and continued.

“Peter’s body was found by a fishing boat, dragged up in their nets, just off the Port of Ness. He hadn’t been in the water long, and no-one knew why he was there, as the currents from Stornoway wouldn’t have taken them in that direction. And here’s the thing he was fully clothed, nothing to show he’d been drowned for very long. But he was barefoot.”

I looked at Angus. He looked at me.

“Peter had begun taking long walks, long solitary walks, just after he left me that night with the brogans. I can only assume he began wearing them all the time. I saw little of him. There were reports that he had been seen in the countryside outside of Stornoway, particularly in the Ness area, at Port of Ness, once, by the beach. And of course, it turned out that the shoes, the brogans had been donated to the charity shop in Stornoway by…”

Just then Angus was distracted by a friend who was offering to purchase what he insisted were the first pints of the Sabbath, just to wash down the drams. I had to leave, as - in contravention of the Sabbath - I had work to do.

I never got the chance to ask for more information about Peter, or those mysterious shoes. Who had owned them, whether they’d been washed up on the beach

after Peter’s death. Presuming of course, that he had been wearing them on that last fatal walk.

I had to walk to the early morning ferry the next day. As I did so I passed the lit window of the Cancer Research Shop, or it may have been the British Red Cross or perhaps Oxfam.

Sitting there was a pair of the finest, evidently hand-made brogues I have ever seen. They put my own shoes to shame.

Golden brown, they shone like beacons in the half light of morning. They seemed...to beckon me.

But I had a boat to catch. And besides the shop did not open for another two hours. I walked on, my mass-produced rubber soles making hardly a sound on the Stornoway pavement. I have never been back to the Hebrides since.

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Supernatural - Strange Tales from Scotland’s Thin Places with... Thomas MacCalman Morton

Photo by Chmee2 CC BY-SA 3.0 Ness coastline

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Research & Innovation - Power of sweat

Power of sweat

Photos from University of Glasgow Ravinder Dahiya

by Scott Aitken

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new generation of wearable devices could be powered by human sweat instead of conventional, environmentallyunfriendly batteries.

According to a team of scientists

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from the University of Glasgow working up a sweat could be enough to generate power for exercise monitors and other electronic devices in the future.

Researchers have developed a new type of flexible supercapacitor which replaces the electrolytes found in

conventional batteries with sweat.

It can be fully charged with as little as 20 microlitres of fluid and is robust enough to survive 4,000 cycles of the types of flexes and bends it might encounter in realworld use.

It works by coating polyester cellulose cloth in a thin layer of

The team chose the polyester cellulose cloth because it is particularly absorbent, and PEDOT:PSS because it offers a useful combination of flexibility, high conductivity and environmental friendliness.

The PEDOT:PSS acts as the supercapacitor’s electrode.

runner sweated enough to allow the device to generate about 10 milliwatts of power – about enough to power a small bank of LEDs – which kept it going until the runner stopped.

As the cloth absorbs its wearer’s sweat, the positive and negative ions in the sweat interact with the polymer’s surface, creating an electrochemical reaction which generates energy.

“Conventional batteries are cheaper and more plentiful than ever before, but they are often built using unsustainable materials which are harmful to the environment. That makes them challenging to dispose of safely, and potentially harmful in wearable devices, where a broken battery could spill toxic fluids onto skin,” said Professor Ravinder Dahiya of the University’sJames Watt School, of Engineering, who led the team.

The team tested the effectiveness of their tech by having volunteers run outdoors and on a treadmill while wearing a 2cm x 2cm cell version of the device. The

“What we’ve been able to do for the first time is show that human sweat provides a real opportunity to do away with those toxic materials entirely, with excellent

charging and discharging performance.

“As wearable devices like health monitors continue to increase in popularity, it opens up the possibility of a safer, more environmentally-friendly method of generating sustainable power – not just for wearables but possibly also for emerging areas such as e-bikes and electric vehicles, where sweat equivalent solution could replace the human sweat.”

Professor Dahiya and his team have developed a number of novel bendable technologies, including solar-powered ‘electronic skin’ which could be used in prosthetics and robotics.

They are planning future research on the possibility of integrating sweat power into these devices.

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Research & Innovation - Power of sweat

a polymer known as poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate – or PEDOT:PSS.

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100million-yearold deception

S

cots scientists have discovered that two of the world’s most endangered species of sea turtle are experts in deception when it comes to protecting their young.

New research into the lives of the mammals, led by the University of Glasgow, has found they prefer to use diversionary tactics to fill predators rather than rely on camouflage.

When female sea turtles cover their nest chambers in which they have laid their eggs, they spend considerable time and effort on scattering sand around the next site. It’s a risky business as the extra spent out in the open on the beach puts them under threat from predation and exhaustion.

It has always been presumed this activity was a means of camouflaging the nest site from egg enemies and the true function was never properly identified –

until now.

The researchers studied how two endangered species of sea turtle, leatherbacks and hawksbills, invest a considerable amount of time and energy to protect their eggs before the females leave to return to the sea. They do this after they have completed nesting and despite exposing themselves to greater danger to complete the process.

“Our research sheds new light on

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Research & Innovation - 100million-year-old deception

Photo by Jack Rawlinson Leatherback making a decoy nest

Research & Innovation - 100million-year-old deception

the behaviour of nesting marine turtles,” said Professor Malcolm Kennedy, Professor of Natural History at the University of Glasgow, said: “We closely followed the activity and movements of hawksbill and leatherback turtles during the final ‘sand scattering’ phase of nesting. Our findings strongly support the idea that they create a series of decoy nests away from the nest itself to reduce

Photo by Jack Rawlinson Leatherback nesting

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discovery of their eggs by predators.

“This may explain why, despite all the extra risks, female turtles stay on the beach away from the safety of the sea, working to enhance the safety of their eggs.

They can spend longer doing this than for any other part of the elaborate nesting process.

“Remarkably, we found similar behaviours in two species of turtle

that shared a common ancestor over 100 million years ago, while dinosaurs still ruled the land.

What they do must be extremely important to their offspring, which they will leave behind as eggs in the sand and never see.”

Leatherbacks are the species that appears to be nesting better this year because the pandemic lockdown has left their nesting beaches in peace. Which emphasises the care with which

The research was organised

by Professor Kennedy and Tom Burns, the first author, who together realised that conventional ideas about the last phase of sea turtle nesting needed radical correction.

Research & Innovation - 100million-year-old deception

turtles must find safe places to deposit their eggs.

joined University of Glasgow Exploration Society expeditions to Trinidad and Tobago, involving work by them and dedicated undergraduate students late into the night on remote nesting beaches.

The work stretched periodically over seven years while the two

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Research & Innovation - Breakthrough on controlling Malaria

Photo by Jeremy Herren This fluorescence microscopy image demonstrates how Microsporidia MB is able to enter the ovaries of the malaria mosquito.

Breakthrough on controlling Malaria

by Paul Watson

cientists from the University of Glasgow have played a major role in the discovery of a malaria transmission-blocking microbe which could lead to controlling a disease that infects millions of people every year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently stressed the need to continue the efforts against malaria, despite the necessary focus on COVID-19, and said deaths from malaria could rise significantly across sub-Saharan Africa this year if work to prevent the disease is disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak.

of Anopheles mosquitoes in Kenya. Named Microsporidia MB it is hoped it will one day result in developing a natural method of malaria control.

There is estimated to be around 228million cases of malaria worldwide and it kills more than 400,000 people a year, the majority of them children under the age of five-years-old.

Now, a study led by researchers at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Kenya and the University of Glasgow, has discovered a new microbe in wild populations

By studying malaria mosquitoes in their natural environments, mainly at icipe’s Thomas Odhiambo Campus in Mbita on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, the researchers found

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Until now, there have been very few known examples of microbes that affect malaria transmission mosquitoes.

Research & Innovation - Breakthrough on controlling Malaria Photo by Jeremy Herren Hellen Butungi and Robin Migoro examining slides to detect the presence of the malaria parasite in blood smears

mosquitos carrying Microsporidia MB did not harbour malaria parasites in nature, or in experimental infections in the lab.

The researchers also showed that Microsporidia MB is passed from a female mosquito to her offspring at high rates, and does not kill or cause obvious harm to the mosquito host.

Although the new Microsporidia MB symbiont is naturally found at relatively low levels in populations of malaria mosquitoes in Kenya, the researchers believe there

Photo by Jeremy Herren This fluorescence microscopy image shows the stage of Microsporidia MB that is replicating inside the mosquito’s gut

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Research & Innovation - Breakthrough on controlling Malaria Photo by Jeremy Herren This fluorescence microscopy image demonstrates how Microsporidia MB is able to enter the ovaries of the malaria mosquito.

may be ways to increase the proportion of mosquitoes that carry the symbiont in order to limit their capacity to transmit malaria.

“The bodies of animals are inhabited by microbes which are either detrimental or have neutral or beneficial symbionts,” said Dr Jeremy Herren, a research scientist who led the study while

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a University of Glasgow Research Fellow based at icipe.

“Healthy insects often have microbial symbionts inside their bodies and cells. These symbionts can have major effects on the biology of their hosts, and our team is trying to learn more about this type of microbe in insects that are important to human health.”

Further studies will be needed to determine precisely how Microsporidia MB could be used to control malaria.

“We are already using a transmission-blocking symbiont called Wolbachia to control dengue, a virus transmitted by mosquitoes,” said Prof Steven Sinkins, from the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus

Research. “The Microsporidia MB symbiont

has some similar characteristics, making it an attractive prospect for developing comparable

approaches for malaria control�.

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Research & Innovation - Breakthrough on controlling Malaria

Photo by Evan Teal Collection of malaria mosquitoes (Anopheles arabiensis) in one of the sampling sites in Kenya

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Mystery of the vanishing copper

A

According to Butterfly Conservation (BC) sightings from members of the public are important in helping researchers find out what’s happening to this beautiful butterfly.

People are being asked to keep a sharp eye open for Small Coppers, the tiny but brightlycoloured butterfly, after research revealed numbers of the insects have fallen by a third in Scotland over the last 10 years.

“Small Coppers are delightful little butterflies, and their declines in Scotland are a great concern for us. Finding out more about where they are can help us to conserve them,” said Anthony McCluskey, Project Officer with Butterfly Conservation.

nationwide search has been launched to discover lost populations of a special species of butterfly whose numbers are mysteriously declining in Scotland.

“Observing wildlife is known to have a wide range of mental health benefits. This can be a mindful activity during these uncertain times and one which will help contribute to scientific research too.”

The Small Copper can usually be seen in gardens and parks, and also found along paths and cycle routes, so it’s hoped people exercising in such areas may come across them during daily exercise outings.

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Environment - Mystery of the vanishing copper

Photo by Mairi McIntosh Small Copper

Environment - Mystery of the vanishing copper

Small Coppers can often be seen basking in sheltered sunny places, especially where there is some bare ground.

Their caterpillars feed on wild sorrels, which are the smaller relatives of the dock leaf plants people use to relieve nettle stings.

With their wings open Small Coppers are a little larger than a 50p coin, but they are easily overlooked as they are rarely

Photo by Mark Searle Small Copper

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Depending on the weather the butterfly can emerge in Scotland between the middle of April and middle of June, disappearing until late summer, when a second brood emerges.

Sighting of Small Coppers can be reported at www.butterfly-conservation.org/ scottishsmallcopper.

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Environment - Mystery of the vanishing copper

seen in large numbers. The upper sides of the wings have distinctive bright orange and black markings.

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Destination - Scotland

Destination P Scotland

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

Rokeby Manor

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

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

Destination - Scotland

Royal Scots Club Edinburgh

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

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

Meldrum House

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

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

Chester Residence Edinburgh

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

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

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

Embo House Sutherland

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

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

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

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Destination - Scotland Gleddoch Hotel

Carnoustie Golf Hotel

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

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

Glasgow

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

Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island Benderloch, Oban

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

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

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Carnoustie

Mercure Hotel inverness Inverness

Featured in issue 15 of Scotland Correspondent.

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

Luss, Loch Lomond

Destination - Scotland

Lodge on Loch Lomond

Portavadie

Loch Fyne, Argyll

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

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

As featured in issue 5 of Scotland Correspondent.

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

As featured in issue 2 of Scotland Correspondent.

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

Trump Turnberry

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

As featured in issue 7 of Scotland Correspondent.

It offers a range of exceptional venues ideal for meetings, events and weddings. Enjoy the fresh Scottish air while enjoying the wonderful scenery, exceptional dining options, indulgent spa treatments, outdoor activities and championship golf.

Dundas Castle Edinburgh

Dundas Castle is a most spectacular venue for any event. This authentic Scottish Castle has been transformed into a 5-star ‘Exclusive Use’ venue with 17 bedrooms.

As featured in issue 13 of Scotland Correspondent.

Parts of the castle date back to 1416 and has belonged to the Stewart-Clark family since the late 1800s.

Enjoy all the amenities of the finest hotels but with the exclusivity of staying in your own castle.

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Destination - Scotland George Hotel

Inveraray, Argyll Imagine relaxing by an open peat fire, sipping a single-malt whisky after a sumptuous meal before retiring to a luxury bed in a 247-year-old hotel by the side of a spectacular Scottish loch.

As featured in issue 11 of Scotland Correspondent.

Each of the George’s 17 rooms have been beautifully decorated and many boast a super kingsize bed, jacuzzi bath and even a real open log and coal fire to add an extra layer of romantic cosiness.

Glamis House Glamis, Angus

Built in 1798 Glamis House is a stunning, traditional home with an impressive history, as featured in issue 19 of Scotland Correspondent. The house is situated in the grounds of Glamis Castle. With room for up to 13 people to sleep the house is situated in a stunningly beautiful part of the country boasting superb beaches, great walking trails and renowned golf courses close by, including Carnoustie.

Glamis House, Forfar, Angus Tel: 01738 451610 https://www.cottages-and-castles.co.uk

The Station Hotel

Glen Nevis Hostel

Situated in the heart of Scotland’s world renowned whisky country the Station Hotel in Rothes, as featured in issue 30 of Scotland Correspondent, provides the perfect blend of of history, tradition and modern luxury.

Visitors on a budget looking to spend time in one of the most spectacular areas of the Scottish Highlands can do so Glen Nevis Youth Hostel in Fort William, Lochaber.

Speyside

With 14 bedrooms, including five luxury suites, the four-star hotel is ideally placed to serve as a base for visitors interested in exploring the wellsignposted nearby whisky, golf and castle trails of Speyside.

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Fort William

As featured in issue 20 of Scotland Correspondent this jewell in the crown of Hostelling Scotland has recently been refurbished to provide a mix of private en-suite rooms and shared accommodation with all the comforts and modern conveniences of a home from home.

Destination - Scotland

The Chester Hotel Aberdeen

Trump International

Balmedie, Aberdeenshire MacLeod House & Lodge is a five-star luxury hotel located near Balmedie, Aberdeenshire at Trump International Championship Links Golf Course and award-winning five-star resort.

As featured in issue 20 of Scotland Correspondent.

This historic Scottish mansion and lodge, set amid mature woodland, provides sumptuous accommodation, exquisite dining and an intimate bar. Available for exclusive use, corporate events and weddings it has all the facilities and amenities to suit the modern, traveller.

Situated in the heart of Aberdeen’s historic west end The Chester Hotel, with its 50 luxurious bedrooms and suites, renowned restaurant and stylish lounge bar, is ideally placed for accessing some of the most exciting and challenging golf courses Scotland has to offer.

As featured in issue 19 of Scotland Correspondent.

It provides a perfect base to explore the north-east with its abundance of castles, whisky distilleries and breath-taking scenery.

59-63 Queen’s Road Aberdeen, AB15 4YP. T: 01224 327777 Reservations@chester-hotel.com www.chester-hotel.com

Fingal

Edinburgh The former Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) tender, MV Fingal, is Scotland’s first floating hotel, complete with Presidential suit - as featured in issue 31 of Scotland Correspondent.

Now berthed permanently at the Prince of Wales Dock in the historic Port of Leith, it is a unique addition to Edinburgh’s booming hotel scene.

Developed by The Royal Yacht Britannia each of Fingal’s 23 luxury cabins are each named after Stevenson lighthouses, inspired by her rich maritime heritage.

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