SCOPE A travel and culture guide.
Issue 1 A/W ‘14
Welcome to the first issue of...
SCOPE ... a magazine that aims to provide each of its readers with a sense of wanderlust. This publication has scoped out lesser-known locations that burst with local tradition, talent and beauty throughout the UK. This publication can also be used as an insightful and unique travel guide that celebrates a rural lifestyle and local culture in an environmentally friendly way. SCOPE Magazine has been designed in a practical manner to have excellent durability whilst you travel, including hidden pockets in the rear page where your travel documents can be kept safe and secure with you at all times. This particular issue focuses on small rural areas near and around the vicinity of the city of Edinburgh shown through an anthology of creative voices, from interviews to reviews and creative pieces. Each location has been sourced out and researched with care to show you the idyllic tranquility of Scotland: from a small fishing village to a country paradise in the Scottish borders. I hope that you will enjoy this issue and take it with you on your journeys.
Contents Page
CRAIL
4
Crail Pottery
5
The Lobster Hut
9
ABERFELDY
15
Birks Cinema
16
Highland Chocolatier
19
MELROSE
25
Townhouse Hotel
26
Thomas the Rhymer
29
Edinburgh Now becoming a renowned world destination, the capital of Scotland has been a favourite for numerous city guides and a number one location for an array of reviews, from restaurants to hotels. With a vast history, this city has constantly expanding and growing – here at SCOPE, we want to step away from the cities and focus on the countryside and its beauty that has become lost in this modern era‌
ABERFELDY
Aberfeldy
Distance from Edinburgh: 3hr10 Local Routes Train: Dunkeld & Birnam Bus: Number 23 + M91
ABERFELDY
Birks Cinema
Words by: Stephanie Burt
As you enter through the large double doors a contemporary style café that seats 64 people greets you open until 7.30pm from Sundays to Thursdays and 8.30pm for Fridays and Saturdays, with a fully kitted out bar that remains open until 10.30pm every night. Here you are welcome to enjoy a nice meal and/or a cocktail before your choice of entertainment – whether that is one of the independent art films that are more commonly shown, or to enjoy one of the live Celtic acoustic music sessions that occur every Thursday night as well as the chance to view interactive exhibitions in 3D and live ballet productions in the various screens that seat only 100 people collectively. •
ABERFELDY
Placed in the center of the small town of Aberfeldy lies the local cinema filled with a history, this building contains true character – from being locals’ house, to a cinema, to a local amusement arcade. The Birks Cinema, despite this history of renovating and changing still embraces the architectural decadence of the art-deco movement from when it was opened in the summer of 1939, as it stands out from the rest of the town with it’s bright white walls and large metal plaque reading ‘Birks Cinema’ that gleams in the sunlight.
ABERFELDY
Words by: Stephanie Burt Images Courtesy of: Highland Chocolatier Illustration by: Rhys Smitti
ABERFELDY
The Highland Chocolatier
In the heart of a glen in the Scottish mountains lies a quaint little shop, built from an old horse stable. As you enter through the little garden with rusting summer table and chair sets accompanied by the creaking of little bird feeders, a chocolate heaven awaits you - taking every visiting individual on a journey of a nostalgic thrive and excitement whilst walking through the Highland Chocolatier’s original store.
ABERFELDY
SCOPE Magazine interviewed Julie Collier, the Marketing Director of the Highland Chocolatier - a luxury chocolate brand that was founded by Head Chocolatier, Iain Bennett. Having won dozens of awards on their renowned chocolates and recently opening their second store in Saint Andrews, we seek out the answers on everything - Iain’s inspirations to what’s in store for this renowned luxury chocolate brand.
The family are originally from the Isle of Mull where they had a hospitality business for 35 years. Eventually, the family moved away from Mull and decided to come and live in Aberfeldy – whilst they were living here, this place in Grandtully was up for sale and it was nothing like it is now; it was decided that this was to be bought to make something of this area, and to leave it as an inheritance property for the three sons, one of whom is Iain. The family then began to build this place up with hardly any idea of what they were going to do. S: How did you become introduced into Chocolatier? Iain has got a degree in Product and Engineering Design so he was always fascinated with detail and precision. He studied in Glasgow and travelled all over the world. Whilst travelling in Japan, Iain came across a Chocolatier who was incredible and thought there’s nothing like this back home. This was the initial idea and the start of his career. When he came back home he told the rest of the family about this and they decided that this place could lend itself and be good for tourism. It was pure luck, being in the right place at the right time, it all fell into place. When Iain arrived back home from travelling, they commenced the renovation project and that was that. S: What is the process for finding and sourcing his flavours and designs? Believe it or not, it’s not just Iain who decides on the new designs and flavours; we have a senior management team and that includes Administration, Sales, Marketing, Managing Director, our Web Administrator and our Retail Manager and those five people sit down every week and have a brainstorming session for new fresh ideas, in terms of marketing and products. A recent example of this is with our new Passion fruit and Mango chocolate in Madagascan white vanilla, we all thought it was about time we did something new. Due to the fact that I am in sales, my job is to be aware with all new trends that goes on in the outside world, thus I suggested suggested some interesting flavours that have become popular.
ABERFELDY
S: What made you decide to open your business up here, in the middle of the Scottish countryside?
In terms of the design, people tend to copy our designs, so we have started to do our own designs incorporating the logo – each time, Iain begins to sketch ideas and then creates the final product. The whole process is really a group decision – it has to focus on the brand without doubt, the brand is number one and product is next. S: What inspires him the most with his work? His attention to detail, no doubt about it. It is interesting that he found his inspiration and career choice in Japan, which really fits Iain’s brief and brand; his wife is an artist and when they were in Japan that was probably a very successful period for them both, artistically. If you look at our packaging and designs – it really is beautiful, the recent packaging, consisting of a black box with gold typography is evident with Japanese influence. This influence is consistent with all of our products; the designs on the chocolates for example, are very delicate, like apple blossom trees and birds, evoking the classic fine and detailed Japanese artwork that is so well known. But anything with strong detail is inspiration; Iain is a perfectionist and anything that goes through the door needs to be perfect before production. In terms of packaging, product, flavour and design the attention to detail is everything. S: Why do you think this profession is in high demand? They are many reasons, but what’s interesting is in times of recession we always do very well - we find, that a lot of people come and treat themselves, that’s where we do really well as its easier for clients to justify this spending. A lot of it is gourmet food in general is on the rise – people are now wanting to spend a little more but appreciate food more and take their time over it; food awareness and healthy eating has become massive over the recent years.
ABERFELDY
Iain then researched it and looked more into it; we felt we needed something that was quite fresh and fruity – we do already have fruity flavours in our ranges such as the citrus lime, but the company needed another flavour to complement that.
ABERFELDY
Whereas the Highland Chocolatier has gone back to it’s roots to what chocolate used to be like and what it used to taste like by only using one source. This is why we do so well, because we stick to our brands aesthetic and ethos of producing our good quality chocolate. We always say once you’ve tried this quality of chocolate, you can never go back. What do you see happening for the future of the ‘Highland Chocolatier’? A lot of it is just to focus on our marketing strategy, developing our brand and taking it further in terms of awareness and getting creative of how to take the company further. A massive part of our strategy is our website, and since over a year ago when we started to supply for British Airways First Class Cabins worldwide, we redeveloped and redesigned our website. Because of this increase of produce, the website is the face of our brand and a massive part of our growth and we need to keep developing that more and more. From a retail point of view I think that we need to expand our retail offering, so we have this store, St. Andrews that we launched exactly a year ago, and we sell in Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh and have been there for the past 4/5 years. We aren’t obviously aiming to be the next Thornton’s or Hotel Chocolat in terms of expansion, but I do believe that there are various sites around the UK that we could seriously consider – if you look at the demographics, areas like Harrogate, the Cotswolds or even Poole in Dorset are key focal points where we could possibly open stores. From a corporate point of view, there is an on-going process to grow, but more recently a huge part of our business is corporate – including our work with an array of whisky companies. Collaborations are excellent for growth; despite doing a small amount of exporting we aren’t focused on exporting worldwide currently. Unfortunately because the Grandtully store is a conservation site we cannot do any more expanding and extensions, but that allows us to stretch our creativity by making the most of what little space we have that we constantly continue to do so. •
ABERFELDY
A lot of my presentations I do, I start the presentation by saying this is probably the first time you’ve eaten chocolate and they can’t comprehend that all they eat normally is a sweet confection known as chocolate however it contains additives, preservatives, colourings and flavourings.
CRAIL
Crail
Distance from Edinburgh: 2hr25 Local Routes Train: Leuchers Bus: Number 95
CRAIL
The Crail Pottery
Words & Images by: Stephanie Burt
S: Have you always been passionate about pottery?
S: Can you tell me a bit about the history of Crail Pottery? The full history of our pottery can be seen on our website at www.crailpottery.com but it was established in 1965 by my parents, Carol and Stephen Grieve and has been a family business ever since. S: Could you elaborate more about the Earthenware and Ceramic branches of Crail Pottery? In 1996 I started my own business “Crail Ceramics” whilst my brother Ben and his wife Jane introduced “Crail Earthenware” so we work simultaneously in the pottery. Despite this, all the potters work independently yet share a showroom. It gives everyone the freedom to create what each of us want. S: What inspires you the most with your work? I am inspired by the beautiful landscape around me, like the sea, fish and flowers. Also, every form of pottery is influential to my work and designs, be it ancient and modern. Also various occurrences in daily life give me inspiration – for example I received some new drinking glasses that are a nice fat shape and nice to hold, this ergonomic and practical shape inspired me to create the silhouette for our mugs.
CRAIL
My parents are potters so I grew up in the business. I’ve been potting since I was big enough to sit on the wheel, about 3 years old. So, yes I’ve always been passionate about pottery.
I make around 5000 pots a year but mugs are the most popular. In terms of design, Americans love my thistle design, Scots like my “East Neuk” design which features the sea and the little cottages of the Neuk. I also sell lots of bowls, jugs, candle pots, jam pots, butter dishes, salad sets, breadbaskets, plates and teapot stands. You name it and I probably make it! S: Do you think that pottery and ceramics is still a popular profession; whether in Scotland or the whole UK? I don’t think there are many full time potters around that are making a living. It’s quite a hard thing to get into these days; I don’t think there are any “Throwing” courses at colleges any more. Art courses are becoming less practical. S: What is your favourite thing to do in Crail, or in the near vicinity when you aren’t working? When I’m not working I love to walk the coastal path, maybe to Anstruther for fish and chips, go kayaking, rowing or out in our motorboat with my family, we often see dolphins in the Forth. The East Neuk is a magical place to live, we feel lucky to be able to call it home. •
CRAIL
S: What are your most popular pieces?
CRAIL
CRAIL
The Lobster Hut
Words & Images by: Stephanie Burt Illustration by: Rhys Smitti
CRAIL
“The harbour wall has stood for centuries And enclosed the water deep and still As I watch the fishing boats return with their catch There are yet more dreams here to fulfil.
You don’t need a reason to visit To escape or to rest or atone No matter the excuse to return each time Crail has become a home from home.” (Anonymous)
Choose to sit by the harbour walls or relax on the beach around the corner where you open your own bottle of wine that you bring with you prior to ordering, and watch the hustle and bustle of the small quaint fishing village of Crail, with the vast amount of sailing boats and kayaks out on the open waters with the cool sea breeze and the faint scent of fresh produce being delivered off the fishing boats. •
CRAIL
As you walk down towards the small local harbour, the Lobster Hut awaits – a small shack that has a couple of benches outside looking out towards the brisk North Sea, and always surrounded by a queue of locals and tourists alike that stretches around the harbour walls. When it is finally your turn to step up and order, you are directed towards a large tank with a variety of seafood, from where you pick your meal, as it is cooked and dressed in front of you to perfection.
CRAIL
CRAIL
MELROSE
Melrose
Distance from Edinburgh: 2hr Local Routes Bus: Number 67 + 8A + 68
MELROSE
Townhouse Hotel
Words by: Stephanie Burt Images courtesy of: The Townhouse
MELROSE
There are two dining choices including a modern and stylish formal restaurant and a relaxed brasserie, allowing you to taste the excellent food of your preference. The hotel’s concierge can arrange an array of activities for guests, including shooting, fishing and quad biking in order for you to experience the true Scottish countryside. The Townhouse extends a welcoming atmosphere that goes hand-in-hand with the town of Melrose, and its strong sense of community. This allows you to enjoy an authentically Scottish visit, intertwined with the rustic charm and personal touch of this beautiful hotel. •
MELROSE
In the heart of Melrose, lies a small contemporary hotel hidden behind a façade of semidetached housing. The Townhouse remains privately owned – this privacy is continuous throughout the intimate setting, with only 11 en-suite rooms, all individually designed for a unique style and character.
MELROSE
Thomas the Rhymer
Words by: Stephanie Burt
A radiant aura burst through the greenery as the Queen of Elfland greeted Thomas on a gleaming white horse. She cast a spell upon him as she guided him deep into the hollow of the Eildon Hills, through the entrance of the Fairy Otherworld, where he served under her command for many years. After time passed Thomas was released back into the mortal realm; as he adjusted to his old way of life Thomas began to discover more powers that he received from the Queen of Elfland. He became incapable to ever tell a lie, thus becoming locally known as ‘True Thomas’, as well as being able to foresee the future and accurately predicted the death of King Alexander III. Some say that he became immortal and still lives in the Hills of Eildon, gathering the horses for the sleeping kings that rest in the depths of the Fairy Otherworld – waiting to return to the mortal world to aide Scotland in times of need. •
MELROSE
A few hundred years ago lived Thomas of Ercildoune in the quaint rolling green hills of the Scottish Borders. One day, Thomas sat by the Eildon Tree near Melrose – in the distance a faint chime of silver bells echoed through the countryside accompanied by the rhythm of horses’ hooves.
Next time... In issue 2 we will be focusing on rural destinations near the vicinity of Manchester and Inverness - from hidden hamlets in the depths of the Highlands, to stunning seaside towns that embrace the British summers.