Scotland Magazine author Kate Ennis

Flying high

To make the journey to your Scottish destination a pleasurable part of your trip, Kate Ennis advises taking the modes of transport that can re-inject some of that old-fashioned travel glamour.

The sight of the seaplane gently touching down on the waters of the River Clyde recalled that glorious era of travel in the 1940s and 1950s, when aeroplanes were new and exciting and travel felt glamorous. It was a time when men sported hats and carried smart leather trunks, while the women wore fur...

Scotland Travel from Issue 36 published on 14/12/2007

A brush with art

Artist holidays are a great way to get creative and experience Scotland’s outdoors. Kate Ennis reports

Artists have always had a canny knack of making their craft look so effortless. That may explain why art programmes on television enjoy such large and loyal audiences – watch close enough and the secret of how to recreate such visually appealing paintings may be revealed. Bob Ross on his enduring Jo...

Scotland Breaks from Issue 35 published on 15/11/2007

Five of the best art holidays in Scotland

Artaquarius South Banks House, Portencross, near West Kilbride, Ayrshire Weekend art breaks, which run on specific weekends from May to September, are ideal if you want to incorporate a short three-day painting course within a longer holiday to Scotland. South Banks House, where guests will be ba...

Scotland Breaks from Issue 35 published on 15/11/2007

Snap happy

Scotland is one of the most picturesque places in the world, so Kate Ennis gets some insider information on how to capture it on camera

Postcards of inspiring vistas to make friends and relatives back home envious of your holiday destination are never in short supply in Scotland. It has to be one of the most picturesque countries in the world, with its contrast of sweeping landscapes and dramatic lighting, which is why the great Sco...

Scottish Landscapes from Issue 33 published on 22/06/2007

Whisky island paradise (Jura)

A new luxury lodge on the Isle of Jura is the perfect place to relax and discover the island's whisky made just next door, as Kate Ennis discovers

One of the joys of visiting Jura is in how difficult it is just to get there in the first place. From Glasgow, the journey equates to a three-hour drive and two-hour ferry ride to Islay, or taking a gamble on the unreliable small plane service, proceeded by a drive to another ferry before you even s...

Best of Scotland from Issue 32 published on 13/04/2007

Culture on the Clyde

Glasgow may not be the obvious destination in Europe for a cultural city break but it has enough art, architecture and style to rival the likes of Barcelona argues Kate Ennis

When picking a destination in Europe for a cultural city break, Paris with its wealth of art galleries or Barcelona with its fabulous Gaudi architecture, instantly spring to mind. Where else would you find such a rich tapestry of buildings dominated by the legacy of renowned architects, a city pack...

Regional Focus from Issue 15 published on 18/7/2004

Glasgow and the Clyde Valley

The best places to visit, stay and eat, by Kate Ennis

What to do and see Central Glasgow Clydebuilt King’s Inch Road The Scottish Maritime Museum’s newest attraction tells the story of Glasgow and the Clyde from tobacco to shipbuilding. Tel: +44 (0)141 886 1013 Glasgow Cathedral Cathedral Square One of the most magnificent buildings of medieval Scot...

Regional Focus from Issue 15 published on 18/7/2004

Searching for Shirrapburn

One of the most popular paintings in the National Gallery of Scotland,
Shirrapburn Loch.

One of the most popular paintings in the National Gallery of Scotland, Shirrapburn Loch, a landscape by William Dyce, has for years proved a mystery to art experts who have tried to name the real Scottish location that inspired the scene. So Helen Smailes, the senior curator of British art at the N...

Scottish Antiques from Issue 15 published on 18/7/2004

Morris tapestry sells for £180,000

The rising interest in pieces from the arts and crafts movement was reinforced recently at a Decorative Arts auction in Edinburgh held by Lyon and Turnbull.

The rising interest in pieces from the arts and crafts movement was reinforced recently at a Decorative Arts auction in Edinburgh held by Lyon and Turnbull. A rare tapestry by William Morris, the most renowned pioneer of the arts and crafts style, sold for £180,000 ($310,000). The tapestry, entitl...

Scottish Antiques from Issue 15 published on 18/7/2004

Exhibition previews

Paolozzi at 80 and Anne Redpath and the Edinburgh School

Paolozzi at 80 29th May – 31st October 2004 Eduardo Paolozzi is one of Scotland’s leading living artists. He celebrated his 80th birthday this year, and the first major retrospective of his work is now on display in Edinburgh. The Leith-born sculptor, best known for his giant foot sculpture outside...

Scottish Antiques from Issue 15 published on 18/7/2004

Glasgow's gourmet gem

Kate Ennis samples one of Glasgow's finest restaurants

If you take a taxi from central Glasgow to The Buttery – one of the city’s best restaurants – for the first time, the journey may take you somewhat by surprise. First you bypass the sleek modern brasseries of the city centre, and then you head out towards the busy motorway. But you are not headed ...

Best of Scotland from Issue 14 published on 2/5/2004

'Singing butler' set to go for a song

A news round up from the Scottish art and antiques world, by Kate Ennis

Demand for the work of controversial artist Jack Vettriano has been so great in recent times that last year alone, top auctioneers Sotheby’s broke the auction record for the artist no less than three times. One of these record breakers was a small study for Vettriano’s most iconic image – The Singi...

Scottish Antiques from Issue 13 published on 25/3/2004

For Queen and Country

The Atholl Highlanders are the sole private army in Europe so it's only right they help to safeguard one of Scotland's greatest treasures - Blair Castle. Kate Ennis reports

Talk about a reception! As we approached the majestic white turreted building that is Blair Castle, we were met by formidable kilted men brandishing bayonets. Luckily they weren’t hostile. The 10 men standing in formation were members of the Atholl Highlanders – an army first formed in 1778 who wer...

Historic Houses from Issue 12 published on 19/1/2004

Live like a Laird

Scotland is the ideal destination if you want to enjoy a truly luxurious holiday. Kate Ennis went and sample the high life.

Few countries are better than Scotland when it comes to owning a country estate. Traditionally commanding the top land in the locality, lairds have always enjoyed the best of Scotland’s breathtaking natural beauty, from mountains to forests and rocky rivers to cliff tops. Their homes, as stunning a...

Scottish Holidays from Issue 11 published on 17/11/2003

An affair of the art

ON ST VALENTINE’S DAY, KATE ENNIS SET OFF TO MEET THE HUGELY SUCCESSFUL SCOTTISH ARTIST WITH LOVE ON HIS MIND, JACK VETTRIANO

It is not perhaps the most likely scene for a meeting with Scotland’s most successful contemporary artist – a frosty Valentine’s Day morning in a picturesque English village on the outskirts of Oxford. I am filled with apprehension and excitement, of that giddy feeling before embarking on a date. An...

Contemporary Scotland from Issue 8 published on 17/5/2003