Contents
p3
Dominic Roskrow goes head to head with a top British journalist
Jeremy Clarkson is a British journalist who has made a name for himself on television for his knowledge of motoring and the motoring industry. He also writes for the Sunday Times in London and along w...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
From the Editor
p7
Roddy Martine talks...
I have a sister who lives in a quiet mews in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town and who was recently appalled when a journalist turned up on her doorstep to ask her if she knew where the murder had tak...
By Roddy Martine in the section
Roddy Martine's World
p12
Charles Douglas visits Haddo House, home to some colourful people
Haddo House is a magnificent 18th century palladian mansion designed in the north east of Scotland by the architect William Adam for William Gordon, 2nd Earl of Aberdeen. It was built on the site of t...
By Charles Douglas in the section
Historic Houses
p14
The fourth celebrity to pick a favourite place in his homeland is writer Iain Banks, with words and pictures by photographer Andy Hall
If asked to name Scotland’s most identifiable landmark, the Forth Rail Bridge would be near the top of many people’s lists.
On any journey to Edinburgh from the North, one that I make regularly, you ...
By Andy Hall in the section
Scenic Scotland
p16
John Hannavy taps in to the special atmosphere created by many ruined castles
Looking at the ruins of so many of our country’s great castles, the visitor today can often still pick up some of the resonance which lingers from the great sieges of Scotland’s turbulent past. That i...
By John Hannavy in the section
Scottish Castles
p18
Scottish wildcats are extremely rare, but it's still possible to spot them if you're patient enough, says Graham Holilday
By 1880, the wildcat was extinct in England, Wales and the south of Scotland due to human persecution and habitat destruction. Many wildlife buffs and hillwalkers spend a lifetime wandering the wilder...
By Graham Holiday in the section
Scottish Wildlife
p20
James Irvine Robertson looks at the strange case of Lord Darnley - King Henry - who was a victim of political intrigue and murder
It was such a pity that neither Mary of Scotland nor Elizabeth of England had been born a man. Everyone knew theirs would have been a match made in heaven as well as on earth.
Both queens regretted i...
By James Irvine Robertson in the section
Scottish History
p22
Roddy Martine, author of the book supernatural Scotland, picks Scotland's ten most haunted places
Through the violence of its history, and the contrasts of its landscape, Scotland ideally lends itself to haunting.
Haunting is universal. Every story has its stories of phantoms and psychic phenome...
By Roddy Martine in the section
Exploring Scotland
p28
The outer Hebrides have become a haven for artists inspired by the contrasts and isolation of the islands. Ian Sclater travelled to meet them
Forty miles off the northwest coast of Scotland, the remote and sparsely populated Outer Hebrides are home to a colony of talented artists who have been drawn to the area by the unique light and lands...
By Ian Sclater in the section
Scottish Art
p32
Many of Scotland's historical sites are worth a visit, but whatif you had to pick a select few? David Gordon tries to do just that
Aguide to historical buildings would not be complete without mentioning a certain national symbol situated on a hill in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Castle is the most visited attraction in Scotland. The old...
By David Gordon in the section
Scotland's Heritage
p36
Hiring a car but not sure where to go? Tony Troon offers two more routes that should last about half a day and take you through contrasting areas of Scotland's beautiful landscape.
NORTHEAST: Dornoch,
Brora, Bonar Bridge.
The only problem about leaving Dornoch is just that: the leaving of it. This is a town of such charm.
But this 70-mile circular route through the firthlands a...
By Tony Troon in the section
Scottish Journeys
p40
James Irvine Robertson continues his series on the great clans of Scotland. This issue:The Campbells
In 1822, the great Highland historian David Stewart of Garth wrote: “It is rather humiliating for those who have made politics their sole study to find that no less art, sagacity, address and courage ...
By James Irvine Robertson in the section
Scottish Clans
p42
Scotland's disused Victorian railways have reinvented themselves as venues for shopping, eating, sleeping and guarding our cultural heritage. Kate Patrick knows her station.
There are railway stations with bland ticket machines, draughty, grey platforms and empty cardboard coffee cups - they're the ones still in working order. Then there are those which are restored, attr...
By Kate Patrick in the section
Scottish Shopping
p46
Roddy Martine has spent most of his life in Edinburgh and loves it. Here he explains why.
When I first arrived in Edinburgh as a 12-year old schoolboy, my first impression of the Scottish capital was of skylines.
I had never really noticed the skies in England where I had previously lived...
By Roddy Martine in the section
Regional Focus
p55
Sue Lawrence turns her attentions to one of Scotland's best loved and most important natural products
One cold frosty spring morning, I was lucky enough to see oats being milled in the old-fashioned way at the Montgarrie Mills near Alford, Aberdeenshire.
High above the roaring coal fire and under the...
By Sue Lawrence in the section
Scottish Food
p58
Relax a while, forget the rush and hurry of train and plane, and join Sara Wilson on a steam boat
Transport has come on leaps and bounds over the last 100 years. We’ve seen the decline of trams and the ascent of skateboards, and it now takes just 30 minutes to get from Aberdeen to Glasgow if we ho...
By Sara Wilson in the section
Exploring Scotland
p62
In association with HotelReviewScotland.com
OROCCO PIER
17 High Street, South
Queensferry, by Edinburgh
Tel: +44 (0)131 331 1298
You don’t have to stay in the city centre to enjoy Edinburgh. Why not stay a few miles away by the seaside? Orocco...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Best of Scotland
p64
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 bras...
By Kate Ennis in the section
Best of Scotland
p66
Mairi MacDonald visits Loch Torridon Country House Hotel
Many years ago Lord Lovelace, a few friends, his ghillie and a handful of staff would set out with a pony or two around the head of the loch to the shooting lodge Beinn Damph for an annual event.
The...
By Mairi MacDonald in the section
Best of Scotland
p68
There are worse ways to explore Scotland's west coast than by travelling in a flotilla. Richard Jones went on the classic malts cruise
It was a Talisker moment. Standing on the summit of a fern-strewn hill, almost embarrassingly modest in stature by local standards, with one of Scotland’s finest single malt whiskies in our hands.
Th...
By Richard Jones in the section
Exploring Scotland