Scotland Magazine Issue 25

Warriors true and proud

Scotland’s rugby team might have struggled in recent years but watching an international in Edinburgh is still a treat says Dominic Roskrow

The beginning of the end of winter in Great Britain comes when the rugby union six nations tournament starts. This is a traditional event involving Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales as well as Euro...

By Dominic Roskrow in the section From the Editor

Fondest memories of a legendary Highlander

Holiday brochures wax lyrical about locations and sunsets, but there is nothing to compete with first-hand memory. That is why I was so very delighted to discover that an anthology of the essays of Se...

By Roddy Martine in the section Roddy Martine's World

Pattack Falls – Strathmashie, Badenoch

Photographer Andy Hall captures the favourite place of accordonist and musical producer Phil Cunningham

Pattack Falls near Loch Laggan is a hidden secret of the Highlands. It is the favourite place of accordionist and musical producer, Phil Cunningham. Deceptively close to the road west from Dalwhinnie...

By Andy Hall in the section Scenic Scotland

Magic on Mull

Charles Douglas visits Torosay Castle on the Island of Mull

It provides an absorbing day-trip by ferry from the Argyllshire coastal town of Oban and back, but the attractions of the West Coast island of Mull deserve more time, if you can spare it. Caledonian M...

By Charles Douglas in the section Historic Houses

Scotland's lonely lake

Scotland has plenty of lochs but just one lake. Written and photographed by John Hannavy

No one seems quite clear as to why Menteith is a lake rather than a loch. It has been suggested that it was given the title because it “looks English” – but the steep mountains which partly surround i...

By John Hannavy in the section Scottish Waterways

A lament for Killicrankie

It was one of Scotland’s bloodiest conflicts but Killicrankie is often forgotten today. James Irvine Robertson reports

King James VII of Scotland and II of Great Britain was Catholic. His father Charles I had been found guilty of tyranny and decapitated in 1649 but the son believed himself to be the divinely appointed...

By James Irvine Robertson in the section Scottish History

Snakes alive

Not much can hurt you in Scotland, but the adder can, and as Graham Holliday reports, it’s much maligned as a result

The adder is Scotland’s only poisonous snake. As such it has earned a dubious reputation as a threatening animal. However, adders are very rarely dangerous. In the last 100 years only 12 people are k...

By Graham Holiday in the section Scottish Wildlife

Get on your bike

In a new series we look at journeys you can make in Scotland by bike. First up: Craig Whyte explores Cowal

The journey across Cowal doesn’t have to be done by bike, but there is no better way to explore the quiet roads and the intimate tangle of hill and sea loch that makes up this oftenforgotten corner of...

By Craig Whyte in the section Scottish Cycling

In search of perfect seafood

Mark Nicholls visits the world-famous Loch Fyne Oyster Bar and discovers the magic of Scotland’s Seafood Trail

Crouched in the shelter of the head of Loch Fyne, and the start of a long and winding peninsular that leads all the way down to the Mull of Kintyre, is a location that has become synonymous with the f...

By Mark Nicholls in the section Scottish Tours

Other worlds... (Orkney and Shetland)

The Shetland isles and the Orkney isles are both far enough away to have carved out unique personalities, but near enough to get to and enjoy easily. Dominic Roskrow reports

Of all Scottish destinations the Orkney isles and the Shetland isles are the most mystical, magical and exciting. Their location, far off the coast of Scotland in a sort of Nordic no man’s land, mean...

By Dominic Roskrow in the section Regional Focus

Tasteful hedonism

Prestonfield in Edinburgh is a study in opulence. Sally Toms stayed there

Just a short taxi ride away from central Edinburgh’s clatter of traffic and tourism, lies Prestonfield; a five star oasis of luxury quite unlike anything you’ve ever seen. To get there you pass throu...

By Sally Toms in the section Best of Scotland

A slice of paradise

The Loch Torridon Hotel takes some getting to, but as Dominic Roskrow finds out, it’s worth the effort

The journey from Inverness to Torridon in terms of miles isn’t that far – less than the distance from Aberdeen to Inverness. But as you make your way west and the roads become increasingly track-like...

By Dominic Roskrow in the section Best of Scotland

Small and perfectly formed

Arnot Tower Gardens are a slice of history. Cate Nelson-Shaw visited them

They say the best things come in small packages. Unobtrusively tucked away in a corner of Scotland’s Kingdom of Fife is a gem of a find. Built from the stuff of legends, yet relatively unheard of unt...

By Cate Nelson-Shaw in the section Best of Scotland

Making the most of the traditional fish supper

Sue Lawrence enjoys the hedonistic delights of fish and chips

Fish and chips used to be a simple order. In Scotland it was haddock and chips; in England cod and chips, with plaice or skate topping the bill in certain areas. There were also regional variations w...

By Sue Lawrence in the section Scottish Food

Historically haunted

Edinburgh’s underground vaults attract historians as well as mediums. Are the rumours true that this is the most haunted place in Britain? Marieke Smegen tries to find out

Edinburgh’s underground vaults have always intrigued me. It is incredible to think that they were created more than 200 years ago, and they are still standing. The vaults form the base of the South B...

By Marieke Smegen in the section Haunted Scotland

Warriors loyal and true (Munro)

The history of the Munro clan includes tales of witchcraft and strange rental payments. James Irvine Robertson reports

One of the surprising aspects of Highland clans is their variability. Some clans descended from Picts; others from French mercenaries. Some clan leaders were national figures who guided the destiny ...

By James Irvine Robertson in the section Scottish Clans

A source of inspiration

Scotland’s wild, rugged and mystic landscape has been the inspiration for a number of great creative minds. Mark Nicholls looks at the impact famous locations had upon them.

For writers, poets, composers and artists, it is so often the untamed natural landscape that inspires the finest work. Yet for others, it is the social fabric of a nation that leads to near genius. ...

By Mark Nicholls in the section Inspiring Scotland

From caverns to castles (Robert the Bruce)

Robert the Bruce is arguably Scotland’s greatest monarch, Mark Nicholls sets off on his trail

In a sheer and imposing cliff made of vivid stone, high above the River Kirtle in the south of Scotland, is the opening to a cold and dank cave. So legend has it, this was the lonely, desolate home of...

By Mark Nicholls in the section Scottish Legends

Hidden away on Harris

In the latest in our series Ian Mitchell visits st Clement's Church, at Rodel, Harris

The turf around the grandest medieval building in the Western Isles is green and springy, but inside the great structure, the stone is grey, cold and very different from, say, the warm sandstone of Io...

By Ian Mitchell in the section Scottish Islands

Art and antiques news

Sally Toms rounds up the latest shows and exhibitions

Exhibition of rarities is timely The oldest clockmaker in Edinburgh, James Ritchie & Son, has recently unveiled a collection of some of the rarest timepieces in Europe at the Shapes’ showroom in Edin...

By Sally Toms in the section Scottish Antiques