The perfect ending

Dominic Roskrow is standing down as editor of Scotland Magazine. But he is going out on a high

This is my last issue as Editor of Scotland Magazine after four wonderful years of telling people about the country’s many, many highpoints.

I am not leaving Scotland behind altogether – much of my future is tied up with its greatest product, whisky. But if I had to choose a way to go out then this last month would have been it.

Regular readers will know all about my love of Scotland’s islands and in particular Orkney and Islay. So to visit both in my final month at the helm has been a total delight.

The trip to Orkney took place while the nights remained partially light, so after a wonderful meal at the renowned Creel – my previous two attempts to eat there had been stopped by weather – our party decided it would be fun to play midnight golf.

Call me an old kill-joy but I preferred to sit on a wall with a bottle of Scapa whisky and listen to the laughter and the odd squeal of pain as a ball hit a body in the darkness.

Much more to my liking was the following day’s trip on a boat over Scapa Flow, where we watched as a robotic diving unit descended in to the ocean and showed us a German wreck, part of the scuppered First World War navy that rests in its gloomy depths.

On the way back we hugged the shore and watched grey and common seals with their pups. Numbers have been down this year, we were told, because of the large number of orcas – killer whales – in Scottish waters. We didn’t see any of the great beasts but we couldn’t have been more contented. Can it get any better than this?

Actually, yes. When the sun shines on Islay and the wind gets up, then for me only the west coast of Auckland in New Zealand can match sitting on the wall at Bowmore distillery for pure beauty and drama. The wind skips across the sea, whipping up small terrier-like waves that come towards you in sun-glitter and sea spray.

Bowmore is a pretty distillery anyway but when the sea is animated and the wind’s chill caresses your face then it is hard to imagine feeling more alive and energised. I could sit there for hours but Islay, tranquil as it may seem, demands your attention elsewhere.

On this trip I had been a guest of the producers of the heavily peated Laphroaig, one of the most amazing and impressive distilleries anywhere in the world. The barley is malted on site, just one of six Scottish distilleries where this happens, and traditional methods are used throughout. If you want an example how an emphasis on quality and craftsmanship can succeed in today’s disposable world, this is it.

I discovered and fell in love with these islands because of this job, but I was no newcomer to Scotland, having visited regularly since I was a small boy.

And in my first editorial I debated which of Edinburgh and Glasgow I preferred, being fond of both.

I may have somewhat revised my conclusion in four years, but I sign off with a quick word of praise for The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.

My wife’s aunt and uncle had their honeymoon in Scotland and went back there as part of their 50th wedding anniversary celebrations. My wife thought that tea at the Balmoral would be a nice treat. The hotel spoilt them rotten and they have not stopped speaking about the experience since.

I leave this post with the warmest of feelings towards Scotland and its people. And I hope every one of you experiences a part of what I have experienced in the last four years.

By Dominic Roskrow

Section : From the Editor

Page number : 3