Scotland Magazine Issue 30

Open all seasons

Sally Toms suggests Scotland’s summer visitors are missing out

The majority of Scotland’s visitors arrive between May and September. They experience the country’s mildest weather and possibly 50 different kinds of rain, but what about the rest of the year? Are th...

By Sally Toms in the section From the Editor

A happy union

Let me first emphasise that there is no political agenda in my writing this, but it recently occurred to me, as I was listening to a speech from Alec Salmond, leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party,...

By Roddy Martine in the section Roddy Martine's World

Banchory’s hidden gem (Crathes Castle)

Crathes Castle is a 16th century castle in Scotland’s Grampian region. Charles Douglas visited it

Situated 14 miles south of Aberdeen is Crathes Castle, the oldest part dating from 1583. Now within the portfolio of the National Trust for Scotland, it ranks as one the five so-called Castles of Mar ...

By Charles Douglas in the section Historic Houses

A changing Skye

John Hannavy visits the beautiful island of Skye

To many people, the opening of the Skye Bridge a decade ago did something irreparable to Skye’s island status. Before 1995, there were only three ways of getting there – and they all required getting ...

By John Hannavy in the section Scottish Islands

Wild mountain sanctuary (Cairngorms)

The Cairngorms is Britain’s largest national park and is home to a quarter of its threatened birds, animals and plants. Graham Holliday reports

Scotland is home to two of Britain’s 14 national parks. The Cairngorms National Park, which opened in September 2003, is the newest and the largest. It’s twice as big as Loch Lomond and the Trossachs,...

By Graham Holliday in the section Scottish Nature

Meet the Romans

Ian R Mitchell looks at where you can find traces of the Roman invasions of Caledonia, the only territory their legions failed to conquer

Scotland’s Antonine Wall is currently the subject of an application that it be added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites existing in Scotland, these already include Edinburgh’s Old and New Town...

By Ian R Mitchell in the section Scottish History

John Barrowman

Christopher Fisher meets Captain Jack from sci-fi television series Doctor Who, now starring in his own spin-off series Torchwood

Tell us about your five favourite places in Scotland. “I would say Glasgow over any other major city. I was born there and for me it has everything, and the people are really friendly and welcoming. ...

By Christopher Fisher in the section Celebrity Scotland

A perfect day (Edinburgh)

Edinburgh is one of the world’s great capital cities, and its sites well documented. Dominic Roskrow plans an indulgent and less obvious day out there

Some cities simply look after themselves. They are so familiar from photographs and travel programmes that you feel you know them before you ever set foot there. And a few – Prague, Paris, London, Mil...

By Dominic Roskrow in the section Regional Focus

Edinburgh & the Lothians

Where to eat, visit and stay in Edinburgh & the Lothians

Where to Eat Bonar’s Haddington, East Lothian Quality French cooking in a polite environment. Tel: +44 (0)1620 822 100 Creel Dunbar, East Lothian Small and intimate harbour restaurant. Tel: +44 (0)1...

By in the section Regional Focus

Stirling stuff (Smith Art Gallery and Museum)

Museums and galleries rank among the most visited attractions in Scotland, but what makes them so appealing? In the first of a new series, Roddy Martine visits the Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling to find out

Art galleries and museums can be dull places, but not when you have an inspirational individual in charge. One such individual is Dr Elspeth King who in the past was not only responsible for revitalis...

By Roddy Martine in the section Scotland Museums

That something special (Kilcamb Lodge)

Sally Toms visits Kilcamb Lodge, a luxurious country house hotel in Argyll

What do you look for in a holiday? If it’s peace, tranquillity and spectacular scenery then we’re going to let you in on a secret; the west coast peninsulas are the place to be. Travelling north by ...

By Sally Toms in the section Best of Scotland

Written in the blood (Auld Alliance)

The Auld Alliance was an ancient series of treaties that allied Scotland and France against their mutual enemy. James Irvine Robertson reports

‘Gardy loo’ was the famous shout from the upper floors of the Edinburgh tenements. It behoved the pedestrian to be quick on their feet, as it presaged a shower of effluent from a chamber pot onto the ...

By James Irvine Robertson in the section Scottish History

The first resort (St Andews)

An ideal family winter break? Kate Patrick thinks she may have discovered it, and right on her doorstep too

If you are reading this from Miami or Santa Monica you might be only marginally interested in our nation’s winter holiday predicament. You have Baja and the Caribbean on your doorsteps, complete with ...

By Kate Patrick in the section Best of Scotland

Island Jewel (Tiree)

Fiona Russell travels to the Hebridean island of Tiree to find out what makes it so special

Standing at the highest point on the Isle of Tiree it is difficult to believe I’m still in Scotland. The tiny hill of Ben Hynish, at just 141 metres above sea level, stands in stark contrast to the m...

By Fiona Russell in the section Scottish Islands

Souper Suppers

Nothing fills you up more than a hearty bowl of soup. Sue Lawrence provides some traditional Scots recipes

It might have been a day of sledging down the street, all muffled up in woolly hats and gloves to keep out the winter chill. Or a day of clambering over haystacks in the fields behind the garden, when...

By Sue Lawrence in the section Scottish Food

To conquer or die (Macdougal)

James Irvine Robertson turns his attention to one of the oldest clans in Scotland, the clan Macdougall

Son of the Black Stranger is the meaning of Macdougall. It is doubtful whether the original of the clan was that dark and he was certainly not that strange since his family had been amongst the most p...

By James Irvine Robertson in the section Scottish Clans

Hedging in the borders

Paul Kirkwood tries two contrasting bike rides in the south of Scotland

I was in the Borders with a bicycle and a day to spare but I couldn’t make up my mind which route to take. Should I do what I usually do and go for a gentle on-road tour of the countryside, or be a bi...

By Paul Kirkwood in the section Scottish Cycling

Painting the town red (Vermilion Restaurant)

Rob Allanson dines at Vermilion Restaurant beneath the iconic Scotsman Hotel, Edinburgh

Edinburgh has plenty of tucked away, intimate restaurants for that perfect dinner rendezvous or relaxing lunch. One of the best is to be found hidden away deep in the vaults of the stunning Scotsman ...

By Rob Allanson in the section Best of Scotland

Iron road to the Isles

In the latest part of our series looking at how you can get around Scotland by train, Mark Nicholls heads to the west coast and makes Fort William his departure point

Travelling around the region from Fort William by train takes you through some of the most spectacular rail scenery to be found anywhere in Scotland. The route south carves a path across the bleaknes...

By Mark Nicholls in the section Scotland by Train

Scott in Mull and Iona (Sir Walter Scott)

The latest in our series by Ian Mitchell charting Sir Walter Scott’s travels around the Scottish islands

Almost everything Scott had seen had been new to him, since he had left Edinburgh in 1814 on the vessel of the Northern Light-House Commissioners, sailing to Shetland and then to the Hebrides. But co...

By Ian Mitchell in the section Scott's Islands

Relaxation Nation

In association with HotelReviewScotland.com

Mar Hall near Glasgow Tel: +44 (0)141 812 9999 Mar Hall is a historic property on the rural banks of the River Clyde and yet it’s handy for both Glasgow International Airport and the city itself. Rat...

By in the section Best of Scotland

The tragic queen (Mary Queen of Scots)

In the latest part of our series looking at legendary Scottish characters, Mark Nicholls looks at where to find out more about Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Queen of Scots was a woman who spent much of her life on the move: for political and religious reasons; being pursued by rival Scottish lords; secreted away for her own safety; or on extensive “p...

By Mark Nicholls in the section Scottish Legends

Planes, trains and automobiles

Visiting some of the most remote and beautiful spots in the world remains a challenge. But as Dominic Roskrow reports, the options are much better than they were

Whatever your views on the rights and wrongs of cheap airline travel, there can be no doubting that for small and more remote countries such as Scotland, they have been a Godsend. Where once a journe...

By Dominic Roskrow in the section Scottish Travel

Everything you need to know about...Tartan

This issue, Roddy Martine reveals the history of tartan

What is so particularly extraordinary about tartan is that it is historically unique to Scotland. Nobody else seems to have come up with the idea. That said, the sight of Mel Gibson portraying a tart...

By Roddy Martine in the section Scottish Clothing