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| Friday 12th March 2010 |  | |||||||||||||
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Scotland Magazine Issue 9Published on 20/7/2003 Contents
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Hospitality HeavenDOMINIC ROSKROW has been travelling into Scotland’s heartlands in recent weeks. And he’s been amazed at how the country has changed I’m not really sure I should be telling you this, but whenever I go out to a bar or restaurant, I develop an unhealthy interest in the establishment’s serving staff, and its toilets. The washroom is ... By Dominic Roskrow in the section From the Editor
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A step forwardRoddy Martine talks... At the beginning of May, the Scottish electorate went to the polls to choose the political make-up of its Edinburgh-based parliament for the second time since its revival in 1999. As had been predicte... By Roddy Martine in the section Roddy Martine's World
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Fairytale SplendourCHARLES DOUGLAS EXPLORES THE SPLENDID AND BEAUTIFUL RESIDENCE Since the 18th century, the Sutherlands of Dunrobin Castle, near Golspie, have had a bad press. But that does not mean to say that they have largely deserved it. Unfortunately, memories in the Highlan... By Charles Douglas in the section Historic Houses
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Land of a thousand castlesWRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHN HANNAVY Scotland, in the minds of most of us, is defined by its rugged mountains and lochs, and by its spectacular castles. Just how many of them there actually are, probably nobody knows – and few have to ti... By John Hannavy in the section Scottish Castles
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Shaping the modern worldJAMES IRVINE-ROBERTSON EXAMINES THE PROLIFERATION OF GREAT MINDS AND IDEAS DURING THE 18TH-CENTURY ‘SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT’, WHICH HELPED SHAPE THE MODERN WORLD The 17th century was grim in Scotland. Civil wars racked the nation, and it ended with religious fundamentalism, mass starvation, a Dutch king on the throne and virtual bankruptcy. In 1696, an 18 year... By James Irvine Robertson in the section Scottish History
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Lets go spy a kiteGRAHAM HOLLIDAY EXPLAINS WHERE TO SPOT BIRD OF PREY THE RED KITE, ONCE EXTINCT BUT NOW SUCCESSFULLY RE-INTRODUCED TO SCOTLAND Red kites were once widespread in Scotland, but became extinct in the 1870s. The 1990s saw Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (the RSPB) team up to retur... By Graham Holiday in the section Scottish Wildlife
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Star of the silver screenSUSAN NICKALLS LOOKS AT THE RICHNESS OF THE SCOTTISH LANDSCAPES AND Films are big business nowadays, not just at the box office, but at the tourist office. Given the fantastical quality inherent in films, it isn’t surprising that an increasing number of people want to... By Susan Nickalls in the section Scotland on film
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Steel appealRODDY MARTINE PROFILES THE LIFE AND WORK OF FIFE-BORN VETERAN Sir David Steel’s retirement as the first presiding officer of the Scottish parliament in May is particularly significant since it indicates that, after four years, Scotland’s fledgling legislative as... By Roddy Martine in the section Scottish Politics
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The sky's the limitHOW BETTER TO ENJOY SCOTLAND’S LUSH LANDSCAPES THAN FROM A Imagine being handed a hot-air balloon on your birthday and not having a licence to fly it. An unlikely scenario? Well that’s just what happened to Graeme Houston one auspicious day in 1988, a day tha... By Louise Gilbert in the section Outdoor Scotland
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Love at first sightMADONNA’S WEDDING IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS BROUGHT TO A WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE WHAT MANY OF US HAVE KNOWN FOR SOME TIME – SCOTLAND IS A PRIME SPOT FOR A ROMANTIC GETAWAY, BY DANNY BLYTH It’s not just the discreet castles like that chosen by Madonna where she was so desperately seeking seclusion, nor even those set by lochs, nor those by the sea. Rather more of Scotland’s appeal to lo... By Danny Blyth in the section Scottish Weddings
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Building your dream homeEVER DREAMED OF BUILDING YOUR OWN PERFECT SCOTTISH HOME? JOHN CORMACK OUTLINES ALL THE SELF-BUILD BASICS It’s a remarkable statistic. In the UK, about 25 per cent of new detached houses are self-built. This does not, of course, mean that you do all the work yourself – but it does mean being in control fr... By John Cormack in the section Scottish Property
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Land of adventure (Loch Lomond, Stirling, Trossachs)GAVIN D SMITH INTRODUCES A STUNNING AREA OF SCOTLAND LONG-FAVOURED BY TOURISTS AND CELEBRATED IN LITERATURE AND SONG Loch Lomond, Stirling and the Trossachs embrace some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland, as well as sites associated with great historical events that have shaped the modern nation. Much of the... By Gavin D. Smith in the section Regional Focus
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Elspeth King's Loch Lomond, Stirling and TrossachsELSPETH KING HAS BEEN DIRECTOR OF THE STIRLING SMITH ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM SINCE 1994, AND SHARES HER LOVE OF THE REGION AND ITS RICH HISTORY Director of the Smith Art Gallery and Museum, Elspeth King explains: 'The Smith is in the King’s Park of Stirling, the ancient hunting and pleasure ground of the Stuart monarchs. Part of the royal ga... By Dominic Roskrow in the section Questions and Answers
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Edinburgh's deep, dark secretsDIANE MACLEAN TOOK A SPINE-TINGLING TRIP DOWN INTO EDINBURGH’S UNDERBELLY AND ITS ‘MOST HAUNTED PLACE’: MARY KING’S CLOSE Midway down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile stands the proud building housing the City Chambers. Built in the 1750s, it was a testament to the city’s burgeoning wealth, yet this building, magnificent in itself... By Diane Maclean in the section ScotMag Recommends
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Britannia rules the wavesNEIL GUNN STEPS ONBOARD THE ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA, NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT THE EDINBURGH PORT OF LEITH On a summer evening in 1997, as the torrential rain swept over the darkened harbour, the fireworks exploded and cascaded above the assembled dignitaries. Prince Charles in the final moments of British... By Neil Gunn in the section ScotMag Recommends
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A golf resort for the 21st centuryST ANDREWS BAY GOLF RESORT AND SPA IS CHALLENGING CONVENTION IN THE The grain and the grape. Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic. Sugar and salt. There are some combinations that are simply not designed to go together. And pretty high up on that list would be golf and... By Dominic Roskrow in the section ScotMag Recommends
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Summer fruit fantasticSUE LAWRENCE EXPLAINS HOW SHE GAINED HARD-EARNED EXPERIENCE “GOING TO THE BERRIES”, AND PROVIDES SOME STUNNING BERRY-INSPIRED RECIPES My thoughts on tasting the first raspberry of the season are not of melba sauce, clotted cream or jam, but of luggies, dreels and fingernails dyed red. For I was one of that happy band of berry-picker... By Sue Lawrence in the section Scottish Food
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Simply irresistibleSCOTLAND IS BLESSED WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF ‘MUST-VISIT’ SHOPS. KATE PATRICK PICKS SOME OUTLETS THAT ARE WORTH A JOURNEY IN THEIR OWN RIGHT A famous novelist of my acquaintance once went to Edinburgh to search for examples of his particular passion in life: antique machine tools. He found exactly what he wanted; but it took several hours ... By Kate Patrick in the section Scottish Shopping
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Flowers of ScotlandNICOLA LISLE LOOKS AT SCOTTISH SUCCESS STORIES IN THE PRESTIGIOUS BRITAIN IN BLOOM COMPETITION Every summer, Scotland’s cities, towns and villages are ablaze with colour as floral decorations of every description blossom into full glory. This profusion of flowers occurs thanks to Beautiful Scot... By Nicola Lisle in the section Scotland in Bloom
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A rollercoaster ride of a lifeHORATIO HAMILTON ROSS WASN’T YOUR NORMAL SORT OF HERO, BUT HE ESTABLISHED A MASSIVELY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS, LEFT A TRAIL OF MARITIME DISASTER, AND WAS LOVED BY HIS FRIENDS. ANTHONY DALTON REPORTS He arrived in Medicine Hat, Alberta, quietly enough aboard his prairie launch, a small vessel that had carried Horatio Ross from Calgary on the Bow River – a distance of some 200 miles. He had planned... By Anthony Dalton in the section Scottish Heroes
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Gone to the devilDIANE MACLEAN LOOKS INTO THE STRANGE AND DISTURBING INSTANCES OF WITCH-HUNTS IN SCOTLAND When Rabbie Burns wrote his poem Address To The Deil in 1785, he could afford to make light of the idea of ‘warlocks grim’ flying into the Galloway twilight. Scotland had burnt her last witch nearly 8... By Diane Maclean in the section Bizarre Scotland
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The stuff of legendsROB ROY MACGREGOR ATTRACTED HERO STATUS EVEN IN HIS OWN LIFETIME, AND IT HAS GROWN EVER SINCE. SO HOW CLOSE TO TRUTH ARE THE STORIES? Few Scottish characters have been accredited with more heroic exploits and stories than Roy MacGregor – known as Rob Roy because of his striking red hair. His dramatic life was to capture the public i... By Dominic Roskrow in the section Remarkable Scots Copyright Scotland Magazine © 1999-2010. All rights reserved. To use or reproduce part or all of this article please contact us for details of how you can do so legally. |  | ||||||||||||
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