New issue: Issue 117 is now on sale

It’s been a long, hard lockdown. We’ve done what we can to get through it – we’ve reconnected with nature, we’ve exercised outdoors and we’ve learned to appreciate what’s in our own backyard. But now it’s time to spread our wings a little, to travel to the places that have been calling us, and it’s time to go inside.

This issue, to celebrate the fact that many of our finest houses and most romantic castles are opening their doors to the public again, we’ve showcased six of our favourite stately homes in ‘Roll out the red carpet‘. No longer must these properties be admired from their exquisite grounds or via photographs, now you can step inside the interiors and be transported to another era.

Another thing we’ve all missed throughout the pandemic is city breaks, and there are few cities in the world that can rival the history and majesty of Edinburgh. This issue, we look back at some of the memorable events that have set the capital alive in Augusts gone, as well as look to the future of the festival season in 2021 and beyond.

We hope you enjoy the issue.

A taste of issue 117:

Roll out the red carpet

Floors Castle in the Scottish Borders, Scotland’s largest inhabited castle. Credit: June Morrissey/Alamy

Expect a royal reception as Scotland’s grandest properties open their doors once more and look forward to welcoming you back.

Read more here.

Take pleasure in Scotland’s piers

Portobello Pier, c.1890. Credit: Library of Congress

Scotland’s rocky coastline meant its piers were more functional than fun, but vital nonetheless.

Read more here.

Ode to Burns

The Rest and Be Thankful viewpoint in Argyll. Credit: Joana Kruse/Alamy

In the bicentenary year of his death, we chart the Scottish tour that proved revelatory for that most English of poets, John Keats.

Read more here.

The Great British holiday competition

Edinburgh Castle image credit: Shutterstock

The deadline to enter our annual Great British holiday competition is fast approaching. Our lucky winner and their guest will win a tour of Britain which (of course) stops at Edinburgh, as well as the Cotswolds and London. Along the way you’ll stay in luxury accommodation and enjoy iconic experiences, including a tour of Edinburgh Castle and a West End show. You have until 31 July to enter – you need to be in it to win it after all!

Enter here.

Also inside the issue:

• Catch up with Kate Francis as she reunites with her family in the Outer Hebrides
• Delve into explorer David Livingstone’s legacy, as his birthplace museum prepares to reopen
• Meet the ‘horse whisperer’, the embodiment of Robert Redford’s fictional character
• Learn the extraordinary story of Clan MacEwen’s determination to regroup after 500 years
• Peek inside a new exhibition showcasing some of the Scottish paintings from Victoria & Albert’s private collection
• Continue our Sutherland Clearances story with part two, which describes how tenants faced a hard choice that led many to flee Scotland forever
• Taste the whiskies from Campbeltown, an often-overlooked whisky region, via our Master of Malt
• Remember the late Duke of Edinburgh, who held Scotland close to his heart, and read our interview with the lone piper who played at his funeral
• Plus how you can learn to play the bagpipes yourself thanks to The National Piping Centre in Glasgow

Buy your copy here (available from 18 June 2021) or subscribe online to have Scotland delivered direct to your door six times a year.

Cover information: Edinburgh Castle © Guido Cozzi/4Corners. Inset: Pipe Major CSgt Peter Grant SCOTS © MOD Crown Copyright