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Feat of survival: Borders skipper Leven Brown and crew survive shipwreck on Northwest Passage expedition
Leven Brown has accomplished a lot. A Guinness World record-holding ocean rower, in 2005 he became the first man ever to row solo and unsupported from Spain to the West Indies. Since that first incredible feat, Leven has rowed thousands of nautical miles, including the Trade Winds route several times, the North Atlantic from New…
Read MoreBaroque fiddle thought to have been played by Robert Burns to be played at special concerts
An 18th Century baroque fiddle thought to have been played by Robert Burns is to be used again for two special concerts. The Gregg fiddle was owned by the poet’s dance teacher 250 years ago and will be played at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow and Carnegie Hall in New York next year. The ancient,…
Read MorePicnic spot enjoyed by Queen Victoria at Balmoral saved from ruin
A picnic spot enjoyed by Queen Victoria on her visits to Balmoral has been saved from ruin by the National Trust for Scotland. The picnic cottage in woodlands near Linn of Quoich on Mar Lodge Estate, Scotland’s largest national nature reserve, close to Braemar, has been restored to its former glory with contractors completing the…
Read MoreScotland’s oldest cello made in 18th century to be played again
The oldest surviving Scottish cello has been brought to life and will be played again. The instrument made by Aberdeen luthier Robert Duncan in 1756 was donated to the he University of Aberdeen as part of a bequest by former student and later professor of Philosophy James Beattie. Born in Laurencekirk, Beattie won a scholarship…
Read MoreChristmas market at Glenalmond College
Sponsored Content | Glenalmond College is kicking off the festival season with a beautiful Christmas market followed by a candlelit carol service. Visitors are warmly invited to spend the afternoon in the Perthshire College grounds from 2.00pm on 7 December to enjoy the atmospheric market. There will be artisanal food vans, children’s games and a…
Read MoreCenter Parcs plans first Scottish holiday village
Center Parcs has unveiled plans for its first site in Scotland. The new resort near Hawick in the Scottish Borders would represent a £350m investment and could create up to 1,200 jobs. Proposals are at an early stage and Center Parcs intends to submit a planning application in 2025. It will offer a range of…
Read MoreLochaber’s Skipinnish oak wins UK Tree of the Year
A 1,000-year-old tree named after Scottish band Skipinnish has been named UK Tree of the Year. Hidden away in a Sitka spruce plantation on Achnacarry Estate, in Lochaber, it supports an island of native ecosystem including rare lichens such as the black-eyed Susan. Native woodland experts had no idea the tree existed until a gathering…
Read More‘Exceptional’ 3,000-year-old Bronze Age hoard found by metal detectorist saved for the nation
A hoard of Bronze Age artefacts unearthed by a metal detectorist in the Scottish Borders has been saved for the nation by National Museums Scotland. Dating to 1000–800 BCE, the Peebles Hoard comprises over 500 unusual bronze and organic pieces and components that had lain undisturbed for 3000 years. It was allocated to NMS under…
Read MoreFive Sisters Zoo to welcome two lionesses rescued from war in Ukraine
Two lionesses are set to make Scotland their new home after being rescued from the conflict in Ukraine. The four-year-old big cats, Luna and Plusza, will be given sanctuary at the Five Sisters Zoo after having to endure years of distress and displacement due to the war in Ukraine. Luna and Plusza were initially evacuated…
Read MorePlans for UK ‘return’ of ancient aurochs 400 years after European extinction laid out
Cattle bred to resemble aurochs, large wild-roaming cows and bulls, could be introduced to an estate near Loch Ness – 400 years, after their extinction. Aurochs were once found across Europe, including Scotland, before habitat loss and hunting wiped them out in the 17th century. The muscular, long-horned tauros have been bred to be as…
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