Pledge to redouble fight for Galloway National Park

The Galloway National Park Association has pledged to fight on after being turned down in its bid to create Scotland’s third national park. Emma Harper MSP put a motion to the Scottish Parliament to support moves towards the creation of a new National Park in Galloway and received all party backing, to join Loch Lomond…

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Royal Highland Show 2021 may still go ahead

The 2021 Royal Highland Show in Ingliston still has a chance of being held in June. The event organisers, the Royal Highland Society, are working hard to plan for a safe Royal Highland Show, which would be the 180th event. This includes continuing to contact the Scottish Government at all levels to help inform and…

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Scotland’s top dogs were pointing the way ahead

So many popular activities held in Scotland are currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. We turn the clock back to March 2016, when the 19th Scottish Gundog Association’s Spring Pointer and Setter Trials were held on the grouse moors of the Lochindorb Estate. More than 40 Irish setters, English setters, Gordon setters, Irish…

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Danny MacAskill is ‘Doing the Dubhs’

CYCLIST Danny MacAskill has released his latest video – riding down the legendary Dubh Slabs on the edge of the Cuillins on Skye. In The Slabs, MacAskill scrambles unroped to just below the summit of Sgurr Dubh Beag – or “Little Black Peak” – one of the most technical sections of the Dubh Ridge at…

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Seasonal rangers return to Cairngorms

SEASONAL rangers will once again be “on patrol” in the Cairngorms National Park this summer. The national park authority hired its first seasonal rangers last summer to cope with visitor numbers during the pandemic. Nine seasonal rangers will be hired this summer, along with five “Kickstart” youth placements. Grant Moir, chief executive of the national…

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Footpath funding to increase access

SOME of Scotland’s best-loved paths are being revamped with fresh funding to remove barriers and improve access for all. NatureScot, the Scottish Goverment agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), is funding almost £111,000 of improvements to the path network. The cash covers many of Scotland’s long-distance walks, such as the West Highland Way.…

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Ski champs raise money for instructors’ website

A WEBSITE for booking ski instructors is poised for further expansion overseas. Maison Sport was set up in 2016 by three former British skiing champions, including Edinburgh-based chief executive Nick Robinson. Robinson founded the business alongside his brother, Olly, who is the firm’s chief operating officer, and Aaron Tipping, who serves as its chief financial…

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Scots ski champ lands sponsorship deal

A SCOTTISH skiing champion has signed a sponsorship deal. Owen Vinter, the 2019 British Senior National Champion, is being sponsored by Tillicoultry Quarries as he builds towards the Europa Cup Tour and next year’s World Junior Skiing Championships. The 19 year old from Glasgow is one of ten athletes on the Europa Cup Alpine Ski…

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OnFarm podcast beats Nigella, Jamie, and Heston

THE “OnFarm” podcast is preparing to celebrate its first birthday – after beating Heston Blumenthal, Nigella Lawson, and Jamie Oliver in the streaming charts. The podcast, which covers rural life in Scotland, reached third place in the Apple food podcast charts in November, beating the brigade of celebrity chefs. Anna Davies, the podcast’s presenter, said:…

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Calls to ‘care for the countryside’ this Christmas

SCOTTISH Land & Estates (SLE) – which represents farmers, land managers and rural businesses – has called on Christmas walkers to take litter home, not disturb wildlife, and keep dogs under control near cows and sheep. The organisation’s plea follows high-profile issues of littering, anti-social behaviour, vandalism, and flytipping in rural Scotland during the pandemic.…

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