Reviews
Review: Dinner at Harvey Nichols’ Forth Floor
With summer in full swing, Stephanie Abbot reviews The Forth Floor restaurant at Harvey Nichols department store in Edinburgh. SEEING more and more restaurants, pubs and cafes opening their doors once again is a welcome and joyful sight. Like many, I had grown tired of the “what can I make with what’s left in the…
Read MoreReview: Stair Arms drive-through afternoon tea
As Afternoon Tea Week draws to a close on Sunday, Stephanie Abbot puts the drive-through service at The Stair Arms Hotel in Midlothian to the test. A GLOBAL pandemic has a way of changing how you do things. One of the biggest shifts we’ve all experienced is how we spend time with one another and this…
Read MoreFairways from heaven
Editor Richard Bath visits the outstanding Dumbarnie Links in Fife, that rarest of things – a new golf course that lives up to the hype. I TRAVELLED to Fife determined not to be swayed by the hype surrounding Dumbarnie, but came away as an ardent evangelist for this astonishingly good new course on the banks…
Read MoreScottish trivia compiled in one little book
Did you know that approximately 71 per cent of the sand dunes in Britain are located in Scotland? Neither did I. This wee gem of a read is packed full of interesting, little known and weird and wonderful facts about Scotland. The casual narrative style and informative little chunks of information make this a great…
Read MoreThe story of Scotland’s sea eagle population
Sea eagles divide opinion; they’re a treat for birdwatchers but are despised by some crofters. John A Love was part of the team that brought the birds back to Scotland in the 1970s and chronicled their reintroduction in his 1993 book, The Return Of The Sea Eagle. Twenty years later, he brings the story up…
Read MoreScotland’s proud history on the seas
The joy of Nick Robins’ history of Scotland’s maritime prowess is not just his comprehensive and engaging text but also the array of images that accompany his words. From full-rigged sail ships like Thermopylae and Timaru through to the famous oceanliners such as Aquitania and Queen Mary, Robins chronicles Scotland’s ship-building history. But it isn’t…
Read MoreThe fascinating story of historic Dumfries House
Dumfries House holds a very special place in Scottish history. When the foundation stone was laid in 1754, it became the first home to be designed by John, Robert and James Adams, the architects whose practice became arguably the most famous in the UK. The house hit the headlines in 2007 when Prince Charles, the…
Read MoreA life less ordinary for a former policeman
Alex Lochrie has led a fascinating and fast paced life. After a stint in advertising, he joined the Glasgow police force, learnt to fly, attempted suicide and then spontaneously moved to Paris to join the French Foreign Legion, which took him all over the world. Lochrie’s engaging and honest style tells a gripping and insightful…
Read MoreA handy guide to the castles of the north
This is the first of four volumes on the history of fortification in the north of Scotland and is the product of eight years of research. This site-by-site study covers the Findhorn valley and Moray lowlands taking in family intrigue and local power-play alongside the national context of the time, from the invasion of the…
Read MoreA stunning look at the beautiful Hebrides
Hebrides is a beautiful book of narrative extracts from Peter May’s bestselling trilogy. The text features alongside specially commissioned photographs by David Wilson depicting the eerie mists, abandoned buildings and dramatic lighting of the Outer Hebrides. This book allows fans of May’s Lewis trilogy to experience the land that gave the writing and his characters…
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