A guide to the nation’s breweries and distilleries

A comprehensive and colourful guide to over 340 breweries, cider mills, vineyards and distilleries across Britain is set for release. Recent years have seen a huge increase in the number of these places all over the country not only operating but also welcoming visitors, from small single-man producers working from home to large, world-famous labels,…

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The 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…

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Six book shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize

The judges of the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction announced its eleventh shortlist today. The six-book shortlist is: The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey (Atlantic); The Parisian by Isabella Hammad (Jonathan Cape); To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek (Canongate); Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor (Harvill Secker); The Redeemed by Tim Pears…

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Pupils booked up for an exciting train journey

Pupils at a Scots school received a visit from the authors of an exciting new book. Prior to schools closing with the coronavirus pandemic, more than 150 East Lothian school children listened to bestselling and award-winning author Maya Leonard and her co-author Sam Sedgeman talk about their brand new book, Adventures on Trains: The Highland…

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The life and crimes of author Craig Robertson

Crime writer Craig Robertson confesses to a fondness for cemeteries and his local 19th-century pub, as well as taking plenty of inspiration from his home town of Stirling. I could probably be accused of being a bit of a fraud in one aspect of my writing. All but one of my books are set in…

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Authors Live celebrates with 10th birthday bash

Poet Michael Rosen returned to BBC Scotland to help celebrate 10 years of the popular children’s reading project, Authors Live. Hosted by BBC Scotland in partnership with Scottish Book Trust, Authors Live – which sees well known writers give readings and advice to school pupils – has now delivered 79 author broadcasts to more than…

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Celebrating the work of Gerda in textile panels

The ‘ground-breaking’ work of award-winning Scottish writer, actor, director and singer-songwriter Gerda Stevenson has inspired a new exhibition of 40 stunning textile panels. In response to poems from Stevenson’s fabulous collection: Quines: Poems in Tribute to Women of Scotland, Edge Textile Artists Scotland members were asked to select a poem and to interpret it in…

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LOVE Gorgie Farm opens its doors

LOVE Gorgie Farm, formerly Gorgie City Farm, opened its doors on Saturday with a huge celebration and range of family-friendly activities. Edinburgh’s Depute Lord Provost, Cllr Joan Griffiths, joined with a number of local celebrities including radio presenter Grant Stott, Hearts CEO Ann Budge and Hibs footballer Ryan Porteous, as well as Edinburgh and Scotland…

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Explore Scotland’s inspirational literary locations

Sir Walter Scott, JM Barrie, Irvine Welsh and JK Rowling are among a few of the greatest writers influenced by Scotland’s beautiful landscapes. The mysterious closes of Edinburgh, the untouched wilderness of Dumfries & Galloway and the romantic Shetland coastlines have all painted literature for generations. From page to place, come to Scotland and discover the locations where the stories of famous characters Peter Pan,…

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Historical adventures after Culloden

I’m normally a fan of historical novels so Son of a Jacobite sounded right up my street. Beginning at Culloden in 1746, Thomas Lovat enters the world on the same day that his father is killed in action. Inspired by the author’s family heritage to the Clan Fraser of Lovat, the novel takes its protagonist…

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