Tourism firms cry out for help from ministers

Pressure is growing on the Scottish Government to provide further help for tourism businesses – especially in the Highlands – so they can get ready to welcome back visitors. Marc Crothall, chief executive at the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA), which represents more than 250 members, has warned that the industry is “on the brink of…

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Birds of a feather….

While most small businesses have been poleaxed by the pandemic, it has led to a remarkable growth in sales for one fledgling Scottish business. Edinburgh-based Rare Birds Book Club, a book subscription service aimed at women, has seen a 52% increase in sales since the lockdown. The company’s offering, which is a monthly book delivery…

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Haunting memories of Culloden

To mark the 274th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden on Thursday 16 April, the National Trust for Scotland has shared rare snippets of haunting Gaelic songs inspired by the Jacobite cause online. The original audio recordings are of a series of Gaelic songs collected by noted Gaelic archivist John Lorne Campbell from Canna. The…

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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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The 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…

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The secret gardening life of Beatrix Potter

This delightfully illustrated book reveals a little known aspect of Beatrix Potter’s life. She was a gardening enthusiast and how her evident appreciation and knowledge of gardening informed her work. McDowell writes beautifully, painting a charming portrait of Beatrix Potter and her garden at Hill Top Farm through the seasons. Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life, by…

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A 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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Fascinating look at the 14th Duke of Hamilton

Scottish amateur boxing champion, Unionist MP, participant in the first flight over Mount Everest, the 14th Duke of Hamilton was an adventurous and popular man. But when World War II loomed, Hamilton was embroiled in an escalating rumour that he was a crypto-Facist. Mark Peel rectifies these slanders in this fascinating and detailed biography. The…

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