Views over the river make for an ideal break

NE250 Hotel Review: Banchory Lodge Hotel The hotel: Just a few minutes off the NE250 route, Banchory Lodge Hotel is a beautiful country property set in 12 acres on the banks of the River Dee. We arrived in the dark so it wasn’t until the morning when we stepped out onto the terrace that we…

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MasterChef winner will headline this year’s Taste of Shetland festival

Scotland’s national chef is to headline this year’s Taste of Shetland Festival. Gary Maclean, MasterChef: The Professionals Champion and Scotland’s first ever national chef, will be demonstrating his inspirational culinary skills at this year’s event. The festival takes place from 5-7 October, and Gary – a huge fan of Shetland and a passionate advocate for…

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This stretch of the River Dee is bound to hook some interest

The Ardoe and Murtle beat on the world famous River Dee has been made available for sale. The Inverness office of Galbraith has launched the sale of this attractive beat. Purchased in 1990, this lower Dee beat extends to about 1.5 miles and has 11 named pools. It was successfully timeshared by Salar Management Services Ltd,…

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Unique opportunity to buy Scottish former tourist information centre

A former visitor information centre in one of Scotland’s prime tourist spots, offers a truly unique opportunity for commercial buyers looking for their next venture. On the market with property experts Bell Ingram, the incredible property in the tranquil fishing resort of Lochinver on the west coast of Scotland is set on the North Coast…

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The Scottish castle looking for a new king or queen

A spectacular historic castle set in sweeping grounds bordered by the River Almond is a stunning property that is bound to impress. Illieston Castle, in Broxburn, West Lothian, is presented to the market by Savills. Illieston Castle is thought to date back to the late 16th or early 17th century, when it served as the…

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Fishing season is now underway on the River Tay

The opening of the River Tay salmon fishing season took place at Meikleour on Monday this week. However, the 2018 season comes at a time of change, some positive and some very concerning, for fish runs into the Tay. On the positive side, early-running spring salmon are getting bigger. The mean weight of salmon caught between January…

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Book review: A Sea Monster’s Tale

Colin Speedie’s new book A Sea Monster’s Tale: In Search of the Basking Shark takes us from swashbuckling hunts of giant sharks by reckless individuals with makeshift harpoons, through an age of mass slaughter, to the author’s personal shark-tracking adventures. At up to eleven metres in length and seven tonnes in weight, this plankton-feeding fish…

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Fantastic first food festival for Up Helly Aa

Shetland’s first pop-up food market is taking place the day the day before Up Helly Aa. Running on 29 January from 4-, entrance is free and organisers are expecting a few new products to be launched, making it an unmissable event. In attendance will be: Viking Mead, the first brewery of its kind in the…

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