DUCK & WAFFLE: An exclusive look at Edinburgh’s newest eatery

She may have loved London’s sky-high Duck & Waffle restaurant, but what did Chief Sub Rosie Morton make of Auld Reekie’s new ‘gastro diner’? THE first time I visited London’s Duck & Waffle restaurant, it felt like a real occasion. Certainly, the impressive 40th floor ‘gastro diner’ at 110 Bishopsgate felt a far cry from…

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Cairngorms star in new Markus Stitz bike film

A NEW film about a 165-mile bike journey through the Cairngorms has been released online for free. The film, made by biking veteran and author Markus Stitz, documents the connection between the environment of the national park and its residents, along with the businesses they run. “Home Is Where The Trails Take You” captures a…

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City gardeners asked to spot mammals

HAVE you spotted rabbits, foxes, or other mammals in your urban garden? If so then the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) wants to hear from you. The charity is gathering reports of sightings, footprints, and droppings from gardens, allotments, parks, playing fields, cemetries, and other public spaces. Its data will help with conservation work…

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Fred Olsen passengers report 4,400 wildlife sightings

PASSENGERS aboard Fred Olsen cruise ships recorded 4,400 wildlife sightings last year. The most frequent species spotted was – appropriately – the common dolphin, which was sighted 296 times, reaching 1,996 individual dolphins. Other creatures reported during cruises included humpback whales, orca, a blue whale, and even the deepest-diving animal, the elusive Cuvier’s beaked whale,…

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Doddie Aid rowing challenge for Cameron House

CAMERON House at Loch Lomond is taking part in Doddie Aid 2023 with a mass-participation rowing challenge over the next five weeks. The event will raise money for the charity created by Scottish rugby legend Doddy Weir, who died in November, aged 52. The MyName’5 Doddie Foundation, which was founded in November 2017, aims to…

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Waverley paddle steamer in ‘urgent’ cash appeal

THE team behind the Waverley paddle steamer has this lunchtime issued an “urgent” funding appeal to raise £180,000. The cash is needed to pay the boat’s winter dry dock costs and recommission the vessel for this season’s sailings. Waverley, which is the world’s last sea-going paddle steamer, carried more than 100,000 passengers last year as…

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Kalopsia Collective launches ‘textiles bond’

TEXTILES maker Kalopsia Collective, a social enterprise founded in 2012 by artists and weavers, aims to raise £100,000 to expand production. The collective moved from Leith to a factory in Dumferline, where it can produce textiles in small batches. Kalopsia focuses on sustainability and reducing waste in the textiles industry. Scottish Communities Finance, a community…

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Wildlife struggles as climate change bites

SCOTLAND’S wildlife is struggling to recover due to biodiversity loss and climate change, according to experts. Figures published this morning by NatureScot, the Scottish Government agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage, showed species are struggling to increase their numbers or to spread their locations. More than 2,800 species are stuck at 1990s’ levels, which…

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Television star joins Paton & Co in Borders

FORMER television reporter Fiona Pagett has joined Borders-based estate agency Paton & Co as a partner. Pagett worked with Grampian TV and STV before becoming head of communications for Business in the Community Scotland, where she ran the organisation’s rural programme. She cut her teeth in the property industry at Purplebricks, before joining Rettie &…

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Tiso hosts its first mini-festival

CLIMBER Leo Houlding will visit Glasgow next week for outdoor equipment store Tiso’s first mini-festival. Houlding will read from his new book, Closer To The Edge. The company is erecting tents in its car park to welcome 100 guests to the event on 26 January. Inside the tents, Tiso is placing a cinema screen, theatre…

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