Pommery adds some sparkle to the Fringe

Peter Ranscombe toasts the return of Champagne Pommery to the Fringe with a laser show at The Signet Library. I HAVE very fond memories of lasers – they were a big part of my course as a physics student at St Andrews – but I’d never associated them with drinking wine… until last night. The…

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World pipe band championships have youth appeal

A record number of young people have signed up to participate in the world’s biggest week of piping. Piping Live!, the Glasgow International Piping Festival, returns to Glasgow from 13–19 August, and will see with 33% of the 800 performers at this year’s event, and 40% of competitors in The World Pipe Band Championships, under…

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Scots want to see more of their family and friends

People living in Scotland are among the most sociable in the UK, according to recent a poll. A survey of 2000 people in the UK carried out on behalf of National Express Coach, asked how often respondents visited friends and family living in another city or region, whether they wanted to visit them less or…

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Pioneer launches a new gin for airport market

One of the pioneers of the Scottish gin renaissance has this month unveiled the first-ever extension to its range. Almost a decade after it launched, Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin has released Caorunn Gin Master’s Cut. Crafted exclusively for the travel retail channel by Caorunn’s longstanding gin master Simon Buley at Balmenach Distillery in the…

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The Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries: The Vanishing Dragon

Sherlock Holmes has undergone something of a revival over recent times. In addition to two popular films starring Robert Downey Junior as the Great Detective, two modern day Sherlock Holmes series have been created, Sherlock in the UK with Benedict Cumberbatch, and Elementary in the USA, with Johnny Lee Miller. It should therefore come as…

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A Painter’s Scotland: Favourite Places, Favourite Paintings

A full-time painter for almost two decades, Charles Simpson’s native pull is expressed in his artwork and candid writing, which comes to the fore in A Painter’s Scotland: Favourite Places, Favourite Paintings. Based in the Borders, he never lost his childhood enthusiasm for art and muses over the North West of Scotland, depicting the tranquil landscape…

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Get half-price tickets for the Military Tattoo preview

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has announced that a batch of half-price tickets for its annual preview evening will go on sale on Monday 23 July at 10am. The preview evening takes place on Thursday 2 August at 9.30pm ahead of the event’s official opening ceremony (Friday 3 August). It is an opportunity for locals…

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A visit to the most northern distillery in Scotland

We all like to travel to the far flung parts of the planet visiting places that we have heard about or seen on our screens. But how many of us have ventured to the most northerly part of the British Isles; not that many if the truth be known? However the islands of Shetland have…

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Scottish artworks to go on international loans

Works of art from Aberdeen’s renowned collection will be exhibited in Sweden, Japan and Spain as part of a programme of international loans. Councillors gave their backing to the plans, which continue Aberdeen’s proud history of facilitating the worldwide display of key pieces. The programme includes the loan of a John Singer Sargent self-portrait to…

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You’re in safe hands when you take off from Glasgow

A Scottish airport has send out a strong message – that the small minority of passengers who cause disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated. Glasgow Airport has launched this year’s Campus Watch drive ahead of the 2018 summer season to remind passengers that antisocial actions of any kind will not be tolerated. Campus Watch was…

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