Robert Louis Stevenson award seeks writers

To marking Robert Louis Stevenson Day, the Scottish Book Trust has announced that the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship for professional writers is now open for applications. Previous fellows include novelist Jenni Fagan, Makar Liz Lochhead, and poet and performer Michael Pedersen. Writers based in Scotland are encouraged to apply, and the Fellowship awards successful applicants…

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The story of McGill’s Buses brought to book

The story of Scotland’s largest independent bus operator is celebrated in a new book. McGill’s Bus Services operates throughout the west of Scotland, with its headquarters in Greenock, and David Devoy’s book charts and highlights the firm’s substantial growth in recent years. The present company was founded in 2001, taking on the name of a…

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The critics have their say on Scots film Outlaw King

The newest film to be set in Scotland – Outlaw King – has arrived on Netflix today. With a reported budget of more than $90m, Star Trek star Chris Pine plays Robert the Bruce, leading the Scottish fightback against the English occupation of the nation. To mark the occasion, on Twitter, Netflix UK has even…

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Cocktail book will leave you shaken and stirred

Anyone who’s ever wanted to go drinking with James Bond would, most likely, end up the way that most of his arch-foes go. Dead. Mr Bond does have a fondness for a drink, as, over the course of the 14 books written by Ian Fleming, 007 does enjoy a cocktail or three. Shaken – Drinking…

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Honours for five First World War Scots creatives

Five historic creative figures who told their stories and experiences of the First World War through their poetry and art have been awarded commemorative plaques by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, and Armistice Day this weekend, the plaques will be unveiled in cities…

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Environmentalists honoured for their hard work

Toad patrols, wildlife blogs, beach cleaning and repairing mountain paths are just some of the things happening across Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Communities across the area came together at the Community Partnership’s annual event ‘A Green Revolution – building sustainable communities now’ in Arrochar to learn about and celebrate local people raising…

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Peter Pan will be at the heart of celebration

Dumfries’ Peter Pan heritage will play a part in a festival later this month. From sneak previews of the newly restored Moat Brae House to a CrocRock! Carnival, Dumfries is gearing up for a 10-day celebration of its JM Barrie heritage and of young people’s storytelling. The Dreams for the Future Festival, from 24 November…

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Stitch Up is a page turner you won’t put down

The fourth-instalment of the highly acclaimed Best Defence Mystery series has finally arrived. Now happily married with his young daughter safely at home, Robbie Munro’s life is finally an ordinary one. But with a past like his, that can’t last long. An old flame re-enters his life asking for help on an unexplained death. At…

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Along The Divide: Walking The Wild Spine of Scotland

Described as possibly the world’s most experienced long-distance walker, Chris Townsend returns with a new memoir . This details his journey across Scotland’s Watershed, which runs between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, a distance of 1,200km or 745 miles. Townsend, author of 22 books on the outdoors including the award-winning The Backpacker’s Handbook,…

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‘Dracula’ inn to be honoured with special plaque

The Scottish hotel that accommodated renowned author Bram Stoker while he created Dracula will be recognised under Historic Environment Scotland’s 2018 Commemorative Plaque Scheme. The annual scheme celebrates the lives of significant people by erecting plaques on the buildings where they lived or worked. Stoker’s plaque is the 57th announced under the scheme since it…

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