
This month Amabel Barraclough meets writer William Dalrymple who swapped Scotland's east coast for India where he is now involved in running a hugely successful literary festival.
Closer to home we visit the beautiful Orkney Isles - these islands present an unrivalled landscape of ancient treasures and with a culture that is more Scandinavian than Scots, a remote feel that brings out a real sense of community in its people.
To find out more about this month's features click here
Cruachan cam goes live
Adding to our fantastic Scottish webcam views - 'Cruachan Cam' gives you a stunning view across Loch Etive to Argyll and Bute's highest peak. Click here now to see this beautiful view.

You can win all these in your April issue
A lifestyle portrait session with photographer Suzanne Black and fabulous canvas or wall frame of your favourite image, worth £420
A host of prizes from the Orkney Isles for one lucky reader, including a country house weekend
Tickets to the Scottish Homebuilding and Renovation show
Plus see below for our exclusive competition to win £500 worth of curtains from Montgomery
To find out more click here and go to our competition page
Here at Scottish Field we like to pick up on those news stories that you might not find in your daily paper. Come back every weekday to see the latest updated stories.
Redpoint Beach is Scotland's top picnic Spot
Edinburgh runners to take on the 'Mighty Deerstalker'
Marine event casts its net wide
Birds of prey poisoning hotspots highlighted
Scotland welcomes show jumping champions


If the spring sunshine is making you feel like brightening your home then you need our April issue. We have 26 page brimming with ideas and tips for you. We feature two totally contrasting readers' homes - a Victorian Perthshire townhouse and a castle in Fife and if you are taken with either of them we offer great ways to get their look in your home.
We also have new Interiors News pages where you can find out what's new in Scotland and get inspiration for ideas with colour and design.
And if we have inspired you then why not enter our fabulous competition to win a voucher for £500 worth of curtains from Montgomery click here to find out more
Scotland's Best B&Bs has been welcoming guests into their homes for many years and is the only 4 and 5 star bed and breakfast organisation across Scotland. Our reputation for excellent hospitality is renowned and all our members are annually inspected by Visit Scotland's Quality Assurance advisers.
Address: ABode 129 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 2SZ. Tel: 0141 572 6011 www.michaelcaines. com/locations/ glasgow

This review, by Cate Devine, appeared in the April 2009 issue of Scottish Field
Why does Michelin give this restaurant the cold shoulder?
It’s a Friday night in Glasgow City Centre and the place is, as they say, hoaching. But we groan when we are shown to our elegant table: the place is empty apart from one other couple. Ah, the credit crunch, we murmur. Must be really tough. Less than an hour later we are eating humble pie: almost every table is taken. Even at over fifty quid a head, Michael Caines at ABode is packed. Fine dining, it appears, is alive and well in the city that remains glaringly devoid of Michelin stars. Caines himself has two stars at his restaurant at Gidleigh Park in Devon, and though he cooks here once a month he has said he’d love his Glasgow chef to get one for his only Scottish outpost.
The signs are good for the current head chef Craig Dunn, who has been cooking here for a year. As we admire our white linen and polished wine glasses an amuse-bouche of spinach and parmesan ravioli arrives, served in a white china cup and topped with an intensely rich, frothy parmesan cappuccino. It’s delicious – but rather tepid. I’ve since been informed that tepid is the new piping hot. Allowing a dish to cool slightly before serving allows its handcrafted flavours to come through, and avoids any suspicion of having been near a microwave. Fair enough. Nevertheless, I find my starter of crab cannelloni with spiced apple purée and lobster froth (£12.00) just a bit too lukewarm, just slightly marring an otherwise complex and thrilling flavour experience. By contrast, my partner’s seared scallops with confit of chicken wings, sweetcorn purée and foam (£12.50) are not only pleasingly hot but also melt-in-themouth and sweet, a sure sign of their freshness.
A deliciously gamey Mey select sirloin of beef with Jerusalem artichoke purée and dauphinoise Pithivier (£23.00) is served à point in thick strips with no visible sign of fat; all the flavour is from the wonderful marbling. My partner declares it ‘as good a steak as I’ve ever tasted’ – praise indeed from a well-seasoned carnivore – and that’s before we learn that it’s been hung for 40 days, 15 of them in the kitchen here, before being taken off the bone. But I bet my choice of cumin poached pheasant with puy lentils (£20.50) choucroute and baby onions tops that. It delivers a powerful punch without overwhelming the palate. It’s also unusually moist, an impressive achievement given the size of the tiny bird.
The masterful blend of flavours in the food means that a glass of Côtes du Rhone (£5.35) for him and a French pinot noir for me (£6.55) really are an elegant sufficiency. I love it that when I return from a trip to the Ladies, my white linen napkin has been deftly refolded. Staff are visible but not overly attentive, and their frequent visits to the on-the-level kitchen give tantalising glimpses of the activity within. A flambéed pear tatin (£7.50) is generously fruity and is delicious with its accompanying ginger pear sauce and clotted ice cream. He, typically, opts for cheese (£12.50) and is delivered a pungent slice of Normandy Livarot, meltingly blue Dunsyre and a goat’s cheese from Valency.
One gripe: the external double doors of the restaurant were left open throughout our meal, giving us a direct view of the hotel lobby – and of punters coming in off the street on their way downstairs to the bar. It felt cold and much too public. Maybe Glasgow’s just too cool for its own good. Tepid appetisers apart, why else would the Michelin inspectors give ABode the cold shoulder?
field facts
Price: Lunch menu, choose any 3 courses £9.95. 3 courses matched with 2 wines £16.00. Cate\\\'s start rating: 3.5 stars.

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