New campaign aims to bring youngsters to scenic Ayrshire

A new film aimed at encouraging young people to visit Ayrshire and Arran has been created. Take a Different Path, which is supported by a useful eBook, has been delivered by VisitScotland, the national tourism organisation in partnership with North, South and East Ayrshire Councils, to showcase the diversity of the region and encourage visitors…

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Have your chance to be a critic at this year’s Fringe

They say everyone’s a critic but now Edinburgh Fringe attendees can make it official. The aptly named Whyte & Mackay Roaring Review Booth is a pop up build in Underbelly, Bristo Square, where punters can share their honest Fringe reviews on camera for a chance to win prizes throughout August. And they will be recording…

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Restaurant will have you dancing on the tables

With ornate lanterns hanging from the ceiling, tapestries on the walls and a belly dancer strutting her stuff, Souq certainly lives up to its name. We started with a wonderful Sujuk stew served with thick, pillowy flatbread, lamb mince parcels and baba ganoush. Hearty and flavoursome chicken and lamb meatball tagines followed and by the…

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Book review: Roald Dahl’s Reekin Rhymes

What’s the story? In recent years, many children’s books have been getting rather special makeovers, taking them and translating them into Scots. For example, Roald Dahl’s The Twits became the Eejits, while JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book became The Philosopher’s Stane). The entertaining trend continues with Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, becoming Reekin Rhymes. Dahl…

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British Army is performing as part of the Fringe

Think of the British Army, and the chances are, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival isn’t something you’d immediately associate with it. However, prepare for a surprise, as, for the second time ever, they will be participating in the Fringe with their own productions. Brigadier Robin Lindsay, Commander, 51 Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, believes it’s an…

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New drive to get old golf clubs used again

A Scottish-based pilot is taking the drive to reduce waste by giving unused sets of golf clubs a new lease of life. The innovative new business idea teed off earlier this year, across a number of the country’s golf clubs – and is already over-subscribed by clubs eager to take part. The garage2green scheme, a…

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No end in sight to the renaissance of our love of gin

The ‘Ginaissance’ of a popular spirit has continued, with the opening of 18 new distilleries in Scotland. The demand for niche craft spirits brands response continues to grow, says UHY Hacker Young, the national accountancy group, with 39 opening across the UK. The UK’s spirits industry is benefiting from this global trend amongst consumers to…

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Six bedrooms, a cottage and scenic views

A substantial, stone-built Victorian villa with an attached self-contained cottage, mature gardensand stunning panoramic views over the Kyles of Bute is now on the market. Presented for sale by Bell Ingram, Sherbrooke, in Tighnabruaich, has a stone portico with double storm doors which open to a vestibule with a mosaic tiled floor. From the vestibule,…

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Dalmore 50-year-old sells for world record £28,000

A Scotch whisky from a Highland distillery has sold for a world record £28,000 at auction. One of the world’s most sought-after whiskies, Dalmore 50 Year Old, has sold at Whisky-Online Auctions in Blackpool. Originally created by Dalmore’s legendary master blender Richard Paterson in 1978, the youngest spirit in the assemblage is believed to have…

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A link to Scotland’s past being eroded by the elements

The Scots are warlike – it’s in our nature. The country is strewn with battlefields and the coastline is studded with fortifications. This massive rampart sits on the shore at Boddin Point near Lunan Bay, at the southern end of Aberdeenshire. From the sea, it looks impregnable; yet the gun loups are draw holes, the…

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