There was whisky galore on distillery tours

The promise of a few drams and a visit to the real-life setting of Whisky Galore! was more than enough to tempt me away from my desk and up north. At the crack of dawn one Wednesday morning, I found myself high tailing it by train towards the granite city. From Aberdeen train station, myself…

Read More

Enjoy living in the lap of luxury at Meldrum House

NE250 Hotel Review: Meldrum House The hotel: Located in Oldmeldrum, you will need to take a short detour from the NE250 route to get here but it is well worth it. It is close to many of the area’s castles so would make a good base for keen to explore them. As well as being…

Read More

Views over the river make for an ideal break

NE250 Hotel Review: Banchory Lodge Hotel The hotel: Just a few minutes off the NE250 route, Banchory Lodge Hotel is a beautiful country property set in 12 acres on the banks of the River Dee. We arrived in the dark so it wasn’t until the morning when we stepped out onto the terrace that we…

Read More

A spot of luxury hidden away in the heart of Speyside

NE250 Hotel Review: The Station Hotel, Rothes The hotel: Situated on the main street running through Rothes, Speyside, the hotel is on the NE250 itself and, with its own car park complete with a copper still, makes it ideal for an overnight stay whilst driving the route. The hotel is owned by the Forsyth family…

Read More

Borneo – the land of orangutans and so much more

Arriving at Palangkaraya we were met by our guide for our Wow! Borneo excursion for the start of our five day cruise up the Rungan River. Our first stop was a supermarket to buy alcohol as it was a dry boat! Within minutes we were starting our cruise and being shown to our comfortable but…

Read More

Edinburgh group is UK Salon of the Year at beauty awards

Edinburgh-based salon group Zen Lifestyle is celebrating having been crowned the UK’s Salon of the Year at the prestigious Professional Beauty Awards – the Oscars of the beauty industry. The national awards are the most prestigious and established in the country for the beauty, spa, nails and aesthetics markets. Zen Lifestyle beat off competition from around the UK…

Read More

Rosie Sugden’s luxury knitwear sees her follow family footsteps

When Edinburgh- based knitwear designer Rosie Sugden launched her luxury cashmere brand in 2011 she was certainly following in the family footsteps. Her father and grandparents all made their careers in the Scottish cashmere industry and her brother, along with his wife, now runs the iconic Scottish country wear store Campbells of Beauly. Rosie, a…

Read More

Get your skin back into tip-top condition as the spring arrives

This is the perfect time of year to give skin a post-winter boost. One of best ways to get skin glowing is facial massage, which also de-stresses the face muscles, boosts circulation, gets rid of toxins via the lymphatic system and improves skin’s texture. The lymphatic system has no pump like the circulatory system, so…

Read More