Posts by Kenny Smith
Pledge to redouble fight for Galloway National Park
The Galloway National Park Association has pledged to fight on after being turned down in its bid to create Scotland’s third national park. Emma Harper MSP put a motion to the Scottish Parliament to support moves towards the creation of a new National Park in Galloway and received all party backing, to join Loch Lomond…
Read MoreTwo thirds of Scots homeowners don’t know its value
A new survey has revealed that nearly two thirds of Scots are unaware of their home’s current value despite it being their most valuable asset. According to a new survey commissioned by Zoopla, more than half (57%) don’t know the square footage of their home, even though indoor space has assumed a new level of…
Read MoreCovid costs Scotch whisky exports £1.1 billion in lost sales
Global exports of Scotch whisky fell by more than £1.1bn during 2020, according to figures released today by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The export figures are the lowest they have been in a decade, as the combined impact of Covid-19 and the 25% tariff in the United States hit distillers hard. In 2020, the…
Read MoreKillochan Castle is a fortified home full of history
One of the finest fortified houses in the south of Scotland is currently for sale. Presented by Savills, Killochan Castle is a substantial, category A listed historic tower house located in South Ayrshire on the north side of the fertile valley of the Girvan Water and is one of the finest fortified houses in South…
Read MoreReviving the walled garden at Dundonnell House
Lady Jane Rice set about reviving the walled garden at Dundonnell when she moved here – a project that continues to flourish. Dundonnell House and its walled garden sit in a dramatic position at the head of a sheltered valley in Wester Ross, with the peaks of An Teallach rising up behind. The magnificent setting…
Read MoreSurviving in a storm on a Scottish island
Could a posse of shooting writers survive being unexpectedly stranded on remote Taransay during a hurricane with no food or shelter for three days? I unwittingly took part in a hunting trip with a surprising twist. Not to overstate matters, but it changed my life. I had signed up to go red stag stalking on…
Read MoreTrying to find solace in Scotland’s mountains
Just Another Mountain is a beautifully candid memoir following the life of Munroist, Sarah Jane Douglas, and her battle with grief. After losing her mother to cancer, Douglas finds solace in climbing Scotland’s forbidding mountains. A heart-wrenching read, it is testament to the cathartic nature of the wilderness. True stories do not always see the…
Read MoreMusician Phamie Gow is in tune with the universe
Scottish multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Phamie Gow reveals how her childhood home in the Borders has shaped her life, her music and her spirituality. My parents have lived in the village of Westruther, just west of Lauder, my whole life. They bought their cottage shortly after leaving art school in Edinburgh and it is like…
Read MoreThe Scot whose book briefly outsold Dickens
The insatiable blood lust of celebrated big game hunters – and none was bloodier than a Scottish aristocrat whose books were briefly as popular as Dickens – sparked a Victorian craze for African safaris. Hunting big game for food may be an ancient practice – cave paintings depict early man hunting mammoth in groups –…
Read MoreThe perfect guide to discovering drams
For amateurs like me who are desperate to learn more about the water of life, this is a must-read. Ludlow’s whisky knowledge is clearly extensive, but by peppering his book with humour, helpful infographics and jargon-busting explanations, even I could follow the 20 at-home tastings, feeling I’d picked up a tip or two. The addition…
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