Posts by Peter Ranscombe
Jackie Bird helps pupils with time travel
TELEVISION presenter Jackie Bird helped pupils travel back in time at one of the National Trust for Scotland’s (NTS’s) properties. Bird, who is president of the NTS, joined children from St Vincent’s Primary School when they visited Pollok House to take part in a trial of “Timesliders”, the trust’s new education programme. She helped pupils…
Read MoreBook review: ‘Wee Unicorn’
Wee Unicorn Meg McLaren Hachette THE unicorn has never gone out of fashion and its magical presence has long been rendered in children’s books in all manner of ways. However, in Wee Unicorn, Inverness-based writer and illustrator Meg McLaren transform’s the fabled creature from a being with mystical powers to a lonely protagonist who yearns…
Read MoreSKIING – SWITZERLAND’S UNEXPECTEDLY EPIC ANDERMATT
Once an army base and mountain playground for hard-core powder hounds, the Swiss village of Andermatt is in the process of morphing into a luxury ski resort, writes Richard Bath. ANDERMATT IN A NUTSHELL: For almost a century this charming little Alpine village in the scenic Ursern Valley, just 20 miles from Lake Lucerne and…
Read MoreREVIEW: Old Perth PX
Drinks blogger James Robertson reviews Old Perth PX Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. SOMETIMES it seems we get too caught up with single malt Scotch whisky. That means the age-old tradition of a bottle of blended malt is often overlooked as something inferior. The other day I went to possibly one of the best bars in…
Read MoreGranton gasometer secures redevelopment cash
ONE of Edinburgh’s most familiar landmarks, the Granton gasometer, has secured £1.3 million of funding for the next stage of its redevelopment. The cash is coming from Scottish Government’s vacant and derelict land fund. Restoration work is continuing on the gasometer’s frame – which has greeted generations of passengers as they fly into Edinburgh –…
Read MoreMusic news round-up: folk, funk, and more
Peter Ranscombe orchestrates a round-up of Scottish music news. THE Willow Trio is fusing “classical and Gaelic culture” in its debut album, The Swan of Salen. Released on 17 February, the record will combine Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake with a parallel Gaelic legend, Eala Shàilein. The album provides the backdrop to a cultural project that brings…
Read MoreDragons’ Den bagpipe star eyes overseas sales
STARRING in BBC One’s Dragons’ Den last week looks likely to help bagpipe technology inventor Robbie MacIsaac to crack international markets. The blowpipe invented by the 22-year-old University of Strathclyde student lengthens the life of the bagpipes by preventing the build-up of moisture from damaging them. The device could also help to reduce the risk…
Read MoreMacallan names artisan apprentice firms
WHISKY maker The Macallan is helping four craft businesses to hire apprentices. The distiller is giving the companies grants from its £260,000 artisan apprenticeship fund. The money is going to Scottish trio Alexander Manufacturing, Glasstorm, and Powderhall Bronze, and to London-based Shepherds Bookbinders. The Macallan created the fund in 2021 to help “preserve and safeguard…
Read MoreWine to Dine – March 2023 – The Wilder Kitchen
Wine columnist James Robertson picks wines and whiskies for outdoor dining. ONCE you’ve read The Wilder Kitchen’s recipes in the March issue of Scottish Field magazine, check out these choices for dining outdoors… The Tasting Selection, Canned Wine Company (£27.50) No kidding here are five different styles of wine in cans, perfect for food cooked…
Read MoreSet sail with March’s issue of Scottish Field…
DON’T miss the latest issue of Scottish Field magazine, which is on sale now, both in shops and online. Inside our March issue, Soldier, Soldier actor Robson Green reveals his passion for fly-fishing in Scotland. Fellow television presenter Jean Johansson shares her credo, forged during her childhood in Port Glasgow. Mary Miers, the architectural historian…
Read More