Posts by Peter Ranscombe
Royal National Mòd returns to Perth
PERTH is getting ready to host the Royal National Mòd for the first time in 18 years. The Fair City will welcome the very best in Gaelic music and culture during October. The programme for the Mòd includes fringe concerts, shows, ceilidhs, and exhibitions. Around 1,000 performers will fill a dozen venues in the city,…
Read MoreVal McDermid and Ian Rankin at Largo Arts Week
AUTHORS Val McDermid and soon-to-be-Sir Ian Rankin are topping the bill at Largo Arts Week, which begins on Saturday. The writers will take part in “An audience with…” events in the Fife village’s Crusoe Hotel. Lower Largo is famous as the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, the man who inspired the story of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson…
Read MoreGin Round-up: Mary King’s Close, Rock Rose, NTS, and more
Peter Ranscombe distills the latest stories from the world of gin into a light-hearted round-up. YOU might have thought that some of the botanicals that end up in gin are a wee bit scary – but wait until you visit The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh. The ghoulish tourist attraction beneath the streets of…
Read MoreTV chef Clodagh McKenna to headline Stranraer Oyster Festival
TELEVISION presenter and chef Clodagh McKenna will lead cookery demonstrations at the Stranraer Oyster Festival in September. McKenna, the resident chef on This Morning on STV and a previous regular on The Today Show in the United States, will cook in the kitchen marquee at the harbour. “Scotland’s reputation for high-quality and award-winning produce is…
Read MoreNC500 repeats motorhome and campervan advice
THE North Coast 500 (NC500) has reminded visitors driving motorhomes and campervans about the “dos and don’ts” while touring the North Highlands. Operations director Craig Mills said: “Experiencing the NC500 by motorhome or campervan has become a popular way for visitors to enjoy all that the North Highlands has to offer. “However, it is important…
Read MoreEar Sass earrings arrive in Edinburgh
A SCOTTISH designer who launched her own brand, Ear Sass, during lockdown has unveiled her summer collection in Edinburgh. Sophie McGown’s earrings are being stocked by Independent Zebra, a shop that stocks products made by other small businesses. Each design is named after strong influential women in McGown’s life. Her designs take inspiration from her…
Read MoreMeet the Ardbeg whisky cask that sold for £16m
ARDBEG is donating £1 million to charities on Islay after selling one of its casks for a record £16 million. The sale price, which eclipses all previous cask records, was more than double the £7m that French luxury goods giant Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) paid in 1997 when it bought the distillery. The whisky…
Read MoreStrathallan pupil serves up US tennis ambition
A PUPIL from Strathallan School in Perthshire is swapping Scotland for Virgina to pursue her tennis career. Katie Bradley is moving to Emory & Henry College to study psychology and join its Wasps tennis team. The 17-year-old pupil from Auchterarder said: “College tennis in North America is on a whole other level – it’s a…
Read MoreBoo bags biggest fags haul in Scotland
SNIFFER dog Boo has set a record for the most illegal cigarettes seized by a trading standards team in Scotland. East Ayrshire Council teamed up with the police to raid three premises in Kilmarnock. Boo sniffed out 447,000 cigarettes, worth an estimated £134,000. Training for Boo, a three-year-old Labrador-German Wirehaired Pointer cross, was funded by…
Read MoreWhisky round-up: Glen Ord, Cail Bruich, Scottish Open, and more
Peter Ranscombe takes a light-hearted romp through the latest whisky news. GLEN Ord distillery at Muir of Ord near Dingwall is today reopening its visitors’ centre for its Singleton brand. Chef Tony Singh was on hand earlier this week to launch the centre, which is part of owner Diageo’s wider £185 million investment in its…
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