News
The Real Mary King’s Close has been named the UK’s number one tourist attraction
Edinburgh tourist attraction The Real Mary King’s Close has been named the UK’s number one tourist attraction, beating competition from some of the nation’s most iconic locations such as Tower Bridge, The British Museum and Tower of London. The world famous attraction came in at the 11th best in Europe in this year’s Tripadvisor® Travelers’ Choice®…
Read MoreScotland’s whales: Two orcas spotted off coast of Ardnamurchan
A rare sighting of two killer whales off the coast of Ardnamurchan has been captured on video. The orcas John Coe and Aquarius belong to Scotland’s only known resident pod of killer whales. The duo was spotted by Rob Barlow, Owner of Hebrides Cruises who was skippering one of the company’s three vessels, Elizabeth G…
Read MoreThe great egg caper that could save the rare capercaillie from dying out
Researchers made fake nests and filled them with chicken eggs as part of a trial designed to help save the capercaillie, one of the UK’s rarest birds. The capercaillie is a ground-nesting bird that, with just over 500 left in the wild, is in danger of extinction in the UK. One contributor to its decline…
Read MoreEdinburgh Floral Clock in full bloom for RNLI
Edinburgh’s world famous Floral clock blooms in honour of the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, with more than 35,000 flowers used to create this year’s design. Three gardeners took just six weeks to create the clock which will be in bloom until October. Former Botanical Services Manager, David Dorward, has been planting the clock for 42 years,…
Read MoreFour wildcat kittens born outside captivity in Cairngorms National Park marks major milestone
Four wildcat kittens have been born in the Cairngorms National Park and are thought to be the first to be born outside captivity in Scotland for more than five years Following the release of 19 wildcats last summer, at least two females have given birth in the wild. The species was determined to be on…
Read MoreRRS Discovery: 120-year-old rudder removed for restoration
It was built in Dundee in the early 1900s to take explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott to the Antarctic. But after 123 years and having travelled all over the globe – including three voyages to the Antarctic – the RRS Discovery is now in desperate need of conservation to preserve its structure. The ship’s rudder,…
Read MoreRoyal Highland Show: 200,000 people gather for event with record breaking ticket sales
More than 220,000 people attended this year’s Royal Highland Show – generating £3.3 million. Friday and Saturday sold out, with general tickets sales up 2.5% from last year with more attendees than Taylor Swift’s recent record-breaking concerts. More than 9,000 people spent Friday and Saturday evening at the toe-tapping Royal Highland Hoolie, with country and…
Read MoreMartin Compston named chieftain of Cowal Highland Gathering
Line of Duty star Martin Compston has been announced as Cowal Gathering’s Honorary Chieftain for 2024. Greenock-born Martin – who became a household name for his role as DI Steve Arnott – will oversee this year’s 130th anniversary celebrations. Martin is no stranger to Cowal Gathering, having been a regular visitor to the event with his family…
Read MoreRoyal Highland Show: 300 trophies hand polished in preparation for event
More than 300 trophies will be competed for and awarded at this weekend’s Royal Highland Show. In preparation, Alain Wright, House and Heritage Officer for RHASS (the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland), the organisers of the Royal Highland Show, has been preparing the 327 prestigious trophies. From a 15-carat yellow gold masterpiece, to…
Read MoreIsle of May: Numbers of puffins at one of UK’s largest colonies increase by a third
Numbers of puffins at one of the UK’s largest colonies on the Isle of May have increased by around a third since 2017, experts have revealed. Scientists estimate there are around 52,000 occupied puffin burrows on the Isle of May nature reserve, compared to 39,000 in the last survey in 2017 – a 33% increase.…
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