News
Beavers returning to Loch Lomond
WILDLIFE charity RSPB Scotland has been given permission to release beavers at Aber Burn in the Loch Lomond national nature reserve (NNR). A report in 2019 found beavers had already found their way into the river catchment, but now NatureScot – the Scottish Government agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage – is allowing the…
Read MoreSecond TV series for Pettycur Bay Holiday Park
VISITORS and staff from Pettycur Bay Holiday Park at Kinghorn in Fife will be starring on the gogglebox again next month. A second series of Life on the Bay will be shown on the BBC Scotland channel on 8 January. The eight-part series, which was made by Red Sky Productions, will also be streamed on…
Read More‘Monster meets mountain’ as Cobbs runs Nevis Range cafés
LOCH NESS-BASED hospitality group Cobbs is taking over the eateries at Nevis Range. Cobbs will run the Snowgoose and Pinemarten cafés, a gift shop, and the hotel being built at the moutain’s base station. The 26-bedroom hotel – along with a bar and restaurant, bike shop, gift shop, and a covered courtyard with events space…
Read MoreRower Jamie Douglas-Hamilton prepares for Antarctic trial
SCOTTISH adventurer Jamie Douglas-Hamilton is preparing to row from Antarctica to South Georgia to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and honour Sir Ernest Shackleton’s carpenter. Douglas-Hamilton is undertaking the row just months after undergoing open heart surgery at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to repair a leaking aortic valve. The 950-mile expedition is…
Read MoreVegware appoints new boss as founder steps down
PLANT-BASED packaging maker Vegware has unveiled its new top team as the Edinburgh-based company’s founder stands down. Joe Frankel launched his business in 2006 and was joined by his sister, Lucy, in 2011. The company was bought last year by American packaging giant Novolex. Now, Joe is stepping back from the firm to make way…
Read MoreForesters donate Scottish Government Christmas tree
THIS year’s Scottish Government Christmas tree has been donated by a Scottish forestry company. Highfield Forestry, which is based in Perth, grew the seven-foot Nordmann Fir at Beauly, near Inverness. David Grieve, head of operations at Highfield Forestry’s Biggar office, said: “We are really proud to have been able to supply the Scottish Government with…
Read MoreGrouse season gives £350m boost
THE grouse season ends today, following its five-month boost to Scotland’s rural economy. Grouse shooting generates more than £350 million a year and supports the equivalent of 11,000 jobs, according to “The Gift of Grouse” campaign. Ross Ewing, moorland director at membership body Scottish Land & Estates, said: “Grouse shooting is the bedrock of the…
Read MoreWhisky news round-up: Deacon Blue, festivals, and more
Peter Ranscombe sticks his tongue in his cheek to round-up the latest news from the world of whisky. THE National Whisky Festival of Scotland returns to Edinburgh tomorrow. The festival is back at Summerhall, the arts centre in the former Royal Dick Vet School near the Meadows. Gareth Croll, the festival’s co-ordinator, said: “It’s such…
Read MoreHospitality news round-up: Kinloch Lodge, Tipo, and more
Peter Ranscombe checks in for the latest news from the world of hospitality. KINLOCH Lodge on Skye is rounding off its 50th anniversary with a spot on Conde Nast Traveller magazine’s “Gold List” for 2023. Manager Isabella Macdonald’s parents – Lord Godfrey Macdonald, high chief of Clan Donald, and his wife, Lady Claire Macdonald –…
Read MoreMountain experts urge public to ‘#ThinkWINTER’
MOUNTAIN safety campaigners have launched their “#ThinkWINTER” campaign urging the public to access the right information and advice before venturing into the hills. Now in its fifth year, the scheme is a joint venture between Mountaineering Scotland, Scottish Mountain Rescue, Mountain Training Scotland, Glenmore Lodge, Developing Mountain Biking Scotland, Snowsport Scotland, The Scottish Avalanche Information…
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