‘Estates that Educate’ boosts rural skills

NEARLY 800 children are learning about living and working in the countryside as part of the “Estates that Educate” programme. Primary and secondary school pupils in the Angus Glens, Grampian, the Southern Uplands, Speyside, Strathdearn, and Tayside are receiving five consecutive weeks of moorland education. Topics covered include deer management, cooking game, renewable energy, and…

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Sir Jackie Stewart Classic revs up

THE Sir Jackie Stewart takes place this weekend, with the man himself taking to the driver’s seat once more. The three-time Formula One world champion will drive his 1969 Matra MS-80 02 F1 car in Scotland for the very first time during the event at Thirlestane Castle near Lauder. The event is being held in…

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Cairngorms features in new podcast series

PEOPLE in the Cairngorms are the stars of a new series of podcasts. Cairngorms Characters explores the lives of the people who live and work in the mountain range. Produced by VisitCairngorms and the Cairngorms National Park Authority, the four-part series was made by podcasting company The Big Light. Broadcaster Cameron Angus Mackay guides listeners…

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Highland Games get set for busy summer

Peter Ranscombe takes a look at how communities are gearing up for this summer’s Highland Games. VILLAGES, towns, and cities throughout Scotland are getting ready to host their Highland Games this summer. For many organisers – including those in Aberdeen – it will be the first opportunity to hold their events in-person since the pandemic…

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Kinloch Castle on verge of sale

KINLOCH Castle, the landmark property on the Isle of Rum, is on the verge of being sold. Businessman Jeremy Hosking is setting up a trust to buy the castle from NatureScot, the successor organisation to the Nature Conservancy Council, which bought the island in 1957 as a national nature reserve. The castle was used as…

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Scottish hostels star in new film

A NEW film is shining a light on the people who run Scotland’s hostels. Trade body Scottish Hostels commissioned Edinburgh-based filmaker Markus Stitz to make the programme, which features Ballater Hostel, Great Glen Hostel in Spean Bridge, The Cowshed Boutique Bunkhouse on Skye, Oban Backpackers, and Coll Bunkhouse. The film aims to highlight the social…

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Langholm Moor buyout gets £1m ‘major game-changer’

THE Langholm Moor buyout has received a £1 million donation from the Scottish Land Fund. The sum was described as a “major game-changer” for the South of Scotland’s biggest community buyout. The town of Langholm in Dumfries & Galloway aims to raise £2.2m by next month to purchase 5,300 acres of Langholm Moor from Buccleuch…

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Loch Lomond footpath damage exposed

SIMULATIONS of the damage caused to footpaths in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park has been revealed. Images were created to show the state of footpaths 50 years from now if current erosion and littering continues. Scottish Field has often highlighted the need to protect Scotland’s countryside and the hard work that goes into…

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What’s On This Weekend: Makers, music, and dachshunds

A look at what’s on this weekend around Scotland, with Peter Ranscombe. NEARLY 100 artists throughout Dumfries and Galloway are throwing open the doors to their studios this weekend for Spring Fling. Sixteen of the artists and makers have never taken part before, including slipware potter Mary Gladstone of Craighlaw, Kirkcowan, Newton Stewart, whose pieces…

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The Week in Pictures: A goat, strawberries, and more

Peter Ranscombe takes a light-hearted look at some of the week’s enduring images, from a goat to strawberry tarts… POLO the goat and handler Irene McCreath spent a day seeing the sights in Edinburgh to celebrate the return of the Royal Highland Show. Scotland’s largest outdoor event returns to the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston…

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