Outdoors
Royal Highland Show unveils 2021 plans
TICKETS for the Royal Highland Show go on sale tomorrow as the Scotland’s biggest outdoor event returns to Ingliston on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The first batch of tickets for the four-day show, which will run on 17-20 June, go on sale tomorrow at noon. The next batch will go on sale next month. The…
Read More‘Spectacle of Light’ opens at Dalkeith
DALKEITH Country Park’s second “Spectacle of Light” opened on Saturday. The display runs until 4 January. Midlothian residents are taken on a light and sound journey up through Fort Douglas, Sky Maze, Mini Maze, Rainbow’s End, and into the new Fantasy Forest. The historic Orangerie is also lit for the occasion. Read more stories on…
Read MoreThe story behind Gleneagles’ Christmas tree
GLENEAGLES may be closed until the end of January, but that hasn’t stopped staff from erecting the hotel’s traditional 47-foot Christmas tree. It took head gardener Duncan Clephane and his team of eight gardeners and two tree decorators a full week to add more than 6,000 lights to the tree. Clephane said: “Deciding on the…
Read MoreSouth of Scotland launches virtual advent calendar
SCOTLAND Starts Here, a campaign to promote businesses in the South of Scotland, has launched a virtual advent calendar. Behind each of the 24 windows, Christmas shoppers can find an exclusive experience, gift or treasure, only available from the website. The range of gifts available includes food and drink experiences, sport and outdoor activities, and…
Read MoreThe stories behind NatureScot’s 2021 calendar snaps
NATURESCOT, the Scottish Government agency previously known as Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), has unveiled the photographs it is using for its 2021 calendar. The agency received more than 700 submissions from members of the public. Francesca Osowska, NatureScot chief executive, said: “We were struck by the range of subjects captured – from underwater wildlife encounters…
Read MoreMontane turns Black Friday ‘Green’
OUTDOOR clothing brand Montane is donating its enitre “Black Friday” marketing budget to the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA). The Northumberland-based label will give €5,000 (about £4,500) to the charity to fund projects including tackling plastic pollution in Brazil, Columbia, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Global marketing manager Matthew Hickman said: “Throughout the year, Montane…
Read More‘What a beast!’ When crofting goes hi-tech
A CROFTER on the Isle of Lewis is celebrating the difference modern technology has made to him and his neighbours. Donald MacSween, who gave up a job with the local council to become a crofter, won the use of a telehandler for free for a year as part of The Prince’s Countryside Fund’s New Holland…
Read MoreUnion Chain Bridge champion wins award
ONE of the people behind the campaign to preserve the historic Union Chain Bridge linking England and Scotland across the River Tweed has been chosen as the winner of the Tweed Forum River Champion Award. Edward Cawthorn from Berwick was a founding member of the “Friends of the Union Chain Bridge”, which was formed in…
Read MoreIf you go down to the woods tonight…
HOPETOUN House’s “Wondrous Woods” lighting trail opened last night. The stately home near South Queensferry will host the light show until 15 November. The Earl of Hopetoun said: “It is thrilling for me to see the grounds come to life after dark with all the creative lighting and effects that are planned. “This is the…
Read MoreCampaign drives interest in North East 250
INTEREST in the North East 250 driving route has shifted up a gear following an online marketing campaign. The number of times pages were viewed on the North East 250 website accelerated from fewer than 8,000 in the month before the first phase of the campaign began to nearly 120,000 during the campaign’s final month.…
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