Outdoors
Student will follow in the footsteps
A young geography student and mountain bike enthusiast is set to follow in the footsteps of acclaimed Scottish naturalist Dick Balharry. They will travel abroad to further his studies, thanks to a new educational award from the National Trust for Scotland and the University of Highlands and Islands. Douglas Carchrie (19), from Perthshire, has secured…
Read MoreThe UK’s top cyclists are heading to Scotland
Britain’s top professional cyclists are coming to Scotland in just over six weeks’ time. The OVO Energy Tour Series heads north of the border for a pair of events, with Motherwell on Tuesday, 15 May, before the cyclists take to the streets of Aberdeen on Thursday, 17 May. The OVO Energy Tour Series is Britain’s…
Read MoreLifetime honour at rural awards for Douglas Watson
One man’s dedication to the agricultural industry was honoured at the Scottish Rural Awards last night. The Lifetime Achievement award went to Ingliston-based Douglas Watson, senior project manager with the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS). He has a knowledge of rural Scotland’s businesses, organisations and people that really impressed the judges. Due to retire in…
Read MoreSuccessful businesses rewarded for all their hard work
New Scottish businesses and established firms exploring new avenues have had their hard work recognised at the Scottish Rural Awards. GlenWyvis Distillery, based in Dingwall, were overall winners in the Business Start Up category, with the judging panel praising their ambitious, out of the box thinking and use of crowdfunding. Another Dingwall business, the Highland…
Read MoreNominations wanted for Nature of Scotland prizes
TV presenter Kate Humble is hosting the Nature of Scotland Awards. RSPB Scotland has announced that Kate, also a writer and naturalist as well as a former Springwatch presenter, will be this year’s host for awards, being held in association with Scottish Natural Heritage. The renowned awards, which open for entries today, celebrate the people,…
Read MoreLooking at the sad decline of Scottish kestrels
I have long had a soft spot for a creature that was once our most common bird of prey. And I came across one again recently, shut in a boiler room at the Aberfeldy Distillery – a dapper little male kestrel. As thin as a wraith, it weighed less than four ounces, when normally it should…
Read MoreTales of the riverbank as beavers pose a problem
As beavers continue their rapid colonisation of Tayside, Strathearn and Strathmore, seeping their way effortlessly into river systems, there is growing disenchantment amongst the farming fraternity, and mounting worries about how to deal with the issues arising daily. Whilst on the one hand, conservationists and many members of the public are ecstatic about the beaver’s…
Read MoreAn exhilarating stalk on Uist still needs traditional skills
Alistair Matheson, the Gaelic bard, once wrote in praise of Uist and its wildlife. ‘Thugaibh leam le uaill gu fonnmhor, Oran,s fonn do thir mo ghraidh, Uibhist riomhach nan damh donn’ ‘Come with me with pride and cheer, With music and song to the land of my heart, Bonnie Uist of the red deer’ Considering…
Read MoreTen recommended walks to enjoy in the Scottish Borders
With the warm springtime weather approaching – despite all signs so far pointing towards the contrary – walkers can again enjoy all the majestic wonders and picturesque landscapes that Scotland has to offer free of snow and sleet. With a plethora of history and mapped out walking routes, the Scottish Borders are the perfect place for adventurers…
Read MoreRemembering the glory days on the Scottish rivers
The 2018 Scottish salmon season began in January, many of the first anglers were escorted to the river bank by the sound of pipes and the chink of well filled whisky glasses. Fishers are reputedly interested only in the sizes and numbers of fish landed, but this is not so. Stories in the fishing hut…
Read More