Outlander’s Sam Heughan is the star of our May 2021 edition

The May edition of Scottish Field is available to purchase now – and it’s a cracker of an issue.

Our main feature of the month features our cover star, Outlander star Sam Heughan, in an eight-page interview, in which he gives the lowdown on Bond rumours, Men In Kilts, and his love for the water of life in an exclusive interview with Scottish Field.

Sam’s previous interview with us from the early days of Outlander can be read HERE.

If you want to hear some of the chat for yourself, you can find out more at the Scottish Field podcast HERE.

We also feature Bill Paterson, who talks about his interests, from gardening to walking, and cooking to drawing, as the silver screen actor from Scotland’s Dear Green Place has been far from idle during lockdown.

We also look at the restoration of a former church.

Editor Richard Bath said: ‘Perhaps Sunday School is to blame. Or maybe it’s all those childhood years in the Boys’ Brigade in dusty church halls. It might even be alternate Christmas services at St Giles’ and The Cathedral of the Isles.

‘There are any number of reasons why I love churches, I only know that despite not being particularly holy, I do.

‘I almost bought our Lady of the Braes in Lochaber many years ago, and bid on an old kirk on Cumbrae. And now, on impulse, I’ve used a rare bequest to buy a former kirk in remote Perthshire.

‘So far turning it into a home hasn’t been plain sailing. My family recoiled at the idea of sleeping surrounded by dead bodies, even if I find it a strangely comforting thought. Worries about bats, water and bodies have made progress hideously slow, yet there’s no rush.

‘In fact, moving slowly may be a blessing. It seems that those of us who love churches – there are more than you might think – also enjoy giving advice and tips, sparking ideas and identifying pitfalls. My knowledge bank expands.

‘So when I was approached about running a piece on The Tabernacle, a flat-pack church from Aberfeldy restored by former Scottish Field columnist Suki Urquhart, I was all ears.

‘The result is a wonderful six-page feature showing how Suki and her daughter rescued a piece of ecclesiastical beauty destined for the scrapheap, literally. It gave me endless ideas. Now all I need to do is to learn how to go placidly amid all the noise and haste. That, I fear, is beyond me.’

We also chat with Sophie Greig, fresh from being crowned Scotland’s Best Home Baker, as the University of Edinburgh student shares some of her delectable sweet and savoury recipes.

We feature the work of Eilidh Cameron, as Argyll’s own landscape photographer shares some stunning snaps of the West Coast, and every one of her pictures tells a story.

And Rick Wilson takes a look at the life of Lord Reith, the dour, scar-faced dynamo who transformed the BBC.

We also feature the tale of Arran’s Davy Ballantyne who circumnavigates the entire island with a whisky cask strapped to his back

And in our interiors section we feature a Glasgow West End showstopper, with the rags to riches story of Scotland’s Home of the Year 2020, which has been brought back to life in exquisite fashion.

In our regular columns, Cal Flyn embarks on a pony trek like no other, from the east to the west coast, on a biannual migration, Alexander McCall Smith takes a moment to leaf through the biographies of past literary giants, while aches and pains are a daily battle, but nothing will get between Fiona Armstrong and chocolate.

We also have our regular features, with property, interiors, food, drink, culture and more.

The May 2021 edition of Scottish Field is available now, priced £4.75.  Click HERE to order.

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