Isle of Skye Candle Company buys Aros Centre

THE Isle of Skye Candle Company is getting ready to reopen more of the Aros Centre in Portree after buying the site. The firm is turning the centre into a factory and visitors’ centre. The candle maker said that the project would revitalise the centre’s community facilities, which include a cinema and theatre, café, restaurant,…

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Scots get adventurous in new film

TOURISM body Wild Scotland has released a film encouraging locals and visitors to try its members’ adventurous activities. Nurture Your Adventurous Spirit – which is available on YouTube or below – features wildlife and adventure tourism operators from throughout Scotland. They include Nikki Dayton-Gelati from Wilder Ways, which runs horseback archery courses in Southend on…

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Symphonix Rock Orchestra swaps Chopin for Coldplay

AN ORCHESTRA will trade Mozart for Metallica later this month during a concert at Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom. The Symphonix Rock Orchestra will make its live debut on 26 August when it switches from Rachmaninoff to Rage Against the Machine. Born from the imagination of founder and musical director Neil Thompson, Symphonix combines his love for…

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Hebrides soundtrack for hotel’s ‘wellness room’

SOUNDS recorded in the Hebrides are helping guests to relax at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh. Music producer Brian D’Souza travelled to locations including the Hebrides, Cape Verde, Lake Geneva, and Lofoten in the Article to make his recordings. He then mixed sounds from fields, the sea, and wildlife with noises from gongs,…

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Abbotsford prepares for tomorrow’s ScottFest

SIR Walter Scott’s home at Abbotsford near Tweedbank is making the final preparations for its “ScottFest”. The three-day festival celebrating the life of Scotland’s most famous author begins tomorrow. Events include jousting, terrier racing, and birds of prey displays. The festival marks Scott’s birthday, which this year coincides with the 200th anniversary of the author’s…

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First Edinburgh music map is released

VENUES, bars, record shops, and other “musical places of interest” are being featured on the first Edinburgh music map. Around 50 locations are listed on the map, including about 20 of the city’s main music venues. Featured venues include Sneaky Pete’s in the Cowgate, where local band Swim School launched the map. Summerhall, the O2…

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FRINGE REVIEW: “Bloke and his American Bantu”

Bloke and his American Bantu – Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Two – 11.30am IT IS hard for productions to get noticed at the Fringe in a crowded field of 3,300 – it’s rather like being a solo soprano in a multi-hundred populated Welsh bass choir. Combine that with being allocated the death slot…

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Edinburgh Festival Fringe begins in style

THE world’s biggest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, kicks off in the Scottish capital today. Acts from 58 countries will mount nearly 50,000 performances of more than 3,100 shows between now and 29 August. The festival is marking its 75th anniversary this year, with previews of shows running over the past couple of days.…

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Edinburgh’s Christmas unveils plans

IT MAY only be August, but Edinburgh’s Christmas is today sharing plans for its festivities. Markets will return to the Mound precinct, East Princes Street Gardens, and West Princes Street Gardens. New sites are also proposed, with a “Scottish market” on Castle Street and an “artisan market” across High Street and West Parliament Square, both…

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Edinburgh Tattoo welcomes overseas stars

INTERNATIONAL performers have arrived in Scotland ahead of the start of the Edinburgh Tattoo on Friday. Among this year’s stars are the New Zealand Army Band, The United States Army Field Band, The United States Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team, Top Secret Drum Corps, Banda Monumental De Mexico, and Highland Divas. The theme for…

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