Fish and stalk on your very own Highland estate

A unique opportunity to purchase a private estate with exceptional quality stalking and fishing on the spectacular Knoydart Peninsula. Kilchoan Estate provides the perfect secluded getaway with spectacular inland and coastal views to Skye, Rum and the other Small Isles beyond. Presented for sale by Bidwells, Kilchoan Estate is located on the Knoydart Peninsula, approximately…

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The buzzard is a success story – but it is too successful?

Buzzards are a conservation success story. The raptors’ numbers are so buoyant that concerns over their impact on other wildlife have been raised and measures as drastic as a cull are being suggested. It seemed ironic that, shortly after I had despatched a badly injured buzzard filled with shot pellets, that the next visitor to…

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The King and the Bard were under her spell

Jane, Duchess of Gordon, threw legendary parties, hosted Edinburgh’s best literary salon and recruited troops through her beauty and charm. No wonder everyone from King George III to Robert Burns was under her spell. The streets and closes of eighteenth century Edinburgh could be a dangerous place to walk. Every evening, the public houses and…

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New Scottish health food hits the shelves

A new health food with a difference has been produced in Scotland. Podberry is pea snack which has just secured its first national listing and is on sale from Morrisons stores across Scotland. The UK’s first freeze-dried seasoned snack, created on the fourth generation family farm in Perthshire, initially began its journey to development in…

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An attractive estate by the banks of the river

A compact residential and farming estate is on the property market for offers over £2.85million. Savills is marketing Culquoich, an estate of 975 acres, situated in a beautiful position on the banks of the River Don in an area favoured by the Royal family to the east of the Cairngorms National Park. The estate is…

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Wild geese population has more than trebled

Funding has been put in place for a new £60,000 barnacle goose management scheme, to help protect Scotland’s population of Greenland barnacle geese. Scotland hosts around 60% of the world’s population of Greenland barnacle geese. These internationally important birds are a conservation success story, with increased numbers across the country over the last 20 years.…

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Ten of the finest follies to be found in Scotland

Decadent indulgences by people with more money than sense, or touching attempts to leave a lasting legacy other than wealth? Here we suggest 10 of Scotland’s finest follies. 1. Kinnoull Tower Built in the 18th century by the 9th Earl of Kinnoull to resemble a castle on the Rhine in Germany, Kinnoull Tower is one…

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10 alien invaders Scotland can do without

Scotland’s native wildlife is being attacked by ruthless foreign species that are hell-bent on world domination. A great many creatures that are part of the Scottish landscape are not, in fact, native species: the likes of the rabbit, pheasant and fallow deer were all introduced at some point in the past. But while these have…

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2020 Scottish Rural Awards open for nominations

Nominations for the 2020 Scottish Rural Awards are now open, with businesses across Scotland’s countryside encouraged to get involved. The ultimate benchmark of success in Scotland’s countryside, the Scottish Rural Awards are now in their sixth year and are partnered by Scottish Field and the Scottish Countryside Alliance. The categories are open for nominations, including…

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Ducking and diving – the tale of the eider duck

The much-loved eider duck is a conservation success story, but its insatiable appetite for Scotland’s finest shellfish has made it a raft of new enemies. Scouring the beach at Tentsmuir in Fife, as I walk, I’m constantly scanning the horizon with my binoculars, searching for waders and watching large seals haul themselves out of the…

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