North Coast 500 leads the way on Instagram

Scotland’s North Coast 500 was found to be the most Instagrammed road trip in the UK with 88,287 tags, closely followed by Cheddar Gorge in Somerset with 59,980 tags. Road trips are an increasingly popular way of discovering and experiencing new countries, and how good your trip looks ‘on the gram’ is very important in…

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When vampires came to the Scottish Highlands

I have always been a fan of the vampire genre, but this is a first for me: a tale of blood sucking horror set in the Highlands of Scotland. Despite the odd juxtaposition of genres, this is an enjoyable tale that I found difficult to put down. The lead character, Mark Campbell is well developed…

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Parliament to debate grouse shooting – again

A petition on grouse shooting will debated by MPs in Westminster. The debate has been triggered by an online petition that has attracted 111,965 signatures – more than the required 100,000 clicks – and comes just four years after a similar debate saw the case for banning grouse shooting totally dissected by MPs. In an online…

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How to trace your Scottish roots and ancestry

Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church & State Records is a thorough guide to Scotland’s genealogical landscape and is a useful tool for researchers of the diaspora to have at hand. Paton examines common records used by family historians, including censuses, tax records and registers of land ownership. A basic knowledge of the legal system…

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Set your sights on the new Helia riflescope

Fieldsports enthusiasts should take aim at a new riflescope from Swarovski Optik. The Helia 3.5-18x50i is a new addition to the Helia range of riflescopes for stalking and hunting from a hide, which impress on account of their uncompromising focus on the essentials: functionality, reliability, handling and aesthetics. The 18x magnification power of the Helia…

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The perfect book for Scottish lighthouse fans

If, like Sarah Kerr, you are an avid pharologist (the technical term for lighthouse enthusiasts) then this guide is the perfect purchase for you. It’s the only one of its kind to provide a comprehensive listing of more than 600 lighthouses in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands. The…

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World War I – as seen first hand in the trenches

Mud and Bodies is a fascinating collection of letters and extracts from the war diaries of Captain NAC Weir during the period 1914-1920. The diaries were found by his grandson shortly after his death and provide a first-hand account of the life of a young soldier on the Western Front during WW1. It includes an…

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A delicious book to awaken the tastebuds

Mezze – Small Plates to Share is a delightfully appetising recipe book. It explores the taste of the Middle East and the Mediterranean through a vast selection of scrumptious mezze dishes, made from fresh and healthy ingredients which can be enjoyed at any time of the day. This vibrant book, which features beautiful photography by Jan Baldwin,…

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How a Scotsman took cricket to South Africa

In 1877, young Scotsman James Douglas Logan emigrated to South Africa. Within a few years he had made his fortune through business, politics and his association with the most favoured of imperial pastimes – cricket. This is the fascinating story of how Logan, the son of a Borders railwayman, was instrumental in the development of…

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Set your sights on the new rifle scope from Kahles

Kahles has released its new K18i rifle scope. The K18i has been specially designed for use in sports disciplines such as IPSC and 3-Gun competitions and is the result of radical further development of its successful predecessor, the K16i. The characteristics of the K18i have been developed in collaboration with the best pro-shooters in Europe…

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