Opening our eyes to the wonders of the past

To see the world through the eyes of acclaimed archaeologist and television presenter Neil Oliver, if only for a day, would be a true gift – and this tome is about as close as it gets. It pays testament to Oliver’s enthusiasm for the history woven into every square inch of Scotland’s romantic landscapes, and…

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Beaver appeal raises £60,000

CONSERVATION charity Trees for Life has raised nearly £60,000 through a crowdfunding appeal to help protect Scotland’s beavers. The fundraising effort sets the scene for a court challenge to the Scottish Government’s beaver policy, which the charity claims is causing “needless loss of beavers’ lives”. Trees for Life and rewilding charity The Lifescape Project claim…

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12 Wines of Christmas: Argentina

Peter Ranscombe continues his journey through the 12 wines of Christmas with top-end bottles from Argentina. TAKE a walk along a supermarket wine aisle and it’s easy to dismiss Argentina as a land full of simple malbec. Row after row of cheap and usually very cheerful red wines demonstrate how the country and the grape…

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Review: Tigerlily’s festive afternoon ‘T’ service

AFTER an extremely tough year, there’s never been a better excuse to indulge in some epicurean delights. It’s one of the few things we’ve been able to enjoy in 2020 and, while we might not be able to dine exactly the way we’d like, there are a huge variety of businesses that have adapted to…

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Review: Time for tea at Aberdeen’s Café Bohème

Fairy lights? Check. Brussels sprouts? Check. Shopped till you’ve dropped? Check. After all those festive preparations – and, let’s face it, a rather trying year for us all – there couldn’t be a better time to indulge in a pre-Christmas treat. As we headed down to Aberdeen’s Café Bohème, a gorgeous restaurant that pairs Scottish…

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Review: ‘Sittingsuits you, sir!’

Elis Elliot climbs inside a Sittingsuit to put the ‘sleeping bag you can wear’ through its paces. TIME spent in the great outdoors has always been instrumental in improving our physical and mental health, but that’s never been more important than it is right now. As the seasons change and we are forced to socialise…

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REVIEW: Home is where the spa is

FOR anyone who knows me, they’ll know that I like a little bit of pampering. But even prior to the horrors of 2020, popping to the salon or spa has had its challenges. There are always little things like work and children that tend to get in the way of precious “me” time. So, you…

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A crime thriller on a Scottish island

We didn’t have to wait long for the next instalment of Inspector Angus Blue’s whodunnits, and it doesn’t disappoint. Called to Jura after an attempted assassination on a Cabinet Minister, the inspector finds himself in a series of fantastically eerie landscapes and is forced to overcome several unexpected hurdles. As with The Pead Dead, the…

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Review: The Loveable Rogue

The Hebridean may have gone, but Keith McIntyre is in love with its replacement – The Loveable Rogue in Glasgow. WHEN it was announced at the end of August that The Loveable Rogue (TLR) was replacing The Hebridean in Glasgow’s West End, the accompanying press blurb stated that new owners Joe Lazzerini and Amalia Colaluca would…

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Review: The last days of summer in the Lakes

Elis Elliot and family explore the Lake District from The County Hotel in Kendal. I HAVE a long and somewhat damp history of spending time in the Lake District. And yet, still I return to this scenic area of England. And there is good reason for this, because on a sunny day there really is…

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