The average whisky drinker isn’t who you’d expect

The profile of the modern-day whisky drinker has been revealed and – despite what you might think – it’s not an older person from Scotland. UK-wide research from YouGov reveals our palates are refined enough to appreciate Scotland’s national spirit earlier than you might expect, with 84% of UK whisky drinkers stating that they started…

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The Steamie returns in just a couple of weeks

Tony Roper’s play The Steamie, which Scotland has taken to its heart, is coming to The Hydro with a bigger cast, bigger sets and more songs and music than ever before. It will run from 27-31 December, The Steamie is a theatre classic; an ode to the hard-working women of the 1950s and to a…

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Grouse season defies predictions with late upturn

The grouse season in Scotland is ending today, 10 December, on a high note. Experts predicted the season would be mixed at best, but as it turned out, some moors in Scotland were able to host fairly full programmes. The east of Scotland tended to fare best overall, from Aberdeenshire down to Angus, parts of…

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Book festival appoints school writer in residence

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has appointed its new schools writer in residence. Leyla Josephine takes the post for Citizen, as part of the next phase of its year-round programme taking the Book Festival On The Road. Citizen is a long-term creative programme working in partnership with organisations in and around Edinburgh, listening to people’s…

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Celebrate the New Year – on the water

You can celebrate the New Year in luxury, on board The Royal Yacht Britannia and her sister ship Fingal, Scotland’s first luxury floating hotel. Permanently berthed in the historic port of Leith in Edinburgh, Britannia and Fingal offer a truly unique way to spend Hogmanay in utmost luxury. This two-night Hogmanay package includes: Monday 30…

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Discover the Jacobites from outside of Scotland

When contemplating the subject of the Jacobites, thoughts turn to Bonnie Prince Charlie, Culloden and more recently, the hunky but fictional Jamie Fraser from Outlander. What many people – historians included – have often failed to consider is that not all Jacobites were Scottish. In this book Desmond Seward attempts to reveal a much more…

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Walking the walk and going the extra mile for charity

Norman Yarrow defied Parkinson’s Disease to talk the 212 miles of the coast-to-coast Southern Upland Way. In doing so, the Gullane man raised £320,000 for charity, and won the charity Cure Parkinsons Fundraiser of the Year award for ‘going that extra mile’ in fundraising. What made you decide to do your fundraising walk? I was…

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A Scottish golfing guide that’s well up to par

For anyone looking to tick a few world famous golf courses off their bucket list, The Golf Lover’s Guide to Scotland provides all the details you might need to make the planning as seamless as possible. Information includes slope rating, whether you need to show a handicap certificate, caddie hire options and dress code so…

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The Titanic and the ruined Fife palace

The fate of Leslie House in Fife, once the seat of the Earls of Rothes, is in the balance. The A-listed house, which was known as the Palace of Rothes, stands burntout and bereft. In its heyday it resembled Holyrood Palace and was described by Daniel Defoe as ‘the glory of the whole province of…

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Scotland’s ten greatest wildlife trips

Scotland is home to a dazzling array of wildlife so, for your pleasure, we’ve selected ten fantastic ways in which you can get close to these amazing animals. 1. Orca The orca or killer whale can grow to eight metres long and weigh five tonnes. These sociable animals live in large groups known as pods,…

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