Rest and recuperate with Waldorf Astoria Spa

You’ve braved the shops the week before Christmas. You’ve danced till dawn at the office party. And today, the cat tore down the tinsel for the 300th time.  Burning the candle at both ends is part and parcel of the festive season, but with winter solstice finally here it is time to recalibrate for the…

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Wildlife news round-up: Rewilding, capercaillie, and more

Peter Ranscombe rounds-up the latest wildlife news from Scotland. A MIXED picture has emerged from Scotland’s national nature reserves (NNRs) this season, with bird flu decimating great skuas – or bonxies – and gannets at Noss on Shetland, with kittiwake  and Arctic terns fairing better. Terns of all varieties – Arctic, common, little, and sandwich…

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REVIEW: Eteaket Tea

Drinks blogger James Robertson pours himself a cup of Eteaket tea. I AM a self-confessed tea junkie and have been lucky enough to have visited the tea plantations in Dayuling, Taiwan, and both China’s Wuyi Mountains in Fujian and Heng Mountain in Hunan. So when Eteaket, the leaf tea company based in Edinburgh, sent me…

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Brian Cox and Alan Cumming back King’s Theatre rescue bid

ACTORS including Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, and Gabriel Byrne have backed a campaign to save the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh. The theatre is closing for a £25 million redevelopment. But the cost of the work has risen by 20-30% due to inflation and so Capital Theatres, which runs the site, is calling for increased funding,…

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Perthshire ‘carer cottage’ opens its doors

HAWTHORN Brae, a cottage in the heart of Perthshire, has opened in time for Carers’ Week, offering a spot of respite for people with life-limiting conditions and their carers. The opening has been made possible thanks to a new partnership between EMMS International – a Scottish international healthcare charity – and Voice of Carers Across…

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St Leonards School wins research award

ST LEONARDS SCHOOL in St Andrews has won the boarding research award at the Boarding Schools’ Association supporting excellence awards. The prize recognised the research undertaken by Jenn Murray-Turner, housemistress of Bishopshall – the senior girls’ boarding house at St Leonards – as part of her master’s degree in residential education. Her dissertation delved into…

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Buglife survey shows 28% drop in Scotland’s flying insects

CONSERVATION charity Buglife today reports a 28% plunge in the number of flying insects spotted in Scotland over the past 18 years. The group’s 2021 Bugs Matter survey involved members of the public recording how many insects they found squashed on their car’s number plates. Scotland saw the smallest decline, compared with England’s 65% fall…

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Going wild for health in the East Cairngorms

A new wildlife and nature trail has been launched in the East Cairngorms to improve well-being. In celebration of spring, the Ballater Business Association (BBA) and Braemar Tourism Group (BTG) have launched the East Cairngorms Wildlife and Nature Trail as part of their Imagine More campaign to encourage visitors to immerse themselves in nature and…

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New tourism body wants visitors to back Scots communities

A new national tourism body is urging visitors to support community owned tourism enterprises across Scotland and deliver a boost for local jobs and services as the sector rebuilds after Covid-19. Scottish Community Tourism (SCOTO) is a new network of around 100 community owned tourism organisations and enterprises. Its aim is to promote and represent…

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Tourism group launches ‘Breathing Space’ campaign

A new campaign to attract UK-wide visitors to Caithness and Sutherland in 2022 and beyond has been launched. The destination management organisation responsible for promoting tourism in the far north Highlands, Venture North, has launched the new Breathing Space campaign to help promote businesses and attractions in the region as the country begins to emerge…

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