September/October 2020

Scotland Magazine

Celebrating Scotland across the world

Scotland Magazine1 min read
Scotland Magazine
EDITORIAL Editor Sally Coffey Production Editor Jenny Rowe Consultant Editor Roddy Martine Art Editor Chloë Collyer PR Requests pr@chelseamagazines.com CHELSEA CREATE Partnerships Director Lyndal Beeton ADVERTISING SALES Group Advertising Manager Nat
Scotland Magazine1 min read
Outlander Stars Travel Scotland
Scottish natives and stars of TV’s Outlander, Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, are going back to their roots for a new TV series in which they explore their homeland. The duo aren’t strangers to singing the praises of Scotland and its heritage, as th
Scotland Magazine1 min read
Editor’s Letter
Welcome to the new issue of Scotland, which is a very special issue for us. This issue we welcome the readers of The Highlander and Scottish Life, as well as Scotland Magazine, following the merger of these three fine magazines into a single, stronge
Scotland Magazine2 min read
Diary Dates
Though this year has seen many events cancelled, here are some of the clan events and Scottish-themed festivals both in Scotland and the US still planning to go ahead, some of which have been rescheduled from earlier in the year. Always check website
Scotland Magazine1 min read
Home Fires Burns-ing
This year’s Tamfest, the annual celebration of Robert Burns’ character Tam O’Shanter, is being largely hosted online. From now until the end of October, virtual events will be held to celebrate the character from the eponymous poem based on Burns’ fr
Scotland Magazine1 min read
Pinnacle Of The Picts
One of the largest ancient settlements ever discovered in Scotland – with a height that may have rivalled the largest known post-Roman settlements in Europe – has been found overlooking the tiny Aberdeenshire village of Rhynie. Archaeologists from th
Scotland Magazine3 min read
We’ve Got Mail
This past Monday, my husband and I, along with our son, his wife and our two granddaughters were scheduled to fly from the US to Edinburgh; the pandemic put a halt to this long-awaited journey. I have been planning this venture for the past two years
Scotland Magazine6 min read
Skye’s The Prize
Skye, that detached arm off Scotland’s west coast, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait – now easily accessed via the famous Skye Bridge (25 years old this year), or by ferry – is known for her stark and dramatic good looks, like a chiselle
Scotland Magazine1 min readEconomics
Rosslyn Chapel Reopens
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Rosslyn Chapel Trust, the charity established in 1995 to look after the historic Scottish church, just outside Edinburgh, known for its ornate stonework and captivating carvings. Since its inception, the Trust
Scotland Magazine1 min read
Family Tree
WILLIAM CRICHTON 1st Earl of Dumfries (1578-1643) m. (1) Euphemia Seton Hamilton; (2) Ursula Barnham Swift. WILLIAM CRICHTON 2nd Earl of Dumfries (1598-1691). m. (1) Penelope Crichton and (2) Penelope Swift THE HON CHARLES CRICHTON Lord Crichton m. H
Scotland Magazine6 min read
The PRINCE’S PALACE
In keeping with the noble dynasties who occupied them over the centuries, Scotland’s great ancestral homes have shown a remarkable propensity for survival and reinvention. None more so than magnificent Dumfries House, near Cumnock in Ayrshire, which
Scotland Magazine1 min read
Plan Your Future Visit
The Skye Bridge by Kyle of Lochalsh will get you here in just minutes. Over the sea to Skye is, of course, the more romantic way to arrive and the main Calmac ferry departs from Mallaig and arrives into Armadale on the Sleat peninsula several times a
Scotland Magazine7 min read
In A Pickle
Invergarry Castle stood on Creagan an Fhithich – the ‘Rock of the Raven’ on the shores of Loch Oich, one of the lochs in the Great Glen. It was the seat of the MacDonells of Glengarry, a branch of Clan Donald, whose prowess as Lords of the Isles is i
Scotland Magazine3 min read
The Glorious Playground
When it first opened in 1924, Gleneagles created something of a media frenzy, with newspapers hailing it the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ and the ‘Riviera in the Highlands’. This splendid palace of a hotel was the realisation of the ambition of one D
Scotland Magazine4 min read
King In Waiting
“It is, in truth, a humiliating record, and it requires all the lustre of de Brus’s subsequent achievement to efface the ugly details of it.” So said writer Herbert Maxwell in analysing Bruce’s conduct before he was crowned Robert I in 1306. Many dur
Scotland Magazine4 min read
On A Cliff Edge
Scotland is renowned for its dramatic coastline, not least due to the many atmospheric castle ruins that perch on lofty outcrops along its edge. In the words of Sir Walter Scott, writing about Tantallon Castle: these castles of “striking situation, o
Scotland Magazine3 min read
For Peat’s Sake
In my youth, I remember snow lying around my home in Perth for weeks on end, but the snows of 50 years ago seem to be gone forever. They meant that the upland areas, which gather Scotland’s water supplies, retained water during the course of a full c
Scotland Magazine6 min read
The Flying Scot
Where are your roots? I suppose I should say, “wherever I park my car” but in reality I was born in Dumbuck, which is now known as Milton and I have been lucky enough to travel the world and have homes in Switzerland and near London. My roots always
Scotland Magazine5 min read
Not Quite Out Of Puff
With the plethora of nondescript bright white modern boats on our seas and waterways, your first sighting of a Clyde puffer is likely to take your breath away. Built between 1856 and 1939, these distinctive little steamboats look like something out o
Scotland Magazine6 min readWicca / Witchcraft
Heresy they Say?
Witches, of the pointy hat and broomstick variety, have long dominated popular culture but for the people of early modern Scotland, the fear posed by witchcraft and maleficent goings-on was genuine and omnipresent. Thousands of terrified, innocent fo
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Scotland’s Best Hotels
1. ARDANAISEIG HOTEL ARGYLL, PA35 1HE +44 (0)1866 833333 ardanaiseig.com 2. BRIDGE OF ORCHY HOTEL ARGYLL, PA36 4AD +44 (0)1838 400208 bridgeoforchy.co.uk 3. THE GEORGE HOTEL ARGYLL, PA32 8TT +44 (0)1499 302111 thegeorgehotel.co.uk 4. THE PIERHOUSE HO
Scotland Magazine2 min read
Heirs Apparent
One of the ways that we can determine the former wealth of our ancestors is to consider what was left behind after they passed away. As well as land and property that an ancestor might have held, known as ‘heritable estate’, there were other assets h
Scotland Magazine3 min read
Sibling Rivalry
From the earliest times, chieftains would arrange races among their clansmen to find the fastest man available for carrying messages in times of emergency. In the wild and mountainous Highlands, where no roads existed and the peat bogs, boulders and
Scotland Magazine2 min read
The Library
The Well of the Heads: Historical Tales of the Scottish Clans BY STUART MCHARDY You may be tempted by our feature on Robert the Bruce’s rise to kingship (page 38) to dive deeper into the complexities of Scottish clans. Well, this is the book for you.
Scotland Magazine5 min read
The Cairngorms
The Cairngorms National Park is the largest national park in the UK and is simply sublime, with wild and varied landscapes, that are home to ancient castles and monuments, wildlife and no end of stupendous walks. Across its more than 4,500 sq km, you

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