March - April 2023

Scotland Magazine

Celebrating Scotland across the world

Scotland Magazine1 min read
Scotland Magazine
Editor Sally Coffey Assistant Editor Henrietta Easton Art Editor Clare White PR Requests pr@chelseamagazines.com Group Sales Director Catherine Chapman Advertising Manager Daisy Welch Chairman Paul Dobson Managing Director James Dobson Publisher Simo
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Clan Courier
Of all of Scotland’s myths and legends, the ‘is-she-or-isn’t-she’ mystery of the Loch Ness Monster is the one that attracts the most interest. Now, with its family owners moving on after 40 years, The Loch Ness Centre, near Inverness, is to be given
Scotland Magazine1 min read
Editor’s Letter
During my travels across Scotland, I’ve often been blown away by the beautiful craftsmanship still in evidence today – be it makers continuing centuries-old traditions, or contemporary designers whose muse is the local landscape – and so this issue w
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Notes From The Isles
This Christmas, most of my family were with their in-laws, so it was just Mary and me here. My notorious Scrooge-like frugality kicked in and I decided not to buy a Christmas tree, at vast expense, and then after its 12 nights of glory, consign it to
Scotland Magazine3 min read
We’ve Got Mail
When are you going to include Dundee on your map, which appears on your contents page, as well as the various other maps throughout the magazine? The fourth largest city in the country surely warrants inclusion? Maybe, my question should be…why do yo
Scotland Magazine5 min read
Made in Mull
It’s a still autumnal morning and I’m drifting across the Sound of Mull. Common seals bob around off the Isle of Lismore as Duart Castle comes into view ahead. Jutting above its rocky outcrop, this is an impressive approach for many a Mull visitor –
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Orkney’s CROWNING JEWELLER
Scotland’s rich heritage of jewellery making dates to the Iron Age. The crafting of jewellery developed over the years with the emergence of the Celtic (or Pictish) style featuring themes of nature, Scandinavian mythology, and Celtic knot patterns. T
Scotland Magazine3 min read
The Quaich
As a symbol of Scottish hospitality, the quaich brings people together to celebrate and commemorate special occasions. Whether it’s a wedding, christening, retirement, or a Burns supper, the sipping of a dram from the quaich is a shared experience pr
Scotland Magazine8 min read
A CHEQUERED History
Tartan’s worldwide appeal is indisputable – from hotel rooms to palaces and stately homes, to catwalks and high street shop windows, this distinct pattern of stripes and checks is everywhere. It’s become so fashionable that the late Vivienne Westwood
Scotland Magazine5 min read
Woven With Love
On a small island in Scotland’s far north – a pebble in the sea between Orkney and Shetland – a local community is renowned the world over for its distinctive colourful knitwear designs that are both hardy and highly desirable. However, the origins o
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Meet a CIDER Maker
In addition to co-founding Sip Champagnes, the UK’s leading online retailer of artisan and ethically sourced champagne direct from the grower, Scottish-born Peter Crawford uses his extensive knowledge of wine production to produce his unique, traditi
Scotland Magazine3 min read
Buy Scottish
The world’s leading manufacturer of tartan, Lochcarron of Scotland’s history stretches back to 1892. Handmade in a weaving textile mill in Selkirk, in the Scottish Borders, by skilled craftspeople, Lochcarron products are woven using natural, renewab
Scotland Magazine3 min read
Travels With Tom
In 1468 Scotland struck an extraordinary territorial bargain. Christian I, King of Denmark (which had incorporated Norway in 1380), agreed to cede the Orkney and Shetland archipelagos. This promised Scotland’s biggest expansion since the acquisition
Scotland Magazine2 min read
Win A Holiday In A Luxury Highlands Hotel
We have teamed up with Highland Coast Hotels to offer one lucky winner and their guest the chance to win a two-night stay at the luxurious Tongue Hotel in Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands. The hotel is located on the beautiful North Coast 500 ro
Scotland Magazine5 min read
I’m A Norman, You Know (or Are You?)
One phrase professional genealogists hear regularly is: “Our family arrived with William the Conqueror”, and it doesn’t always fill us with the level of excitement you might expect. Firstly, it’s probably not the case. Secondly, even if true, it’s ve
Scotland Magazine1 min read
Great Savings When You Subscribe
SAVE UP TO 37% The perfect companion for anyone interested in the rich history and culture of Scotland – full of fascinating stories and inspiration in every issue Order an annual subscription to Scotland magazine for yourself or as a gift: UK £21.95
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Go Forth
When Andy Scott unveiled his giant horsehead structures, The Kelpies, in 2014, they became a beacon to Scotland’s ingenuity placed strategically in Scotland’s Forth Valley – a region too often passed through by travellers on their way elsewhere. It’s
Scotland Magazine5 min read
The Early Kings Of Scotland
Historians generally agree that the first king of Scotland was Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Dál Riata, who ruled over Scotland’s western seaboard, which took in much of what is now Argyll and the Western Isles. In AD843 MacAlpin also ascended the throne
Scotland Magazine5 min read
Scotland’s Darkest town
“That bright star there, that’s not actually a star. It’s Venus!” Our guide points a green laser at the night sky to the east and we look up to catch a fleeting glimpse of the sparkling planet through fast-moving Scottish clouds. I’m standing in a mu
Scotland Magazine5 min read
The Story Of St Kilda
Sail to the end of the Earth and keep going – that is where you will find St Kilda, a Scottish archipelago composed of emerald isles in a pewter grey sea, speckled with violets and tormentil. Utterly isolated, the nearest civilisation is in North Uis
Scotland Magazine2 min read
Highland Flings
21 April 2023 – 1 February 2024 This new exhibition will celebrate the global story of tartan, and its complex, rich, and sometimes painful history. vam.ac.uk/dundee/exhibitions/tartan 26 April – 1 May 2023 Speyside’s world-famous distilleries invit
Scotland Magazine3 min read
The Story Behind…
The book opens with the line ‘until very recently most of Scotland’s long history seems to have been forgotten, misplaced, or misunderstood, and often thought of as incidental.’ When I was a child, we weren’t really taught Scottish history at school,
Scotland Magazine1 min read
Editor’s Letter
During my travels across Scotland, I’ve often been blown away by the beautiful craftsmanship still in evidence today – be it makers continuing centuries-old traditions, or contemporary designers whose muse is the local landscape – and so this issue w
Scotland Magazine3 min read
We’ve Got Mail
When are you going to include Dundee on your map, which appears on your contents page, as well as the various other maps throughout the magazine? The fourth largest city in the country surely warrants inclusion? Maybe, my question should be…why do yo
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Clan Courier
Of all of Scotland’s myths and legends, the ‘is-she-or-isn’t-she’ mystery of the Loch Ness Monster is the one that attracts the most interest. Now, with its family owners moving on after 40 years, The Loch Ness Centre, near Inverness, is to be given
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Notes From The Isles
This Christmas, most of my family were with their in-laws, so it was just Mary and me here. My notorious Scrooge-like frugality kicked in and I decided not to buy a Christmas tree, at vast expense, and then after its 12 nights of glory, consign it to
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Orkney’s CROWNING JEWELLER
Scotland’s rich heritage of jewellery making dates to the Iron Age. The crafting of jewellery developed over the years with the emergence of the Celtic (or Pictish) style featuring themes of nature, Scandinavian mythology, and Celtic knot patterns. T
Scotland Magazine5 min read
Made in Mull
It’s a still autumnal morning and I’m drifting across the Sound of Mull. Common seals bob around off the Isle of Lismore as Duart Castle comes into view ahead. Jutting above its rocky outcrop, this is an impressive approach for many a Mull visitor –
Scotland Magazine8 min read
A CHEQUERED History
Tartan’s worldwide appeal is indisputable – from hotel rooms to palaces and stately homes, to catwalks and high street shop windows, this distinct pattern of stripes and checks is everywhere. It’s become so fashionable that the late Vivienne Westwood
Scotland Magazine5 min read
Woven With Love
On a small island in Scotland’s far north – a pebble in the sea between Orkney and Shetland – a local community is renowned the world over for its distinctive colourful knitwear designs that are both hardy and highly desirable. However, the origins o
Scotland Magazine3 min read
The Quaich
As a symbol of Scottish hospitality, the quaich brings people together to celebrate and commemorate special occasions. Whether it’s a wedding, christening, retirement, or a Burns supper, the sipping of a dram from the quaich is a shared experience pr
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Meet a CIDER Maker
In addition to co-founding Sip Champagnes, the UK’s leading online retailer of artisan and ethically sourced champagne direct from the grower, Scottish-born Peter Crawford uses his extensive knowledge of wine production to produce his unique, traditi
Scotland Magazine3 min read
Buy Scottish
The world’s leading manufacturer of tartan, Lochcarron of Scotland’s history stretches back to 1892. Handmade in a weaving textile mill in Selkirk, in the Scottish Borders, by skilled craftspeople, Lochcarron products are woven using natural, renewab
Scotland Magazine3 min read
Travels With Tom
In 1468 Scotland struck an extraordinary territorial bargain. Christian I, King of Denmark (which had incorporated Norway in 1380), agreed to cede the Orkney and Shetland archipelagos. This promised Scotland’s biggest expansion since the acquisition
Scotland Magazine2 min read
Win A Holiday In A Luxury Highlands Hotel
We have teamed up with Highland Coast Hotels to offer one lucky winner and their guest the chance to win a two-night stay at the luxurious Tongue Hotel in Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands. The hotel is located on the beautiful North Coast 500 ro
Scotland Magazine5 min read
I’m A Norman, You Know (or Are You?)
One phrase professional genealogists hear regularly is: “Our family arrived with William the Conqueror”, and it doesn’t always fill us with the level of excitement you might expect. Firstly, it’s probably not the case. Secondly, even if true, it’s ve
Scotland Magazine4 min read
Go Forth
When Andy Scott unveiled his giant horsehead structures, The Kelpies, in 2014, they became a beacon to Scotland’s ingenuity placed strategically in Scotland’s Forth Valley – a region too often passed through by travellers on their way elsewhere. It’s
Scotland Magazine5 min read
The Early Kings Of Scotland
Historians generally agree that the first king of Scotland was Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Dál Riata, who ruled over Scotland’s western seaboard, which took in much of what is now Argyll and the Western Isles. In AD843 MacAlpin also ascended the throne
Scotland Magazine5 min read
Scotland’s Darkest town
“That bright star there, that’s not actually a star. It’s Venus!” Our guide points a green laser at the night sky to the east and we look up to catch a fleeting glimpse of the sparkling planet through fast-moving Scottish clouds. I’m standing in a mu
Scotland Magazine5 min read
The Story Of St Kilda
Sail to the end of the Earth and keep going – that is where you will find St Kilda, a Scottish archipelago composed of emerald isles in a pewter grey sea, speckled with violets and tormentil. Utterly isolated, the nearest civilisation is in North Uis
Scotland Magazine3 min read
The Story Behind…
The book opens with the line ‘until very recently most of Scotland’s long history seems to have been forgotten, misplaced, or misunderstood, and often thought of as incidental.’ When I was a child, we weren’t really taught Scottish history at school,

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