Meet the lady who has built up a company making clootie dumplings, the original Scottish comfort food, for a worldwide audience Words by Cat Thomson The origins of the clootie dumpling, that much-loved Scottish pudding, are vague.  A plainer version of plum puddings or Christmas puddings, clootie dumpling are believed to date back to medieval times and in the 17th century, there was a popular tradition of hiding charms, tuppences or thruppenny bits inside them for good luck. The “clootie” part of the name comes from the Scots word for cloth, which refers to the cloth in which the pudding ..read more

Auchrannie Resort is perfectly placed for exploring ‘Scotland in Miniature’. Here’s your chance to win a stay there Hills, castles, standing stones, whisky, and beaches. Arran has it all and the winner of our competition can enjoy everything the island has to offer from the cocooned comfort of the Auchrannie Resort. Credit: Andrew Surridge Photography Nestled within Glen Cloy, multi-award-winning Auchrannie Resort is set amid an area of impossible natural beauty and lies at the heart of Arran – just a short journey from where the ferry from the mainland comes in. Auchrannie offers two distinct ..read more

Extend your visit to the Scottish capital with a trip to one of these five Scottish towns, all easily accessible from the city North Berwick  Just over 30 minutes by train from Edinburgh, the coastal town of North Berwick, in East Lothian, is one of the most popular Scottish towns for a weekend jaunt for city dwellers. Take in the amazing views across the Firth of Forth to Bass Rock, home to a huge gannet colony, or visit the five-star Scottish Seabird Centre to learn about local wildlife. In spring and summer, you can book onto one of the seasonal boat tours for a closer encounter with s ..read more

In the final part of our series, we examine the reign of King James VI, who reigned Scotland for many years before becoming King James I of England and Ireland Words by Kirsten Henton Once referred to as “the wisest fool in Christendom”, King James VI, and would-be I, was arguably anything but. He ruled Scotland for just shy of 58 years, the longest of any Scottish monarch, and subsequently became the first Stuart to also rule England and Ireland – a role he held for over two decades.  Founder of the post-Reformation Jacobean era, under James VI arts and literature flourished (the transla ..read more

We tell the story of the iconic St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh in its 900th anniversary year Words by Kirsten Henton This year marks the 900th anniversary of the founding of St Giles’ Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh. This leading Presbyterian church, an unofficial and bishop-free cathedral, is now a major tourist attraction in Edinburgh and the heart of a thriving local community. Here we take a look at its fascinating past. The early history of St Giles’ Cathedral Believed to have been founded by David I of Scotland in 1124, when Catholicism was Scotland’s default religion, St Giles ..read more

Here’s our pick of the best things to do in Edinburgh, from the Gothic atmosphere of the Old Town to the Georgian grandeur of the New Town and beyond… Words by Sally Coffey From the medieval charm and higgledy-piggledy wynds and lanes of the Old Town to the refined elegance of the Georgian New Town, the city of Edinburgh has endless appeal. And that’s before you even consider all the other neighbourhoods, such as Leith, Abbeyhill, and Portobello (to name a few), which are becoming increasingly attractive to out-of-towners looking for a more authentic visit to the Scottish capital. It can be sa ..read more

Home to The Kelpies, an innovative wheel, and place of refuge for Mary, Queen of Scots, here’s why Falkirk deserves not to be bypassed Words by Sally Coffey What are The Kelpies? The Kelpies at night. Credit: Mark McNeill 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 not the first time Scott has enlivened Scotland’s landscapes – his artworks, which include Arria in Cumbernauld, are renowned f ..read more

Our writer goes in search of beavers in Scotland: returning Scottish residents who have been missing from our waterways for centuries Words by Stephen Deal The reintroduction of beavers in Scotland We had been perched almost silently by the edge of a pond for nearly an hour now, binoculars focused, hoping to see a sight that hadn’t been possible for hundreds of years: beavers in Scotland. Light was fading fast on this late autumnal night in Stirlingshire when landowner, Tom Bowser, suddenly gave me a nudge and gestured to a spot just a few feet directly in front of me.  There, swimming ha ..read more

Spending a large portion of her life in France, rightly or wrongly Mary, Queen of Scots is our most romanticised monarch Words by Kirsten Henton Mary, Queen of Scots’ colourful life was, as biographer Lady Antonia Fraser wrote, a tale of “murder, sex, scandal and imprisonment”, with more drama than you could shake a well-written script at. She’s often seen as a victim of circumstance, a tragic figure vilified for her sexuality and suggested involvement in devious plots. Portrait of Mary Queen of Scots by Francois Clouet (1510-1572). Credit: Photo 12 / Alamy Yet, this overly simplistic view und ..read more

We’re offering you the chance to win a stay and a dining experience at the award-winning Edinbane Lodge on the Isle of Skye Chef patron Calum Montgomery’s Edinbane Lodge is a much-lauded restaurant with rooms in central Skye, whose four AA-Rosette restaurant and five-star accommodation have attracted a string of plaudits. Accolades include being elevated to ‘exceptional’ in the Good Food Guide 2023; making the internationally renowned ‘La Liste’ of top restaurants; being named ‘Best Dining Experience in Scotland’ at the Scottish Thistle Awards; and being named ‘Restaurant of the Year’ at the 2 ..read more