Scotland

Pretty much what it says in the title. I want to travel from the comfort of my couch. I just finished watching Virgin River on Netflix and I found myself really loving the shots of the British Columbia landscape interspersed throughout the show. I want to watch more TV shows…

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption At first Germans were given the hardest jobs on farms, like harvesting sugar beet The parties and bunting of VE Day marked the end of hostilities, but World War Two was still affecting hundreds of thousands of former enemy soldiers - and those who…

This is the second in my series of posts about the Applied Arts Scotland / British Council residency I took part in last September, and the collaborative work I’m now developing as a result. After leaving Lewis, and returning to the mainland, our group met up with superlatively creative and…

Raise your glass to the world’s finest distillery architecture Get spirited away with these architectural flights of fancy. From Scotland’s Speyside to Utah, Dublin and the rolling hills of Hampshire, we travel and explore some of the best recent examples of distillery architecture Making spirits is one thing; you find your raw material, turn…

Some of Britain’s best-kept secrets, whether stately homes with hidden rooms or bars with concealed entrances, come with fascinating histories. Other gems have been rescued from decades of neglect and brought back to life by passionate volunteers. Nature plays its part too, with ancient woodlands, rivers and coastlines that are a…

Image copyright Paul Campbell Image caption Belladrum is held near Beauly in the Highlands With a joyless summer devoid of concerts and music festivals looming, it may almost feel appropriate to enter a period of mourning.Perhaps you'll smear on some heavy eyeliner. You'll dig out The Cure T-shirt you purchased…

Hello! Our internet is very wonky at the moment, because our broadband is being “upgraded”. As we live in a rural area where connectivity has never been that great, the prospect of speedy wifi is really quite exciting . . . the only downside is a few days of slow…

Today I’m sharing the first of series of images and recollections from the Applied Arts Scotland residency I was part of last September – which seems, for so many reasons, like a very long time ago. This residency was part of the British Council’s Crafting Futures programme, bringing makers from…

Why Talisker Whisky is pouring its heart into oyster restoration efforts on the other side of the Atlantic Two hundred years ago, two brothers crossed the Atlantic for Scotland’s wave-battered Isle of Skye, where they founded the picturesque Talisker Distillery. Today, a typical visit to that storied distillery concludes with…

The kids are grown, you've parted ways with your career, and now it's time to settle into that retirement lifestyle. If money were no object, you might be jet-setting around the world to play golf in Scotland, brunch in France, or river cruise in Germany. Sadly, your fixed income budget…