Apathy the Winner as Voters Stay at Home

The percentage of people who voted in the General Election on Thursday fell to the lowest level for over 80 years. Turnout in Scotland fell to 58% from over 70% in 1997. In the last General Election, 50 of Scotland's 72 constituencies had a turnout of over 70% but this time only Eastwood, a key marginal seat, had over that figure. A combination of expectation that Tony Blair's Labour Party would win another landslide induced both his supporters and opponents to stay away. Glasgow Shettleston, a safe Labour seat, had the dubious honour of recording the lowest turnout in Scotland - 38.8%

Little Change

In the end, the make-up of the new Westminster Parliament was little changed from the last election in 1997. In Scotland, Labour again won 56 out of the 72 seats and the Liberal Democrats again won 10 seats. The only change in numbers was that the Conservatives won Galloway and Upper Nithsdale from the Scottish Nationalists. Labour's share of the vote did fall from 45.6% in 1997 to 43.9% this time but both Conservatives (down from 17.5% to 15.6%) and Scottish Nationalists (down from 21.9% to 20.1%). The main beneficiaries were the Liberal Democrats (up from 13% to 16.4%) and the Scottish Socialist Party who gained 3.1% from a zero base in 1997.

Embarrassment for Scottish Ministers

An unguarded conversation between First Minister Henry McLeish and Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell, which was inadvertently caught on tape as McLeish was wearing a radio microphone which had been switched on, caused embarrassment (and some amusement). They made disparaging remarks about their colleagues Brian Wilson (describing him as a "liability") and John Reid (called "patronising"). The exchange - broadcast widely on TV and printed in newspapers - took some of the gloss from the triumph of the Labour party in Scotland and in the UK.

Other Highlights of the Election

• On the Monday before polling day, bookmakers were so confident of a Labour win that they paid out early on bets for a victory by Tony Blair later in the week.
• The count at Dingwall for the far-flung constituency of Ross, Skye and Wester Ross was relayed live round the world by an Internet Webcam. Live images were relayed as the UK Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, took the seat with a substantially increased majority.
• Sterling hit a new low on the foreign exchange markets as dealers expect the pound to fall as Tony Blair aims for economic convergence with the Euro prior to a referendum on joining the new currency. One benefit of this will be that vacations in Scotland and the UK will cost less for overseas tourists.

Conservative Leaders Resign

It was not just William Hague, the Conservative Party leader, who resigned in the wake of what he described as "disappointing" results in the General Election. After 4 years in opposition and under his leadership, the party gained just one seat and increased their share of the vote from 30.7% to only 31.8% in this election. In Scotland, Raymond Robertson, the chairman of the Conservatives in Scotland also resigned. He had failed to regain the Eastwood constituency which in the past had been regarded as a safe Conservative seat. And although the party did manage to win one seat in Scotland it was by the narrowest of margins (74 votes) and was due in part to local issues. Another Conservative grandee, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a former UK minister, also failed to regain the Edinburgh Pentlands seat which he lost in 1997.

Logistics of Vote Counting

With less than 10% of the UK population, Scotland has over 30% of the land mass. So when it comes to collecting and counting the votes there is a major logistical exercise to ensure that the results are available as soon as possible - usually within hours of the polling stations closing. Helicopters, ferries and aircraft are used to bring the ballot boxes to the counting stations. Even constituencies such as Argyll and Bute which is scattered across a huge area, including 34 islands, had the votes counted by lunchtime on the day after polling. But the result in Orkney and Shetland was delayed - a plane chartered to carry ballot boxes was diverted to take a woman to hospital in Aberdeen. Of course, there are no problems of "hanging chads" in the UK elections - all the votes are counted by hand.

Marginal Impact by Sir Sean Connery

Secret agent 007, otherwise known as Sean Connery, entered the electioneering in the marginal seat of Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber on Monday, speaking out on behalf of the Scottish National Party. He said he was there to help the SNP win the seat and he certainly attracted a crowd of wellwishers, many of whom were looking for his autograph rather than his political views. In the end, this was one mission which James Bond failed to pull off - the seat was retained by Labour. Later in the week Sir Sean performed the official opening of the Byre Theatre in St Andrews (see picture here). The theatre will become the civic heart of St Andrews and Sean Connery is one of a long list of patrons of the theatre. He was appointed honorary president of the theatre two years ago.

Scotland Loses Title of "Heart Attack Capital of Europe"

Scotland has had an unenviable record as the heart attack capital of Europe. A combination of smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and genetic inheritance have combined to make the death rate from heart attacks the highest in the continent. Although death from heart disease has fallen by 40% over the last 20 years and Russia and former Czechoslovakia now have a worse record than Scotland, the country is still the second worst in western Europe. Only Northern Ireland has a (slightly) worse record of deaths per 100,000 population than Scotland. Nevertheless, there is some cause for optimism that the prevention measures taken over the last 20 years have caused a real improvement.

Private Schools to Lose Charitable Status?

A review of the regulation of charities in Scotland is calling for schools to have to prove that they provide benefit "to a sufficient section of the public" in order to retain their charitable status. Since the education they provide is mainly to the children of well-heeled parents who can afford the fees, there is a distinct possibility that they will lose out - resulting in a significant increase in the fees they charge. Since some parents struggle to find the money for fees, this could result in many being forced to return to state schools. Needless to say, the Scottish Council for Independent Schools is fighting against the proposals. There are 31,000 pupils in independent schools in Scotland - many of them in Edinburgh where the tradition of private schools has survived most strongly. The illustration is the crest of Hutcheson's Grammar School in Glasgow.

Warehouse Blaze Closes Railway

Last Saturday a massive fire in a city warehouse caused local services out of Glasgow's Central Station to be cancelled as smoke reduced visibility and then a badly damaged wall threatened to collapse on the railway line. Fire broke out in the Sher Brothers warehouse in Tradeston near the Kingston Bridge late on Saturday night. The building has sophisticated fire detection devices but stores highly combustible materials. Firefighters say there are no suspicious circumstances but will carry out a detailed examination.

Hospital Sale Nets £33 Million

A deal this week which will transform Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary into housing, a hotel, shops and restaurants, will net the local National Health Service Trust £33 million. This is much higher than the previous estimate of £20/25 million. The hospital gives up the site in 2003 after moving to a new building on the edge of the capital. The hospital building is listed as being of architectural importance so the redevelopment will retain these and convert them to new uses. The hospital was built to a design by Florence Nightingale and opened in 1879.

Braehead Mark Two

A £250 million pound regeneration programme for a mile-long stretch of the river Clyde between Braehead and Renfrew was announced this week. The Braehead Shopping Centre, owned by Capital Shopping, opened its doors to customers in September 1999. It is the largest shopping centre in Scotland with one million square feet of shopping, business park, sports and leisure facilities.It covers 200 acres and the car park has space for 6,500 cars. It incorporates three ice rinks, a sports centre and a curling rink and a Maritime Museum. Half the population of Scotland live within a 45-minute drive of Braehead. Now the developers want to expand further down the river. The new development will include 300,000 sq ft of office space, 900 houses, a park and ski slope. It will cost £250 million and could take 7/10 years to complete.

Prince William Sails Into Glasgow

It was a different kind of "tall story" this week as Prince William sailed into the city of Glasgow this week. For this was not the royal prince, but a 195ft square-rigged sailing ship which is the latest addition to the Sail Training Association's fleet. 48 youngsters from all over Scotland were on board for a 10-day adventure sail of a lifetime, voyaging from Milford Haven in Wales. A sister ship the Stavros S Niarchos came into use last year. There is a professional crew of six plus a volunteer crew of 11 - and all those "deck hands" who scrub the decks, cook dinner and polish the brasses while learning about how a sailing ship works.

Motorola Workers Recruited

In the aftermath of the announcement in April that the Motorola factory at Bathgate was to close, there was of course concern about the 3,100 workers being able to find jobs before the closure in September. But recruitment agencies have swarmed in to try to recruit the skilled workforce. It is estimated that more than 75% of the employees at the electronics firm have found alternative jobs. While some are continuing in the electronics industry, others are moving to financial services, call centres and retail sector.

Fastest Growing Airport

Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire which was rebranded "Glasgow Prestwick International Airport" (despite being 30 miles from Glasgow) has proudly proclaimed that it is the fastest growing airport in the UK. Numbers have grown by 60% in the last year. But the actual numbers show that the increase has been from 47,000 in February last year to 75,000 in February this year. Meantime, up the road at Glasgow Airport, seven million passengers went through the terminal in the last 12 months.

Noah Fights Wind Farm

Opponents of a proposed wind farm on the Strathmore Estates in Angus have established a fighting fund to cover legal costs in the battle to stop the development. Calling themselves "Not on Ark Hill" (NoAH) they are against the erection of 12 turbine towers on Ark Hill near Glamis castle. Renewable Energy Systems, the company which wants to build the wind farm points out that both the UK and Angus Council are committed to reducing greenhouse gases by using renewable energy resources.

National Park Boundary Extended

It seems that the campaign to extend the boundary of Scotland's first National Park at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs has been successful. The Scottish Executive are expected to announce next week that the Argyll Forest will be included. Scottish National Heritage had argued against the expansion as they were concerned about budget provisions for the new enterprise. Also included will be the Lake of Menteith (Scotland's only "lake" - all the other enclosed areas of water are lochs), Upper Glen Fruin, Ben Vorlich, Glen Ogle and Loch Earn. Other areas on the periphery are to be excluded.
The illustration shows Ben Lomond across the loch with a covering of snow.

Yorkshire Brass Exchanged for Muck

In an effort to reverse the declining population on the island of Muck in the Inner Hebrides, the remaining islanders advertised for applicants to take up residence on the island. Over 100 families applied and six short-listed candidates spent a week on the island. After a secret ballot by the islanders, the Noble family from Leeds in Yorkshire has been selected. Mr Noble is a free-lance programmer and will be able to continue in that line of work. The situation has echoes of the BBC TV drama series "2000 Acres of Sky" about the fictitious island of "Ronansay" and a young single mother from London who arrives in the island community which is in decline and is trying to attract incomers to ensure that the local school is not closed. The two Noble children will increase the numbers at the local primary school on Muck by 100%.

Glasgow Voted a Lovers' Hot Spot

The city of Glasgow is proud of its reputation as a friendly city but a honeymoon destination is not something which immediately springs to mind when thinking of the "dear green place". But a guide to the world's top 50 honeymoon destinations ranks Glasgow as 21st - ahead of Rio de Janeiro, Sydney and Italy's Amalfi coast. The travel writers who compiled the book say that a romantic stroll along the banks of the Clyde may not be quite as good as San Francisco Bay or Sydney Harbour but Glasgow has so much to do, excellent theatres and parks, stunning buildings and excellent places to eat and stay and nowhere has a bigger heart than Glasgow. So those stories about Glasgow being the last resting place of the remains of St Valentine might be true after all...

Brief Encounter - By Morse

A young naval signaller stationed in Oban during WW2, who struck up a relationship by signal lamp with a young American sailor on a ship anchored off-shore, spent 57 years trying to trace him. She eventually succeeded in meeting him for the first time this week. Stephanie Batstone developed her "relationship" with Jack Campbell, a USN signaller on board a damaged warship in Oban Bay, in 1944. For a month they "chatted" and joked and even flirted using their Aldiss lamps. The American sailor was not allowed to come ashore, so they never met. And when the ship left Scotland, the relationship was forced to end. Stephanie often wondered whether the young American sailor had survived the war. In 1978, Stephanie wrote to every Jack Campbell she could find in his home state of Ohio, without success. Then a year ago, Jack's daughter saw an article in an American newspaper about Stephanie's book of wartime memories, including the story of the morse code relationship which her own father had recounted to her. The couple met for the first time this week - at the Imperial War Museum in London. Mr Campbell is now 77 and Stephanie Batstone is 79. She never married - she seems to have been carrying a signal torch for the American sailor all those years.

No Manure for Royal Visit

Officials on Harris were breathing deeply this week about a load of manure. The fragrant organic fertiliser was supposedly scheduled to be dumped in a car park just before the helicopter carrying Princess Anne was due to arrive there on a visit to the Western Isles. The owner of the dung claimed that as the lorry was already on its way and it was too late to stop the delivery. Hyper-ventilating officials were apparently unable to persuade the crofter involved to postpone the delivery. Eventually the desperate officials contacted the police (was the manure a "public nuisance" perhaps?). True to form, the police sorted out the problem by establishing that the manure was not due for delivery at the same time as Princess Anne - someone was just taking a rise out of the council officials. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman is reported to have said that any suggestion that such problems would have affected the Princess Royal's visit to the islands is just a load of old socks.

Cold Shoulder for Ice Cream Sellers

Mobile ice-cream vendors have been supplying their wares in the open area outside the National Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh for decades. They are licenced by the city council but these are being suspended while major upgrading is carried out at these buildings. But the galleries say they want to "discuss" the siting of snack vans beside what is listed as a World Heritage site. One of the pitches has been operated by the same family since the 1920s when they started with an ice-cream barrow. The National galleries, designed by the Scottish architect William Playfair, is spending £20 million on a major upgrade with underground extensions. A compound for the contractors is required on the area used by the street sellers and it will in use until 2003.

Meadows in Bloom

One unexpected side effect of the foot-and-mouth outbreak has been that the slaughter of all those sheep and cattle has left the fields ungrazed by animals. So the wild flowers which would normally get eaten before they had a chance to flower are producing a blaze of colourful blooms.

Hedgehogs Adapt

For thousands of years hedgehogs have rolled themselves up into a ball to defend themselves with their prickly spikes against predators. Which as a defensive mechanism, just does not work against motor cars on country roads, as the number of dead hedgehogs have attested. But the New Scientist magazine has reported that the numbers of Mrs Tiggywinkles found on the roads has declined, even though overall numbers are steady. It would appear that after 100 years of the motor car they are starting to adapt - and running for cover when they see or hear a car approaching. The initial reports from naturalists has prompted a call for a full-scale study to establish whether or not the species has indeed adapted to survive more successfully.

Weather in Scotland This Week

A week of broken sunshine and some showers with temperatures falling from 14/15C (57/59F) at the start of the week to 13C (55F) later in the week. This is below average for the time of year. Overnight, the thermometer fell to around freezing as a result of clear skies.

This white lilac was photographed a couple of weeks ago at Finlaystone Gardens in Inverclyde.

Concern Over Former Carpet Factory

The 109-year-old Templeton Carpet Factory in Glasgow, now used as a Business Centre, is to be sold by its owners Scottish Enterprise. But this is no ordinary factory. Towards the end of the 19th century, the owners of the site had wanted to build a factory but the Victorian city council kept rejecting their design proposals as being unacceptable for a site which overlooked the open spaces of Glasgow Green. So they recruited a top architect, William Leiper. He came up with a proposal modelled on the Doge's Palace in Venice, using polychromatic brick - orange, yellow, blue, with turrets and arched and circular windows. The business centre is currently half empty and Scottish Enterprise see the possibility of selling it off to a developer who would create up-market luxury flats.

Battle Over Castle Tioram

A planning inquiry into a plan to renovate the ruined 13th century Castle Tioram on Loch Moidart began this week. The castle has been without a roof since 1715. It was bought by an Ayrshire businessman who wants to restore the castle, creating accommodation and a museum. But Historic Scotland have opposed the proposal, saying that it would damage the historic fabric of the building. They want the castle to be preserved - but as a ruin. Despite this, Highland Council gave planning consent, subject to increased public access. Eilean Donan castle, at the mouth of Loch Long and one of the most photographed castles in Scotland because of its romantic and photogenic aspects, was a similar ruin but was completely rebuilt in the 20th century, so there are precedents (although that was before Historic Scotland came on the scene).

New Life for Old Church

A prominent landmark at the corner of Great Western Road and Byres Road in the West End of Glasgow is set to get a new lease of life. Kelvinside Parish Church was built in 1862 and is B-listed as being of architectural importance. But declining church membership resulted in the Church of Scotland closing the doors three years ago and it has stood empty ever since. Now estate agents have put the property on the market and it is expected that it will be transformed into up-market residential accommodation. Although the building is on a busy corner for traffic, the Kelvingrove Botanic Gardens with its Kibble Palace glass house are on the opposite corner. The property is expected to sell for £1.5 million.

Wrong Saint Venerated

St Ninian, the missionary credited with bringing Christianity to Scotland in the Dark Ages, is commemorated in the names of many churches schools and streets across the country. He was the son of a chieftain in Cumbria (now northern England) who spread the gospels in the last days of the Roman occupation of Britain. But a researcher at Glasgow University has discovered from early Christian manuscripts that the wrong man has been given the credit. This was due to a spelling mistake by the Venerable Bede, an English scholar who lived around 700AD and is one of the main authorities on the history of England from early Saxon times. The correct name was St Uinniau who lived at the same time as St Ninian. The saint is associated with Whithorn in the south-west corner of Scotland where he is reputed to have built his "Candida Casa" the first stone-built church in Scotland.

Vintage Glasgow Film Footage on Show

To mark the 80th birthday of the Grosvenor cinema in Glasgow's West End, the cinema is showing the oldest surviving films of the area which have been restored by Scottish Screen. Two films, one shot in 1915 and the other in 1920, show Great Western Road with tram cars and fashions of the day worn by passers-by. There is also a film about Scottish holidays made in 1910. And to give an authentic feel, the cinema has hired a silent movie pianist to provide the "soundtrack".

This Week in History

• June 10 1688 - James Francis Stuart born. In honour of the "Old Pretender", this is known as "White Rose Day" in Jacobite circles.
• June 10 1719 - Battle of Glenshiel, in which Jacobites with Spanish assistance, and government forces clashed.
• June 11 1488 - Battle of Sauchieburn during which King James III died attempting to subdue a group of rebel barons.
• June 11 1930 - Empress of Britain launched from Clydebank.
• June 12 1298 - William Wallace routs English at the Battle of Black Ironside.
• June 13 1831 - Birth of James Clerk Maxwell, first Professor of Experimental Physics at Cambridge University. He created the electromagnetic theory of light.
• June 14 1940 - Queen Mary, Aquitania, Empress of Canada, and Empress of Britain arrive in the River Clyde with the first contingent of Australian and New Zealand troops.
• June 14 1946 - John Logie Baird , inventor of the first television, died.
• June 14 1966 - Walter McGowan wins World Fly-weight Championship.
• June 15 1567 - Mary Queen of Scots' last night in Edinburgh, at the house of Sir Simon Preston, the Lord Provost, on the Royal Mile, prior to her imprisonment at Loch Leven castle.
• June 15 1945 - Queen Mary leaves Greenock, taking nearly 15,000 GIs home to US.
• June 16 1586 - Mary, Queen of Scots recognised Philip II of Spain as her heir.
• June 16 1971 - Lord Reith, "father" of the BBC, died.

For the other 51 weeks in history and a chronology of Scottish events see the Scottish Timeline.

Fringe Festival Programme Announced

The details of this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival were revealed this week. There is the usual wide range of performances with 666 groups from 50 countries performing 1462 shows at 175 venues. Comedy is led by Joan Rivers and Clive James. Efforts by so many performers to attract attention has resulted in 64 references to sex in the programme, according to the Fringe director, Paul Gudgin. More traditional offerings include Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" and Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" and George Orwell's "Animal Farm. Last year 850,000 tickets were sold but in an effort to increase those numbers there will be a "two for the price of one" offer in the first two days of the event which runs from August 5 to 27.

Tattoo For "Down Under"?

Formal offers for the Edinburgh Tattoo to go to Melbourne, Perth and Sydney are being considered by the organisers. This follows a successful show in New Zealand last year when a replica of Edinburgh Castle was built as a backdrop. No decision has been made yet. Approval has to be obtained from the Ministry of Defence as soldiers involved have to be taken away from normal duties, including being part of the peace-keeping force in Kosovo. This year's Tattoo in Edinburgh runs from August 3 to 25 and already 65% of the tickets have been sold.

West End Festival

Running from 9th to 24th June, the West End Festival will incorporate Salsa Celtica and Shakespeare in the Garden (Botanic Gardens, that is) and the street party on 17 June will bring Byres Road, the main West-End artery, to a standstill. The bars and restaurants in Ashton Lane will be open one hour longer than normal during the West End Festival. There will be special events including jazz, folk performance, poetry and DJ's.

Travis Return to Their Roots

The world famous pop group Travis used to practice in the Horseshoe Bar in Glasgow before they hit the world stage. And local fans still consider that the group still belongs to Glasgow. So the gig in Glasgow's Barrowland this week was a sellout. The band had just flown in from Los Angeles where they had been recording a new album "The Invisible Band" which is released next week and the Glasgow audience were treated to a preview of some of the tracks. The band's last album sold 3.5 million copies.

Braveheart Returns

No, not "William Wallace II" but Australian actor Mel Gibson's production company are close to concluding a deal to produce a film entitled "The Bothy". It is about a serial killer who escapes from the FBI and mingles with a dozen hill walkers in a remote Highland hut. The audience don't know which of the climbers is the murderer - as the players get bumped off one by one. It is seven years since the box-office hit "Braveheart".

Soul Music at Crathes Castle

The fairy-tale surroundings of the National Trust's Crathes Castle outside Banchory on Royal Deeside will be the setting for the second annual "Live on the Lawn" music event in the middle of August. James Brown, regarded as the "godfather of soul" will top the bill on the opening night. Scottish stars Deacon Blue are expected to headline the event on the second day. There will be more than 60 international musicians at the event.

Three in the Park

The future of the T in the Park pop festival at Balado Airfield near Kinross has been assured by obtaining a public entertainment licence for the next three years. The festival attracts nearly 100,000 fans to what has become one of the top outdoor festivals in the UK. This year's event takes place on 7/8 July.

Scotland Slip to Third Place

The Scotland football (soccer) team slipped to third place in their qualifying group in the World Cup Qualifying rounds this week - without playing a game. At the start of the week, Scotland had topped the table but wins by Belgium and Croatia meant that they leap-frogged the Scots. In the case of Croatia, they are ahead on goal difference. Belgium are three points clear at the top of the group. Scotland play Croatia at Hampden on September 1 and go to Belgium on September 5. The final game is at home against Latvia on October 6.

Camanachd Cup Final

The premier event of the shinty season, the final of the Camanachd Cup, took place last Saturday at Old Anniesland in Glasgow, the first time the event had taken place in the city for ten years. Shinty is a fast and furious game, akin to hockey. Kingussie beat Oban Camanach 2-0. This was Kingussie's fifth consecutive win, the first time a team has done so for 100 years. The underdogs from Oban lost their goalkeeper in the 53rd minute after looking the better side up to that point. They lost a goal soon afterwards but it was not until injury time that they put the result beyond doubt with a second goal. The crowd of 3,000 was the biggest for many years at the cup final, prompting suggestions that it should be played in Glasgow more often. But many would regret it being played away from the shinty heartland in the Highlands.

Larsson Signs

Despite the media concentration on the subject, there was never any doubt that Henrik Larsson, Celtic's star striker, would extend his contract with the club. His existing contract had two years to run and the player has frequently expressed his contentment with staying with Celtic and living in Scotland where he and his family are well settled. But the club decided to open negotiations to seek an extension beyond 2003. It was the length of time that passed without an agreement being signed which started to get fans nervous and the media talking. The deal signed this week will increase Larsson's weekly wage from £25,000 to £40,000 and will keep Celtic's top goal scorer at Parkhead until 2004.

Hibs Sign Ecuadorean International

Edinburgh football club Hibernian is on the brink of signing Ulises de la Cruz, a right-side midfielder from Ecuador and Mark Libbra from Toulouse. The money involved in the transfers will be a total of around £1.4 million, big money for a Scottish team outside of Rangers and Celtic. But the club is expecting to get a financial spin-off from playing in Europe next season, even if they don't get far in the competition.

Berlin Thunder Claymores

The Scottish Claymores lost their 8th away game out of nine last Sunday, losing 27-19 against Berlin Thunder in Germany. Claymores now have the seemingly impossible task of defeating Barcelona Dragons in Glasgow and in Spain to retain any hopes of reaching the NFL Europe Superbowl. The Spanish side have won six and lost only one game this season.

Pushing the Boat Out

The first Clyde Regatta for five years took place on the river Clyde last weekend as teams from Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities competed against one another. Olympic gold medallist Katherine Grainger rowed for Edinburgh and helped them win the mixed graduates race. Although Glasgow University won the main event of the day - the men's eights - Edinburgh won four of the seven events in the regatta which took place on the upper reaches of the Clyde in Glasgow.

Magazine Section

Glasgow Cuisine

No More Deep Fried Mars Bars
The gastronomic reputation of Scotland's largest city used to be Mars bars deep fried in batter. But recently there has been a spate of award winning restaurants serving quality, traditional Scottish cuisine - with a contemporary twist.

Scottish Humour

Scottish Poetry and Song

Places to Visit in Scotland

Note that the places to visit which have been highlighted here each week have been gathered together into a Places to Visit Web page with more information and illustrations.

Mar Lodge, Braemar
You can stay at this luxurious Victorian hunting lodge and 72,000 estate, built for Queen Victoria's grand-daughter, thanks to the National Trust for Scotland.

Golf Courses On-Line

Have a virtual tour of all the golf courses in Scotland which have created their own Web sites.

Scottish Recipes

Note that the recipes which have appeared here each week have been gathered together into a Traditional Scottish Recipes Web page.

Sea Bream with Chargrilled Sweet Potatoes
The Head Chef at the Malmaison restaurant in Glasgow created this dish. See the feature on Glasgow Cuisine above!