Gift of Skye Mountain Range to Public

John MacLeod of MacLeod, the 29th chief of the Clan Macleod, announced three years ago that he was going to sell for £10 million the clan lands covering the Cuillin mountain range on Skye. The announcement was greeted with howls of protest, even though he said that public access would continue and that the cash (40% of which would go to the government in tax) was needed to repair and develop 800-year-old Dunvegan Castle. The land includes not only the famous mountains but 14 miles of coastline and two salmon rivers. But in the last three years there has not been an acceptable offer. So although John MacLeod was initially scathing about national conservation bodies becoming involved, it is understood that he is now negotiating to hand over the Cuillins and the castle to a community and conservation organisation. In return, he and his family would continue to live at the clan home of Dunvegan. But repairs and maintenance would be financed through a charitable trust - which would have access to such sources of funding as the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Photo courtesy of Colin Palmer at Photonet.

No Whitewash in Enquiry into Parliament Building Costs

Lord Fraser of Carmylie, a senior judge, who has been appointed to lead the enquiry into the soaring costs of the new Scottish Parliament building by Jack McConnell, the Scottish First Minister, claimed this week that his enquiry would certainly not be a whitewash. And although his legal powers to demand that those involved give evidence, he says that he will not hesitate to "name and shame" anyone who does not co-operate fully with the enquiry. He has ordered the creation of a Web site at www.holyroodinquiry.org so that ordinary people as well as the media can follow the progress. The cost of the new building has risen over the years to a total now approaching £400 million and completion is years behind the original schedule.

Hour Long Traffic Delays in Aberdeen

Roadworks in the northern city of Aberdeen this week caused the traffic to grind almost to a standstill and commuters have been warned that the congestion is likely to last for at least five weeks while Transco lay new main gas pipes along Market Street. Traffic was cut on the main artery to northbound only, and the diversions caused other streets to clog up. Even the ring road round Anderson Drive was affected.

Prince Charles Steps Into Wheelie Bin Row

The heir to the throne, who has a reputation for asking awkward questions on the environment, has stepped into the controversy between Edinburgh City Council and residents of the capital about the placing of large, wheeled refuse bins to serve flats in residential areas. Apparently prompted by a letter from a resident of Marchmont, an up-market area of the city, the Prince of Wales has written to the council chiefs asking them to explain the controversial policy.

Positive View of Scottish Economy

Put 20 economists in a room and you'll get 21 forecasts on the future of the economy. So perhaps the latest quarterly report by the Bank of Scotland should be treated with some caution. But it does estimate that the Scottish economy grew in June - after 13 successive months of decline. The Edinburgh-based finance house expects output to have grown by 1.5% by the end of this year, which is twice that estimated by the bank three months ago. The bank's chief economist points to increased consumer confidence, a surge in the stock market (shares in quoted Scottish companies have risen 17% in the three months to the end of June) and a strong housing market. The Scottish Retail Consortium also reports that Scots shoppers had not been put off by the Iraq war and had continued to keep the tills ringing - unlike the downturn in England. Even the Confederation of British Industries report that manufacturing sector gloom had lessened, due in part to the weaker pound. The UK economy was given a boost this week as the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted to lower base interest rates from 3.75% to 3.5%, the lowest since 1955.

World Rose Convention

Glasgow's Tollcross Park will be putting on a special show of masses of roses this month to coincide with the World Rose Convention, which runs from 17-24 July. For quite a number of years, an entire hillside at Tollcross has been the location of international rose trials where growers can have their roses assessed by experts. A seal of approval here can mean increased sales for growers so there is always a large variety of roses on display. So it was only natural that the World Rose Convention should eventually beat a path to Glasgow. See www.worldrose2003.glasgow.gov.uk for more information on the convention but if you want to see a selection of the roses on display see Two Dozen Roses.

Loch Ness - Powerhouse of the North?

As the government strives to increase the amount of energy produced from renewable sources, there are proposals for four hyrdro-electric schemes and two windfarms for the south of Loch Ness which could make the area the "powerhouse of the north." The latest plan - for a huge wind farm in an area of outstanding natural beauty - is on an estate owned by a Bahamas-based billionaire who claims in his entry in "Who's Who" that one of his recreations is "preserving the British landscape". The 50-megawatt scheme at Dunmaglass would have dozens of wind turbines but it is just below the level which would require approval by the Scottish Executive.

Hebridean Gems for Sale

The owners of the 93,000 acre South Uist Estates which covers most of South Uist, Benbecula and Eriskay are reported to be in negotiations to sell the entire estate to a community body. The estate is nearly double the size of the largest community buy-out to date, the 55,000 acre North Harris estate which was bought this year for £4.5 million. South Uist Estates are seen as good landlords but recent legislation has led to concern that the estate could be fragmented with crofters having the right to buy their land, whether or not it is on the open market.

City May Buy Europe's Largest Advertising Hoarding

The former main Post Office building in Glasgow's George Square has been "under development" since it closed in 1995. The side facing Glasgow's main square is covered in scaffolding - the main purpose of which is to support a giant advertising hoarding, said to be the largest in Europe. Glasgow City Council, frustrated at the lack of progress, is now looking at the feasibility of buying the A-listed building itself and converting it to offices for council staff. The City Chambers, the council's HQ building, is on another side of the square and it is this proximity - and removing an eyesore - which is attracting the council.

Scottish Sun Sues Daily Record

Two rival tabloid daily newspapers have taken their fight for readers to the law courts with the Scottish "Sun" newspaper asking a judge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh to stop its former editor jumping ship and taking over the editorship of its arch rival the "Daily Record". Bruce Waddell announced in May that he had accepted the job offer from the Record. But his current employers are suing for £500,000 damages if he starts his new job before the expiry of his notice period - in May 2004. The Daily Record is Scotland's biggest-selling daily newspaper but circulation has fallen from 700,000 in the mid-1990s to a current level of around 500,000. The Sun sells about 100,000 fewer copies than this figure.

Survey of Otter Population

Playful otters are one of the more popular wild animals amongst the general public and there have been efforts in recent years to protect them and their habitats. But it is ten years since a full scale census of otters has been carried out so there is no accurate estimate of whether the various strategies have been successful. So a major survey is starting this month to assess the distribution and numbers of the animals, starting with an assessment of sites which were covered in the last survey between 1991 and 1994. The survey will take two years to complete and will cover about 1,363 sites. Scotland is home to about 90% of the UK otter population.

Complaints About Law Society Complaints Procedure

The Scottish legal services ombudsman or watchdog has reported a rise in the number of complaints about legal services in Scotland and the length of time taken to deal with these. All solicitors in Scotland are members of the Law Society for Scotland - and all complaints are dealt with by their own governing body, rather than by an independent organisation. The society's complaints procedure is long and complex and the average length of time taken to deal with complaints is 20 months - with many complaints taking years to be resolved. The ombudsman says that the representative body is not being "fair and thorough" in half of the cases referred to the ombudsman's office.

Airline Moves - From Prestwick to Glasgow

New budget airline flyglobespan.com, which launched its first flights to Spain in March, has announced that it is to switch its principal base from Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire to Glasgow. The company's parent company, Globespan, has been running charter flights to Canada since the 1970s but wants to launch scheduled services and believes that it would be sensible to bring the two operations together. The airline currently runs low cost flights to Palma, Nice, Malaga and Rome from Prestwick.

Gnome Alone

It was with some surprise that a resident of Cove, a suburb of Aberdeen, awoke one morning this week to discover intruders in her garden - 31 troublemakers to be precise. The garden gnomes, and a wheelbarrow, had been pitched into the garden and have since been taken into protective custody by the local police who raced to the scene. The collection included a model in the form of the cartoon character "Oor Wullie" who would normally make strenuous efforts to avoid the police. The find has been registered as "found property" and if nobody claims them, they can be returned to the householder who caught the collection.

Scottish Water Will Miss Euro Deadline

The £100 million scheme to provide a water treatment plant to improve quality and remove potentially dangerous microbes in half of the water supply for Glasgow was given the final planning approval this week. Scottish Water do not know when the plant will be fully operational but it is now unlikely to meet the deadline set by the European Union to provide safe tap water. Local residents delayed the project by objecting to the plant being sited at Mugdock reservoir in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire - the outfall for the water supply piped for over 100 years from Loch Katrine. Scottish Water eventually produced a revised plan which has been approved by the local East Dunbartonshire Council. In recent months, ten-feet high fencing has been erected around sensitive parts of the reservoir - a popular recreational area - in order to counter perceived bio-terrorism threats.

Ideas Above Its Station

Fancy a house in a remote part of Scotland? The former station house at Scotscalder, by Hallkirk in Caithness is about 15 minutes' drive from Thurso and is up for sale at "offers over £98,000". There is only one snag for people looking for tranquility and remoteness - the railway line is still operational, admittedly with only three trains day. And people can get off the trains at Hallkirk station if they want to as it is a "request" stop. But the estate agents, optimistic like most of the breed, say that they expect a good level of interest for the property.

Caddies Claim Game's a Bogey

An unseemly row has erupted at the hallowed home of golf at St Andrews as veteran caddies complain about the arrival of a number of new bag carriers who are graduates of a caddie training school in Fife. The old hands say that they should be given priority over the new entrants as the number of those offering their services exceeds the number of golfers - especially since the number of Americans flying across the Atlantic has decreased since 9/11. The St Andrews Links Trust, which manages the golf courses and the supply of caddies says that a few years ago the demand outstripped supply. However, the Trust claims that there are only 170 caddies this year - compared with 200 in 2002. The total number of caddie rounds in June 2003 was also 10% more than last year. The problem seems to be that there are indeed fewer US golfers and those who do arrive do not take the earlier starting times. European golfers in the early morning slots are less likely to take a caddie, which makes it more difficult for caddies to fit in two rounds each day.

9,000 Jehovah's Witnesses Descend on Perth

It's not that Perth has been singled out as a place ripe for some evangelism. But 9,000 Jehovah's Witnesses are due to arrive in Perth over this weekend. They are attending the annual Scottish convention at McDiarmid Park, the football ground of St Johnstone. The club does not often see its 10,000 capacity stadium as full as this, but it has been the venue for the convention since 1990. While mainly attended by Scottish delegates, a few international members will be jetting in from missionary work around the world. The event is also open to the public - in the hope that they will become converts.

North Uist Hedgehogs Fight Back

There was always a suspicion that the cull of hedgehogs by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) was going to be less than effective. And so it was. After spending £26,000 to capture and kill 66 of the nocturnal animals (to save the eggs of the "more important" local bird population), the remaining animals have carried on doing what comes naturally - and have produced an estimated 60 baby hedgehogs to replace their slaughtered relatives. The spineless SNH is now looking at alternative ways of reducing the hedgehog population - including attaching radio collars to captured males next spring and following them as the Romeos lead SNH representatives to the females so that they can be captured. The cull was stopped at the end of May this year because of concern that females might by then have given birth to young hoglets - who would then have starved without their mothers.

A Monstrous Trick?

Members of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) which tries to promote good tasting beer instead of mass-produced products, say that a leading Edinburgh "superpub" is trying to fool tourists. The "World Famous Frankenstein Pub" on George IV Bridge declares under its trading sign "Established 1818" suggesting that it is traditional venue, instead of an American-style diner. Camra has reported the bar to trading standards officials as the building was put up in 1960 (as a church) and became a pub three years ago. But the owners say that the "1818" refers to the date when Mary Shelley's book "Frankenstein" was first published - and they opened the doors to the bar diner for the first time at 18 minutes past six - 1818 on the 24-hour clock...

Weather in Scotland This Week

Sunshine was in short supply this week, in between scattered showers. The exception was in the north-east of Scotland - Aberdeen had 25 hours of sun over Wednesday to Friday. Temperatures were generally around 18/19C (64/66F) but in the middle of the week the thermometer rose to around 22/23C (72/73F).

The lack of sun does not seem to have bothered these Diascia flowers in the National Trust Garden at Greenbank, south of Glasgow, despite this plant being a native of South Africa.

"A red sky at night, the shepherd's delight. A red sky in the morning, the shepherd's warning" runs the old saying. Of course, for reasons of physics, a red sky in the evening is more likely to occur, particularly, as here, in the west of Scotland. The picture was taken earlier this week.

Historic College to Become Luxury Apartments

Donaldson's College, one of Edinburgh's finest architectural masterpieces, is to be sold to a developer and converted into apartments selling at £200,000 each. The building was designed by William Henry Playfair and completed in 1851. Other flats will be built in the grounds but the spectacular front lawn will be retained, preserving the views of the building from the main road. Queen Victoria once described Donaldson's College for the Deaf as grander than many of her palaces. The sale, for £15 million, will allow the college to move to modern premises. But it could be five years before any move would take place.

Darien Disaster on TV

305 years after five ships sailed from Scotland to Darien (a part of Central America now known as Panama), there is a renewed interest (including a BBCTV documentary this week) in the project which ended in disaster. Around 2,000 people died there and the finance lost in supporting the project crippled the Scottish economy so badly that the Union of the Parliaments in 1707 was the end result. The Darien Scheme was proposed at a time when England did not allow Scottish merchants access to its colonies, particularly in North America and the East Indies. The instigator of the plan was William Paterson who had earlier founded the Bank of England. Originally, the company which he formed was to have international shareholders but the East India Company, fearful that its monopoly would be eroded, persuaded the English Parliament to threaten legal action, forcing English investors to withdraw. But the Scots became enthusiastic and provided all the capital. Of course, Darien was inhospitable, with deaths amongst the settlers from malaria and malnutrition - and the Spaniards who regarded that part of the world as their domain. Recent archaeology at Fort St Andrews has uncovered a large quantity of Spanish cannonballs and musket balls, showing the intensity of the attack by the Spanish fleet.

Another Bid to Save Sailing Ship

For many years, the 139-year-old sailing ship Carrick was an attractive addition to the banks of the river Clyde in the centre of Glasgow. Then it was sold to the Clyde Ship Trust for display at the Scottish Maritime Museum at Irvine. Since then, despite some preservation work, it has continued to deteriorate and now lies rotting on the shore. The ship was once known as the City of Adelaide, when it was a clipper on the Australia to London route. It still holds the record of 65 days for the 12,000-mile trip from Adelaide to London. In recent years, conservation groups in Adelaide and in Sunderland, England, where the ship was built, have tried to raise the finance to restore the sailing vessel to its former glory. But lack of government support to cover the mult-million pound cost has resulted in these projects falling by the wayside. Now an English-based businessman has come forward with the cash to pay for initial preservation costs and the construction of a canopy over the ship to help to halt further deterioration. Mike Edwards is the founder of a travel firm and he has been given two years to undertake a feasibility study to see if the ship can be restored and turned into a tourist attraction. He says he has not decided where the ship would be located. No doubt both Sunderland and Adelaide will be competing to secure the ship - but it is also likely that the £40 million transport museum at Glasgow Harbour will be interested too.

Tribal Headdress Returned

A horned headdress, with a golden-eagle feather trailer, has been returned by Aberdeen's Marischal Museum to members of the Canadian Blood Tribe whose reserve is in Alberta. The headdress was originally bought after a visit to the North American Plains in the 1920s and was brought back to Scotland. It was presented to the Marischal Museum in 1934 but was identified as belonging originally to Blood Tribe by an anthropologist. The tribe requested that it should be returned to them as it was of fundamental spiritual significance to the tribe. The museum readily agreed to the request and say that the amicable negotiations have led to a positive relationship and a greater level of cultural understanding.

This Week in History

• July 13 1174 - King William surprised and captured by the English at Alnwick.
• July 13 1249 - King Alexander III crowned at Scone
• July 13 1469 - King James III married Margaret of Denmark
• July 14 1798 - United States' Consulate first opened in Edinburgh.
• July 14 1927 - Scottish National War Memorial opened at Edinburgh Castle
• July 15 1889 - National Portrait Gallery for Scotland opened in Edinburgh.
• July 15 1914 - Gavin Maxwell, author of "Ring of Brightwater" born.
• July 16 1309 - James Stewart, High Steward of Scotland, died.
• July 16 1328 - David II, son of Robert I (the Bruce) married Joan, sister of Edward III (he was 4, she was 7).
• July 16 1832 - 31 Shetland boats (known as "sixerns") sank in a storm with the loss of 105 crewmen. The event is still recalled as "The Bad Day".
• July 16 1970 - Commonwealth Games opened in Edinburgh
• July 17 1790 - Adam Smith, author of "Wealth of Nations" died.
• July 17 1695 - Bank of Scotland, first bank to be established by an Act of the Scottish Parliament, opened.
• July 18 1290 - Treaty of Birgham whereby Edward I guaranteed survival of Scotland "separate, apart and free without subjection to the English nation".
• July 18 1792 - John Paul Jones, naval hero of the American Revolution, died; he was born in Kircudbrightshire in 1747.
• July 18 1999 - Paul Lawrie won the Open Golf Championship at Carnoustie after a three-way play-off against Jean van de Veldt of France and Justin Leonard of the US.
• July 19 1333 - Battle of Halidon Hill in which Sir Archibald Douglas (guardian of David II) routed by Edward Balliol and Edward III. Scots losses were nearly 600, English losses 14.
• July 19 1896 - Novelist A J Cronin born at Cardross, Dunbartonshire.

Whisky Galore Again?

The boom in remakes of classic films may be continued if a plan by a French-based media giant comes to fruition. Canal Plus is considering a remake of the classic Ealing comedy "Whisky Galore" (called "Tight Little Island" in the US) which was based on the book by Compton Mackenzie. It tells the tale of the efforts of the islanders of Todday in the Outer Hebrides to outwit the excise officers and salvage thousands of bottles of whisky from a cargo ship wrecked off their island. It was inspired by the sinking of the SS Politician off Eriskay in 1941. When the original film was made in Barra in 1948, it was the worst summer there for 80 years and as a result the film ran well over budget.

Scotland's Biggest Pop Festival

The T in the Park open air music festival in a field at Balado, Kinross, will have an audience of 110,000 over this Saturday and Sunday, making it the largest pop music festival in the Scottish calendar. It has been running for ten years, starting life at Strathclyde Park in Lanarkshire before moving to its present venue. The concert is sponsored by Tennent's lager and headlines bands REM and Coldplay this year but there is everything from punk to ceilidh music on offer.

Gourmet Glasgow

Confirming Glasgow's status as the top eating out location in the UK outside London, a number of renowned establishments will be offering fully-inclusive special gourmet menus between 16 July to 3 August 2003. The menus on offer, all at least four courses with coffee and petit fours, will represent the culinary and design flair of some of Glasgow's greatest chefs, to tantalise your palate and provide a truly memorable dining experience. Participating restaurants include top Glasgow eateries Gamba, The Buttery, Rococo, City Merchant and The Ubiquitous Chip (pictured here). For further information visit www.gourmetglasgow.com.

Rangers Offered £15 Million Loan

David Murray, Rangers' former chairman and largest shareholder, has agreed a £15 million revolving loan facility to the club which will allow Rangers to borrow up to that amount over the next two years. The news came as Rangers manager Alec McLeish made strenuous efforts to sign Argentinean striker Luciano Figueroa, who finished as the top scorer in the Argentinean League. But the Glasgow club lost out after Spanish side Osasuna topped their offer with a bid of £3 million. McLeish is keen to strengthen the Ibrox side as it now seems certain that defender Lorenzo Amoruso will complete his £1.4 million move to Blackburn Rovers and the club has released Bert Konterman from his contract a year early.

Aberdeen Directors Dig Deep

The Aberdeen Football Club board of directors have agreed to dig into their own pockets to finance the £200,000 transfer of Falkirk striker Lee Miller. Falkirk are resisting the transfer bid and the directors will only provide the money for this one transaction. The board is keen to back Aberdeen manager Steve Paterson who is desperate to add Miller to the Aberdeen forward line.

Celtic Score Seven

With manager Martin O'Neill absent, Celtic began their pre-season tour of Sweden by beating an amateur team 7-0. But the local fans were disappointed that none of the goals were scored by Henrik Larsson, a former Swedish international player, who played only in the first half. However, Larsson pleased the local fans by scoring both of Celtic's goals in the next match, against Gais, a Swedish Second Division side. Celtic finished their tour with a 3-2 win over Helsingborg, with Larsson this time scoring one of their goals. Celtic had to come from behind twice to beat the side for which Henrik Larsson once played.

Scottish Open

Ernie Els took an early lead at the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond this week and at the end of the third round was five strokes ahead of the field with 15 under par. There was a four hour delay on the first day because of heavy rain which caused the greens to become waterlogged but thereafter there were quite a few spells of sunshine. Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia caused some controversy suggesting that the Scottish Open should be moved to a seaside course which would be a better preparation for the golfers for the British Open Championship which follows it on the golf calendar. But others defended the Loch Lomond course which is held in high regard by many of the top golfers.

129 Not Out Not Enough

Despite a score of 129 not out by professional cricketer Rahul Dravid, the Saltires cricket team's total of 222 all out was not enough to secure a win over Nottinghamshire Outlaws last weekend. The only other Saltire player to make a respectable score was Colin Smith who made 44; after that, the highest score was 14. The Scottish team then went on later in the week to be comprehensively beaten by Durham and Lancashire, teams they had beaten earlier in the season. To date, the Saltires (who are largely an amateur team) have now won three and lost seven games and are sixth (out of ten teams) in their first season in the National Cricket League, playing one-day matches against professional English county sides.

Winning Stone Returns

The yellow-handled curling stone, which skipper Rhona Martin sent down the curling rink at last year's Winter Olympics to win Britain's first curling gold medal, has returned to Scotland. The British women's curling team was made up of four Scots and Rhona Martin was on hand this week when the stone was presented on permanent loan to the Scottish Institute of Sport. The same stone was used four weeks after the Olympics by Aberdeen's Jackie Lockhart when Scotland won the women's world curling championship in North Dakota.