Latest news with #IsleOfSkye
Vogue
11-06-2025
- Vogue
Scotland's Isle of Skye Has Become an Unexpected Culinary Capital
The allure of the atmospheric Isle of Skye, Scotland's northernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, is by no means a secret. While the landmass is a quarter in size of the state of Delaware, the island's population swells from 10,000 to 650,000 each year to welcome intrepid travelers drawn to the island's dramatic landscapes, storied history, and rich cultural heritage. The rugged terrain is marked by the rolling hills of the Black Cuillin mountain range, which cuts through the mist sweeping in off the sea that earns Skye its name, which charmingly translates to 'Cloud Island' in Norse. The area's cultural history and heritage is just as captivating as its landscape, drawing visitors who are eager to step back in time and connect to an ancientness that doesn't seem to exist elsewhere. Photo: Chloe Frost Smith Photo: Chloe Frost Smith But in recent years, something new has been brewing in Skye. Led by once-in-a-generation talent who grew up on the island, trained in some of the best kitchens in the world, and then returned to Skye, a vibrant culinary scene has emerged. Now, among its ancient rock formations, folklore, and fairy pools, Skye has a new claim to fame: food. How could a place 100 miles away from the nearest city become a globally renowned fine dining hot spot? Perhaps not in spite of its location, but because of it. Food in Skye is as seasonal as it gets, by choice and also by circumstance. Anything not grown on the island is brought in from the nearest city, Inverness (still two hours away by car). The remote location disconnects restaurants from relying on global supply chains, so the chefs are deeply connected to the land. Photo: Florence Reeves-White Photo: Florence Reeves-White As such, its fine dining establishments redefine extreme seasonality, with the chefs often gathering ingredients themselves. At Café Cùil, pancakes are topped with vivid yellow gorse flowers hand-picked by owner Clare Coghill. Calum Montgomery, of 4 AA-Rosette Edinbane Lodge, has been known to catch the restaurant's scallops himself. Scorrybreac's Calum Munro forages for seasonal fruits and even sea buckthorn, which can only be harvested tediously by hand, for every chocolate and buckwheat dessert he sends out—no effort is spared. The food scene on Skye isn't only unique in its freshness where produce is concerned, it's also uncommonly friendly and familiar. While fine dining has been known to have a cut-throat reputation (I assume we've all seen The Bear?), the tight-knit food community on Skye means that many of the main players are lifelong friends, and even family. Niall Munro, founder of Birch, is Scorrybreac's Calum Munro's brother, and spent many of his summers working at the restaurant. In 2017, Niall Munro partnered with Coghill to enter the cooking show, My Kitchen Rules, where they beat out 20 other teams and further cemented the notion that Skye is no longer small fry in the global restaurant game, despite its generous and approachable ethos. If some of the stunning pottery Calum Montgomery uses in Edinbane Lodge is broken at service, he walks across the lane to Edinbane Pottery, an independent ceramics studio owned by their friends, to grab another plate. Where to Stay Photo: Chloe Frost Smith Photo: Chloe Frost Smith It's the island's unique culinary culture that draws two friends and I to Skye in early March for an off-season road trip through the island. Beckoned by the promise of less traffic at the Fairy Pools—and the hope of securing every sought-after reservation we want—the three of us head North to spend a long weekend at the enchanting Mint Croft Skye, a former crofter's house lovingly restored by architect duo James Ross Mitchell and Carolina Larrazábal into a delightful two-bedroom cottage on the Waternish peninsula.
Times
11-06-2025
- Times
16 of the most beautiful places in Scotland
For many, Scotland is all about the great outdoors: hiking through Highland glens lined with lochs that look like slices of fallen sky, exploring the giant forests of Perth and Kinross, its rivers rippling with salmon. If the weather gets rough, there'll be a rugged castle at hand, usually with a legend attached, and a distillery tour just down the road. And then there are its biggest cities, Glasgow for cutting-edge arts and breezy good humour, and architecturally elegant Edinburgh, the serious seat of government — two cities that couldn't be more different if they tried. My mother comes from the Isle of Skye, so for many years family holidays were annual pilgrimages north to rendezvous with cousins, scramble up mountains and stagger into peat bogs, cursing at midges. In more recent years I've ranged more widely across the whole country, particularly for my book Four Scottish Journeys. And I am pleased to say that the days when the accommodation was basic and the food was mainly beige have long since gone. There's every kind of quality — here are the most beautiful places to start. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue There is a deeply spiritual aura to this little green chip of land that lies off the southwestern corner of the island of Mull. Iona has been a place of pilgrimage ever since St Columba arrived in AD563 and today pilgrims step off the ferry and weave their way to Iona Abbey. At Iona's northern tip is the White Strand of the Monks, springy machair — wildflower-rich grassland — lined with white sand. The turquoise water is the perfect backdrop for contemplation while watching the gannets dive into the Sound. The island is at its best when the day-trippers have gone, so stay over at the St Columba Hotel and enjoy produce from its organic garden. If there's anything that epitomises wild and romantic Scotland, it's the northwest coast up to Cape Wrath, the most exhilarating stretch of the popular North Coast 500 driving route. It begins at Applecross, a remote peninsula reached by a dramatic switchback road. Halfway up the coast is Ullapool, a free-spirited ferry port on Loch Broom, full of creativity and gastronomy. And while hiking Cape Wrath itself is only advisable for the fit and brave, this northwestern tip has surprisingly fine white sand beaches at Balnakeil. Stay in Ullapool's Ceilidh Place, where there's live music most nights. • Read our full guide to Scotland The Dukes of Atholl, who some 200 years ago owned most of the land between Perth and Inverness, planted 25 million trees, including larch, Douglas fir, maple, western hemlock and redwood, which is why this region has been designated Big Tree Country. The Queen's View, a historic viewpoint high above Loch Tummel, is particularly fabulous in autumn. Key resorts are Victorian Pitlochry and genteel Dunkeld, on the silvery Tay, where you should stay in the Dunkeld House Hotel for riverbank views. It's a 20-minute walk downstream to Birnam Wood, as mentioned in Macbeth. The Great Glen is a giant fissure that runs diagonally from Fort William in the west to Inverness in the east. Several lochs line its length, including awe-inspiring Loch Ness, and there's a long-distance trail to pack your walking boots for too ( The lochs have all been linked to create the Caledonian Canal, connecting sea with sea, with cruises and boat rental. Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK, at 1,345m (4,413ft), looms over its western end by Fort William. The Ben is an arduous but straightforward 11-mile hike for the fit and the well prepared. Stay above Loch Ness in the quirky-cum-traditional Whitebridge Hotel. Regularly cited as the most remote part of mainland British Isles, Knoydart is a mountainous peninsula on the west coast, opposite the Isle of Skye, with eagles overhead and whales and dolphins offshore; you can look out for all on a boat trip. A handful of small settlements are distributed along its only road, with the main community and Britain's most remote pub, the Old Forge, gathered at Inverie on a sheltered bay in Loch Nevis, where regular ferries connect it to the port of Mallaig. Stay at Doune Knoydart, which is on the peninsula's point looking towards Skye. • More great hotels in the Highlands Too often overlooked in the hurry to get north, the peninsulas around Scotland's west coast south of Oban are delightful tessellations of water and land. Probably the best known is the dangling Mull of Kintyre, mainly thanks to Paul McCartney and his song of the same name. Here you'll find Campbeltown, which is well known for its whisky festival held in May, and on a clear day you can see Northern Ireland from its west coast. Moving north, other notable landmarks are the Crinan Canal and the Ardfern peninsula, busy with yachts in summer. Don't miss Seil, with its Bridge over the Atlantic, which may sound grand but is actually a narrow tidal stream. Here you can get cosy in Ardfern's Galley of Lorne Inn, popular with overnighting yachtsmen. The Heart 200 is a much easier and more varied drive than the North Coast 500 and does what its name suggests, looping around Scotland's striking heartlands, linking the towns of Stirling, Crieff, Perth, Dunkeld, Pitlochry, Aberfeldy and Callander. That means gorgeous castles at Stirling, endless golf courses at Gleneagles, great whiskies at Dewar's distillery in Aberfeldy, a thriving salmon river in the Tay and plenty of brilliant hiking routes, particularly the two-and-a-half-mile Birks of Aberfeldy circuit. Aberfeldy is the centre point of Scotland, so the Fortingall boutique hotel just outside the town in Glen Lyon makes for a handy place to stay. • More great Scottish road trips• Best Airbnbs in Scotland It's the archetype of mystical and romantic Scotland — eagles overhead, deer in the glens, lochs that look like fallen slices of sky, and the Cuillin mountains rising into the mist. Skye's clan legends and crofting culture have long attracted visitors, but until the opening of the bridge that linked it to the mainland, its hospitality was spartan. These days the island has new distilleries, great gastronomy and hotel accommodation, and that has encouraged a steady flow of film directors who come to use the dramatic landscapes of the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr as locations. The Bracken Hide is a stylish base, with glamping pods and an excellent bar. • Best luxury hotels in Scotland• Best spa hotels in Scotland The border between England and Scotland has long been heavily contested, which is perhaps why the towns that lie just to its north — the likes of Melrose, Hawick, Kelso and Coldstream — have been such a force in Scottish rugby, and in the Scottish military, over the years. This is a place of handsome Georgian and Victorian town centres, of striking abbey ruins (at Melrose), and of rolling hills that nurture salmon rivers (the Tweed). It is also the location of grand country mansions such as Abbotsford, the home of author Sir Walter Scott. Schloss Roxburghe is the place to lay your head nearby, with huge, old-world rooms and a great spa. Each of the Outer Hebrides has its own natural beauty. Barra is rugged, with its airstrip making use of a tidal beach. The Uists are low lying and waterlogged, lined on the west with springy wildflower-rich machair. But it is Lewis and Harris, two separate 'islands' but actually the same lump of land, which have the big-ticket attractions. On Harris it's the west coast's Caribbean-style white sand beaches such as Luskentyre, plus the architect-designed homes (some of which you can rent out). On Lewis, the standing stones at Callanish draw the visitors — as does Stornoway, the metropolis of the Outer Hebrides. As for where to bed down after a day of exploring, consider the boutique, modern Hotel Hebrides, conveniently located right by the Tarbert pier. The archipelago that lies offshore from John O'Groats is quite unlike the Scottish Highlands. Orcadian accents are far gentler, reflecting Scandinavian origins, and the land is smoother and more fertile, well suited for grazing. Most remarkable on Mainland, the biggest of the islands, are the neolithic tombs and excavated villages, which had to be well built to withstand the weather. Also long-lasting is the tradition of the Ba' Game, a rugby-related mass scrum that rampages through the main town of Kirkwall every winter. Stay at the centrally located Ferry Inn for its comfortable rooms, bar, and restaurant serving posh pub grub. • What to do in Orkney Not as well-trodden as their northern relatives Skye and Mull, the Southern Hebrides are gentler, quieter landscapes, well worth an island-hopping odyssey. Colonsay, reached by ferry from Oban, is a land of farms and immaculate beaches, particularly up at Kiloran. Islay, which is ferry-connected to Colonsay and to the mainland, is whisky heaven, with nine distilleries, including Bowmore, Ardbeg and Laphroaig, all producing distinctive and peaty single malts. Family-run Port Askaig Hotel is known for its seafood and proximity to some of Islay's best beaches. • Best distillery tours in Scotland Ben Nevis may be the highest of Scotland's mountains, but the wildest are in the Cairngorms National Park, which cover a massive 1,748 square miles. Among the tops, a series of plateaux create a bleak, boulder-strewn semi-tundra, littered with rocky outcrops and rich in wild species such as capercaillie and golden eagle, as well as the UK's only free-ranging herd of reindeer. Aviemore is the adventure hub, but also in the national park is Braemar, known for the annual Braemar Gathering with its Highland games. For a unique, stylish stay, book into the Fife Arms, a former coaching inn in Braemar with a fabulous art collection and a fittingly cool crowd. Read our full review of the Fife Arms The Neuk (nook) of Fife is an intimate place of fishing villages such as Crail and Pittenweem, whose red-roofed cottages cluster together along the harbour wall. Colourful boats bob in the bay, and Pittenweem still has a morning fish market, mostly for lobster and crab. Further round the Neuk, the scene changes at St Andrews. This handsome town is dominated by two institutions, the Royal and Ancient, one of the most historic golf clubs in the world, and the university, which attracts students from the top echelons of society, including royalty. The Peat Inn is the place to stay, a 15-minute drive from East Neuk's villages, with elegant rooms and an excellent, Michelin-starred restaurant. This hugely accessible national park just north of Glasgow has a bit of everything. Scenic Loch Lomond is a place of boat cruises and water sports, with the long-distance West Highland Way following its eastern shore. There are more cruises over in neighbouring Loch Katrine, which visitors can cruise aboard the steamship Sir Walter Scott. Between the lochs, the hills and glens are cloaked in oak and fir, particularly around the adventure centre of Aberfoyle. And finally, several mountains rise silently out of the northern part of the park, a foretaste of the wilderness beyond. Cameron House has an unbeatable location on the southwest banks of Loch Lomond, as well as a sprawling spa and rooftop infinity pool. A dramatic set of hills, the seat of government, a famous castle, a major annual festival and a long literary tradition — it's hard to know where to begin with the Scottish capital. Experience the views from Edinburgh Castle, which hosts its Royal Military Tattoo every August; take a ghost tour through the dank alleys and staircases of the Old Town; and see the elegant New Town, which — despite the name — is mostly from the late 18th century. Affordable stays in Edinburgh aren't always easy to come by, but we love 3 John's Place, which has B&B doubles from just over £100. • More great affordable hotels in Edinburgh• Best restaurants in Edinburgh
Daily Mail
07-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Bodies of two hillwalkers found on the same day as death toll on Scotland's peaks rises to four in a week
The bodies of another two hillwalkers have been found in the Highlands as the number of people who have died in Scotland's mountains this week rose to four. The tragic incidents happened in a week that saw blizzards hit some of the country's highest peaks just weeks after a spring heatwave had created perfect climbing conditions. The latest tragedy took place on a 2,920ft hill in Wester Ross. A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'Around 1.20am on Saturday, June 7, the body of a 70-year-old man was recovered by mountain rescue teams from An Ruadh-stac. 'There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.' The climber has not yet been named. The police statement came just hours after officers announced that a body had been found in the search for a hillwalker who went missing on the Isle of Skye. Roddy MacPherson was last seen walking towards Sligachan Bridge. The 67-year-old had not been heard from since, sparking a major search. Police have said a body was found at Harta Quarry in the Cuillins on Friday. It was spotted by a mountain rescue team and extracted by the Stornoway Coastguard helicopter. Neil Urquhart, leader of Skye MRT, said it appeared the hillwalker had fallen. His team had searched for three days in what was their seventh call-out in six days. A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'There would appear to be no suspicious circumstances. Formal identification has yet to be made. 'The family of Roddy MacPherson, 67, who had been reported missing from Skye on Wednesday, June 4 have been informed.' It comes after the death of two other hillwalkers this week. On Thursday a 46-year-old climber plunged 650 feet to his death on Ben Nevis. His female companion was rescued by visiting members of Cockermouth MRT who were on the UK's highest mountain at the time. Members of Lochaber MRT and a Coastguard helicopter from Prestwick extracted the body of the climber who was on the Great Tower of Tower Ridge – about 600 feet below the 4,413ft summit. Astie Cameron, deputy leader of Lochaber MRT, said. 'It was very difficult conditions – a return to winter. It was a full-on blizzard. 'The chap must have fallen 200 metres [656 feet]. Fortunately, there were mountain rescue team members from Cockermouth nearby and they were able to get the other climber to safety. 'But because of the conditions we had to get the man's body round to Observatory Gully so the helicopter could get in. It was very difficult.' Police Scotland said it was made aware of a hillwalker having fallen from Tower Ridge around 1.45pm on Thursday, June 6. It said the Coastguard attended and located the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene. A body was also found on Monday in the search for a missing Swiss hiker who was on a long distance trek through the Highlands. Bernard Trottet was last known to be at Corryhully Bothy near Glenfinnan on May 27. The 65-year-old had been heading north towards Kinloch Hourn in Knoydart on the Cape Wrath trail. Police discovered a man's body in the water of the Kinloch Hourn area. Again, there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances. While formal identification is yet to take place, Mr Trottet's family has been informed. It is believed Mr Trottet may have been trying to cross a river when he was swept away.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gaelic group announce highly-anticipated second album
GAELIC vocal group Sian have announced their highly-anticipated second album, araon. Originally brought together by the Blas festival in 2016, to celebrate the work of female bards, Sian comprises three of today's most exquisitely gifted Gaelic singers – Ceitlin Lilidh, Eilidh Cormack and Ellen MacDonald – accompanied by in-demand multi-instrumentalist Innes White. With direct connections among the singers to Lewis, Skye and North Uist, their arrangements match deep feeling for tradition with stunning, boldly imaginative harmony work, which has seen them likened to The Staves and even Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The first single from the album, Seo a' Bhliadhna, was released on Friday – a traditional lament with connections to the Isle of Skye and Raasay, and particularly the MacLean family. READ MORE: Labour has 'given up' on by-election amid SNP-Reform contest, says John Swinney Seo a' Bhliadhna features guest musicians James Lindsay and Charlie Stewart. The album is produced by Sian's Innes White and Innes Strachan (Niteworks, LUSA), and was recorded and mixed by Iain Hutchison at GloWorm Recording. The release date for the full album is yet to be announced. Cormack said: 'Seo a' Bhliadhna is a beautiful lament, closely connected to the Isle of Skye and Raasay song tradition. 'The composer tells of love and loss in a terrible year – grieving not only her brother and sister, but the man she loves, the golden-haired hunter. 'We wanted to approach the song with respect and care, and I hope listeners can feel that in the arrangement.' MacDonald added: 'The reason I love Sian so much is that you can do so much with just voices. 'You can come up with really cool sounds with just voices.' Ahead of the album release, Sian will tour Scotland throughout this month, performing new material live for the first time. The tour begins tomorrow night in Arisaig's Astley Hall. Tour dates: June 2, Arisaig, Astley Hall; June 3, Inverness, Eden Court; June 4, Isle of Skye, An Crùbh; June 5, Isle of Raasay, Isle of Raasay Distillery; June 6, Glasgow, The Reeling; June 11, Edinburgh, Traverse Theatre. Click here for tickets.
BBC News
31-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Rise in crashes caused by tourists driving on wrong side of road
The number of crashes caused by visitors to Scotland driving on the wrong side of the road has increased by 46% in a year. Figures released by Transport Scotland showed there were 35 collisions caused by "inexperience of driving on the left" in 2023, up from 24 the previous year. Campaigners have described the rise as "disappointing" and called for additional signage and prompts to be put in place as a reminder for tourists, particularly in rural areas. Road Safety Scotland said there was no clear reason for the increased frequency of crashes. One of the collisions recorded in the 2023 figures resulted in a death. Signage is often placed at airports and other transport hubs and car hire facilities reminding drivers that vehicles in the UK drive on the left side of the road. The vast majority of visitors to Scotland in 2023 came from mainland Europe and the United States – all of which are countries in which motorists drive on the right. Sharon Anslow, founder of the Keep Left campaign, said more had to be done to educate drivers. Mrs Anslow was injured when her car was pushed into a ditch during a head-on collision with a tourist while driving to work in Portree on the Isle of Skye in December 2018. She had to be freed from the wreckage by fire crews and said she was forced to move house due to the trauma of driving on the same route during her work commute. The other driver involved in the crash received a fixed penalty notice despite driving on the wrong side of the road for at least a mile before the crash. Mrs Anslow told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme she had secured funding to put up 250 signs along the roads in Skye and Lochalsh to remind drivers where they should be. But she said the onus should be on councils and road managers to keep other motorists safe. "Raising awareness is fantastic and there are lots of resources online," she said. "But it's not the answer. We should be providing, not just the tourists, but the locals across the whole of Scotland, with proper roads to drive on, with proper signage and directional arrows to keep everybody safe." Wristband campaign In 2022, Italian naval officer Alfredo Ciociola was convicted of killing five people, including his four-year-old son, in a crash on the A96 near Keith. Two years earlier, Gerrit Reickmann, from Germany, caused the death of his girlfriend Melina Rose Päprer when he was involved in a head-on crash while driving on the wrong side of the road near Drumnadrochit in the Highlands. Road Safety Scotland director, Michael McDonnell, said tourists often struggled in more rural areas, where there was little to no traffic to "prompt" them into driving on the correct side. He also said tiredness could be a factor. The organisation has worked with VisitScotland and car hire companies to educate tourists on where they should be driving. They have provided vehicle rental companies with wristbands with the message "drive on the left" in nine different languages. It is hoped that drivers would see them while they have their hands on the steering wheel. Mr McDonnell said passengers also had a role to play in keeping the driver aware of where they should be on the road. He said: "The difficulty we have in Scotland is that one of the attractions of the country is the remote, rural areas, the places people like to visit with its tremendous beauty spots. "Quite often, people, when they go into these areas, they encounter less traffic and so, when there is a lot of traffic on the road you get hints as to where you should be. "The same thing happens early in the morning or late at night when people set off, so you get this increase just when there isn't traffic on the road."
