There are many things to miss about life as we knew it. I’m sure we could all make endless lists on the subject. There’d no doubt be disagreements on what each deemed ‘essential’ — and others wrote off as superfluous — but we’d probably all admit that simple pleasures are more important than ever. WithContinue reading “An ode (and guide) to some favourite Scottish coffee shops”
Category Archives: Scotland
Distancing #2: Indoors is the new outdoors
This is part of a new series called Distancing, short blogs mostly taken from journal entries. I hope you’re all staying safe. A few days ago we went on a ten-mile walk somewhere in Scotland. The last time we were here, it was a glorious January day and the thought of a global pandemic was veryContinue reading “Distancing #2: Indoors is the new outdoors”
Five Ferries: 24 hours on the Isle of Bute
AD: This trip was sponsored by West Coast Waters, a campaign to celebrate Scotland’s diverse west coast ahead of VisitScotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters (#YCW2020). Having grown up and spent almost all of my childhood holidays on the west coast, I’m excited to share more of this part of Scotland with you. After disembarkingContinue reading “Five Ferries: 24 hours on the Isle of Bute”
Five Ferries: Off the beaten track in Kintyre and Cowal
AD: This trip was sponsored by West Coast Waters, a campaign to celebrate Scotland’s diverse west coast ahead of VisitScotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters (#YCW2020). Having grown up and spent almost all of my childhood holidays on the west coast, sharing my love for this part of Scotland was a blogging project dream-come-true. WeContinue reading “Five Ferries: Off the beaten track in Kintyre and Cowal”
Five Ferries: A postcard from Mount Stuart cottages
AD: I visited Mount Stuart as part of a sponsored trip with West Coast Waters. It’s a campaign to celebrate Scotland’s diverse west coast ahead of VisitScotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters (#YCW2020). A postcard from the Kennels… I don’t usually write any stand-alone blogs on the accommodation we stay in during our weekend adventures around Scotland…Continue reading “Five Ferries: A postcard from Mount Stuart cottages”
Five Ferries: 24 hours on the Isle of Arran
AD: This trip was sponsored by West Coast Waters, a campaign to celebrate Scotland’s diverse west coast ahead of VisitScotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters (#YCW2020). Having grown up and spent almost all of my childhood holidays on the west coast, sharing my lingering love for this area of Scotland was something I wasn’t aboutContinue reading “Five Ferries: 24 hours on the Isle of Arran”
A postcard from… Lochaber, and some thoughts on slow travel
The first few days it rained almost solidly. Between cups of tea and chocolate-sunk biscuits, we turned pages of books as the raindrops tapped the caravan windows. Reading Kathleen Jamie’s Findings, I imagined myself in an alternative weather reality hoping that, in a few days, I’d be able to get outside and note all the intricacies ofContinue reading “A postcard from… Lochaber, and some thoughts on slow travel”
A long weekend in leafy Perthshire
There are some spots in Scotland that, to me at least, seem seasonal. The iced Fife hills, sprinkled with sheep, are my end of winter. The secret gardens of East Lothian, blooming in rainbows, are where I spent my spring weekends. The rockpooled coasts of the west, with their white sands and clear tides, areContinue reading “A long weekend in leafy Perthshire”
A postcard from… Inverness and the Black Isle
Exploring like the locals It’s been over a year since we were last in the Highland capital. My partner and I fell in love there, so the city and its surroundings are like a planet we orbit around, its emotional pull growing with each return visit. Last holiday weekend we were there to visit his familyContinue reading “A postcard from… Inverness and the Black Isle”
A postcard from… Aberdeen Jazz Festival
Advertisement | This post is sponsored by VisitAberdeenshire and Aberdeen Festivals. That day at work, I was talking to my colleagues about New Orleans. I’d recently watched a few films about Louisiana, and — in a very suburban twist, for me at least — had begun sinking into jazz playlists on Saturday mornings whilst I baked,Continue reading “A postcard from… Aberdeen Jazz Festival”
