Besides the famous TV show, "Monarch of the Glen," a bit of Scottish history played out at Ardverikie Estate when Queen Victoria considered buying it for the Royal residence in Scotland. If not for Scotland's infamous midges, who sent Victoria packing, Ardverikie might never have become known as "Glenbogle."

Scotland is a land that has a rich, colorful, diverse and long history. Each year, Scotland’s national tourism organization, Visit Scotland, and the Scottish Government put forth a promotional theme, aimed at driving tourism to and throughout Scotland while featuring specific sectors of Scottish industry, culture, history, etc. Recent previous themes have included “The Year of Homecoming," The “Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design," and “The Year of Food and Drink.” 2018 has already been designated "The Year of Young People" but for now 2017 is "The Year of History, Heritage, and Archaeology."

As Visit Scotland puts it, “In Scotland the past seems so close you can almost feel it swirling around you. Epic landscapes were carved out by icy glaciers millennia ago, towering castles have stood for centuries and mesmerizing stories, traditions and legends have been passed down for generations.”

Observation of this special theme will involve more than 100 events, nine major festivals and will include significant dates such as World Heritage Day on 18 April and the entire month of September to be saluted as Archaeology in Scotland month. To paint a tourism picture this sweeping, a broad brush must be used, thus there are many partner organizations taking part in what is most easily referred to as #HHA2017!

One such organization is TRACS - Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland. Based in the Scottish Storytelling Center located on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the Center includes the John Knox house. John Knox House dates back to 1470, which makes it and Moubray House which is attached, the only original medieval building surviving on the Royal Mile. 

The John Knox House comprises part of the Scottish Storytelling Center on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. TRACS, Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland is based here. Image credit: Visit Scotland

TRACS hosts two major festivals each year that for 2017 will be wrapped in #HHA2017. The first is Tradfest, a multi-arts program featuring traditional music, dance and storytelling from 26 April to 7 May. The second is the Scottish International Storytelling Festival from 20 to 31 October. Appearing on this episode is Dr. Mairi McFadyen, Storytelling Network Coordinator for TRACS.

Also appearing on this episode is Jeff Sanders, Project Manager for "DigIt2017" which is in itself a year long salute to archaeology in Scotland organized by Archaeology Scotland and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

Together we try to address first just what is history vs heritage and the role that archaeology plays in both, the role of their respective organizations in #HHA2017, special events planned around World Heritage Day and a lot more!

The Forth Rail Bridge is one of six UNESCO World Heritage sites in Scotland to be celebrated on World Heritage Day, 18 April. #ScotlandinSix

The Tradfest will celebrate traditional music, dance, and storytelling.

DigIt2017 will offer opportunities for visitors to Scotland to see and possibly participate in real archaeological digs.

Throughout the year there will be many, many special events, some annual affairs, others one-offs that will allow Scots and tourists alike to see and appreciate various facets of Scotland's history and heritage. The Highland Military Tattoo at Fort George is one example, happening 8-10 September.

To learn more about the wide ranging activities, events, and celebrations that will mark 2017, The Year of History, Heritage, and Archaeology, see the link below to Visit Scotland.

•Visit Scotland

•DigIt2017

•Scottish Storytelling Center

•John Knox House

•Tradfest / Storytelling Festival

•Highland Military Tattoo

•Ardverikie Estate

More than 18% of the population of the United States today is believed to be of Scottish or Scots-Irish descent. These are descendants of the tens of thousands of Scots and Scots-Irish who immigrated to the US. Some arrived as early as colonial times but the vast majority arrived here in the late 1700's following the Highland Clearances, and again in a new wave of immigration in the late 1800's. Many volumes have been written about the contributions of the Scots to the founding of the USA. Scottish influences are found in virtually ever walk of American life, from our Declaration of Independence, said to be inspired by the Scots' Declaration of Arbroath, to music, our military, even our form of government. 

Two of many books written about the positive impact Scots and Scots-Irish immigrants and their descendants have had on American history.

One need only look to the birth of our nation to find Scots playing pivotal roles and writing the earliest pages of our history books, men like John Paul Jones, Father of the American Navy. Indeed the positive influence of Scots can be throughout America, from the big cities, to the small backwaters. Mickey Mouse, that most iconic of American cartoon characters was voiced for 40 years by a Scot, Jimmy MacDonald of Dundonian. John McGregor was a Scotsman, and a piper, who died defending the Alamo. Glaswegian Alan Pinkerton founded his world famous detective agency in Chicago. Elvis Presley's roots can be traced to Aberdeenshire. The original ‘Uncle Sam’ is said to be Sam Wilson, a food business operator in New York, whose parents came from Greenock in Scotland. Neil Armstrong and "Buzz Aldrin", first men to walk on the Moon, were of Scottish ancestry. Three fourths of the men who have served as President have been of either Scots or Ulster-Scots descent, and the list goes on.

John Paul Jones, famous for his response in battle, "I have not yet begun to flight!" is considered the father of the United States Navy and hailed from Arbigland, Kirkcudbrightshire, in Scotland is but one of many, many famous Scottish Americans. 

But as is the case with any large group of people, there were a few "bad apples" in the bunch. In his new book, "Between Daylight and Hell," Scottish author Iain Lundy has chosen to spotlight sixteen Scots (and a further seven "dishonorable mentions") who, far from being heroes, proved instead to be rogues, reprobates, conmen, charlatans, cowards, and killers.

Author Iain Lundy, a career Scottish journalist.

Men like James Duff who, in the name of loyalty to the Confederacy,  murdered (or ordered their deaths) a group of German immigrants fleeing the Texas Hill country.  There was David Jack, a serial land grabber who fleeced people of their homes and property in the wake of the Mexican-American War. Major General Adam Stephen distinguished himself in the Revolutionary War by attacking his own men while drunk in battle. And there was Operatic superstar Mary Garden who turned more than a cold shoulder to her American benefactors once she saw her name up in lights.
 

"...a rollicking good read, comprehensively researched by one of Scotland's most experienced and respected journalists."

"Between Daylight and Hell" is a look into the dark side of a handful of Scots who came to America seeking a better life, and along the way decided to lie, cheat, steal, and yes sometimes kill their way into the history books.

"Between Daylight and Hell" by Iain Lundy is 240 pages, softback, and includes 50 illustrations including portraits. Retail price in the USA is $23.95 but will vary depending on the supplier. It is also available direct from the publisher in the UK for £18.99.

• Whittles Publishing

• Review by Undiscovered Scotland

• Review by Books of Scotland

• Order here from Barnes & Noble

•Order here from Amazon.com

•Order here from Booksamillion

Jed Marum is a New England born singer/songwriter and story teller whose music is deeply rooted in a mix of American Folk and Celtic styles. Marum has a strong love for historical song writing reflecting his keen interest in the passing of both history and culture from generation to generation through music. His parents were Irish on his father's side and Scottish on his mother's, making him a walking, talking, breathing example of a true Scots/Irish.

Beyond his talent as a singer, Marum is an accomplished songwriter and performer on the guitar, mandolin and banjo. He has contributed both original and classic songs to a half dozen Film and TV projects, most blending his American folk and Celtic styles and he has produced over a dozen albums.

Celtic Music is a broad term used to loosely describe the music from the lands of the Celts primarily Scotland, Ireland and Wales but also including Brittany (in France) and Galicia (in Spain).

At its heart Celtic music is a folk music with often distinctive styles, tunings and lyrics. It has been traced back to the 1600 and remains a popular musical genre today performed by artists such as Enya, The Chieftans, and The Corrs and spawning offshoots like the celtic rock of bands like The Elders and Shooglenifty and the even more niche bagrock of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. With the celtic diaspora spreading around and into almost every corner of the world, it’s no surprise that Celtic Music has influenced countless other genres and nowhere more so than here in North America

Celtic music also heavily influenced American bluegrass and country music with the adoption of the fiddle, a mainstay in any ceilidh band. Likewise the adoption of the banjo (originally arriving in America with African slaves) by immigrants in America, especially the Irish, helped that instrument migrate across the Atlantic in the opposite direction. Both are examples of how Marum sees the exchange of cultures worldwide through music.

With his feet "firmly planted in both worlds" (Folk and Celtic music) Marum is well versed in the influence of Celtic music across America. His music is featured regularly on Folk/American and Celtic radio stations around the world and is available on all major Mp3 streaming services. a resident of Texas, he developed a love of music, especially traditional Irish and Scots music, initially through his parents. Today Marum travels widely performing more than 150 shows annually. His music brings to his audiences a blend of American, Scottish and Irish cultures in songs that are both traditional and contemporary.

• Jed Marum Website

• Jed Marum's music on Soundcloud

• Celtic Radio

• History of the Fiddle in America

• History of the Banjo in America

• History of Celtic Music

Scotland; the land of lochs. Its been estimated there are over 31,000 lochs and lochans – large and small enclosed bodies of water in Scotland. 

Largest of these by water volume is Loch Ness and only Loch Lomond, famous for its bonnie, bonnie, banks, is larger in land volume, 27 sq miles to Loch Ness’ 22. At over 700 feet deep, Loch Ness is also second deepest, and is famous not in song, but in legend – the legend of course of the Loch Ness Monster, lovingly known as Nessie.

Loch Ness is the largest loch by water volume in all of Scotland. It holds more water than all of the lakes of England and Wales combined. Photo by Glen Moyer

Loch Ness was created in the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago. It contains more water than all of the lakes in England and Wales combined. That water however, is very murky. Visibility in the loch is extremely low because of the high peat content in the surrounding soil. So it may come as something of a surprise that Loch Ness is now the source of a new premium bottled water – Loch Ness Water.

Launched (if you'll pardon the aquatic pun) in late 2015, Loch Ness Water has been years in the making. Not just the four years of testing the concept and developing a complex filtration system before winning approval to go to market, but in fact a lifetime has gone into this new product - the lifetime of LNW's CEO, John Oag. His family has been linked to the loch for generations, including an encounter with a creature that might have been Nessie, but you'll have to listen to the podcast to hear that story.

Loch Ness Water is a premium bottled water, you won't find it in plastic bottles on supermarket shelves. The water is offered in still or sparkling and in two sizes, a 100ml bottle targeted directly at the whisky drinking and tourists crowds, and a 350ml size destined for restaurants and high-end hotels and the like. (Note: Sparkling Loch Ness Water is available in the 350ml size only)

Like any true Scottish business, Loch Ness Water, working with bespoke tartan design company Prickly Thistle, have their own tartan, initially providing draw-string gift bags for their 100ml souvenir bottles, but soon to be featured in a growing line of wearable and other tartan products.

See the links below to read the story of designer Prickly Thistle and the Loch Ness Water tartan.

The Loch Ness Water tartan features varied shades of blue to represent the colors of the loch with the purple (the color of the Scottish thistle) running through it to reflect the color of the company's original logo. 

Not yet 18 months old, the future looks bright for Loch Ness Water. Already their water is used in a gin that has earned a nod of approval from her majesty The Queen, and plans are underway, working with neighbor Tomatin Distillery, for a new label whisky in the near future. Two flavored waters are due for release soon as well.

To be sure Loch Ness Water is the first and only drinkable bottled water to be sourced from the world famous loch. And just as the loch embodies the legend of 'Nessie", perhaps one day Loch Ness Water will come to embody the taste of the legend. Until then, as they say on their own website, "we'll leave you to ponder on whether Nessie has swan through your very own bottle of Loch Ness Water..."

• Loch Ness Water

• Prickly Thistle (LNW bespoke tartan designer)

• House of Elrick Gin

• Tomatin Distillery

• Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition

• Legend of Nessie

Scotland is a land of mountainous wilderness, accented by sweeping glacially formed glens and deep shimmering lochs. It is a bastion of clean, unspoilt beauty with a complex history and a diaspora of millions spread round the world. Scotland is a land that inspires a sense of wanderlust in almost everyone and because of this tourism has become a vital part of the Scottish economy, responsible for almost 220-thousand jobs. In 2014 – a Year of Homecoming, some 15.7 million people visited Scotland, that’s triple the country’s resident population.

Without question, one of the most successful tourism initiatives in all of Scotland recently has been the development of the North Coast 500 – a circular road trip of adventure and discovery around Scotland’s northernmost region. 

North Coast 500 map from www.northcoast500.com

Whether through sheer marketing genius or sheer coincidence seems to be unknown but Scotland's North Coast 500 is widely likened to another classic road trip, from America, Route 66. 

Route 66 was a 2,000 mile stretch of road launched in 1926 from Chicago to Los Angeles that ultimately became dubbed by author John Steinbeck as “The Mother Road.” Once a main east-west migratory artery across the USA, the original Route 66 has been all but lost to the era of the superhighway. It is however, steeped in Americana – representing the spirit that kept Americans moving ever westward in search of adventure and well, kicks. Over the decades leading into the 1960s it became as much a holiday destination as vital traffic artery. Roadside attractions, small town diners and motor hotels dotted the roadway jammed with families taking kids on what were often their first adventurous journeys away from home.

Route 66 map from thebonvoyageblog.com

It is a desire to capture much the same spirit of adventure and discovery that led to a tourism initiative that has become the North Coast 500. In simplest of terms. A scheme to draw visitors, both domestic and international, with cash to spend in local shops, cafes, distilleries and such north of Inverness, to an otherwise often under appreciated part of Scotland where few visitors ventured. Established only a year ago, in 2015, a new economic study has revealed “absolutely incredible results” realized by the region with decades old tourism records being smashed and demand already exceeding capacity.

While Scotland's iconic destinations, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Loch Ness, the Highlands and Islands, still command the majority of tourist attentions and dollars, pounds, euros, etc., proponents of the North Coast 500 argue that this road trip offers all that Scotland is famous for including scenery, castle ruins, quaint visitor friendly villages, world class seafood, distilleries and more.

An essential element in any road trip is scenery and the North Coast 500 does not disappoint with views like this drive through Glen Docherty in Wester Ross.

Whatever the mechanism, the promotion of the North Coast 500 as Scotland's "Route 66" has apparently struck a note. A recent economic impact study revealed some amazing statistics as reported by the "Press and Journal" and others revealed significant results:

•87% of users interviewed (800) were "very satisfied" with the experience and 92% would recommend it to others.

•73% said they "definitely will" and 23% said they "probably will" make the journey again.

•Visitors to Dunnet Bay Distillers, makers of one of Scotland's craft gins, Rock Rose Gin, have increased 5 fold over their year of operations prior to the opening of the NC500, from 20 a week to 100 and sales are 10 times thir projections.. The distillery is now fast tracking plans to expand

•Visitor numbers at Dunrobin Castle in Golspie smashed a 20 year record with operators giving direct credit to the North Coast 500. 

Dunrobin Castle has seen decades old visitor records smashed.

The Caithness-based producers of Rock Rose Gin, bottled in distinctive porcelain, have seen sales increase 10-fold over their business plan projections. Photo courtesy Dunnet Bay Distillery

Though barely over a year old, there can be little doubt that the North Coast 500 is finding favor with tourists, both domestic and international. Project Manager Kenneth McElroy said it was rewarding in fact to see that the largest number of website inquiries to www.northcoast500.com were from people in Scotland, apparently wanting to learn more about a previously lesser traveled road in their own country.

Now the challenge will be to capitalize and expand on this initial success for the region, to create a sustainable tourism base, while not spoiling the very elements that are calling to people the world over to make the ultimate Scottish road trip on the North Coast 500.

(Note: The song "North Coast Highway" is used with permission from Dave Sheriff. 'North Coast Highway words and music by Dave Sheriff Stomp Music and Publishing')

For more information...

•www.norhtcoast500.com (website)

•North Coast 500 (Facebook page)

•Cycling the NC500 with Mark Beaumont (video)

•Dunnet Bay Distillers / Rock Rose Gin

•Dunrobin Castle

•Funky Ellas Travel (4-part NC500 travel blog)

•North Coast Highway (song from album "A Good Old Country Song" by Dave Sheriff

Dougie MacLean is Scotland’s preeminent singer songwriter. His song Caledonia, written over 30 years ago ago when he was a young musician just getting started, is so popular it is often considered the unofficial national anthem of Scotland. In the run up tp #indyref in 2014 there were many who were ready to vote Yes to independence, and Yes to making Caledonia the country’s official anthem.

His amazing 40-plus year career began as a fiddle player, in a family where both his Mum and Da were musically inclined. While growing up in rural Scotland Dougie MacLean picked up the guitar, as so many did back in the 1960s and 70s and the rest, as they say, is history. Now more than 40 years later he has his own recording label, built a recording studio in the schoolhouse where his father learned to write with chalk on a slate tablet, has penned one of Scotland’s best loved songs, and broadcasts his music live to his legions of fans worldwide via satellite. 

Beautiful summer view across Loch (Lake) Tummel seen from Queen's View, a famous viewpoint. Located near Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland, UK. Perthshire is the region of Scotland that has been home to Dougie MacLean since his birth.

While best known as a singer/songwriter/performer there is another side to Dougie MacLean. He is also a composer. His best known piece, "The Gael", was a fiddle tune originally written for a Loch Ness promotional film called "The Search" before it was adapted and retitled for the movie "The Last of the Mohicans." However, Just over a year ago, in July 2015, MacLean released Perthshire Amber – a new CD featuring a 4-part instrumental suite he composed to honor the part of Scotland he calls home. Reviewer Michael Simmons calls it “his most ambitious and successful composition yet – a beautifully evocative piece of music…"

Released in Summer 2015, Perthshire Amber is MacLean's most ambitious effort yet as a composer and features a 4-part instrumental suite of the same name.

Below The Parish of Dunkeld Handbell Ringers at The Perthshire Amber Festival ringing Dougie MacLean's famous song "Caledonia", arranged for handbells by Elaine Duffus. The camera focuses throughout on one ringer - Dougie's mother, who joined the Dunkeld handbell group two years after they first performed at Dougie's Amber Festival.

In Part Two of my conversation with Dougie we explore further the influence that growing up and living in Scotland has had on his music. We sample one movement of his composition Perthshire Amber, discuss the annual Dougie MacLean Music Festival, his video streaming service Butterstone TV that allows him to remain connected with his fans worldwide while traveling a bit less (now that he's in his early 60s), and ask what long term legacy his music may have.

And while Scotland has had its influence on Dougie MacLean and his music, he and his music has unquestionably also influenced other singer songwriters. We'll hear a piece written by Pennsylvanian Kj Reimensnyder-Wagner following an opportunity to meet Dougie and perform at the music pub he once owned in Dunkeld. The song is performed by KJ and Texas Brian Kalinec. (On a personal note, Brian and I were bandmates in a group called The Past Tymes in the 1960s in our hometown of Beaumont, Texas) The song is used with permission.

• Dougie MacLean: Singer / Songwriter / Performer / Composer

• Perthshire Amber Music Festival

• Butterstone TV

• Kalinec & KJ

Dougie MacLean is one of Scotland's most loved musical artists. He is a singer, songwriter, composer, and performer. His love song to Scotland, Caledonia, has become a part of the country's social fiber and is often mentioned as a future national anthem when talk turns to Scottish independence.

MacLean was raised in a rural setting by a mother and father who both loved music. He recalls making up little tunes at a very early age. Born in 1954, he was influenced, as most young people of the time were, by The Beatles, but also by pop-folk singers of the time like James Taylor, Jackson Brown and Joni Mitchell.

MacLean's music is, in his word, "authentic." He draws from his life in Scotland, experiences there and the spirit of the land, when writing his music that combines folk style lyrics with a contemporary finger-style guitar playing. His songs don't often get radio play yet he has performed in front of millions of fans worldwide at venues no less than New York's Carnegie Hall. You can find a bit of Scotland in all of his music, whether it be a reference to his home in the Perthshire hills, to the sea that is so much a part of life for so many in Scotland.

MacLean has been honored with an OBE for his services to music and charity, he has two prestigious Tartan Clef Awards, has been inducted into the Scottish Music Hall of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award from the BBC.

In 2014 MacLean celebrated his 40th year as a performed by teaming up with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra to record and release "Till Tomorrow" adding a unique symphonic element to many of his best loved songs, both contemporary and classical.

In this episode, part one of our visit with Dougie MacLean, he talks about his earliest musical influences, how his life in Scotland inspires his music, and of course about his much loved tune, Caledonia.

Eleven years ago MacLean created Perthshire Amber - The Dougie MacLean Music Festival as a means of both giving back to the part of Scotland he calls home and to help aspiring artists to find their musical voice. In 2016 the once 10-day event will be paired down to 4 days but still features not just music, but an exploration of Pertshire's landscape, history, heritage and culture.

Technology is also a part of MacLean's musical enterprises now with Butterstone TV, a subscription based video streaming service that provides a window into his music, performances, and more.

We explore both the festival and his online work in Part Two of Dougie MacLean: Songs of Scotland.

• Dougie MacLean website  

•Perthsire Amber - The Dougie MacLean Music Festival

•Scottish Music Hall of Fame

•Royal Scottish National Orchestra

•Highland Perthshire (Tourist info)

Tarbert Bay, Loch Fyne © VisitScotland / Scottish Viewpoint

Tourism is big business in Scotland. No surprise there. In 2015 Visit Scotland reports that just under 14.9 million overnight tourism trips were taken in Scotland with visitor expenditures totaling over £5 billion. There are many staples that drive Scottish tourism including Golf (invented by the Scottish), History (castles, battlefields, abbeys, etc), Culture (whisky, tartan, bagpipes), Genealogy (exploring family and ancestral clan relations), and more. Not typically considered a driving force for tourism to Scotland is, wait for it, sailing!

Including its numerous islands, Scotland offers more than 10,000 miles of coastline and that number grows even large when inland lochs and canals are added. Scotland is a maritime nation with a long seafaring history. Maritime tourism has been a part of the nation's tourism industry for years, but only recently have efforts begun to make sailing as much a pillar of tourism to Scotland as Golf, History, Culture, Genealogy and the others.

Sailboats anchored near the port town of Mallaig. Photo by author.

In 2015 Scotland was awarded the prestigious "Cruising Ground of the Year" award in the inaugural Sailing Today awards. Readers and sailors throughout the UK voted in an online poll to determine the winners. Scotland won what amounts to the best sailing waters in the world award over such traditional warm weather destinations as Greece, Turkey, St. Vincent, Canaries and the Grenadines. To capitalize on this momentum Sail Scotland, the national marketing arm for Scottish sailing and maritime tourism, together with the Scottish Government and other key stakeholders have launched a 5-year marketing strategy called "Awakening the Giant" that aims to grow visitor revenue by ¢145 million by 2020 and increase the value of the sector to £450 million in 5 years.

Sailing holidays can offer unique opportunities to interact with Scotland's amazing wildlife both on and off the water.

Dolphins, St Kilda © Stornoway Port Authority

Puffins on Lunga © Moonshadow Yacht Charter Ltd

For the landlubber tourist to the experienced sailor, Scotland offers a variety of sailing holiday options including: on your own boat, chartering a vessel, fully catered luxury holidays, and sailing lessons. Under The Tartan Sky visited with Daniel Steel, Chief Executive of Sail Scotland about all of these options and the general attraction of a maritime holiday in Scotland.

If sailing the open sea seems a bit too adventurous, Scotland offers inland canals and lochs as an alternative. Boats descending Fort Augustus Locks into Loch Ness © Peter Sandground

 A sailing holiday will give you an entirely new and different perspective of Scotland. Staffa © Moonshadow Yacht Charter Ltd

After listening to the podcast, you can find additional information by using the links shown here:

• Sail Scotland (website, or use the click thru link below)

• Sail Scotland Brochure (100 pages/downloadable)

• Royal Yachting Association (website)

• Boating on the Caledonian Canal (website)

• Scottish Maritime Museum (website)

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]]>UTTS # 030 Sail Scotland: A Maritime HolidayGlen MoyerA guide to touring Scotland under sail.A chat with the Chief Executive of Sail Scotland about maritime tourism in ScotlandScotland,sailing,sail,sea,boating,maritime,tourismno00:39:03Glen MoyerMon, 04 Jul 2016 17:28:03 +0000http://www.underthetartansky.scot/podcast-episodes1/2016/7/3/utts-029-photographing-scotlands-night-sky5567a228e4b004726f799b1d:5567d5c3e4b088d2c7485ca8:577981fa893fc0e70a9267b4Photographing Scotland's night sky could be a source of new tourism for the country and astrophotographer Stuart McIntyre shares his inspiration and experiences in building his company Bound By Starlight.

The night sky. It has enraptured man almost from the beginning of time. What mysteries are held in the movements of the moon, planets, and stars? Photographing the night sky is not a new idea. Photographic images of the moon were first captured in 1839 and 1840 by Frenchman Louis Dagurre and American John W. Draper respectively. Unfortunately both of their images were lost to fire.

The oldest known surviving photo of the moon is thought to be the one taken by Samuel Humphrey over the town of Canandaigua, NY on September 1, 1849, However, it is Draper's image that is credited with beginning the age of astronomical photography.

Samuel D. Humphrey's 1849 Daguerrotype image of the moon. Photo courtesy The Old Farmer's Almanac, www.almanac.com

Today virtually anyone armed with a point-and-shoot camera or even a smart phone can capture an image of the moon, though for best results an entry level DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera is a minimum requirement. Another minimal requirement suggested is a "dark sky" environment, an open view of the sky with minimal light pollution. Scotland is one such environment...

Scotland has some of the darkest skies in Europe. A "dark sky" is one devoid of urban light pollution. According to Dark Sky Scotland, "From a city centre location we might see fewer than 100 stars with our naked eyes. Under a dark sky we can see over 1,000 stars. We can even see our own galaxy, The Milky Way, stretching across the sky." 

This map of the UK dramatically illustrates the "dark skies" of Scotland, found especially in the SW of the country and in the Highlands and Islands. Photo credit www.cpre.org.uk

The dark skies of Scotland are celebrated with official designations. Galloway Forest Park is the only designated "Dark Sky Park" in the UK and one of only three in all of Europe. In 2013 the Isle of Coll became an officially designated "Dark Sky Island" with the nearest lamp post reportedly some 32km away. Scotland even has one of few "Dark Sky" towns in the form of Moffat, in Dumfries and Galloway, where they've adopted special street lights to minimize the urban light pollution.

Stuart McIntyre is a Scottish photographer who enjoys the beauty of Scotland's night skies. A PhD who once designed microscopes, he is rapidly developing a specialty in astralphotography (or astrophotography), photographing the night sky. Since 2013, when he first ventured into the night with his camera, McIntyre has spent many a long cold night alone, or sometimes accompanied by his 3-year old daughter Jessica, on a Scottish moor capturing images of one of Scotland's most under appreciated beauties, its night sky.

The world famous and often photographed Glenfinnan Viaduct as few have ever seen it, at night under a canopy of stars. Image © Stuart McIntyre

So strong is McIntyre's love of Scotland's night sky that he has created a sideline company to his "day job" as a professional wedding and portrait photographer. He calls it Bound By Starlight and in addition to selling fine art prints of his own work, he offers workshops that range from merely consulting and critiquing others astrophotography, to one-on-one individualized photography outings in the Scottish countryside, in the wee hours of the morning.

Already a well known destination for fans of seeing (and photographing) the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), McIntyre thinks astrophotography - with Scotland's weather not withstanding - might become a new source of tourism for the country.

His work is not just about pretty images. McIntyre often overlays the geography of the night sky, providing an educational element to his work, as in this version of his Glenfinnan image.

His favorite image to date? The magic of Glencoe with Scotland's famous Buachaille Etive Mor and the Milky Way. What makes the image especially powerful is the sense of perspective in how the Milky Way dwarfs the mountain, that in turn dwarfs a single human being, another lone astronomer out on the same night this image was taken. Can you find him?

Humankind is but a speck in the universe. Can you find the single human being in this image by Stuart McIntyre?

My personal favorite among Stuart's images is one he titled "The Road Goes On...

The Milky Way over the Argyll peninsula. It's as if you could drive right off the end of the earth and onward to an adventure in the stars! Image © Stuart McIntyre

Oh, and if you haven't found the lone human in Glencoe yet, here he is...

For more about Stuart McIntyre's stunning work, about the field of astrophotography, and stargazing in Scotland, please see the following sites.

•Bound By Starlight (the website) 

•Bound By Starlight (Facebook Page) 

•How to - Astrophotography 101 (article by Popular Photography magazine)

•Stargazing in Scotland (Visit Scotland website)

•Dark Sky Association (website)

Aberdeenshire, it is Scotland's "Undiscovered Country." Located in the northeast of Scotland, Aberdeenshire encompasses more than 6,300 kilometers (2,400+ miles) It stretches from the beaches and cliffs of the North Sea, along the banks of the River Dee, and on to the edge of the Cairngorms. A once popular UK holiday destination, the City of Aberdeen (founded on traditional industries like fishing, textiles, ship builsing and papermaking) and the surrounding shire, was changed forever in the 70s with the discovery of oil in the North Sea. In the past 40 years its population has grown by more than 50%. Since 2001, Aberdeenshire's population has grown by 9.1% compared to Scotland's overall growth at just under 4%.

Once known as the "Silver City with Golden Sands" oil brought an economic boom to the region and a new title to the city, "Oil Capital of Europe." With that boom, hotels, B&Bs, flats to let, and virtually all other accommodations were soon filled with migrant oil workers and tourism fell. Quite simply tourism income was not needed.

Aberdeen's seaport is one of the busiest in the world!

Today, with the downturn of the North Sea Oil industry, Aberdeen (and the shire) is working hard to rebrand itself as the "Energy" Capital of Europe with a turn to high tech electronics and renewable energy resources. However, its doubtful the area will ever again allow itself to become dependent on a single industry. With this rebranding has come a renewed appreciation of what tourism can contribute to the region's wellbeing. Indeed, it has much to offer, including ...

Slains Castle is one of almost two dozen on the region's "Castle Trail."

The Castle Trail --- offering a very recently updated 20 castles to be explored, more castles are found per acre in Aberdeenshire than anywhere else in the UK. Some offer B&B services while one serves as the summer getaway for the Royal Family. Balmoral is found in Royal Deeside near the village of Crathie. It has been the home to the Royal Family since the days of Queen Victoria.

The Malt Whisky Trail --- 17 distilleries call Aberdeenshire home from the big names of GlenLivet and Glenfiddich to the smaller Fettercairn, in operation since 1824.

Whisky tastings are available at several Aberdeenshire distilleries.

If your interests run to golf Aberdeenshire is home to some of Scotland's oldest courses. If museums and galleries are more to your taste, there is a wide selection as well, including the Scottish Lighthouse Museum

The boom of oil may have changed the perception of the City of Aberdeen for some. Aberdeen's gardens were so beautiful that the city was barred from the annual "Britain in Bloom" competition after winning it 10 times, including 7 of the years from 1969-79. However, the beauty returned when, in 2014, Aberdeen again claimed Gold!

Oil has never taken away from the city's remarkable sandy beach. Nearby visitors can enjoy one of the real surprises - a pod of dolphins at play. Other wildlife attraction include Scotland's wildly popular puffins.

Dolphin at play is a sight that can often be enjoyed in bay at Aberdeen.

Aberdeen's nickname as "The Granite City" or "The Silver City" is credited to the construction of so many buildings from granite quarried nearby. The 'silver' is caused by the glint of mica found in the granite. As Scotland's 3rd largest city it offers a modern cosmopolitain atmosphere filled with shops, pubs, restaurants and more. 

In fact, Aberdeen is, not unlike Edinburgh, both a new and an old city. Old Aberdeen and the area around the University of Aberdeen is a popular visitor destination offering quaint shops and cobbled streets for a far more "all in" Scottish experience than one is likely to find on the tourist crowded "Royal Mile."

The University of Aberdeen founded in 1495

Old Aberdeen complete with cobbled streets offers a brilliant escape from the trappings of the modern city.

Rebranding Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will not be easy. A review of Visit Scotland's "Top Twenty" tourist sites in Scotland does not include a single entry related to Aberdeen or the shire. However, organizations like Visit Aberdeenshire are hard at work trying to share all that the region has to offer with anyone who will listen.

Can Aberdeenshire gain equal footing with the likes of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Loch Ness, and the Highlands and the Islands? Only time will tell. Those destinations are deep-seeded iconic representations of Scotland. More likely, Aberdeenshire's best hope may be to achieve a solid "second place." For those who've made their initial pilgrimage to Scotland, Aberdeenshire deserves serious consideration if and when a return visit is in your plans.

• Visit Aberdeenshire (website) 

•The Castle Trail

•Malt Whisky Trail

•Balmoral Castle

•The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses

•Wildlife in Aberdeenshire

•Aberdeen International Airport

Craigflower Manor as it exists today in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Photo courtesy Theresa Mackay

In the 1840s thru the 1860s emigration out of Scotland was significant. Some of those leaving were Highlanders – in many cases forcefully evicted from their homes as the Highland economy collapsed. While some merely moved south into the Scottish lowlands, many, many others turned to the New World and its promise of a new beginning. Lowland Scots eager for a better life joined the emigration – and where were they all going?

Canada , Australia, New Zealand and the USA were popular destinations. In the 1840s and 50s Canada – in places like Ontario and Nova Scotia (New Scotland) were quite popular, with 59% of UK settlers in Nova Scotia being Scots at one time. From 1853 onwards, the US was home to over 50 % of emigrating Scots though around that same time Scots made up a quarter of the population in New Zealand.

Posters like this one were used all across Scotland to encourage and recruit emigrants to colonies on far away lands like New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. From the collection of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland. {{PD-1923}} – published before 1923 and public domain in the US.

Another locale popular with emigrating Scots, thanks in part to the efforts of the Hudson’s Bay Company, was Victoria, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. This large Island sits at Canada’s western extreme – just NW of the tip of Washington State in the USA. The city of Victoria is found right at the southern tip of this considerable island – a mere 30 minute plane ride from Seattle today..

Back in the day, it was a 5-month journey by boat from Scotland to the Colony of Vancouver island. Despite that hardship, a sizable Scottish community grew and flourished there on a site known as Craigflower Farm. The story of Craigflower Farm really begins with the arrival of Kenneth McKenzie, recruited to the Colony of Vancouver Island (with his wife and six children) to oversee operations of what was then a 900 acre farm site.  So successful were those Scots that there remains to this day a vibrant community of Scot Disapora in what is now Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Portrait of Kenneth McKenzie. Photo courtesy Theresa Mackay.

Of that 900 acre farm site just less than 3 acres remain today, recently placed in the care of the Victoria Highland Games Association, itself a descendant of one of the earliest Scottish social societies on the island. Beyond mere preservation of the remaining McKenzie residence, (now named Craigflower Manor) and schoolhouse, the VHGA have recently developed a plan to honor those first emigrant settlers with the construction and establishment of a Scottish Cultural center on the remaining acreage.

Closeup of the front door of Craigflower Manor showing Scottish thistle detail. Photo courtesy Theresa Mackay

Theresa Mackay is a member of the Board of Directors of the Victoria Highland Games Association. She is a second generation Scottish-Canadian, currently completing her Master of Letters in Scottish history through the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland. A self-confessed affinity Scot – having not been born in Scotland she is owner of the Larchgrove Marketing Group – a consulting company that works with people and projects with Scotland in their soul. She is also our first returning guest on the podcast – you’ll recall an earlier episode when she shared her insights into ancestral tourism to Scotland.

Theresa Mackay

Theresa shares with us the history of the Scots who emigrated to Vancouver, the current role of the VHGA in the preservation of Craigflower Manor, previews their own upcoming Highland Games that are more than 150 years old, and shares some detail of the long term vision the association has for a new cultural center to serve Victoria's Scottish Diaspora, other celtic members of the city, and indeed the Victoria and British Columbia populace at-large while also promoting tourism to the area.

Artist's concept of the planned Victoria Scottish Cultural Center to be constructed alongside the historic Craigflower Manor. Courtesy Victoria Highland Games Association

•Victoria Highland Games Association (website) 

•Craigflower Manor and Schoolhouse (Wikipedia)

•Emigration and Scottish Society (Education Scotland article)

•Greater Victoria Police Pipe Band (website)

•Victoria, British Columbia (Tourism website)

•Hudson's Bay Company (article, The Canadian Encyclopedia)

2016 is the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design in Scotland. In the coming months events and celebrations will be ongoing across Scotland to highlight the nation’s many contributions in technology, science, the arts, and more. A key element in all of this is the Festival of Architecture 2016 – showcasing Scotland’s built environment ranging from its classic 17th century castles to today’s wave of concrete and glass modernism and utilizing such innovative tools as the common garden shed, Lego® bricks, and even music and cake! 

Scotland's original architecture was a stone dwelling known as the broch. These were roundhouse buildings found scattered around Atlantic Scotland. They are not know to exist anywhere buy Scotland. There are nearly 600 known broch sites throughout the country.

From Wikipedia: Dun Carloway (Dùn Chàrlabhaigh) is a broch situated in the district of Carloway, on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. It is a remarkably well preserved broch - on the east side parts of the old wall still reach to 9 metres tall.

Of course when most people think of Scottish architecture what immediately comes to mind is the classic 17th century castle. Another fine example is the classic "tigh dubh". Gaelic for black house - a low stone house often with thatched roof and most common on the crofts of the Scottish Highlands and islands.

Eilean Donan castle is one of the best known of Scotland's many castles and a fine example of what immediately comes to mind when considering Scottish architecture. (Photo by the author.)

The "tigh dubh" or "black house" is a low set stone building with thatched roof that was common in the Scottish Highlands, the Hebridean islands and Ireland. They are most often associated with crofting (farming)

 Architecture is not just the art of designing a building. Architecture can take other forms, like bridges. travel around Scotland and one will see a wide variety of architectural styles. The real art of architecture also takes into account the spaces "between" the buildings.

One of Scotland's best known bits of architecture is the Glenfinnan Viaduct, a 21-arch railrway bridge built of mass concrete by Robert McAlpine and Sons in 1898.

Ardverikie Estate, known to million of fans around the world as "Glenbogle" from the TV production "Monarch of the Glen" is a fine example of Scottish Baronial style architecture. (Photo by the author)

Great architecture contributes to an overall quality of life by considering the total living environment - the spaces between the buildings - exemplified beautifully in Scotland by Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens.

The Festival of Architecture 2016 is orchestrated by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland to mark its centennary. Founded in 1916 at the behest of architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, the RIAS seeks to foster fellowship and an open exchange of ideas among its some 5,000 members across Scotland.

CEO of the RIAS (and guest on this episode) is Neil Baxter. A research historian with a specialty in architecture, indeed you might say he bleeds brick and mortar – both his brother and brother-in-law are architects, his late father was an architectural model maker, even his sister works in the industry in the realm of professional development and education. Baxter has worked steadily on this festival of architecture since talking the reigns of the RIAS in 2008

This Festival of Architecture offers a wide ranging program of events thanks to partnerships with many other organizations. Programs like the celebration of Scot style – building the century, honoring Scotland’s top 100 buildings of the RIAS centenary as voted by the Scottish people – Adventures in Space, exploring the architecture of Science fiction – the Ideal Hut Show, using the humble garden shed as a tool for innovative architecture – and there’s children’s educational programs featuring Lego® bricks, and even musical compositions inspired by architecture – and much, more. 

Edinburgh is rich in a variety of architectural styles. Here is a row of townhomes with their accompanying ground floor shops...

Often in Edinburgh you can see examples of classic architecture sitting next to an example of concrete and glass modernist architecture.

In Glasgow the "Armadillo" and the "SSE Hydro" are shining examples of creative design in architecture, yet neither made the RIAS' "Building the Century" list of the top 100 buildings in Scotland!

Architecture is estimated to account for 12-18% of Scotland’s GDP of more than 240 billion dollars and yet we don’t often think of as we go about our daily lives, but it is all around us. The Festival of Architecture 2016 hopes to engage the public and help them to interact with architecture, to realize it is not remote from them, but is a contributor to the very fabric and quality of their lives. 

•Festival of Architecture 2016 (website)

•Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (website)

•Year of Innovation, Architecture, and Design 2016 (website)

•Charles Rennie Mackintosh

•Sir Robert Rowand Anderson (founder of RIAS) 

•The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (website) 

The Mallaig extension (Fort William to Mallaig) to the West Highland Line in Scotland opened in 1901 upon completion of the magnificent 21-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct. The line was first opened to expand access to this rural part of Scotland and the busy fishing port of Mallaig. Originally a steam train line, the steam locomotives were replaced in 1967 by more modern-day diesel locomotives as part of the British Rail Modernization Plan. Operating the line financially required extensive government subsidies, thus steam engines were reintroduced in 1984 primarily to attract tourist and thereby increase revenues on the line. The plan worked as tourist discovered the romance of steam travel through this scenic part of Scotland with its photogenic viaduct, but no one could have dreamed of what was about to happen. 

The Jacobite departs not from Platform 9 3/4 at London's King's Cross Station but from the station at Fort William in the shadow of Scotland's tallest mountain, Ben Nevis.

First Class service on the Jacobite takes you back to a bygone era of travel. There are today two First Class coaches on the train, this open coach at the front of the train... 

...and the "Harry Potter" coach that offers 5 private compartments, each seating six. It's only in the past year that this coach was transformed to First Class requiring assigned seating.

In 1991, with the release of the film "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" the world was introduced the magical steam train, the Hogwarts Express and its iconic bridge. In the years since, tourism on the line has exploded. Prior to its appearance as the "Hogwarts Express" a single steam train ran the line for a 13 week season from June to September. Today the season has expanded to six months and passenger loads have forced the addition a few years ago to two runs a day - a morning and afternoon train.

Florence Maclean has worked on the railway since graduation from school in 1982, first with ScotRail and since 1995 with West Coast Railway when they took over operation of the scenic Fort William to Mallaig steam excursion and renamed it the "Jacobite."

West coast Railway Company is a spot hire company that provides locomotives, stock and crews to other railway companies. The company operates charter trains throughout the year, many of which are hauled by steam locomotives. The company is noted for its ownership and operation of the locomotive 5972 "Olton Hall" under the guise of the Harry Potter "Hogwarts Express."

Florence has worked her way up through the service to her current position as a "guard" similar (but with greater responsibilities) to what many would know as a conductor. She has now made the Fort William to Mallaig run thousands of times but says she never tires of the trip noting, "each day is different."

Whether it's the nostalgia of a bygone era of steam train travel, or the magic of Harry Potter that draws you on board, a trip on the Fort William to Mallaig extension of the West Highland Line is the perfect day trip for seniors, couples, or families. So as not to be disappointed, pre-booking well in advance is highly recommended.

Passengers have almost two hours to lunch and do some sight-seeing in Mallaig before the return to Fort William.

At every turn the scenery on the line is breathtaking!

With the train's appearance in each of the Harry Potter films, the Hogwarts Express is not just an attraction of the West Highland Line in Scotland, an amusement park version of the train has recently been added to Universal Orlando Resort.

© Universal Orlando Resort. All Rights Reserved

• The Jacobite Steam Train (info and booking) 

• The West Highland Line

• The Jacobite (Wikipedia) 

• The Hogwarts Express (wikia.com) 

• All Aboard! The Hogwarts Express (my 2014 blog post) 

• Goodbye Lexi MacDonald (my 2014 blog post on The Strathspey Railway)

Are you like that guy on TV; have you changed your lederhosen for a kilt? According to "USA Today" genealogy is the 2nd most popular hobby in the USA. Genealogy websites are the 2nd most frequently visited online. Why this sudden popularity? Officials point to reality genealogy TV shows (like "Who Do You Think You Are?") and thenew direct-to-consumer DNA testing kits. The number one hobby? Gardening. The number one websites, the "adults only" type.

No matter the why's of its popularity genealogy research is leaving its mark on the tourism industry in a genre called "ancestral" tourism. In direct terms that's people who visit a foreign land in search for more information about their ancestors, their family roots. Online websites and databases can yield a lot of raw data about birth and death records, marriages, and more, but even computers a limited. A database can't let you see and feel what it was like to live in a "tigh dubh" (tie-doo) or "black house" on Scotland's Outer Hebrides in the 1700s. That's where research meets tourism. To learn all you can about your ancestor's lifestyle you need to visit where they lived, and if your ancestral heritage is Scottish, that means a trip to Scotland.

However, just going to Scotland isn't the answer. Millions of people visit Scotland annually. They go to tour Edinburgh Castle, to see the Highlands, to search for Nessie, and perhaps take in a whisky tasting or two along the way. Going to Scotland is only part of the equation, the other part is research.

Theresa Mackay is a second generation Scottish-Canadian, currently completing her Master of Letters in Scottish history through the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland. She is a self-confessed affinity Scot – having not been born in Scotland but exhibiting a strong connection to the land. Born in Montreal, but now living in Victoria, British Columbia, sheis owner of the Larchgrove Marketing Group – a consulting company that works with people and projects with Scotland in their soul --- and she is on the board of the Victoria Highland Games Association and keenly involved in plans to build a Scottish Cultural Center in Victoria.

Theresa Mackay doing some ancestral tourism of her own in Scotland. Photo copyright and courtesy Theresa MacKay.

To hear Mackay tell it there are three keys to successful ancestral tourism and archival research:

•Books

•Archives

•Feet on the ground (Museums, pubs, ceilidhs, Highland Games, etc)

The first key to gaining a better understanding of who your ancestors were and what their life was like is to gain a better understanding of the true culture they were a part of. "Braveheart", "Rob Roy" and other Hollywood films are good entertainment but can be far from historical fact. For MacKay, "reading is fundamental" if you want to know real Scottish history and not the many popularized myths. MacKay stresses this is not academic reading but enjoyable reading and suggests works by T.M. Devine, James Hunter, Eric Richards, and Marjory Harper.

"The Scottish Nation: by Sir T. M. Devine is one of several books suggested by MacKay as pre-travel reading to gain a tru understanding of Scottish history and not just the Hollywood "Braveheart" rendition.

For archive material she suggests starting with "Scotland's People" (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) leading to a visit of the Scotland's People Center and the National Records of Scotland archives in Edinburgh. But there are often other archives worthy of your time as well, smaller archives like the Perth and Kinross Council archives or the Highland Archive Service with records spread across four research centers.

The National Records of Scotland at Register House in Edinburgh and the Scotland's People Center are starting points for archival research. By Kim Traynor (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

MacKay says don't overlook other, sometimes smaller archive libraries. The Highland Archive Center in Inverness is one of four that make up the Highland Archive Service. 

Then there are museums like the Highland Folk Museum in the Highland village of Netwonmore or the Skye Museum of Island Life. These living museums can help you to virtually step back into the time of your ancestors by seeing what their homes and workplaces looked like, how they dressed, the tools they used, and more.

Mackay says it's important to select museums based on their collections and relevance to your ancestor. If they were fishermen, then a visit to the Eyemouth Maritime Center might be helpful. Photo courtesy VisitScotland.com

The Skye Museum of Island Life depicts life in a traditional "Tigh Dubh" or black house on a croft in the Scottish islands over 100 years ago. By HelgeRieder (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

A visit to the Highland Folklife Museum in Newtonmore gave MacKay her first real undeerstanding of life in a thatched roof Highland croft.  By Paul Hermans (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

A 2013 study commissioned by Scotland's national tourism agency, Visit Scotland, has the potential to attract 4.3 million visitors to Scotland with an economic impact of more than £2-billion.

There are many reasons to visit Scotland - it's scenery, history, music, food, whisky, clans and more. But if you are of Scottish ancestry, don't miss the opportunity of making a trip to Scotland to learn more about who your ancestors were. You might just come away from it all with a better understanding of who you are as well!

•Visit Scotland Ancestral Tourism Guide (free download)

• Suggest readings from Theresea Mackay:

T.M. Devine

The Scottish Nation: A Modern History

James Hunter

A Dance Called America: The Scottish Highlands, the United States and Canada

Scottish Exodus: Travels Among a Worldwide Clan, The Making of the Crofting Community

Eric Richards

The Highland Clearances

Marjory Harper

Adventurers & Exiles: The Great Scottish Exodus. Scotland No More? The Scots Who Left Scotland in the Twentieth Century

 •Scotlands People Centre

•Highland Life Archive Service

•Perth and Kinross Council archives

•Highland Folk Museum

•Skye Museum of Island Life

•Eyemouth Maritime Center

Even the most casual fan of whisky has likely heard the legend of "the Angels' share." It's said that a wee bit of whisky evaporates away during the aging process floating upwards to the Angels, thus becoming "the Angels' share."

There is truth to the legend - well some of it. Distilled spirits are virtually undrinkable after their sugar content has fermented into alcohol. This pure grain alcohol can have an alcoholic content of 190 proof, or more! To reduce the percentage of alcohol and simultaneously enhance the subtle flavorings of the spirit, producers age their spirits in oak barrels, a minimum of 7 years for whisky. The staves of the barrels, or casks, are often charred to give the spirit a distinctive taste. Over time, some of the contents evaporate out into the air, about 2% of volume in each barrel. In the case of whisky, a single cask can lose up to 14% of volume or more in the aging process. This evaporated psirit becomes. "the Angels' share." This aging process also helps the spirit to mellow to a more palatable 86 proof alcoholic content.

This legend is shared as part of virtually every distillery tour, not just in Scotland, but around the world. It is a legend that is near timeless, and until recently, no one had ever found a way to visualize the wee legend. Tom Young and his daughter, Karen Sommerville, have changed that with the founding of Angels' Share Glass and, through a secret process, the creation of their signature product, the Angels' Share Whisky Angel - a small glass angel figurine with a wee bit of whisky captured inside for no one to enjoy, but the angel!

 

Born in Glasgow, Tom Young has been a glass blower for some 60 years. He started doing scientific laboratory glass work. In 1967 he established a scientific glassblowing department at Stirling University. He left the university in 1979 to concentrate on creative and decorative glassware, founding Village Glass. His studio became a tourist attraction and he has created works for clients worldwide. The company had a close association with the whisky industry providing glassworks used in the distilling process.

His daughter, Karen Sommerville, lends her business expertise to the company as Managing Director, and all was well and good until, in 2012, along came an independent Scottish film called - yes, The Angel's Share. From Wikipedia...

The Angels' Share is a Scottish comedy - drama film directed by Ken Loach, starring Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, William Ruane, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, and Siobhan Reilly. It tells the story of a young Glaswegian father who narrowly avoids a prison sentence. He is determined to turn over a new leaf and when he and his friends from the same community payback group visit a whisky distillery, a route to a new life becomes apparent.

Seeing this film, Tom and Karen realized how unique a product they might have if they could create a 3-D visualization of the "Angels' Share" legend. Tom's previous experience working in scientific circles paid off and through experimentation he discovered a way to capture whisky inside of molten glass without it combusting - and thus was born, the Angel's Share Whisky Angel and a new craft business. The angels were shared around a few distilleries and in focus groups and the pair knew they had a hit!

In the few years since the business was launched, Angels' Share Glass, has been constantly evolving along with their product line. An assistant glassblower has joined the team, sworn to secrecy of course, and a host of new products have emerged, all with the whisky drinker in mind. Most popular of all is their whisky dropper for adding just the right measure of water to your whisky. These feature figureheads including a Scottish thistle, a copper pot still, Nessie, the Kelpies and of course, the angel.
 

Other products include mini Glencairn glasses, a hot toddy set, a unique whisky tasting glass and, making use of their waste product empty whisky bottles, whisky scented candles, and more.

The Angels' Share Whisky Angel is now design protected and continues to reach new heights with US distributorship opening this month at a trade show in New York. The company also has created its own collectables market by creating "special editions" around various seasonal themes, and even more rare "limited" editions of only 25 pieces, like the St. Andrews Day Johnnie Walker Blue Label angel.

The St. Andrew's Day limited edition angel featured blue wings, Saltire badging, its own oak whisky cask, and was filled with a dram of Johnnie Walker Blue Label scotch whisky.

The company does bespoke work, corporate gifts and more. They were selected to create a special gift set, now very rare, for the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, the set consisting of three angels with gold, silver, and bronze halos.

Not content with their success so far, Karen says they are keeping a close eye on the resurging gin market in Scotland as inspiration of a possible expansion of their product line. And who knows, maybe they'll take my suggestion of a glass Nessie filled with Loch Ness water and run, erm, swim with it!

•Angels' Share Glass

•Deanston Single Malt Whisky

•The Angels'Share (IMDB movie review)

One of the newest of Tartans to emerge on the Scottish marketplace is the "Declaration of Scottish Independence, Arbroath 1320" tartan, otherwise known simply as the "Declaration" tartan and it is selling like hotcakes on Facebook. Its colors are red and yellow, blue and white. It is meant to commemorate the 'Declaration of Arbroath' dated 6th April 1320, a letter from the Scottish earls and barons in support of King Robert the Bruce and his battle for Scottish independence. The tartan is designed to portray both the Royal Standard of Scotland, the yellow and red Lion Rampant, and the blue and white Scottish Saltire.

 Registered and made public in the run-up to Scotland’s independence referendum this striking tartan gained an immediate following concurrent with the surge of nationalism sweeping the country. It has only recently been brought to market in a variety of products by its designer, Steven Patrick Sim, aka The Tartan Artisan.

A resident of Arbroath, Sim is a relative newcomer to the art of tartan design. His career path began as a graphic designer creating product logos, company letterheads, brochures, annual reports, all manner of corporate branding. Then, inspired by his artist mother, he moved into painting, portraiture to be specific, and opened his own studio he continues to operate today.

About four years ago he began to explore tartan and its creative possibilities and has since designed eleven registered tartans. A few include: 

Red Lichtie Tartan: Arbroath’s official district tartan was adopted by the Royal Burgh of Arbroath Community Council, 5th Oct 2012. For all, far and near, who have associations with Arbroath. ‘Red Lichtie’ is Scottish north east coast dialect for ‘red light’. Residents of Arbroath, a fishing town on the Scottish north east coast, are affectionately known as ‘Red Lichties’, an ancient nickname that local Arbroathians, as well as those abroad, adopt with a sense of pride. Shrouded in folklore, with different stories being told through the ages of a red light that guided mariners into the harbor.

Scotland's Grace Tartan: This tartan was inspired by an unusually bright double rainbow which appeared over Arbroath on 9th May 2014. Designed to celebrate Scotland's skies the tartan pays tribute to the Scottish rains and sunlit rainbows. The sett reflects the seven colours of the spectrum and portrays Alexander's Dark Band, the optical phenomenon associated with rainbows and named after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it in 200 AD. The grey pivot represents the second bow. The blue, purple and grey pay tribute to the sky and to Scotland's stream, rivers and lochs. 

Earthrise Tartan: This tartan commemorates the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 8 ‘Earthrise’ photograph, taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders on 24th December 1968, and was only made possible by a collaborative effort by all three Nasa crew members. The tartan celebrates the colour image which was declared by wilderness photographer Gallen Rowell as "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken". 

Sim's "Declaration" tartan has already been called by one tartan authority the most significant tartan he can recall. Bringing the tartan to market has been no easy task for Sim, who is an artist with little to no product or retailing knowledge. He has done so largely through his facebook page for the brand he is attempting to create to represent all of his tartans, The Tartan Artisan.

Sometimes what you don't know can't hurt you. In an unusual, but what some would call a shrewd marketing scheme, Sim is launching a variety of Declaration Tartan products - each in a certificated and numbered limited edition run of 1320 pieces - symbolizing the signing of the Declaration in the year 1320. This is believed to be the first time a tartan has been launched in association with limited, numbered editions. Of course, once the numbered items are sold production will continue but early fans of this new tartan are already snapping up the numbered items almost faster than Sim can deliver them. To see the many Declaration Tartan products available, simply see Sim's "The Tartan Artisan" Facebook page.

•The Tartan Artisan (Facebook Page)

•The Tartan Artisan (website)

•The Declaration Tartan (read the complete rationale here)

 •The Scottish Register of Tartans

•The Declaration of Arbroath

•Arbroath, Scotland

•The Bell Rock Lighthouse

Smithfield Fair is a folk trio with deep Scottish roots from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They are acknowledged as one of the foremost presenters of traditionally based Scottish music in North America. Thanks to the advent of Internet Radio, with outlets like Pandora, Spotify and/or using apps like TuneIn Radio, audiences around the world know their music.

Smithfield Fair is Bob Smith, brother Dudley-Brian Smith and his wife Jan Smith. Photo by T.J. Shuflin

In Part I of our discussion (see episode #020) we explored the band's individual musical influences from gospel hymns to the pop-folk stylings of "The Association." In this Part II of our discussion, we begin by learning of Smithfield Fair's composition, "Scotland, Fair Scotland" written by Dudley-Brian and Jan as a possible national anthem for Scotland, if and when it should gain its independence.

We'll gain some insight into the band's perspective of live performances vs radio play, and we'll conclude the chat by hearing from each band member what title they consider their favorite, and we'll also hear those songs. 

Smithfield Fair has been performing together for 43 years (with some variations in personnel) and has released 30 albums (CDs). In 1989 the band adopted the name Smithfield Fair (origins of the name are shared in Part I) and centered its musical stylings on traditional Scottish folk songs and original compositions with traditional Scottish stylings. With the decline of Scottish festivals and Highland Games across the USA (and elsewhere around the world) the band has begun to move back to a blend of their Scottish sounds and more traditional southern, American folk songs.

Four of the group's 30 CDs

For tour dates and more, see the band's website found in the links below.

•Smithfield Fair (website)

•Celtic Radio

•Radio Saltire (Scottish community radio station)

•Castle Stalker

•Port Appin, Scotland 

•The Association (2015 Marks their 50th Anniversary)

Photo by TJ Shuflin

(From the band's official biography)

Influenced by 1960’s folk groups with their big harmonies and acoustic instruments and a less country & bluegrass comparative, but every bit as eclectic, as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Smithfield Fair was born in the fertile creative music scene of Pensacola, Florida in mid-1973. Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Dudley-Brian Smith, already active in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s singer/songwriter movement, formed the group (initially under the name ‘Laughter’) to concentrate on original works sung with harmony over acoustic instrumentation – a focus remaining today.

1975 performing as "Laughter" (l-r) Dudley-Brian Smith, co-founder Dwight Beebe and Brian Mead. Photo by Charles Waters

Dubbed by a reviewer as "the perfect cafe band', the group kept its attention on performance and increasing its regional following, with founding members Dudley-Brian and Dwight Beebe joined by Dudley’s brothers, Joel and Bob. By mid-1976, the three brothers had moved the ensemble back to their home in Central Louisiana, changing the group’s name to ‘Charmer’.

Singer/songwriter Jan (Dedon) Smith joined in 1983 during the hiatus of Joel Smith (who returned in 1985 and stayed until 1990) and over the next six years the ensemble would release an additional six albums of original songs, expanding its audience with continual touring and concert performances .

1984 performing as "Charmer/Voices", Bob, Jan, and Dudley-Brian. Photo by mumblius

In 1989, the group changed its name to Smithfield Fair, focusing on traditional songs of its shared Scottish heritage and original songs written with traditional styles and themes. Ultimately becoming acknowledged as one of the foremost presenters of traditionally Scottish-based music in North America. Critics have often commented that group originals sit comfortably and easily beside centuries-old Scottish songs.

Smithfield Fair are regular performers at the annual Tartan Fest held at Scotland Farms in Minden, Louisiana to celebrate "Tartan Day" in the USA. The event is organized by the Scottish Society of the Louisiana Highlands, based in Shreveport, Louisiana.

•Smithfield Fair(website)

•Smithfield Fair on Facebook

•Smithfield Fair/Greyfriar's Bobby (video/live performance)

•A Guide to Scottish Folk Music

•Tartan Fest, Minden, Louisiana

Seventy percent of the gin in the UK is produced in Scotland. Yes, the land that so many of us think of when we think of whisky is also a huge producer of gin. Labels like Gordon's and Tanqueray. who have their origins in London, are actually produced in Scotland.

While gin production has been ongoing in Scotland for some time, over the past three years there has been an explosion in craft distilling - small boutique distilleries creating an endless variety of hand-crafted custom gins. Where just three years ago there were as few as a dozen craft distillers in the UK, today there are over 75 and that number is growing.

Many observers point to the introduction (in 1998) of Hendrick's Gin as the beginning of Scotland's custom small batch gins. Produced in Girvin, Ayrshire, it is known for the distinctive infusion of cucumber and rose. Order a Hendrick's and tonic and instead of a garnish of lime, you'll likely find cucumber.

Hendrick's Gin, wih it's infusion of cucumber and rose, is considered by many as Scotland's first craft gin.

The surge in craft gin distilling can be put down to several factors including a change in distilling regulations and changing consumer tastes with more emphasis on local individuality. Gin is well suited to meet these consumer desires as, unlike other spirits, each emerging craft gin offers its own unique flavour profile. 

Today gin distilleries are popping up all across Scotland - from the Highlands and Islands, to Loch Lomond and The Lothians, to the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Beyond Hendrick's, Scotland's craft gins now include The Botanist, Cross Bill, Rock Rose, Edinburgh Gin, Pickering's, NB Gin, Firkin, and more.

Rock Rose Gin was first distilled in August of 2014. It is a product of Dunnet Bay Distillers and is presented in a was-dipped ceramic bottle.

Unlike others on our list above, Firkin is not a product of a distillery, but of independent bottler Gleann Mor Spirits Company – a purveyor of rare find whiskies and themselves a recent new addition to Scotland’s spirits industry.

Gleann Mor is located in Dunbar, East Lothian and their Firkin Gin debuted only 6 months ago. Despite the wide varieties of craft gins available, Firkin is making waves for its originality not just in taste, but for it golden coloration – achieved from the unusual step of maturing in American Oak casks, and for its unique, wax sealed bottle complete with pewter labeling.

Firkin Gin draws its unique golden coloration from the fact it is matured in virgin American Oak casks. The wax-dipped closure and distinctive pewter labeling gives its presentation a distinctly upscale appearance.

Perhaps the success of Firkin and the other Scottish craft gins could be down to a change in consumer demographics. The desire for authenticity and quality is bringing a new appreciation of gin to the 20 and 30-something crowd while the more traditional older generation gin drinkers  are also enjoying the new varieties brought forth by this expanding industry. The trend is even stronger in the USA where craft distillers have grown from a couple dozen to over 750 in the past 15 years. With gin sales enjoying about a 4 percent growth per annum, it's doubtful the trend will  falter in the near future. And though the spirits industry can be cyclical it would appear that craft gins are here to stay. 

•Gleann Mor Spirits Company

•Gin Club Scotland

•Scottish Craft Distillers Association

•About Scottish Gin (from Must Visit Scotland) 

•Gin History, Development, and Origin

•Hendrick's Gin

•Rock Rose Gin

Nothing says, "I'm Scottish!", like tartan. It's been called the world's greatest national icon. If you want to tell the world you're Scottish, or of Scot descent, simply wear something tartan.

Tartan is most often thought of as a fabric, but it is in fact, a design - a maximum of six colors, crossing at right angles to create a checkered pattern of varying color shades and line and band width. Tartan is thought by most to be Scottish, but its origins trace to the ancient Celts who flourished in the 8th to 6th centuries BC. The oldest examples of tartan textiles found to date were on Celt mummies in Western China.

If you want to learn about tartan there is no better source than the Scottish Tartans Authority. Their website contains the world's leading and most extensive database on the nearly 6,000 known tartans. The Authority's Brian Wilton, MBE, past Director and now Consulting Director, is one of the world's leading experts on tartan. He is also one of the world's leading tartan designers and is Managing Director of his own tartan design firm, Tartan Ambassador, LTD.

Wilton has designed tartans for clients including Brooks Brothers, Saks Fifth Avenue, the American Scottish Foundation and the 2014 Ryder Cup. His is most often known simply as Scotland's "Tartan Ambassador." For "Under The Tartan Sky", Wilton shared his knowledge of tartan, including:

ORIGIN:

Tartan arrived in Scotland with the migrating Celts of central Europe. The original tartans would have been muted and muddled in color, thanks to the organic dyes used. The choice of colors used was driven more by what organic dye material was available to the local weaver. Thus tartans were first symbolic of a region of Scotland long before they were identified with specific clans. 

The Highland Soldier of 1744 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

HISTORY:

The Act of Proscription of 1746 banned the wearing of tartan by highlander men and boys as a part of the government's efforts to disarm the highland clans. A generation later, the Act of 1746 was repealed (in 1782).  Highland military regiments were first to be allowed to once again wear tartan. The first such "government" tartan was a derivative of the Campbell tartan, known as the "Black Watch" tartan. Today the "Black Watch"  and the "Royal Stewart" tartans are considered the two most popular tartans in the world. 

The "Black Watch" tartan was the first to be reintroduced with the 1782 repeal of the Act of Proscription of Highland Garb

POPULARITY:

The spread of tartan from the highlands throughout Scotland was no doubt spurred on by the Royal Visit of King George IV in 1822 who appeared (thanks in part to the urging of Sir Walter Scott) bedecked from head to toe in the Royal Stewart tartan. This may well have been the beginning of tartan's growth and acceptance as Scotland's national dress.

Today there are near 6,000 tartans registered with the Scottish Tartans Authority with more appearing every day! Literally anyone can design their own tartan using online software programs or professional designers. And, despite their designated clan affiliation, anyone can wear any tartan. There are no rules stipulating otherwise. Today there are ceremonial tartans, fashion tartans, commemorative tartans, corporate tartans, and individual tartans.

The "Royal Stewart" tartan, worn by King George IV on his royal visit to Scotland in 1822 is perhaps the most popular tartan in the world. 

THE FUTURE:

With hundreds of new tartans appearing annually, Wilton is a leading proponent of using "design elements" associated with the individual, event, or organization he is designing for to give the tartan a "soul." An example of this is the tartan he designed for Brooks Brothers taking inspiration from Fred Astaire who always purchased his ties there.

The official "Brooks Brothers" tartan is but one of many designed by Brian Wilton, MBE, Scotland's Tartan Ambassador.

This "Scottish Declaration of Independence, Arbroath, 1320" tartan was designed by Stephen Patrick Sim in 2014 as a commemorative tartan. It draws on many design elements including the Scottish Lion Rampant royal standard and the Saltire. It is now available in a variety of products. (See link below)

The "Fifty Six" tartan was designed by Scottish National Party member Billy Scobie to salue their recent phenomenal electoral victory. It too draws on the gold and red of the Lion Rampant, the blue and white of the Saltire, and the purple and green of heather and the Scot landscape. To date, this tartan has not been woven.

Tartan is a design, not a fabric, and can be applied to a variety of uses, including vinyl vehicle wraps, as evidenced by the cover of Wilton's definitive reference book on Tartans.

The tartan industry is a huge contributor to Scotland's national economy yet visitors are often shocked to learn there is no national archive, museum, library, or tourist attraction dedicated to the study and preservation of tartan. Indeed, it is thought that many of Scotland's original tartans may have been lost to history because of the Act of 1746. Now, after 20 years of discussion, Wilton says progress is at last being made, thanks in part to the current political persuasion of the Scottish Government. He is hopeful such a center might indeed open its doors by 2018. We hope so too!

•Scottish Tartans Authority

•What's Your Tartan? (STA searchable database)

•Tartan Ambassador Ltd.

•The Declaration of Arbroath or Scottish Declaration of Independence Tartan

•The Fifty Six tartan to honor the SNP (news story)

•Tartans by Brian Wilton (the book)

•A History of the Tartan

Since the advent of the world wide web in 1989, the travel industry, like so many other segments of our lives, has undergone a technological revolution. Worldwide, there has been a steady decline in brick and mortar travel agencies. In the US alone, the past ten years has seen the number of retail travel agencies decline from 34,000 to just 13,000.  Meanwhile the number of OTA’s, online travel agencies has grown steadily and the model seems to morph into something new and different with each passing day.  From the original Travelweb.com, the first online comprehensive catalog of hotel properties around the world – to today’s newest players in online booking services, like Trivago and Kayak – the way most people plan and book travel has changed dramatically. And why is that?

Travel planning once relied on three standards; brochures, travel agents and guide books. Each had its own inherent drawbacks – brochures offered canned, well sanitized marketing copy & photography; travel agents were too often incentivized to sell pre-packaged deals, and guide books were more often than not, out of date.

Since 1989, OTA's (Online Travel Agencies) have steadily replaced traditional "brick and mortar" retail agencies, especially with younger travelers.

Just as traditional travel agencies have steadily declined, so too, has the traditional holiday brochure - replaced by websites, and travel agents - replaced by travel bloggers. A travel blog is a website written by an individual or team. Some, most perhaps, are individual travel diaries written often by amateur writers, journalists, and dreamers. Many begin as a simpler, high-tech means of keeping family and friends informed about a travel experience - a collection of electronic postcards, easier to post home from far away lands, and archived online - forever. You might think of these as an online version of the "How I Spent My Summer Holiday" school paper. The best of these sites enjoy substantial popular followings.

It is from those beginnings that the professional travel blogging industry has evolved, professional sites that maintain strict editorial standards and offer solid travel advice others can use in their own travel planning. If Scotland is on your radar, one of these sights not to be missed is "Must Visit Scotland."

www.mustvisitscotland.co.uk

Must Visit Scotland is the creation of Lisa Henderson, a writer who jumped into the travel industry straight out of university. After many years in the tour business, she now owns Rubber Lips PR, a full-service PR firm specializing in social media, and Must Visit Scotland, a professional travel review service. Her website began, like those noted above, as an archive of the many places she visited in her days as a tour planner. Three years ago however, she moved the site from a personal blog to a professional travel site.

At the heart of Must Visit Scotland are reviews of accommodations (hotels, BnBs, self-catering cottages, etc), restaurants, activities, events, and more. Each review is written by Lisa and derived from her personal experience at each property or event. That's the advantage of a travel blog - they offer candid, up-to-date reports by real people.

All of this information is conveniently organized into "Must" Stay, Shop, Do, and Taste listings and is fully searchable. Must Visit Scotland is not paid for its reviews.

Lisa Henderson, owner of Must Visit Scotland and Rubber Lips PR

A new feature appearing only very recently on Must Visit Scotland is the video review. Emerging drone technology gives the operator the ability to mount and fly high-definition cameras for substantially less than the thousands of dollars for a professional helicopter and steady-cam film crew. This new technology is perfectly suited to capturing the sweeping landscapes and grandeur scenery found throughout Scotland. Video brings a property to life like no travel brochure could ever achieve. (If you don't think so, see Must Visit Scotland's premiere video review here.)

We live in a world of instant information, another benefit of travel sites like Must Visit Scotland. In addition to Lisa's 1st person reviews, visitors will find click-through links allowing direct communication to property owners and/or service providers. Found an interesting site on Must Visit Scotland? A simple click takes you direct to the property's website where you can check availability, find rates, book reservations or, if needed, ask for further information. You can also contact Lisa via email with questions, comments, and feedback.

Today's travel industry has changed to reflect the changes in the travelling public. While the traditional travel agency remains a preference primarily for only the retired, wealthy, senior traveler, younger travelers, those for whom web surfing, email and texting is a way of life, more often turn to the Internet to begin their travel planning.  If a journey to Scotland is in your future, plan a visit first to Must Visit Scotland!

•Must Visit Scotland (the website) 

•@MVScotland (Twitter feed) 

•Must Visit Scotland (Facebook page)

•Rubber Lips PR (the website)

•Intimation Creative (the website)

•Scot Bloggers (A resource for other blogs about Scotland and/or written by Scots)

Photo courtesy Colin Baird, The Cycling Scot (Read his Scottish travel blog here http://www.cyclingscot.co.uk/)

Dalmally is a small village in Argyll and Bute, sat just near the tip of Loch Awe. The village was established by the first Lord of Glenorchy, Sir Collin Campbell. Today it is a popular tourist destination in Scotland's western highlands. Feature attractions in the area include the remains of Kilchurn Castle, St. Conan's Kirk, and Scotland's always enchanting scenery.
 
Dalmally is easily accessed by the A85 roadway or by rail along the Glasgow to Oban line. Dalmally Station is but one of the hundreds of train stations that dot the rail lines criss-crossing Scotland. Opened in 1870, it is a tad unique among rail stations as it is a stone building and includes a Victorian glass awning.

Dalmally Station was left abandoned (unmanned) in the 1980's when its signal box was closed after British Rail moved to Radio Electronic Token Block (RETB) signaling. Windows were boarded up and the place was left to the whims of Mother Nature, who is not always so kind in Scotland!

The station has seen quite a history. The first Station Master's daughter was born there and many a young Scottish lad went off to war - in World Wars I and II from Dalmally Station. Fortunately, this bit of Scottish history is now being lovingly restored as a private home. Graham and Liz Gaffney-Whaite first met as business partners, Graham a wool producer and Liz in felting textiles. Graham also buys, refurbishes and lets (rents) properties and he acquired Dalmally Station in a British Rail auction. Rather than "flip" it or let he, he and Liz decided to relocate from Ayr to the Scottish Highlands and restore the building as their home.

Three years on the couple were married just a few months ago on the platform. They are now living in the building while restoration continues. Liz has relocated her felting textiles fashion business, Heartfelt by Liz, to the station and they have plans to turn the signal box into something of a local museum. It is truly a "heartfelt restoration."

• Dalmally Station website 

• Heartfelt by Liz 

• Travel Scotland by train (general info)

• Scottish Railways Museum

• Scottish Rail Tours (3rd party commercial tour website)

• The Jacobite Steam Train (Hogwarts Express)

• The Strathspey Railway

• The Borders Railway

• The Flying Scotsman

Tourism to Scotland is on the rise. Yes, 2014 was a "Year of Homecoming" - 12 months meant to entice Scot Diaspora from around the world to return to their roots, or those of their ancestors. A year filled with events like the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, 2014 saw a definite uptick in tourism numbers and dollars.

However, in 2015 those numbers are even stronger. The Scotsman reports Scotland has outperformed the rest of the UK with 15.5 million visitors over the past twelve months ended 30 June, 2015. Significantly the largest increase is visitors from North America, up 16%. Further analysis suggests that the success of the STARZ Channel's TV drama "Outlander" is certainly a contributing factor. At Castle Doune (the fictional Castle Leoch in Outlander), visitor numbers are up by 30%!

While the "Outlander" books have been popular for two decades, it's the filming of the TV production, at real locations in Scotland, that has given rise to a new interest in tourism. Fans of the TV drama want to SEE and feel the various filming locations, to walk in the steps of Jamie and Claire -- just as I did when I visited Ardverikie Estate, used as the fictional "Glenbogle House" in the TV drama "Monarch of the Glen" from an earlier time. To walk on the beach at Loch Laggan or to sit on the steps of "The Ghillie's Rest", as Archie and Lexi did in "Monarch", gives one a sensory attachment to those characters. Fans of "Outlander" are flocking to Scotland to find the same.

Helping them to find that connection are Emma Chalmers and Anne Daly of Mary's Meanders. What began as a wee company to offer walking tours around the village of Linlithgow, has grown to include scheduled and bespoke tours of Outlander filming locations nearby. The pair has added ancestral tours and even created their own "Taste of Outlander" themed dinner event. In its first year the program has been so well received they are contemplating expansion into other locations around Scotland, and possibly an international debut in New York City as part of Tartan Week in April 2016.

Mary's Meanders operates seasonally, from Easter through September. While they conduct regularly scheduled tours, the company plans to branch further into intimate bespoke tours and group bookings for their "Taste of Outlander" experience in 2016.

• Mary's Meanders  

• Visit Linlithgow 

• Linlithgow Palace 

• Midhope Castle aka Lallybroch 

• Blackness Castle 

Scotland enjoys three spoken languages. English, Gaelic, and Scots. A generation ago, speaking Scots, with it's unique and colorful words like dreich, drookit, scunner, glaikit, wean, blether and more, was not welcomed. However, Scots is still spoken widely in Scotland yet when talking to strangers, or in a more formal setting, those who speak Scots often adopt a different tone, speaking "proper English," a result of the language having been frowned upon for many years by educators and those in power. Recently the Scottish Government announced a new National Scots Policy to promote the learning and speaking of Scots among its populace. The initiative will provide, among other things, new educational emphasis and the appointment of celebrity Scots ambassadors to bring attention to the language.    

As a language, Scots' origins date back over 1,400 years ago, though the "modern" period of the language is dated from the 1700's forward to the present. You could say Scots is the language of poet Robbie Burns. It is a language built around the varied Scottish dialects. At one time. Scots was the official language of Scotland until it was supplanted by English after the political union of 1707.

Scots today is largely a spoken language, a mixture of English and Scots. For example, caught out in a pouring rain without an umbrella a person speaking English might say, "I am soaked." Or, "I am wringing wet." In Scots, a person would say, "I am drookit!" 

A most valuable tool to learn about any language is a dictionary. No self-respecting writer would be caught without a copy of Websters' or the Oxford English Dictionary on their desk. To delve into the Scots language, I sought out the aid of Pauline Speitel, Senior Editor at the Scottish Language Dictionaries. The non-profit SLD maintains and has published a variety of titles on the Scots language, including the 10-volume National Scots Dictionary, begun in 1929 and completed in 1976; the online Dictionary of the Scottish Language in 22-volumes; and the single volume Concise Scots Dictionary. Published in 1985, it is currently being revised for a second edition with publication planned for 2016.

• Scottish Language Dictionaries 

• Sponsor a Word 

•  The Scots Dictionary for Schools app 

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language (22 volumes online)

• Scots Language Center 

• www.scots-online.org -- a website dedicated to Scots including various resources

was the official language of Scotland pplanteuntil it was

The Great International Caledonian Games Held at Jones Woods New York City, July 1st 1867

Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA (Courtesy: The Scottish Diaspora Blog)

Depending on how broadly you define the term "Diaspora," there are an estimated 30, 50, even possibly 100-million Scot Diaspora spread around the world. Scot Diaspora can indeed be found in every corner of the globe -  in North America, the Caribbean, throughout Europe, the Far East, Australia, and significantly, New Zealand. Regardless of the definition of choice, there can be no doubt that Scots have had a tremendous impact on all aspects of society and modern life, whether they be in literature or science or even in the social mores brought with them from Scotland and later serving as the foundations on which new communities and even countries were built.

But just who were these Scots who emigrated to the far points of the globe? What were their reasons for leaving their homeland? How did they settle and survive in their new homelands? When was the largest episode of migration? Why do people today find it so important to identify themselves as Scottish, even with ancestry that is many generations removed from Scotland?

Dr. Tanja Bueltmann is an expert in the Diaspora field with a special interest in the Scot Diaspora. She has written multiple books on the subject and hosts her own blog as well. Her shared insights, gained through extensive research, offer a valuable understanding of this unique worldwide community.

• The Scottish Diaspora Blog 

• The Scot Diaspora - Order Dr. Tanja Bueltmann's 2013 book here 

• Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies 

• The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry - a unique project celebrating 25 diaspora communities 

The calendar has been with us for centuries, the earliest dating back to the Bronze Age. The photo wall calendar, however, is a far more recent creation, exploding in popularity in the 1940's thanks to WWII pin-up girls. Yes, page after page of scantily clad ladies went to war on the pages of calendars with our GIs. In the 50s and 60s the photo wall calendar became a marketing tool. Who can forget the local barbershop where likely hung a calendar with illustrations by Norman Rockwell? And didn't every auto garage have a calendar, or two, or three with long-legged beauties in shorts sprawled over a hot-rod to promote ACME spark plugs, or Shur-Stop brake linings or similar?

Today, a photo wall calendar can be found to fit any niche interest you can think of, and a few you can't. Any casual search for calendars will find dozens in categories like pets/animals, flowers/gardens, scenic/travel, fashion/pop culture, to name just a few. The number of photo calendars produced each year numbers into the many, many thousands.

However, the 1st Official North American Pipe Band Calendar is unique. It is the creation of pipe band fan/supporter Siouxsie Waller, author of the lifestyle blog, Whisky and Tartan.com. The calendar features a dozen pipe band musicians representing bands from as far away as New York, to Atlanta, to Hawaii! The calendar was created as a fundraising project to help these bands raise needed monies for instruments, lessons, uniforms, and travel to competitions worldwide. Each participating band will have calendars for sale at competitions and highland games. It can also be purchased through Waller's website, whisky and tartan.com, and through 3rd party supporters, like The Celtic Market.com.

• Whisky and Tartan.com  

• The Celtic Market  

• Alliance of North American Pipe Band Associations

• The MacMillan Pipe Bands 

• Isle of Maui Pipe Band 

• Eastern United States Pipe Band Association

• Western United States Pipe Band Association 

• The Red Hot Chilli Pipers 

Like whisky and tartan, kilts and haggis, the bagpipes are most often associated with Scotland. However, the pipes likely originated in India, and the bagpipe as a musical instrument can be found in many varieties and many cultures. There is even evidence to suggest that the bagpipe was around in pre-Roman times.

By far the most popular version of the bagpipe today is the 3-drone (2 tenor, 1 bass) Great Highland Bagpipe, said to be a Scottish refinement of the early instrument. No other image conjures up thoughts of Scotland more than that of a lone piper standing against the backdrop of a shimmering loch, or a majestic glen.

The bagpipe has a long history as both an instrument of traditional music and one of battlefield glory. Indeed the pipes were once classified as an instrument of war and in some circles were said to have replaced the trumpet on the battlefield. Classic bagpipe music is steeped in martial origins, with songs of battle, marches and laments. 

The Great Highland bagpipe increased in popularity around the world thanks in part to the British military services that trained large numbers of pipers to serve in both World Wars. Military-style pipe and drum bands are popular worldwide, including in the police and fire ranks. Since the 60's, thanks to artists like Sir Paul McCartney, AC/DC, and others, the bagpipe has even found its way into the world of rock and pop music. One of the hottest acts in Scotland over the past decade has been the unique sound and musical stylings of the band, The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Their "backrock" music, covering tunes in genres ranging from metal to rock to pop and beyond is introducing the pipes to an entirely new audience and deepening their appreciation through audiences of all ages.

Craig Munro is one of Scotland's premiere pipers. He took up the pipes at the tender young age of 8. Today he is a renowned instructor, sought after by individuals and organizations/pipe bands from around the world. He is a Scotsman who plays the pipes in a traditional Irish pipe band; they finished 2nd at the just recently completed World PIpe Band Championships. He has performed on the soundtracks to "Brave" and "How to Train Your Dragon 2." He is Director of Wallace Bagpipes in Scotland, arguably the world's finest. And, he is a piper with The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. In short, Craig knows the pipes inside and out. He was very generous to take time from his incredibly busy schedule to share some of that knowledge here, Under The Tartan Sky!

• Wallace Bagpipes 

• Red Hot Chilli Pipers 

• The making of a set of Wallace Bagpipes / STV News 

• Concise History of the Bagpipe by Frank J. Timony 

• The Bagpipe Society 

• History of the Great Highland Bagpipe 

Donna Bradley of Dumfries, Scotland didn't start out in life to be a candymaker, though her grandfather was. She chose a career in nursing, and not just ordinary nursing. Until four years ago, Bradley worked as a forensic psychiatric nurse caring for a murder's row of clients, murderer's and rapists with severe mental disorders.

Unfortunately, depending on your perspective perhaps, she had to leave that work for health reasons. Bradley suffers from Crohn's disease. In her early 30s, Bradley was faced with a dilemma - what to do with the rest of her life?

A sweeties recipe book, a Christmas gift from her sister, provided the answer and 18 months ago Wee Sweetie Confectionery Creations was born. Working from her kitchen at home, Bradley now has a worldwide clientele, thanks to the magic of social media, especially Twitter.

Hers is primarily a mail-order business, though if you're lucky enough to be in Scotland, you will find her and her Mum (more on that in the podcast) at a sprinkling of local markets. Likewise, she began business as a bespoke sweetie maker - creating custom sweets for weddings, graduations, corporate affairs and the like. But thanks in large part to her following on Twitter, she now also offers a monthly menu of selected sweets, but in limited quantities. As Bradley says - "when they're gone, they're gone."

Bradley's wee sweeties are 100% natural and 100% handmade. She prides herself on using  all natural ingredients and sourced, whenever possible, within mere miles of her home in Dumfries,  the southwest of Scotland. Her company is also very green - environmentally conscious.

If you've a sweet tooth - or want to WOW your clients at an upcoming social or corporate event, custom sweeties from Wee Sweeties Confectionery Creations  might be just the thing!

In addition to the website and Facebook pages noted below, you can reach Donna Bradley on Twitter via @wee_sweetie.

•Wee Sweetie Confectionery Creations  

•Wee Sweetie on Facebook 

•Barscobecastle.com - Bradley's peanut butter supplier and maker of other nutty butters 

•Dumfries and Galloway - a visitor's guide.

•Fair Trade - an overview of the program worldwide 

•Fair Trade USA 

Six Scottish travel bloggers, each with a successful online presence, have developed and launched a unique approach to the use of their blogs as a marketing tool. Joining together as a team, they've created a new identity, "The Scotlanders." Working together, they combine their outreach over nine social channels, including blogs, videos, and photographs to bring an in-depth focus to the travel destinations they visit.

The concept was developed, in part, from their frustration at repeatedly seeing foreign journalists and bloggers brought into Scotland on paid press junkets to visit and promote travel to Scotland. Individually, and collectively, they felt they could bring to such a project a far greater knowledge of Scotland and in turn impart to their audiences a deeper insight into the destinations they visit.

Their modus-operandi is also unique when compared to the usual press junket. Typically a group of journalists and/or bloggers are brought together and taken from point A to B to C and they all end up writing, in essence, the same story - because their experiences were virtually identical. By contrast, the Scotlanders go to a destination together, but then, working with the destination, each embarks on their own personal itinerary. One Scotlander will focus on food and drink opportunities within the destination, another may look at outdoor activities, yet another will explore family activities available, another the history of the destination area, and so on. The end result is a much more in-depth look at the given destination.

Another advantage the Scotlanders bring to their campaigns is their combined online audiences that are already "vetted" with a confirmed interest in travel and specifically destinations in Scotland.

The individual Scotlanders and their blogs are:

Susanne Arbuckle - Adventures Around Scotland

Dougie Baird - Great Travel Images

Kay Gillespie - The Chaotic Scot

Nicola Holland - Funky Ellas Travel

Kim Kjaerside - Kim Kjaerside Photography

Neil Robertson - Locomotion Scotland/Travels with a Kilt

For the podcast, Susanne and Kim joined me to talk about their individual blogs and to share the backstory about how the "Scotlanders" team came together and a bit about how they operate. If you have an interest in travel to and within Scotland, you should get to know "The Scotlanders."

•The Scotlanders 

•Susanne Arbuckle - Adventures Around Scotland 

•Dougie Baird - Great Travel Images 

•Kay Gillespie - The Chaotic Scot 

•Nicola Holland - Funky Ellas Travel 

Kim Kjaerside - Kim Kjaerside's Travel & Photography Blog 

Neil Robertson - Locomotion Scotland/Travels with a Kilt 

•Scot Bloggers - a website connection to Scottish bloggers on all subjects 

•A Glen in Scotland - podcast host Glen Moyer's Scottish travel blog 

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, 
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.

So begins one of poet Robbie Burns' most famous works, the "Address to a Haggis." Written in 1787, a time when haggis was popular as a working man's meal because it was both cheap and nutritious, Burns and haggis have been forever linked. The presentation of the haggis, complete with a piper and an often overly dramatic reading of Burns' poem is the first order of business at annual Burns' Suppers around the world. The poem was actually written very "tongue-in-cheek" by Burns who was pointedly mocking the Edinburgh snobs of the time who turned their noses up at thought of the wee haggis.

Traditionally haggis is made from the lung, liver, and heart of the sheep. These are minced (finely chopped) and mixed with oatmeal, onion, and spices and stuffed into a cleaned sheep's stomach and boiled. The mere description has earned it a reputation as a dish that is either beloved or reviled. 

Haggis has never been more popular in Scotland than it is today. That is in part thanks to MacSween Haggis, a 62-year old family-owned premiere haggis producer in Edinburgh. Macsween have introduced innovations like microwaveable haggis, and most recently a beef and haggis burger. In 2014, Jo Macsween, current owner of the company with her brother James, authored "The Haggis Bible," filled with 50 mouthwatering recipes showing that haggis is no longer just for serving at a Burns Supper. Today haggis comes in many varieties and can be found as an ingredient in dishes as diverse as burgers, pizzas, tacos, nachos, spaghetti, lasagna, and even as a topping for baked potatoes. Indeed, for the American palate, haggis can be thought of as a ready substitute in any dish where you might use ground beef.

Unfortunately, true Scottish haggis has been banned in the USA since 1971. The USDA does not approve sheep's lung for human consumption. Haggis can be made here but the lung is not used and the casing is always artificial. James Macsween, whose family has been making haggis since 1953,  would like to see that ban lifted and is working toward that goal. He joins me to answer the all important question, what is a haggis? (HINT: it is not a wild animal that roams the Highlands of Scotland.)

•Macsween Haggis  

•Address to a Haggis - with complete English translation 

•A review of "The Haggis Bible" by Jo Macsween 

•Visit Scotland's primer on haggis with recipe links

•A primer on the history, preparation, and use of haggis 

•The Offal Truth About American Haggis - a BBC News magazine article

Tourism to Scotland rose 11 percent in 2014, a Year of Homecoming, while visitors from North America rose by 28 percent, topping 500,00 for the first time. Without question, the new STARZ Channel TV drama "Outlander" was a key factor in this increase and continues to deliver new and repeat tourists  to the land "where the men are kilted, the women are winsome, and the whisky is neat."

Immediately upon the announcement that there would be a TV adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's literary series, there was an immediate explosion of the fan base, especially on Twitter. While there had always been a worldwide fan base for the books, news of the TV production gave birth to a staggering online social media fandom, almost overnight! New fan sites, blogs, Facebook pages, Pinterest pages and more were quick to emerge. Among those was "The Outlander Podcast."

Creators and hosts of the podcast, Ginger and Summer, were long-time fans of the "Outlander" books. Just as my desire to share my passion for Scotland and all things Scottish led to my creating this podcast, so too it was their love of the "Outlander" books, and author Diana Gabaldon, that led these sisters to launch their podcast in September 2013 - with no prior experience, except that Ginger was also a fan of podcasts dating back to 2008.

Their efforts have been well received. They've been invited guests at Outlander Roundtables, appeared on the Tartan Carpet with the stars of the production, and have carved out a unique niche for themselves as "fan media." Today the podcast's Facebook page has over 7,500 "likes" and they have almost double that, near 14,000 followers on Twitter.

In this episode, you'll meet Ginger and Summer and get a behind-the-scenes view of The Outlander Podcast!

• The Outlander Podcast  

• The Official Outlander Fan Site 

• Outlander - STARZ

• Diana Gabaldon - Outlander Author's Website

• 20 "Outlander" Gaelic words 

• Outlander TV News 

• Mary's Meanders - Outlander tours in Scotland

• The Outlander Kitchen - Historical and Character-inspired recipes from the fictional world of Diana Gabaldon. 

Glasgow-born Lorraine Johnston is celebrating the publication of her first children's book, "Later Tartan Gator." However, she didn't set out to be a writer nor author of any kind. Johnston was a successful career woman, working in the occupational safety and health field when, on her 40th birthday, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Life as she knew it was over, and she could easily have let this send her into a tailspin. Fortunately for children everywhere, she did not.

At the behest of a couple of friends, and driven by the onset of this most unwelcome disease, Johnston re-examined her life's direction and decided to become a writer. Drawing inspiration from yet another friend, and using her storytelling skills honed in many years as a children's nanny, before going corporate, the result is "Later Tartan Gator." It's the engaging story of a Louisiana alligator in a New Orleans zoo, fed a haggis by a visiting Scottish family and suddenly finding himself TARTAN! Facing a life crisis, the gator relies on the help of others to find his way back to his everyday alligator green.

Why a Scottish author writing about a Louisiana gator? Like many writers, Johnston drew upon personal experience to develop her story. As a children's nanny she helped repatriate a Louisiana family from Scotland back to their home in New Orleans. Johnston fell in love with the city and considers it her second home, thus the book features characters and locations she knows and loves in New Orleans.

"Later Tartan Gator" is an engaging book for children 7 and under, but it's the story of Lorraine Johnston's determination not to let MS get the best of her that is both compelling and inspiring. Her decision to re-evaluate her life in mid-stream, to tackle a profession about which she was blissfully uninformed, and to attain the success of publication, will hopefully inspire others to know and understand that they can overcome any obstacle placed in their path. 

A donation from the sale of each book benefits the St. Thomas Community Health Center in New Orleans. To obtain a copy of the book please visit your local bookseller, or you can order "Later Tartan Gator" from the publisher here. 

• Later Tartan Gator Website

• Watch this promotional video for the book 

• STV interview with Lorraine Johnston on Glasgow's "The Riverside Show."

• St. Thomas Community Health Center 

• The Blue Frog Chocolate Shop 

• Audubon Zoo 

The following writing resources are suggested by Lorraine Johnston:

• Weegie Wednesday - an amazing literary networking organisation that meets once a month in Glasgow. 

• The Scottish Association of Writers - has been an amazing vehicle for me and many others for learning all about writing and submissions of works etc. 

• The Writers Umbrella - is a wonderful group to belong to where everyone 'meets without meeting' and comes together to celebrate all things 'writery!' 

• Largs Writers Group. This is the writing group that I belong to and I'm very thankful for the support and guidance that they have given me over the last few years

Shopping online for Scottish or Celtic wares can be a challenge. Sure, there are plenty of online gift houses, but can you be certain the gift or items you purchase are truly made in Scotland (or Ireland), or might they be an import from the likes of China and elsewhere?

The Celtic Market is a newcomer to this highly competitive business, but it's owners, Jessie-Lynn MacDonald and Tommy Goldie insist you can shop with confidence that the items found in their online shop will be genuine made-in-Scotland (or Ireland) products. Perhaps that's because they were both born and raised in Scotland. In fact, the two were childhood friends, growing up on the same street. Jessie-Lynn's family emigrated to Canada almost 40 years ago, and the two friends fell out of touch. But, thanks the technology of the Internet, their friendship was rekindled several years ago and now they are partners again, not on the playground, but in the business world.

The Celtic Market was launched only weeks ago but is already thriving and growing. Unique among competitors with offices in both Canada (North America) and Scotland (Europe), the future looks bright and Scottish ex-pats and the diaspora community can welcome this new source for those unique and treasured hand-crafted Scottish goods.

• The Celtic Market 

• The Celtic Market on Facebook 

• History of Harris Tweed 

If you are a Scottish ex-patriot, or a member of the worldwide Scot Diaspora, you may already be a reader of The Scottish Banner. If not, perhaps you'll want to consider a subscription.

Founded in 1976, The Scottish Banner is the world's largest international Scottish newspaper. The monthly publication reaches over 50,000 readers worldwide, providing a positive link back to the land they love, Scotland.

With the just published July edition, The Scottish Banner marks 39 years of publication. Its success is a classic example of niche marketing, established long before anyone had coined the term. Its founder, Valerie Cairney, is herself a Scottish ex-pat, having emigrated from the UK to Canada with her Scottish parents in the mid-1950s. Twenty years on, as a working journalist in Toronto, she recognized the void felt by all ex-pats when it came to keeping in touch with their homeland. Likewise, as an event planner for Burns Suppers, St. Andrews Balls, and theatrical shows, she saw the need for ex-pats and Scot diaspora alike to come together as a community. To fill that void she launched The Scottish Banner and life has never been the same.

Today Cairney makes her home in the USA, in Florida. There are two editions of the paper, the North America edition (Canada and the USA) and the Australasian edition (Australia and New Zealand). The later is edited by her son, Sean. Cairney visits with Under The Tartan Sky about why she founded the paper, its editorial makeup, interesting people she's interviewed along the way, and her love of Scotland. Read all about it - The Scottish Banner, here, Under The Tartan Sky!

•The Scottish Banner  

•The Scottish Banner on Facebook   

Nothing says "Scotland" quite like Tartan! Now, a relatively new wee company in Glasgow is helping us to see tartan in a new light - as jewellery! Trish Tracy has been designing and selling her tartan jewellery for a few years now. Initially selling at markets and trade shows, she and her husband Harry launched Truly Truly Tartan as a new brand just last year. 

Currently in almost 40 outlets across Scotland, and with a new stockist in Italy, the couple have their eye on global expansion, with the USA, Canada, and Australia as targeted markets. As a broadloom fabric, one wouldn't think tartan could be used for something a tiny and delicate as jewellery, and they'd be right. But that is the secret to the success of Truly Truly Tartan - Trish has devised a way to miniaturize the colorful criss-cross fabrics so that here jewellery displays not just a splash of color, but the patterns themselves. After all, it's the pattern that makes tartan, well, tartan!

The current product line includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and for the gentlemen, cufflinks and tie pins. There's even a non-jewellery accessory for your wee doggie, a tartan collar (but none in cat sizes, yet!). Trish's jewellery is custom designed and hand-crafted in silver plate and sterling silver with new designs and possibly options for gold and titanium on the drawing boards. Truly truly Tartan is a fine example of the many, many entrepreneurial family-owned and operated businesses that seem to flourish in Scotland!

To see more of Trish's strikingly beautiful jewellery, use the link below to her shop and to learn more about the beauty of tartan, the fabric of Scotland.

• Truly Truly Tartan

• Scottish Tartan Register 

• History of Tartan 

• Tartan in Fashion 

•  Sound of Iona Tartan 

• Design Your Tartan 

•  Black Watch Tartan 

• Eilean Donan Castle 

2015 is the Year of Food and Drink in Scotland. When it comes to a Scottish "drink" there is but one thing that comes to mind (for most people anyway), Scotch... Whisky! Tom Thompson of Tom's Whisky Reviews joins me to help us explore this noble spirit.

Whisky is often referred to as "the water of life" and nowhere is that a truer statement than in Scotland. Scots often begin to sample whisky at a young age and can drink legally at 18. However, it would be wrong to characterise the Scots as an alcoholic population. Unlike in many countries, where a "bar" is a place strictly to drink alcohol, the local pub (public house) is often a gathering place for families and neighbours. Many pubs serve meals and, unlike bars here in the USA, children under 14 are welcomed if accompanied by an adult, but you still have to be 18 to purchase whisky or any other liquor. As a result of this lifestyle, many Scots, like Tom, have - with their parents' permission and supervision - sampled whisky before reaching legal drinking age, just as a young person in another part of the world may likely have sampled beer or wine. Tom's birthday present, upon his 18th birthday, was a bottle of his then favourite whisky, a 10-year old Glenmorangie. He has been sampling whisky ever since.

Whether you come to drinking whisky at a young or older age, the world of whisky can be daunting. With thousands of labels distilled, not just in Scotland, but right around the world, where does one start? How do you properly taste-test whisky? Will you find single malt or a blend more enjoyable, and what is the difference in the two? Will your palette appreciate a smoky whisky, a peated whisky, or prefer a lighter, fruity whisky?

All of the above are good questions and with Tom Thomspon's experience (gained from sampling and blogging about more than 1,000 whiskies) we explore and guide you through the answers to each of them and more. Once you've enjoyed this episode, here are links to the products and services we discussed and where you can find more helpful information.

• Tom's Whisky Reviews

• Flaviar (whisky samplers)

• The Scotch Whisky Experience

• The Glencairn Glass

• Jura Whisky

• Glenmorangie Whisky

• Laphroaig Whisky

• Auchentoshan Whisky

• Scotland's Whisky Regions   

•  How do you pronounce that? (Scotch whisky brands)

Arbroath smokies 

Each year Scotland's official tourism agency, Visit Scotland, selects a theme around which to build promotions for international tourism. For 2015, that theme is the Year of Food and Drink. Scotland's food and drink industry is a multi-billion dollar contributor to the nation's economy with Whisky and Salmon as its two leading exports. However, the country's larder is far more varied that seafood and spirits. Scottish beef and lamb are among the finest in the world, and there is fruit and veg to match.

While whisky and seafood may lead the export trade, visitors to Scotland return with a yearning for delicious Scottish jams, jellies and honey. And there are spirits other than whisky at play. Gin production is enjoying quite a growth spurt and craft beers are abundant in Scotland. They call whisky the "water of life" and yet it is a Scottish water that is the top selling bottled still water in not just Scotland, but in the UK. And Scotland is the one country in the world where its own soft drink, Irn Bru, outsells Coca-Cola!

Fiona Richmond is the Project Manager for Scotland Food and Drink, the organization tasked with growing this segment of Scotland's economic infrastructure. She discusses the campaign in place to promote tourism this year, the sharing of Scotland's food and drink through social media, the value to Scot businesses of sourcing food from local vendors and the marketing of those sources to their clients. Richmond also visits with host Glen Moyer about iconic Scottish foods including haggis, Arbroath smokies, and the notorious legend of the deep fried Mars Bar.

For more on Scotland's Year of Food and Drink, from recipes to dining experience, please check these online links...

• Scotland Food and Drink

• Scottish Food Guide

• Regional Scottish Food Guides

• Eat Scottish

• Scottish Food History Exhibit

• 3 Chimneys/Isle of Skye

• Arbroath Smokies

• Irn Bru

• Macsween/What is Haggis?