mcleanscotland are local Scots who pride ourselves on showing you the nooks & crannies other tours companies pass on by. We can show you those hidden gems even Scots do not know! SCOTTISH NEWS AND VIEWS WITH MCLEAN SCOTLAND VACATION COMPANY FROM PERTH IN SCOTLAND

MCLEANSCOTLAND NEWSPAPER

with up to the minute news and lots of stories and tales from old Alba

above: croft on North Uist, we can take you to the Uist's if you wish, many do!

A THREE DAY TOUR JUST LAUNCHED ... MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS TOUR AND HER LIFE

A BLACK HISTORY TOUR OF GLASGOW ... come with mcleanscotland and learn about the history.

WHAT'S ON GUIDE TO SCOTLAND IN 2006 WHO IS PIGASUS? see here ...

A SCOTTISH SONG OR TWO PIPING WORLD BEATERS! our friends ...

SCOTTISH FACTS and wee history notes HISTORIC kilt ILLUSTRATIONS

CASTLES OF SCOTLAND some remote castles you van still visit, AND SOME MOST HAUNTED!

SCOTTISH BOOKS as recommended by Paul McLean What is the Scottish sport of SHINTY?

SEE ALSO www.mcleanscotland.com/breakingnews.asp for breaking news ...

THE WEATHER REPORT! www.scotsman.com/weather.cfm

SEE THE PIPES AND VETERANS PARADING THROUGH PERTH - JUNE 2008

Tartan army raps Brown's 2012 UK team plan 24 August 2008
GORDON Brown yesterday provoked the wrath of Scotland's football fans by calling for a British team to compete in the 2012 Olympics.Speaking from Beijing, the Prime Minister said he was "determined" the move would go ahead. Britain has not entered a football team in the Olympics since 1960 because of fears it could jeopardise the future of the individual England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Irish national sides.Brown's views were yesterday supported by England footballer David Beckham who said he believed football deserved its place in the Olympics and left the door open to possibly playing for Great Britain in 2012. Brown said: "I think when people are looking at the Olympics in 2012 – Britain, home of football, where football was invented, which we gave to the world – I think people would be very surprised if there is an Olympic tournament in football and we are not part of it." The English Football Association backs Brown, but an SFA spokesman said: "We are absolutely opposed to Team GB. We think it will threaten the independent status of the home nations." Tam Ferry, the Tartan Army's spokesman for the No Team GB campaign, added: "I think Gordon Brown should be running the country, not sticking his nose in places where it's not wanted." PAUL MCLEAN: " I think its a load of rubbish! We want our own Scottish team, not a made up team of four nations, who will pick it and manage it? and how many English players will be in the team? probably every position. As a Tartan Army soldier myself, get to hell with that idea!

'Haunted house' in £1000 charity challenge to Sir Sean MAKING A PLEDGE: Staff at The Real Mary King’s Close will give £1000 to charity if Sir Sean is not impressed by its tour 23 August 2008 SIR SEAN CONNERY has been challenged to put his money where his mouth is after criticising one of Edinburgh's top visitor attractions. Staff at The Real Mary King's Close were left stunned after the legendary Scottish film icon made some scathing comments on the attraction in his new book, Being a Scot. Owners were bemused at his description of the Royal Mile attraction, which has around 170,000 visitors a year, as "a Disneyfied haunted-house experience". They have now challenged Sir Sean, who is in Edinburgh to launch his book at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, to visit them and see for himself. As an incentive they have promised to pay out £1000 to a charity of his choice if he is still unimpressed with what they offer visitors. In return they have asked him to agree to pledge the same amount to their nominated charity, the Sick Children's Foundation at the Royal Hospital in Edinburgh, if he does change his mind about the attraction. Sir Sean's publicist could not be reached for comment on the challenge. But Paul has a few words; aye, away you go big man, lets see how you do, and while I am here, when do you think you will be living in your beloved Scotland again?

Perth, July 2008. Paul's home, with many friends there he has a good idea of what is going on and happening in Perth. This week he went down to the excavations at the ancient Whitefriars Monastery, where a "dig" is taking place. The site has given up many ancient walls and foundations, burials and oddments from both Victorian times and the original building in the 13th century. A story and photo etc was featured on this in the local press.

end of July 2008. We looked after the football team FBK Kanuas for two days in Glasgow, they were here to play Glasgow Rangers in a European Competition, we arranged hotels and transport and also looked after the team, Directors and Officials whilst here.

06 August 2008
RANGERS slumped to the worst defeat of their 52-year European history last night when they were knocked out of the Champions League in the second qualifying round by Kaunas who deserved the victory in a dramatic 87th-minute winner.

10 July; A MAIN road in southern Scotland is set to be closed for up to eight weeks after a landslide triggered by heavy rains. Police confirmed that the A7 at Auchenrivock, south of Langholm, in Dumfries and Galloway, would remain shut for some time as much of the nation was lashed by downpours. A further landslip also partially closed a stretch of the same road north of Langholm. Severe weather warnings were issued for parts of Scotland, with the south appearing to be the worst hit. In Edinburgh, about 23mm of rain fell between 9pm on Wednesday and 9am yesterday – more than a third of the city's average rainfall for July. In Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway, which has a July average of 98mm, a total of 23mm also fell overnight, while 24mm fell in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, which has a July average of 76mm. This is despite this year seeing the warmest May ever recorded in Scotland and 2008 being on target to be one of the ten warmest years.

Saved from Vikings – and bound for home 1 July 2008 FIFTY years ago Douglas Coutts was a schoolboy volunteer on a dig on Shetland when he unearthed the single most important archaeological discovery in Scotland for more than a century. As he scraped away the earth inside the foundations of a ruined medieval church on tiny St Ninian's Isle, the 15-year-old stumbled across the finest hoard of Pictish silver ever found in Britain – silver brooches, bowls and other artefacts buried 1,200 years ago by islanders to prevent them from being seized by the Vikings. On Friday, the 50th anniversary of his find, Mr Coutts, 65, a retired librarian from Bressay, will be the guest of honour when the St Ninian's Isle Treasure returns to Shetland for only the second time since it was discovered. The treasure, which is housed in the National Museum of Scotland, last returned to the islands in 1967 when the hoard was briefly displayed in the former Shetland museum. Mr Coutts : "Being a novice I was a bit bemused by the whole thing. But we were all told that we were not to let anybody know about the find and I took that to mean that I had found something very unusual. I remember a flight being arranged for me to go to Glasgow to do media interviews. That was my only reward." Jane Carmichael, the director of collections at the National Museums Scotland, said: "The loan is part of our ongoing partnership with Shetland Amenity Trust and working together we will strive to ensure that as many people as possible in Britain have the opportunity to see this part of Shetland's rich heritage." The history behind this; ST NINIAN'S Isle is a tiny island at the southern tip of Shetland, linked to the mainland by a 500m sand spit. The treasure hoard is believed to have been buried around AD800 by islanders at a time of frequent Viking raids on Shetland. The hoard consisted of 29 objects – 28 made of silver and a porpoise jawbone. The archaeologists uncovered eight silver bowls, a silver spoon, 12 brooches, three cone-shaped objects, possibly thimbles, two pieces of sword scabbards, a sword hilt and a pronged implement which is believed to have been used for eating shellfish.

Islanders bid to get Trump on board for castle plan July 2008 OFFICIALS in the Western Isles want Donald Trump to become involved in a multimillion-pound project. Western Isles Council and the Stornoway Trust yesterday met George Sorial, from the Trump Organisation, about a plan to develop the landmark Lews Castle in Stornoway as a hotel and museum. Mr Sorial said: "The site is beautiful and the project has great merit. There is no doubt that, with proper planning, the castle can be restored to its original magnificence and serve as the jewel of Stornoway. We look forward to reviewing the plans in greater detail." Said Paul "Well, who knows what will happen? Give ten years and Trump might be the largest landowner in Scotland!"

1 July 2008 HE WAS Scotland's most famous philanthropist, who used his millions to fund libraries, education, science and the arts. Now a new festival of Andrew Carnegie is to be launched in his home town of Dunfermline, in Fife, this summer in what is planned to become an annual fixture celebrating the "father of philanthropy". Literature, music, politics, film, science and innovation will all be celebrated during the festival, created by the Carnegie UK Trust and the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust. Carnegie, who was born in Dunfermline in 1835, moved to Pennsylvania, in the United States, with his family in 1848, and rose from working in a cotton mill to become the world's richest man after building up a massive steel business. Convinced he had a duty to help others, Carnegie dedicated his fortune to funding libraries, schools, universities, scientific research trusts and foundations in the US and Scotland. In 1909, on a visit to Dunfermline, Carnegie wrote in the visitors book: "The humble home of honest poverty. Best heritage when one has a heroine for a mother."

SOME CARNEGIE QUOTES
"There is little success where there is little laughter"
"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents"
"No man can become rich without himself enriching others"
"The way to become rich is to put all your eggs in one basket and then watch that basket"

IN NUMBERS
1835 The year Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Fife.
1.20 Carnegie's first weekly wage, in dollars, at a cotton mill, when he was aged 13.
1865 The year Carnegie launched his own business interests and began a bonanza.
480m The amount in dollars that Carnegie sold his steel company for.
350m The amount in dollars given away by Andrew Carnegie.
2,509 The number of libraries throughout the English-speaking world that Carnegie built.

29 June 2008 THOSE English nationalists who claim Scotland is lagging behind the rest of the UK might soon be able to prove their point. English Conservative MPs are backing a plan to move England ahead of Scotland by an hour, in a bid to resolve a long-standing dispute over the UK's most appropriate time zone. The move is being backed to bring it into line with western Europe.The plan is backed by environmentalists, farmers and road safety experts in England who say it would make better use of the light down south, but in Scotland it has been met with fierce opposition. (too bloomin right!) With dawn in winter arriving later in Scotland than England, opponents have warned that farmers would be forced to work in the dark until mid-morning, while schoolchildren would have to go to school in pitch black for months on end. A two-time zone nation would immediately raise several problems, for example, over TV scheduling. If London-based schedulers moved to the new English time zone, the watershed in Scotland would effectively begin at 8pm "local time", and not 9pm as at present. A spokesman for the SNP said: "In Scotland, the majority of people would prefer the extra hour of daylight in the morning. Scottish children should not have to go to school in the dark." Paul says "once again we have those English trying to push us into something we do not want, just because they do! Bring on Independence I say, the faster the better!"

...........................

Fort William Football Club - superstars? 28 June 2008
The American media executive (Paul McDonald) yesterday unveiled his proposals to turn Fort William into a fan-controlled club, whose followers will decide its fate via an internet site. He describes the project as a "high-concept reality (television] show that involves replacing the current players of a Scottish soccer team with American players and putting America in total control of the team's destiny … (which] will transform the world of fantasy sports by turning the fantasy into reality". Conused Fort William FC officials say all they have agreed with Mr McDonald is a kit sponsorship deal, which will see their shirts showing the logo of "America's Team". Mr McDonald claims to have roots in the Lochaber area, with his ancestors being said to have left Scotland around 150 years ago for a new life in County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland, before heading across the Atlantic. PAUL MCLEAN COMMENT; well what can I say? either he is a complete nutter, or he is a genius in the making. But come on, replacing all of the team with Americans, don't think so. How would they play, where would they live and what work would they all do each week? Come on MacDonald, get to grips with the actual day to day problems with your plan. Aye fine, maybe a good idea to use a web based management, but by now means is it a new idea, you've been beaten to that one son. So he has also roots in Co Mayo, wonder if he thinks he can make an American Mayo team? er, watch out there boy, they play a different type of game over there, I should know! And finally; does he really think he can get better players over than the ones we have here at present? ok, FW are not the best in their league by any means, but, they play in Scotland and they are Scottish after all!

Club: Fort William FC
Formed: 1984
Nickname: The Fort
Colours: Gold-Black
Stadium: Claggan Park - Capacity 4000
Address: Fort William FC Claggan Park Achintee Road Claggan Fort William Scotland PH33 6PG

...............................

23 June 2008 THE rain was beating down heavy on the Clyde. The sky was grey, the water was grey, the buildings were grey. And then a grey fin appeared.The distinctive curve of a dolphin emerged from the water with an explosion of air from its blowhole before it slipped back down to hunt for food. It was a rare sight for the centre of Glasgow yesterday and attracted a stream of onlookers willing to brave the weather for a glimpse of the creature. The dolphin seemed content, despite being surrounded by litter, at one point peeking through the water with a salt-and-vinegar crisp packet on its fin, and later with a plastic carried bag caught around it. The animal spent hours swimming near the Glasgow Science Centre.
Risso's dolphins are known for distinctive scarring across their bodies from fighting and encounters with their chosen food source, squid. A spokeswoman for the Scottish SPCA said the dolphin was first spotted on Saturday near Faslane Naval Base and was initially monitored by Ministry of Defence staff. By yesterday morning it was reported near the Millennium and Bells bridges, swimming near the science centre and Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.

.................................

2014 Commonwealth Games joy for Glasgow - (story November 2007).
Scottish sport was celebrating on both sides of the world yesterday as Glasgow won the right to stage the 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014 In Colombo, Sri Lanka, where Glasgow held off the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to win the Commonwealth Games Federation ballot by 47 votes to 24, Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, said: "We will make these Games the greatest sporting event our country has ever seen. They will be our chance to show the whole world the very best of Scotland." In Glasgow, thousands gathered around television screens as the decision was announced by CGF president, Mike Fennell. More than 2,000 children watched events unfold at the Tollcross Leisure Centre, where the swimming will be staged in 2014, and thousands more celebrated at the Old Fruitmarket in the city centre. Motorists joined in the party by blaring their horns "What motivation it will be to have the chance of running in the blue vest of Scotland at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Among the first to offer his congratulations was the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who said the years between 2010 and 2020 "looked like a great sporting decade for our country". The decade will also bring the Ryder Cup to Wales and Scotland, the Olympic Games in London and the Cricket World Cup in 2019. It was only last week that the Prime Minister confirmed that England would bid for the Football World Cup in 2018.General Yakubu Gowon, the Abuja bid chairman, was gracious in defeat and accepted that the Games had been won by "a better presentation"."The Games' £288 million budget has been underwritten by the Scottish government and Glasgow City Council, and although 70 per cent of the venues are already in place, with athletics at Hampden Park, the proposed site of a brand new athletes' village will require the redevelopment of the run-down east end of the city. Once the industrial heart of the city, much of the area is a wasteland. There will also be a new velodrome and indoor arena. The 17 sports chosen for the Glasgow 2014 Games are: athletics, aquatics, boxing, badminton, weightlifting, lawn bowls, hockey (men and women), rugby sevens, squash, netball, cycling, shooting, wrestling, gymnastics, judo, table tennis and triathlon.

A guesthouse owner from Argyll has taken the honours in the annual world porridge-making championships. Story 7 October 2007. A dozen cooks from across the UK had gathered in Carrbridge, in Strathspey, for the contest to see who can make the finest bowl of the oatmeal dish. Judges marked the entrants on their porridge's appearance, consistency and taste, before deciding on a champion. The winner of the coveted Golden Spurtle, or stirrer, was Maria Soep from Kilchrenan. Ms Soep, who reached the final last year, came out victorious after a three-way cook-off. She said her secret was a special batch of pinhead oats bought from Oban (och no better place in the world!), on Scotland's west coast. "I buy my pinhead oatmeal from a health food shop - it is the best that money can buy," she said. "I soaked them overnight, added a bit of salt and some good water. "But it's the oatmeal that counts." Mrs Soep added: "It feels great to have won - I am delighted." A spokesman for the competition's sponsor's, Hamlyn's Oats of Scotland, said: "The judges thought it was the toughest competition yet. "The standard was incredibly high and the final was very tense." The event was won last year by Army Sergeant Coleen Hayward MacLeod, who has been responsible for making porridge on a daily basis for hundreds of soldiers from the 1st Royal Irish Regiment at Fort George, near Inverness.

6 OCT. Historians puzzle over black face in ancient tapestry of Culloden battle A TAPESTRY of the Battle of Culloden has revealed a new mystery about the last battle fought on British soil. The historic work, which shows events at the 1746 conflict from the point of view of government troops, was bought at auction by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) for about £4,000. It will play a central role in the new £10 million visitor centre at the battlefield near Inverness. Among the red-coated troops charging the Jacobite Army and a tartan-clad Bonnie Prince Charlie is a black figure who may have played a part in the battle. Trust officials and historians have been baffled by the discovery of the man.The trust says he may be a servant of a government officer, General McNaughton. Katrina Thomson, the NTS's deputy curator, said it is not clear whether the tapestry is a true depiction of a scene from the battle or whether it reflects later influences. But she said historians are excited about the mystery figure and efforts are being made to find out more about him. "We just simply don't know who it is. We are presuming it is a black character," she said. "When we bought the needlework there was a suggestion via Bonhams [auctioneers] that he was a servant of a General McNaughton. "We tried to chase this up with some historians but they had not come across the name, or a mention of a black servant." Clare Meredith, the NTS chief conservator, added: "There is a figure with a black face wearing a bright blue jacket and a grey cap, standing beside a horse. He could be a manservant to a serving officer. "We hope that when it goes on display historians and members of the public will shed light on this." The panel clearly reveals the allegiance of its original owners to King George II. It is thought to have been worked in the late 18th century by women in the household of Charles Edmond Hay, third Laird of Hopes - a relation of John Hay, fourth Marquess of Tweeddale, who was Secretary of State for Scotland during the critical years of the Jacobite uprising. Ms Thomson added: "The needlework has suffered some damage over the 250 years but although it will not be the prettiest textile in the new exhibition, it is arguably the most fascinating. "Objects which project government, rather than Jacobite, loyalties are rare. Its depiction of a critical point in the battle makes it invaluable to the interpretive displays in the new visitor centre which aim to tell the story of Culloden from both sides." NTS said the 4ft by 2ft panel was a section of a larger wall hanging. It will be among over 250 original objects associated with the history of the battle, including loans from the National Museums of Scotland, the Royal Armouries in Leeds, the Drambuie Liqueur Company and Inverness Museum among others. The project has received support from the Scottish Government, the European Regional Development Fund, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Gaelic development agency Bòrd na Gàidhlig. The most famous Jamaican servant was Francis Barber, who was born on a sugar plantation in Jamaica around 1735 and worked for Samuel Johnson, as servant, companion and surrogate son.

6 OCT. Clan chief leaves £15m in his will A CLAN chief who tried to sell a Skye mountain range has left more than £15 million in his will. John Macleod, of the clan Macleod, caused outrage when he put the Cuillins up for sale to fund repairs to clan seat Dunvegan Castle. He died in February aged 71. The majority of the money was left to his eldest son, Hugh.

6 OCT. Scots-made club holes out at £89,000 A SCOTTISH-made golf club has fetched a record-breaking £89,577 at auction. The 18th century long-nosed putter, attributed to Leith clubmaker and former caddie, Andrew Dickson, was sold by Sotheby's in New York. A collection of 11 antique St Andrews-made golf clubs also earned more than £60,000. They were designed by two of golf's most illustrious names - "Old" Tom Morris Sr and Hugh Philp. The sale of the Scottish clubs was part of a larger lot - the Jeffrey B Ellis Antique Golf Club Collection - which fetched more than £1 million in total when it went under the hammer. It was the largest collection of golf memorabilia to come up for auction in recent times.

5 October 2007. Orkney arrowheads find points to Scotland's earliest settlement THEY may look like just a collection of broken stones, but the finds made in a field in Orkney might be evidence of the earliest settlement in Scotland. Two flint "tanged points" or arrowheads found on the island of Stronsay are thought to have been used by hunters between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago, just after the Ice Age. The arrowheads were found among a collection of scattered artefacts, including bladed tools, on a farm by Naomi Woodward and a team of MA students on an archaeology course at Orkney College. The discoveries were made during a two-week research trip in April, but have just been made public. Two points from the late upper Paleolithic period (13-10,000BC) had previously been found in Orkney, at Ness of Brodgar, and on Stronsay - but both were lost in the 1920s. Ms Woodward said: "I had been out there a couple of times and the landscape for archaeology is quite minimal compared to the rest of Orkney; not a lot has been made of it. "The tanged flint points are signs of a very early archaeology, which at this moment is not particularly understood in Orkney or Scotland. "They are probably hunting implements, most likely mounted and used as projectile points. "We think they could be early Mesolithic or late Paleolithic, so maybe from 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. "It would be just after the Ice Age and there have been European examples of these kind of points." In 2001, a team from an Edinburgh University project called Scotland's First Settlers confirmed that a shell midden found at Sand, near Applecross in Wester Ross, was used 9,500 years ago, making the site one of the earliest dated human occupations in Scotland. An encampment at Cramond, near Edinburgh, has also been dated to 8,500BC. It is also known that settlements of people were established in the west of Scotland around this time from discoveries at another site, at Kinloch on the island of Rum. Ms Woodward is reluctant to claim that the Stronsay site is the earliest, but said: "If we have a site that these items are found in context, then it could be. "But, at the moment, they are only surface finds - although it seems we have an assemblage of pieces from individual chance finds that relate to each other. "The next step now is to see if we have actually got a site beneath this."

CalMac wins £43m islands ferries tender (20 Sept 2007). CALEDONIAN MacBrayne, the state-owned ferry company, was yesterday awarded a six-year contract to run lifeline services, ending a controversial tendering process in which it ended up as the only bidder. CalMac retained the 26 routes it operates around the Clyde and Hebrides with a subsidy of £43 million in the first year, a rise on last year's £31 million. The new contract, to start from 1 October, will include improvements to services for a number of islands, but the Scottish Government rejected the case for a new route between Mallaig and Lochboisdale in South Uist due to high costs. The new contract includes additional sailings to Gigha, Arran, Coll, Tiree and Mull in winter and an improved summer service to Islay. It also includes the introduction of a performance regime, giving CalMac an incentive to deliver the services to the standard set in the contract.

w/e 15 sept. How Buffalo Bill won wild west of Scotland BUFFALO Bill gained immortality as the gun-slinging hero of American frontier folklore, but it has now emerged how he also locked horns with the Old Firm giants of Scotland's wild west coast. The full story of Colonel William Frederick Cody's remarkable stay in Glasgow has finally been told nearly 100 years after he hung up his spurs and six-shooters for the final time. A new book has revealed that the legendary figure of the old West caused a sensation by turning up at a Rangers game at Ibrox, sending a team of hardbitten cowboys to play in a charity football game at Celtic Park and giving money to shoeless urchins in George Square. Cody, the book reveals, also caused uproar in the Court of Session in Edinburgh and, during a subsequent national tour, set a goods yard ablaze in Dundee and threw the Aberdeenshire fishing industry into crisis. For three months in the winter of 1891/92, the soldier, bison-hunter and showman brought his Wild West spectacular to the district, while in 1904 he took the show around the country from Dumfries to Inverness.

Before the travelling circus opened at the 7,000-seater Glasgow amphitheatre, Cody produced a series of inspired publicity stunts. Learning that a 12,500-strong crowd was expected at a Glasgow Cup clash between Rangers and Queen's Park at Ibrox, he provoked deafening cheers by arriving at the ground in full western regalia. Cody was then presented to both sets of players at half-time and issued personal invitations to the players to come and see his show. "Buffalo Bill knew virtually nothing about football, but he a was master showman and publicist, and wanted to turn up at the biggest game in town."

Cody also sought to harness the popularity of the city's other big club by sending his right-hand man, Major John M Burke, on to the pitch at Celtic Park (Paul's team) to help kick off the team's clash with Dumbarton on New Year's Day 1892. A month later, Cody sent out a team of his cowboys to take on Glasgow amateur outfit Brandon for a charity challenge match at Celtic Park.

Another first-hand report reveals how Cody took pity on a down-at-heel George Square news vendor, her shivering barefoot daughter and another "poor body" by giving them enough money to buy new clothes.

w/e 15 sept. Scottish 'embassies' to go global as SNP bids to raise nation's profile THE Scottish National Party is planning a major expansion of Scottish 'embassies' in a bid to boost the nation's profile across the globe. The plan will add to the three official Scottish Government delegations in Washington DC, Beijing and Brussels. Ministers and officials are also examining whether the diplomatic staff should be primarily based within existing UK embassies or, as a far more expensive option, housed in separate Scottish Government buildings. Scotland's existing presence in the US and China takes the form of a sole Scottish Government civil servant based within each UK embassy. Both officials focus on trade and cultural exchange, including the Tartan Week celebrations in the US and on liaison between Chinese and Scottish universities and colleges as part of the drive to attract foreign students. The Brussels office is based at a separate Scotland House, along with Scotland's enterprise agencies, and has a role in keeping an eye on moves at the EU which might affect Scottish interests.

w/e 15 sept. Nicklaus maps out new course A NEW championship golf course was mapped out in Scotland yesterday by a legend of the sport, Jack Nicklaus. The 18-time Major winner and his design team was in Stonehaven to inspect a site on a £40m leisure development. It includes an 18-hole championship course which Nicklaus says will provide a "memorable golfing experience" on the Ury Estate. Yesterday he planned out the routing for all but four of the 18 holes.

w/e 15 sept. I don't normally do this, but och, come on, what a Saturday! Hearts 4 - Rangers 2 IT is tempting to see the goal-a-thon at Tynecastle through the prism of Scotland's exploits in France. In barnstorming fashion Hearts were able to rediscover their mojo - and how!

Emphatic win puts Celtic top Celtic 5 - Inverness Caly Thistle 0 CELTIC went to the top of the SPL yesterday with a crushing destruction of Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Notching their third five-goal league victory on the trot, Celtic were only rarely at their imperious best, yet still contrived to dismantle their opponents in a thoroughly professional manner. "We are doing fine, it's the best start to the season since I've been here," said manager Gordon Strachan afterwards. That's true, and knowing what happened in the league after two lesser starts, the rest of the SPL should worry that they may already be playing catch up. 'Mon the Hoops!

24 August 2007, Russians buy up hardy Highland cattle Breeders of Highland cattle are receiving scores of requests for their distinctive £5,000-a-head beasts from farmers in the world's largest country. Russians want the beasts for their ability to survive cold weather, thrive on poor grasslands, scrape through snow for grazing, and even scare off predators such as wolves. The massive interest has come in the wake of a visit to Moscow by a delegation of British cattle producers, farm equipment manufacturers, and technical consultants. Tatyana Petukhova, an agricultural manager in Central Russia, said: "We have a lot of interest here in the breeds and techniques which you have in Scotland and in the UK. We want to improve the breeds and techniques here." Farmers and crofters view Highland Cattle and Blackface sheep as better able to fend for themselves than many other kinds of livestock. After a snowfall, the sheep and Highlanders will scrape the ground looking for food while many other breeds of both sheep and cows will be helpless. Ken Brown, the chairman of the society, said: "They are ideally suited to the climate over there. Their thick hair and skin keeps them warm in the winter, but the thickness of their skin actually helps them stay cool during the Russian summer, which is hot. And a major issue over there is wolves. Now while we don't have wolves in Scotland, Highland cattle tend to gang up on a predator and try to chase them if a calf is threatened, for example by dogs."

Trump's plan to create £1bn coastal golf resort BUSINESS leaders in the North-east Scotland yesterday (22 August) threw their weight behind Donald Trump's controversial plan to develop a £1 billion golf resort on a picturesque stretch of the Aberdeenshire coast. Environmental groups have condemned the billionaire tycoon's proposals to build two championship golf courses on environmentally sensitive links land on the Menie Estate, near Aberdeen. But the North-east committee of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) is urging Aberdeenshire Council to approve the plan, which it claims will bring a "truly world-class project" to the area. Duncan Skinner, the committee chairman, said: "The diversification of the North-east economy over the next ten to 15 years is vital, and we should achieve much of this diversification when the oil sector remains particularly strong. Diversification against a backcloth of success is much easier than when attempted in an environment of decline. "Clearly, the tourism sector is one that offers much potential for the region, but we are not in the mass-market game. We have to build our tourist industry at the top end of the quality spectrum and offer exceptional experiences for our visitor target market." He added: "The reputation of Trump golf projects around the world is such that the location of such a facility in the North-east will send out a strong message globally about this region, what we stand for and what we can offer as a destination." Paul's comment; yes, it would be nice to have another golf course here (we only have a few) and yes, tourism might grow in the area and surrounding areas. BUT, with this type of golf course and its owner, what kind of tourist would we get? Maybe high powered Exec's that fly in for a round, then fly out again. Is that tourism? No. Yes locals could play (could they, would they be allowed?) and maybe one or two money rich golfers would wander off the resort, but methinks a hotel on site, every facility for pampering these rich golf folks would be available within the resort, why then would anyone need to leave it? And where would profits go? Aye, to the Tower back home. So upon reflection, I would like to hear more and maybe Mr Trump would kindly email me? Over to you Mr Trump, the ball is in your court (or should it be "hole" ) now.

England in a flap again as they lose 2 - 1 (he, he, he!) Wed. 23 August.

ENGLAND head soccer coach Steve McClaren refused to rule Paul Robinson out of his European Championship plans despite another howler last night from the Tottenham goalkeeper. Robinson, whose air-shot blunder condemned England to defeat against Croatia last year, gifted a German striker a first-half equaliser as England slumped to their first defeat at the new Wembley. Robinson was substituted at half-time, with Portsmouth's David James taking his place, but McClaren said: "I was disappointed with the way we conceded that goal. It may have been a mistake, but there were two or three mistakes before that. Germany coach Joachim Loew was understandably delighted. "There are very few places in the world where winning is such a good experience," he said with a smile. "My players are dancing happily in the dressing room. SO WHERE WAS THE HIGH AND MIGHTY BECKHAM? exactly! C'mon Scotland ...

Scotland 1, South Africa 0 LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER ENGLAND, WE WON!

ALEX McLeish (our manager) last night savoured his fourth win in five matches as Scotland manager. Kris Boyd stepped off the substitutes' bench to grab the only goal of the challenge match against South Africa at Pittodrie and while McLeish admitted his experimental team were outplayed at times by the visitors. Boyd's goal was his sixth for his country in only ten appearances, five of which have been as a substitute... said Parreira, (oc S Africa) "I think the result was fair, but I was pleased with the performance of my team. It was good for them to be exposed to playing a team of Scotland's style. As I say, Scotland are very direct and that's fine because it is the way they want to play. Scotland should keep that way and they have possibilities to qualify for the European Championships."

Irish eye up a 21-mile bridge ... to Scotland STRETCHING for 21 miles, it would span one of the last major expanses of water separating European states and allow rail passengers to travel from Glasgow to Dublin in about 90 minutes. An Irish think tank has proposed that Ireland should join the European high-speed rail network, via a new bridge or tunnel to Scotland. The Centre for Cross Border Studies admitted the link would be a "hugely ambitious" project, but predicted it would provide major economic benefit to both countries. Andy Pollak, its director, said a bridge was more likely than a tunnel across the North Channel between County Down or County Antrim and the Mull of Galloway, near Stranraer. However, he was unable to say how much it might cost. A new one-and-a-half mile bridge across the Forth is estimated to cost £1.5 billion, while a four-mile tunnel - the shortest option - would cost £2.1 billion. Mr Pollak said the link could be built by 2030, when trains travelling at 187mph could reach Paris from Dublin in seven-and-a-half hours. Mr Pollak said: "A link would provide a massive boost to economic and social links between both parts of Ireland and Scotland, something a lot of people, including the Taoiseach and both the Northern Irish and Scottish First Ministers, view as an unadulterated good." Alex Salmond, the First Minister, discussed improved transport links when he met Ian Paisley, his Northern Ireland opposite number, in June. Mr Pollak said the project would also boost Ireland's trading opportunities with Europe and relieve pressure on Ireland's overloaded airports. He admitted the plan would also require costly upgrading of the 100-mile Stranraer-Glasgow rail line, which is protected under European law because it is already classed as a trans-European route. Mr Pollak said the original idea was that Ireland should be linked into the European high-speed rail network, which stretches only as far north-west as Glasgow He said: "I put it forward because I think it could be one of the triggers to the next phase in Ireland's economic development. And who's not to say that it could not also be part of the next phase of Scotland's economic development?" However, the scheme was met with a muted reaction in Scotland yesterday. A spokesman for the Executive said: "While there are potential economic benefits to both Scotland and Ireland in building better transport links, we have no current plans for a bridge."

The North Channel Partnership, which comprises local authorities and business groups in Scotland and Northern Ireland, said the 1,000ft deep Beaufort's Dyke trench could pose problems. It also warned about the impact on the current £40 million redevelopment of the Cairnryan ferry terminal. The port will handle the lion's share of the two million annual Scotland-Northern Ireland ferry passengers when Stena Line moves there from Stranraer to join its rival, P&O, next year. Robert Higgins, the partnership's chairman, said of the link plan: "It's an interesting idea, but if anyone is doing some blue-sky thinking on this then the challenges have to be weighed up against the perceived benefits, not least the position and depth of Beaufort's Dyke. "Also, the ferry companies are investing in the port currently so the implications there also need to be considered." Mr Pollak's proposal is the latest in a series of such schemes that stretch back more than a century. Test borings for a tunnel under the North Channel were considered in 1895, and several politicians in the British and Irish parliaments have since called for a link. A tunnel under the Irish Sea to Wales has also been proposed.

Lossiemouth's chance to rival Cape Canaveral LOSSIEMOUTH, we have lift-off. Space tourism - including a plan by Sir Richard Branson to launch commercial rockets from Scotland - should be encouraged by the government, according to a group of MPs. The call means that, within a decade, Cape Lossiemouth could rival Cape Canaveral as a launch centre, and Scotland could be hosting international visitors eager for the ultimate tourism experience. The spin-off would be the creation of hundreds of well-paid jobs and the attraction of investment in the "knowledge economy". Sir Richard's firm Virgin Galactic has already pledged to launch commercial space flights from RAF Lossiemouth on the Moray Firth by the end of the decade. Sigourney Weaver, star of the sci-fi film Alien, and Victoria Principal, the former Dallas actress, are among more than 150 who have already booked their £114,000 seats on the programme. Space tourism became a reality in 2001 when American multi-millionaire Dennis Tito paid £10 million for a trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian spacecraft. He orbited the Earth for a week. Although Virgin Galactic will be based in New Mexico, it plans to create a European launch site, and has already identified the "ideal" conditions at RAF Lossiemouth. Its space tourists would be taken to a height of about 55,000ft at which point the rocket would be fired, propelling them out into space before returning to Earth in an operation similar to that of a Space Shuttle landing. The whole flight would take about two and a half hours, with tourists spending 15 minutes in space, including five minutes of weightlessness. Seven or eight people would be able to travel on any one trip. Scottish Enterprise is staking a claim for the country's future space industry through Careers Scotland Space School - a world-leading programme supported by the Executive and the international space community. A total of 26 young Scots are preparing to travel to the space school in Houston, Texas, in September as part of a programme that aims to inspire them into a career in space science.

The oldest naval ship afloat in the UK, the HM Frigate Unicorn, has welcomed ghost hunters aboard in a desperate bid to save it from being lost forever due to a lack of funding. While paranormal buffs have welcomed the chance to spend a night with the spooky inhabitant of the Dundee-berthed vessel, maritime campaigners say they are saddened such measures are needed to save what is an internationally recognised ship. The 183-year-old, 150ft-long vessel is funded solely by revenue from admissions and donations and receives no government or local authority funding. The city's more famous nautical attraction, the RRS Discovery, is secured by public subsidy. Urgent work to preserve the Unicorn's ageing wooden hull is now required and the situation is so serious that the ship has been added to National Historic Ships Committee 'Vessel At Risk' list. Manager Bob Hovell said: "The ship has a fascinating history and like many old structures we appear to have at least one former resident who appears reluctant to leave. Over the years I have had visitors reporting hearing and seeing things. I'm a sceptic, but I have seen and heard a couple of things that are quite difficult to explain." The ghost vigils are part of a wider campaign to raise funds to allow the vessel to be moved from Victoria Dock to a dry dock nearer to the city centre, where its fragile hull could be shielded by a canopy. 15-Jul-07

JULY 2007; CLAPPED-OUT buses groaning on the rock highways. Fast-food stalls blowing burger-sized holes in the ozone layer. Guitars cranked up to 11. Green fields turning into a giant mudbath. And the high-voltage static of thousands of shellsuits clubbing together into the queues for the loos. Welcome to the alternative to the planet-saving platitudes of Live Earth - T in the Park. Scottish rock fans faced a dilemma yesterday. After a rain-lashed Friday, they might have been tempted to stay at home with a six-pack and a caramel wafer, and watch the eco-spectacular on TV. After all, James Blunt was playing! enough said. So who was on the bill? Beach Boy legend Brian. Wilson topped the bill at the Pet Sounds tent. The View fromDundee were headliners in King Tut's tent, having played another festival earlier in the day and made a mad dash from Ireland by helicopter. Arctic Monkeys and 70-odd acts including Arcade Fire, Rufus Wainwright and new Scots disco king Calvin Harris. Even on the campsite, T in the Park looks different from other festivals. There are none of the Glastonbury deluxe mobile homes surrounded by white picket fences. Everyone beds down in little green igloo tents. Then it's beer for breakfast and on with the party. It goes on until Sunday night!

JULY 2007; ONE of Scotland's top TV producers has warned that the country's television industry has been plunged into crisis due to a massive cut in spending by the major network companies. Recent figures reveal the BBC and the other major networks have slashed their spending on programming in Scotland by millions of pounds. And Allan MacDonald, the Scottish head of the TV producers' body PACT, said: "Scotland was leading the way five or six years ago, but we're now way back. It's dropping right across the board, BBC, ITV and so on. Television and film in Scotland are in crisis." The BBC has slashed spending in Scotland by £20m, most of it due to a cut in the number of network programmes being made - those shown across the UK such as the flagship Monarch Of The Glen. In its annual report, the BBC revealed its spending on television programmes in Scotland fell from £105m in 2005-2006 to £85m in 2006-2007, down almost 20%. But at the same time spending in Wales increased from £66m to £71m, and in Northern Ireland from £37m to £49m. In the English regions the amount spent was also up, from £267m to £300m. PAUL'S NOTE; HERE WE GO AGAIN, THE BBC IS ENGLISH TV AND NOT BOTHERED ABOUT SCOTLAND, IT NOW BECOMES PLAINLY OBVIOUS EH!

1 June 2007. A RECORD number of Scottish beaches have gained the coveted Blue Flag or Seaside Award status in the annual battle to reach European Union standards, it was revealed today. Seven Scottish beaches - one fewer than last year - and one marina have this year been awarded a coveted Blue Flag, the international benchmark for water quality and cleanliness. The seven beaches awarded the Blue Flag this year are Montrose in Angus, Broughty Ferry near Dundee and five beaches in Fife - Aberdour Silver Sands, Burntisland, Elie Harbour, St Andrews East Sands and St Andrews West Sands. Nairn beach in Moray, which won a Blue Flag last year, has been dropped from the list and instead gained a Seaside Award. Blue Flag beaches are judged against 29 criteria which include bathing water quality, litter management, provision of environmental information and safety measures. Seaside Award beaches have to meet more than 15 of the criteria.

IONA AND MULL GATHERINGS THE man was little to be envied, wrote that curmudgeonly genius, Dr Samuel Johnson, "whose piety would not grow warmer among the ruins of Iona". Next weekend sees Iona and its larger island neighbour, Mull, hosting two Gaelic praise traditions, which should more than satisfy the ecumenical credentials of the 60-year-old Iona Community, and make stunning listening, regardless of one's beliefs. Next Friday 8 June to Sunday , Fèill Chaluim Chille - a festival of Scottish and Irish Gaelic culture - will host such Celtic music stars as Scotland's Capercaillie, Ireland's Kíla and the Scots-Irish-Cape Breton fusion of Dàimh in a 1,000-plus capacity marquee at Torosay Castle on Mull. The bill also features Kerry accordionist Seamus Begley and Scots fiddler Aidan O'Rourke and friends, as well as a host of other performers from Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. The festival celebrates the pan-Celtic Saint Columba, but also marks the tenth anniversary of what was originally Iomairt Cholm Cille - the Columba Initiative, established to foster greater links between Scottish and Irish Gaeldom. But apart from the big names, there is a particularly appropriate resonance in the appearance of two choirs - Cor Cúil Aodha, from the village of Coolea in the south-west Cork Gaeltacht, and the Gaelic Psalm Singers from Lewis, both of whom perform in Iona on Friday evening and (with local schoolchildren and choirs from Ireland's Aran islands) in a Saturday morning choral celebration at Iona Abbey, these days magnificently restored.

Dario Franchitti, Indianapolis 500 winner, is...

MAY 27, 2007. The Scots boy racer who beat the odds to become a legend Dario Franchitti, Indianapolis 500 winner On Sunday, the 34-year-old became the first Scot in more than four decades to claim one of American motorsport's most esteemed prizes. After a gruelling 166 laps in torrential rain, the Bathgate native took the chequered flag at the 91st Indianapolis 500, emulating the legendary Jim Clark's achievement in 1965. As Franchitti himself declared with no little humour in the build-up to the race, it is the "Superbowl, or the Academy Awards with wheels". Boasting a total purse in excess of $10 million (£5.04 million).

SUNDAY 13 MAY Epic film quest for Rome's lost Scottish legion - we told you of this absolutely ages ago, remember? IT IS a timeless tale that has been cherished by generations of spellbound schoolchildren: a mighty force of Roman troops disappears without trace after marching into Scotland to subdue rebellious Celtic tribes. The Ninth Legion. After several false starts by other directors, Macdonald believes he will be the first to make a feature film of Rosemary Sutcliff's celebrated historical yarn. He wants to create a swords-and-sandals "western", filmed on location in Scotland, in which the Romans speak with American accents. Sutcliff's 1954 novel is set in Scotland after the building of Hadrian's Wall and recounts the story of a young Roman's search to discover the truth behind the disappearance of his father, who was a member of the Ninth Legion. The 4,000 elite Roman troops marched into Scotland in a bid to subdue the pugnacious indigenous Celtic tribes but, according to legend, they vanished without trace and were never seen again. (Paul's note; so don't mess withus then, a lesson). The origins of the real Ninth Legion are uncertain, though it distinguished itself in Spain around 24BC and became known as the Legio IX Hispana. It also served in Germany, Hungary and Africa, before probably joining the 40,000-strong army assembled to invade Britain in 43AD. There is evidence to suggest the Ninth was stationed at Eboracum (York) from 71AD. But the Romans never subdued the northern Celtic tribes - variously referred to as Brigantes, Caledonians and Picts - who repeatedly launched raids into the mighty Roman Empire. The Romans began construction of Hadrian's Wall around 120AD, in an attempt to keep the hordes at bay. It is much the same time the Ninth Legion disappears off the page of history, with many concluding they must have been sent to Scotland and were slaughtered by the ferocious paint-anointed mountain warriors. (Paul again; so, we are to have another blockbuster as we did for Braveheart, bring it on!)

HISTORICAL NOTE: Unlike England, Scotland was never considered part of the Roman Empire although the Romans did advance into Scotland several times during their 300-odd years in Britain. Their first foray north was made in 79 or 80 AD by Cnaeus Julius Agricola from Carlisle, reaching as far as Perthshire. Later expeditions in 82 and 83 established forts as far north as Aberdeenshire and the following year Agricola's forces defeated the native Caledonii at Mons Graupius. However, most of his forts were abandoned shortly after and by 118, the effective limit of Roman rule was marked by Hadrian's Wall (named after the emperor Hadrian), a defensive barrier running across the north of England between the Tyne and the Solway. During the 140s, the Romans tried to move their border northwards and built a new defensive barrier, the Antonine Wall, between the Forth and the Clyde. For the next forty or fifty years, the Romans regularly occupied and abandoned this position in favour of the security of Hadrian's Wall. Between 208 and 211, the Emperor Septimus Severus conducted a major campaign against the Caledonii and other tribes from major camps based around the Tay and Angus. When Severus died in 211, the Romans retreated again to Hadrian's Wall. The final incursions came a century after Severus but this time, the Picts (a confederation of tribes based north of the Forth) fought back and by 367 had overrun Hadrian's Wall which the Legions finally abandoned in 400.

12 May; SCOTTISH fishermen yesterday won a key victory in their battle to prove the sustainability of stocks of monkfish in northern waters - only three months after the supermarket group Asda (part of Walmart) halted the sale of the species. The store chain sparked a storm of protest in the fishing industry earlier this year by announcing plans to stop selling monkfish in response to concerns the company had about the species' long-term survival. But it has now been revealed that the leading environmental pressure group, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), has taken monkfish from northern stocks off its "fish to avoid" list, following a recent meeting with representatives of the Scottish white fish fleet. An MCS spokeswoman said scientific evidence, compiled by Dr Chevonne Laurenson from the NAFC Marine Centre at Scalloway in Shetland, suggested there had been a "significant increase" in the abundance of the stock over the past five years and that there were no biological indicators to suggest monkfish was being exploited at unsustainable levels. Mike Park, the executive chairman of the Scottish White Fish Producers' Association, said the industry had made big sacrifices to protect stocks. "The removal of monkfish from the MCS 'fish to avoid' list is acknowledgement of measures we have deployed to protect the environment," he said.

... continuing a story we mentioned a wee while back .....

Well plaid: the filming at Lauder Moor in the...

JACOBITE's clash with Redcoats - once again with their Hanoverian foes yesterday in a dramatic re-creation of one of the most brutal encounters in Scottish history. Dozens of actors gathered for a rendition of the Battle of Culloden that will form a groundbreaking audiovisual spectacle at a new visitor attraction to open at the end of the summer. Previous attempts at the filming, at Lauder Moor in the Borders, had to be abandoned due to extreme cold last month. The state-of-the-art £9m Culloden visitor centre, near Inverness, will double the size of its 1960s predecessor. Visitors will enjoy an "immersion experience". The battle in 1746 saw 5,000 clansmen face a 9,000-strong Hanoverian army. It resulted in 1,250 Jacobite deaths and effectively ended Jacobite hopes of restoring the exiled Stuart dynasty to the throne of Britain and it saw the old ways of the highlander vanish forever!

Walk of the week - GLEN TROOL, GALLOWAY This walk passes the site of a major Scots victory over the English, in a battle that led eventually to Bannockburn and one of the nation's proudest moments. There is a memorial to mark the spot, and the route is well marked by the Forestry Commission. Stout footwear is needed, and you should take the usual precautions for walking in a remote area.

Distance Five miles.
Height climbed Undulating - 500ft in total.
Time Three to four hours.
Map OS Landranger 77.

Park In Caldons car park. Turn right at marker-post 49, a mile and a half past Glentrool visitor centre - the car park is on the left just before a bridge. Walk Cross the bridge over the Water of Trool, then take a path to the left. (If you go right here and follow the path for a few hundred yards, you reach a memorial to six Covenanters shot dead in 1685.) The path to the left follows the Southern Upland Way (SUW), along the river and over a wooden footbridge, then through woods to another bridge. Cross the bridge and bear right at the SUW marker-post, up an increasingly steep path through conifers. The path then drops down to the edge of Loch Trool, opposite Glentrool Lodge. Continue along the undulating path, passing Maiden Isle, which lies closer to the far (north) bank. A little further is the site of the Battle of Glentrool, where Robert the Bruce, with only a small force, defeated 2,000 English soldiers in 1307, seven years before Bannockburn. After the battle site information board, climb some steps and carry on past the edge of a plantation, eventually dropping down and turning left towards a stile. Cross the stile and take the footbridge on the left, over the Glenhead burn, then go left along a path, leaving the SUW. Once at a track, go left and then through a wooden gate, before crossing the Gairland burn. After a kissing gate by a cattle grid, the track rises up towards Buchan. Ignoring a path to the lodge on the left, carry on up and then to the left, dropping down to Buchan Bridge, where the burn cascades below. Keep going uphill and round two sharp bends, then turn left to see Bruce's Stone (the memorial to the battle) - from here you get great views of the loch and valley. Return to the track and go left. You pass Glentrool Lodge after about three-quarters of a mile, and 300 yards after the gates you take a path on the left - signed with a white marker-post. The path rises through a forest plantation and then drops back down to the loch before bearing right. About three-quarters of a mile further on, you reach the Water of Trool and a path that leads back to the car park. Refreshments The café in the visitor centre does very good soup. Alternatively, try the House o' Hill hotel at Bargrennan, located two miles before the visitor centre after turning off the A714 from Newton Stewart.

APRIL 2007 Board meeting It's a far cry from Bondi, but for the surfing fraternity Thurso is the place to be this month. Professional surfers from across the globe are heading north to Caithness and the O'Neill Highland Open, part of the World Qualifying Series tour, with a prize purse of 125,000 (£64,000). The surf breaks in Thurso are rated among the top 20 in the world. It's no surprise to learn that Thurso is widely recognised by surfers as the coldest event on the World Qualifying Series circuit. "It's kind of amusing," says Heddle. "You get guys from Brazil and Hawaii coming in to try on wetsuits - they've obviously never needed a wetsuit before they encountered the Pentland Firth." But it's all part of the great surfing experience - or so Heddle assures those who think charging into the Firth, even in a wetsuit, is an activity bordering on lunacy. "It's hard to describe surfing to people who don't do it," he acknowledges. "But the buzz you get from riding the waves is something else, believe me." The huge popularity of events such as the Highland Open certainly seems to endorse that sentiment, and Andy Bain is delighted that the Thurso event has now been upgraded to a six-star contest, in recognition of its status as one of the most progressive in competitive surfing. "We were rated so well last year that this year we're at level six," he explains. "This means that 10 per cent of the top surfers in the world will come here to compete for a place in the surfing world championships. That's pretty good, I reckon." Scottish surfing champion Malcolm Findlay has no qualms about endorsing that. "Thurso East has its own special character, much the same as a fine malt whisky stands apart from its rivals," he says. For professionals such as Findlay, surfing Thurso is a great experience because of, rather than despite of, the unpredictability of the waves and weather. The fickle conditions all add value to the experience - especially when the first-time visitor encounters a popular surfing spot known universally as "the s*** pipe". "There are two really good surfing breaks at Thurso East," says Findlay. "One is in front of Thurso Castle and the other is to the right of an old sewage outlet pipe into the bay - now thankfully defunct. "We get Aussie surfing aces coming over and asking, 'Right mate. Where's this s*** pipe?'" The O'Neill Highland Open runs from 26 April to 1 May. For more details, visit www.oneilleurope.com/highlandopen

Repaint the town red, yellow, blue

ITS multi-coloured façade is an iconic, picture postcard image known to millions of television viewers. But the famous harbour front of Tobermory is taking on the appearance of a "shabby, neglected backwater" according to locals. Now Argyll and Bute Council is being accused of failing to properly maintain Mull's main town, known to many as the backdrop for the BBC children's programme Balamory. In a stinging letter to Allan Macaskill, the council leader, Michael Asher, director of Tobermory Harbour Association, has claimed that local people are becoming "ashamed" of their town and urges action. Mr Asher's wish-list of improvements includes the resurfacing of the town's main street, restoration of all street signs, the repair and painting of railings, lampposts and public toilets, and a general tidy-up of the Ledaig car park by the marina. He said his letter was inspired by locals with serious concerns about the lack of maintenance: "We all pay our rates as required and in return we expect maintenance work to be carried out by our council to restore the fabric of our environment to an acceptable level. "Tobermory has taken on the appearance of a shabby, neglected backwater and we are becoming ashamed of it." Mr Asher said the town attracts hundreds of coach tours and an increasing number of cruise ships each year, adding: "Tourists coming in to Tobermory will be met with shocking roads, shabby lampposts and toilets which have not been painted in years and broken railings." He said it would take a relatively small investment from the council to maintain facilities. See! We don't only bring you those nicey nicey stories where everything is happy as Larry, we are honest and aye, we agree with the complaint. Tob is getting a wee bit dour and does need a lick of paint, hopefully it will! Paul Mc.

Scottish Cup ill-served by muddled coverage THERE are some football tournaments, such as the World Cup and European Championships, in which every ball kicked is televised and re-televised, analysed to death then prodded back into life before being dissected again. There are some, such as the FA Premiership, in which enough matches are shown to give us a reasonable cross-section of what is going on. Then there are others where there is little or no apparent connection between what is shown on TV and what is actually relevant to the outcome. The Scottish Cup, alas, has been placed firmly in the latter category these past couple of seasons. Games you don't want to see are trailed for days then presented as if they were the apex of sporting excellence, while others you wouldn't mind catching a glimpse of are left out entirely, reduced at best to that most lowly of TV presence, 30 seconds of 'news' footages a day or two after they happened. Take this season's competition, for example. The BBC, which has the right to show two games at any stage before the final, opted for Aberdeen-Hibernian in the third round, then Motherwell-St Johnstone at the quarter-final stage. That left the company unable to show last weekend's semi-final between Hibs and Dunfermline, and, as Sky had already opted to show St Johnstone's clash with Celtic, the two East Coast teams played before a live-in-person audience of approximately 25,000 and a live-on-TV audience of exactly zero. In the event, the game was not exactly gripping, and ended goalless after 90 minutes. Which means there will be a replay on Tuesday, which Sky - as their entitlement is one original match and one replay per round - will be able to screen. This time, though, the problem, rather than lack of exposure as was the case with the original tie, is going to be too much. The fact that ITV is showing a fairly attractive-looking Champions League semi-final between Manchester United and AC Milan the same night should knock a few thousand more off the Hampden attendance. So in the end, what should be one of the highlights of the Scottish football calendar will be played before a small crowd, watched on the box by a small audience, and generally devalued. In my view (Paul) the BBC are totally uninterested and biased towards Scotland. The English media in general are the same.

Diners fuel new oyster cult

THEY were once so common that ale houses would offer complimentary bowls of them to customers, to be eaten by the handful. But native Scottish oysters fell on hard times, to the point that wild examples of the species hold protected status. However, a resurgence in the popularity of the shellfish - including its appearance on the menus of London's top restaurants - has prompted an 85 per cent rise in production, according to the Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey. At the peak of production, during the 18th and 19th centuries, 30 million native oysters were being produced per year around the country - in Edinburgh alone, it is estimated that 20 million were consumed in one year - supporting a thriving industry, including exports. James McCallum, a Scottish Natural Heritage spokesman, explained why the native oyster had lost favour. "In the past, over-harvesting, diseases and chemical pollution were all factors in the species' decline, while today the biggest threat to the recovery of them is the unlawful harvesting from sea lochs," he said. "Collection of native oysters is unlawful without consent from the Crown Estate." Despite describing them as very difficult to open and "quite ugly" compared with the average oyster, Mr Cumming said he would still like to have them on his menu. "I would love to serve them. I think they would probably cook up quite well," he said. "I would probably just do them simply, with a dash of lemon juice, and serve them that way." Chef Martin Wishart uses native oysters in his Leith restaurant: "They have a much nuttier, more iodine taste than other types," he said. "I have served them in certain dishes, dropped into them at the last moment or chopped up. If a certain dish requires it to bring forward the taste, then we will use them."

SO WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

SCOTTISH THE native, or Scottish, flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) are virtually all dredged, legally, from wild stocks, and some of these may be re-laid to grow and "fatten" on inshore beds. The process of fattening helps the oysters to become plump and succulent, but they actually contain almost no fat, as the reserves they build up are mainly glycogen, which is a carbohydrate. Native oysters spawn in the summer, and so are not marketed in the UK from May to the end of August.

PACIFIC THE Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) was introduced to the UK during the 1970s and is cultivated in hatcheries, then grown to market size in suitable areas. Techniques for on-growing Pacific oysters commonly involve use of plastic mesh bags fastened onto steel or timber trestles with rubber bands. The best farming areas are sheltered sites, such as Scotland's Loch Etive and Loch Fyne, where some mixing of marine and fresh water occurs.

Spring 2007. Film-makers restage Battle of Culloden - 200 miles away in the Borders IN TERMS of its accurate portrayal of the realities of war, it will compare to the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan. The costumes will be authentic and the weapons replicas of those used in the heat of battle. However, one aspect of a filmed re-enactment of the Battle of Culloden will not be real - the scene of the battle itself. The five-minute film is to be shot as the centrepiece of a new £10 million visitor centre at the battlefield, near Inverness. But due to sensitivities over filming at the real site on Drumossie Moor, the shooting will instead take place on Lauder Moor, about 200 miles to the south, in the Borders. The Culloden site still includes the graves of some of those who fought in the 1746 battle between the Jacobites, under Prince Charles Edward Stuart, and the government troops, led by the Duke of Cumberland. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which owns the site, says it is not appropriate to film the re-enactment on a war grave. Deirdre Smyth, its property manager, said: "It wouldn't be right to have people running around the battlefield in costume and making a film. More than 300 professional actors and volunteers drawn from re-enactment societies will be recruited to take part in the film. Alexander Bennett, the project co-ordinator at the NTS, said the film would be the centrepiece of its new exhibition and would be shown on floor-to-ceiling screens: it is known as an immersion theatre. "We will immerse the visitor into the heart of the battle," he said. "They will be in the thick of it as we try to demonstrate the brutality of war and show people the awfulness of this conflict and what it must have been like to be part of it. People will be leaving possibly feeling terrified, and we are not holding back on that. War is a brutal thing and why should we hide the truth?" He went on: "Some of the costumes will be produced especially for the film, but we hope to also use existing costumes. We will also use existing or replica weapons - there are huge banks of these things available nowadays, as there have been many productions of this type in recent years. The new visitor centre is due to open in August as part of the Highland Year of Culture. It will tell the story from both sides of the last battle fought on mainland Britain. The NTS has already raised more than £6.5 million in grants for the project and a public appeal aims to raise a further £500,000 towards the cost. No decision has yet been taken on who will officially open the new centre.

JACOBITES' LAST STAND CULLODEN was the scene of the last major battle fought on mainland Britain. The conflict on 16 April, 1746, was the Jacobites' last stand in the failed '45 rebellion, led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart, against government troops under the Duke of Cumberland. The fighting was over in less than an hour, ending Jacobite hopes of restoring the Stuart dynasty to the throne. It was not a Scotland v England, or Highland v Lowland, affair - the Jacobite side included both Highlanders and Lowland units, while the government army was joined by the Argyll militia and Highland clans.

The memorial stone in Glasgow's Eastern...

April 12 2007. Scots VC hero of Crimean War gets memorial at last ONE of Scotland's forgotten war heroes was finally given permanent recognition yesterday - more than 120 years after being buried in a pauper's grave. Serving soldiers were joined by Second World War veterans during a dedication service honouring Sergeant James McKechnie. The Scots Fusilier Guard was one of the first men to be awarded the Victoria Cross when he won the medal for gallantry during the Crimean War. But he later fell on hard times. About 80 people yesterday gathered at the Eastern Necropolis in Glasgow where Sgt McKechnie was buried in an unmarked grave. The regimental padre, Angus Kerr, led the dedication service and paid tribute to Sgt McKechnie, who was born in 1826 in Paisley, Renfrewshire. Mr McKechnie was a 28-year-old sergeant in the Crimea - in modern-day Ukraine - when he made history. On 20 September, 1854, at the Battle of the Alma, his battalion was thrown into disorder amid withering enemy fire when a pole carrying the Queen's Colour was smashed and its silk riddled with bullets. But Sgt McKechnie turned the tide when he held up his revolver and dashed forward, rallying the men around the flag. The Scot was wounded in the action but became one of the first to be awarded the VC during its inauguration in 1857. The crosses were cast out of the bronze of two cannon captured from the Russians at the siege of Sebastopol in the Crimea. Sgt McKechnie retired from the army following 22 years of service and moved back to Glasgow. The hero married relatively late in life but his wife is thought to have died soon afterwards and he passed away on 5 July, 1886, not long after her death. He was 59 years old. William Brockie, the secretary of The Scots Guards Association, said: "He was one of the first people awarded the VC and it's very sad that he was laid to rest in a pauper's grave. "The dedication service was the right thing to do because it was high time he was given a burial with the military honours he deserves." The Edinburgh-based firm Abercorn Memorials donated the 27in grey granite headstone, worth £500, and it was put into place last week. Sgt McKechnie's VC medal is kept in a vault at the Scots Guards' regimental headquarters in London, but a replica is on display.

April 2007. Sir Sean would quit Bahamas for an independent Scottish nation SIR Sean Connery has said he will return to his native Scotland if it is granted independence, born in Edinburgh's Fountainbridge but left Scotland more than half a century ago. Sir Sean, 76, moved to London in the Fifties, then to Spain in the Seventies. In 1999 he took up residence in the Bahamas, where he still lives, with his second wife, the painter Micheline Roquebrune. But in an interview with a Sunday newspaper the former James Bond actor said he would "look forward" to coming home to an independent Scotland. He says Scottish independence would offer further opportunities for his goodwill activities.

Lewis ferries report throws Highland Sabbath overboard. Easter 2007. IT IS the last bastion in the fight against outside interference in the Highland Sabbath. Sunday sailings to the Isle of Lewis had been ruled as totally against the will of the Lord, but that could be about to change after the economic benefits have been taken into account. A £15,000 report commissioned by the local council has said that Sabbath sailings from Ullapool in Wester Ross to Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides could create jobs. As a result, battlelines have been drawn, with traditionalists fiercely trying to protect the day of rest while supporters of a seven-day a week economy say their cause has been boosted. The Stornoway-Ullapool ferry service is one of the Caledonian MacBrayne's busiest routes and carries 92,000 passengers a year. The main vessel, the Isle of Lewis, is the biggest Cal-Mac ship, carrying 680 passengers and 92 cars, and taking two-and-a-half hours to cover the 42-mile crossing. "Tourism would receive a boost because the lack of a seven day service... suppresses the island's ability to penetrate the short break market [as] some people wish to return home on Sunday for work on Monday. It causes bunching of demand in hotels in Stornoway, with the knock-on effect of losing bookings to the island as a whole." A spokesman for the Western Isles Council, which is known officially by its Gaelic title of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said that the report would be discussed in detail after the local authority elections next month.

Day of rest from sheep shearing to hanging out the laundry. April 07. Presbyterianism in its present form arrived in the Outer Hebrides in the 1820s and 1830s, as freelance preachers, equipped with newly-available copies of the Gaelic Bible, packed out churches and revivalist meetings. Many of those church-goers then plumped for the new Free Church. The only works allowed are "works of necessity and mercy" such as cooking dinner, rescuing a sheep from a ditch, working as a nurse in a hospital, a GP on call, a firefighter or a police officer. However, shopping, unnecessary travel, school homework, cutting peats, computer games, planting crops, shearing sheep, sports, housework, watching TV, knitting and gardening are generally out and many will take offence at incomers, or locals for that matter, who hang their washing out on a Sunday. Individual households and churches will have their own variations. The very strict might ban whistling, washing the dishes, the use of scissors or colouring pens, listening to services on radio or tape, and using public transport, even to go to church. The Western Isles are not uniformly Free Kirk, or even completely Presbyterian. While the northern islands of Lewis, Harris, Scalpay, Berneray and North Uist are mainly Protestant, the 'Southern Isles' of South Uist, Eriskay, Barra and Vatersay are largely Roman Catholic.

Do you believe in fairies? IF YOU had asked your great-great-grandmother if she believed in fairies, she would have looked at you askance. Believe in fairies? Of course she did! Ninety-five per cent of Scots continued to believe in fairies right up until the middle of the 19th century. These were not the diminutive, be-winged fairies of 1800s children's books. No, these were strange folk who bewitched you, killed your cattle and kidnapped your wives and daughters. Fairy lore flowed through the centuries, their presence acknowledged in ballads, poems and stories. They came in all shapes and sizes and different parts of Scotland had different myths. Even today they are remembered in the fairy glens and fairy hills found in every part of Scotland. There's no question that they existed. John Frances Campbell of Islay was one of the first to go into print with his new theory. "I believe there once was a small race of people in these islands," he wrote in 1860. Campbell’s theory remained speculative until a remarkable archaeological discovery in 2004 on the Indonesian island of Flores. The skeletal remains of a dwarf man, similar to modern humans, were discovered in a cave. Carbon dating proved that this small humanoid co-existed with modern man and may have survived until fairly recently. In light of this discovery, Indonesian folk tales of "little people" are being re-evaluated and questions are being asked if these abnormally small people have been living with us all along. Whilst it seems unlikely that a race of little people were hiding in the woods of Scotland, the commonality of fairy lore still demands some universal explanation. One man not afraid to stand up and state his belief is Sir Iain Noble, the owner of Hotel Eilean Iarmain on the Isle of Skye. "There's no question that they existed. They most definitely did," Noble insists. "We have two fairy houses quite close by and we have records of conversations between fairies and people on the island." Nobel is referring to the houses at Glenn an Uird, but so-called fairy houses cover Skye like a rash. The island is particularly rich with fairy stories and these underground homes have long been regarded as the doorways the fairies, or na Sithein, used between their world and our own. "From 1000BC onwards, the Iron Age people were prevalent in Skye," says Martin Wildgoose, an archaeologist who helped in the excavation of the fairy houses and concedes there could be a fact-based explanation for fairies. "They were probably much smaller than us, and they lived in turfed underground houses.

WANT A new flag? Ask a postie. April 07. When Orkney council decided to create a new standard to represent the island chain, help arrived from an unexpected source. Its centuries-old banner could not be made official because Scotland's heraldry supremo ruled it was too similar to other existing emblems. So postman Duncan Tullock set to work with his grandchildren's crayons. Now his blue, yellow and red design will flutter over the islands forever - even though it bears a suspicious similarity to the flag of Norway. Tullock's blue and yellow Nordic cross on a red background was voted the most popular standard out of 100 designs submitted to the council. Tullock, who lives in Birsay, the ancient capital of Orkney, said: "I was absolutely delighted when I heard that my design had been chosen for the new flag. "I am not a designer but I just thought I would have a go, and used the grand-bairns' crayons and one of their colouring books. It took a couple of hours to get it right.

"The red and yellow are there because they are in the traditional Orkney flag. Red is the Orkney colour and the yellow is in recognition of both the royal standards of Scotland and of Norway, and it's the colour of the sand on the beaches. The blue in the flag is for the sea all around us." The islands' council asked its 20,000 inhabitants to choose from a shortlist after being told that its traditional banner - the red and yellow cross of St Magnus - could not be made official by the Lord Lyon. The Cross of St Magnus is believed to date from the 14th century when it was the flag used by the temporary union of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and by extension Orkney and Shetland. But the Lord Lyon, who rules on Scottish heraldry, told the council the St Magnus cross was too similar to a number of designs, including the old arms of the Kingdom of Ulster. Islanders were told that if they wanted an official banner they would have to come up with something fresh. There are now plans to "saturate" the islands with the new flag in a grand display of Orkney pride.

DISGUISES WHO WON THROUGH
Disguised as cows , in long dark frocks a squad of troops under the Earl of Douglas were able to get to the foot of the battlements at the previously impregnable castle of Roxburgh, then scale the walls, overwhelm the garrison and capture it! The attack, against the English garrison took place in 1314
and was a major psychological victory.

Bonnie Prince Charlie , who escaped dressed as Flora MacDonald's maid Betty Burke, after Culloden, may have learned his art from his father, the Auld Pretender, James VIII. On his way to the 1715 Jacobite uprising, he vrossed France dressed as a priest.

THE ELUSIVE HAGGIS OF SCOTLAND
One of our best loved creatures, the haggis, a shy creature of the heather clad hills who forage for berries, heather, neeps and tatties. The term for a group of haggii is a humph, or as most often heard of as a herd. Because haggis are hill creatures they have developed one leg longer than the other, being the left or right depending on territory. Haggis is the main feature dish of a Burns Supper held each January 25th. It is worth a mention, that as haggis are so rare you will be lucky indeed to actually see one in its natural habitat. Wish to join in a haggis hunt? contact info@mcleanscotland.co.uk
Thanks to Jim Hewitson's Scottish Miscellany, a great book to savour over a whisky by a log fire!

SHINTY - SCOTLAND'S OLDEST GAME
SHINTY is a game unique to Scotland and one of the oldest games in the world. fast moving and skillful - there is no other spectator sport like it! It is played by two teams of twelve each player armed with a stick called a caman (the gaelic for shinty stick) and is similar to hockey. You can carry the ball on the caman which can be swung above shoulder level. The game lasts 20 minutes.
THE RULES similar to hockey as both are played with ball and stick. The most obvious difference is there is no restriction to the swing of the stick, the head of which is triangular, enabling players to strike the ball on both sides. Holding the ball is not allowed although the use of feet to stop the ball is.
SHINTY - HURLING shinty teams have been meeting hurling teams from Ireland for over 100 years on an organised basis. The first meeting being held in 1897 in Glasgow when Scotland won 11 - 2 and 2 - 0 in the return match in Dublin.
HISTORY shinty is closely associated with Iona, Columba left Ireland in 563AD for Scotland and landed on the wee isle of Iona, it is said due to a quarrel over a game of camanach (shinty). A 15th century stone on Iona depicts not only the owners broadsword but also a caman stick with a ball beside it. The first written records of the game date from 14th and 15th centuries although even older legends of heros and warriors are to be found playing the game.

WHERE IS IT PLAYED? it is played as a community sport so clubs do not always have a ground or stadium, but play on local parks, and can be found from rothesay on the Isle of Bute to the Granite city - Aberdeen and from the western isles to Lochaber, Ullapool, Oban and the west coast, the magnificent setting of Castle Leod in Strathpeffer is just one of the beautiful places where you can see the game layed. FOR MORE INFORMATION LOOK AT http://shinty.com/main.asp

OBAN CELTIC
Team Colours Green & White Hooped Jerseys, White Shorts, Green Stockings In 1927, when the town of Oban fielded a senior and junior side, it was felt that there were enough good players who could not get a game for these teams, to form another side. It was decided to field a junior side, and its name was decided by the toss of a coin. The club did not have to wait long for its first success, winning the Bullough Cup in 1928. Teams are currently fielded at senior, junior, Under-17 and Under-14 level. The Under-14 team were beaten in the final of the Ken MacMaster national trophy in 1992, the first time the cup was played for. Oban Celtic use the facilities at Ganavan and Mossfield Park. For some time the club's ground was at Moleigh Farm, four miles outside Oban. The club is rightly considered amongst one of the most respected in terms of its history. The Camanachd Cup has been won five times, with the club also having played in the Final on four other occasions. The club decided to go senior in 1935. Two years later, in the Semi-final of the Camanachd Cup, three Celtic players were ordered off. Three replacements were introduced from the junior side for the Final and Celtic went on to defeat Newtonmore for a famous victory, their first ever in the Final. The MacAulay Cup has also been won on five occasions and the Dunn Cup, the Division One Championship in the south, on eleven occasions. The club have also won the Sutherland Cup (once) and Celtic Society Cup (twice) and the Torlundy Cup (three times) amongst many other trophies.

OBAN CAMANACHD
Team Colours - Red/Black Hooped Jerseys, White Shorts, Red/Black Stockings Alternative Colours - White Jerseys, Black Shorts, Red/Black Stockings There is evidence that Oban Shinty Club was in existence as early as 1881, although the centenary was not celebrated until 1989. The club was re-formed in 1922. Two teams are fielded now, the senior team in the Premier League and a junior team, founded in 1923 under the name of Lochside Rovers, in Division 2 South. There is also an Under-17 team which won the MacQuiston Cup in 1992. It is amongst the most successful in the game, having won the Celtic Society Cup on six successive occasions from 1987. The Camanachd Cup has been won in 1933 and 1938 and the MacAulay Cup has been won on numerous occasions.

We have selected two teams for you, both from Oban, where Paul was born, a natural choice!.

Just over five million people live in Scotland, yet estimates of those claiming a Scottish heritage range from 40 to 80 million. Whether they stayed in Scotland or left for whatever reason, being Scottish is something people clung to through the centuries. Hardly a country exists without the Scottish footfall. Scots took not just themselves and their families, their skills and talents, but their values and beliefs. The Scots have made their mark around the world. THE St Andrew's Society of the State of New York is arguably the most prestigious of all Scottish organisations in the United States - and possibly the world. It is a veritable Who's Who of power and influence, and at one time owned the land where the New York Stock Exchange sits. Duncan Bruce, the 95th and current president of the society, was born in the US, but considers himself a proud Scot. "My two grandparents, Archibald Bruce and Mary McTavish Bruce, were from Argyll, one from Lochgilphead and one from Ardrishaig," he says. "They were married in 1890 in Philadelphia as soon as Mary got off the boat. Archibald had come over here and built a house as he was a carpenter. Both spoke Gaelic." Bruce is keen to promote the diaspora and has mooted the idea of a Scottish Hall of Fame. To some extent, it mirrors The Scottish 100, which details the global success and achievements of Scots. Want to trace ancestors? see our links page.

some Scottish/American facts
21 signatories of the Declaration of Independence who were Scots or of Scots descent. Nine of the governors of the newly-created United States of America were of Scots descent.
130 PLACES in North Carolina which begin with Mc or Mac.
1850 THE year Allan Pinkerton moved to Chicago to found the now world-famous detective agency. Bor