News.Scotland.Org

If you are looking for a weekend itinerary, choose for a walking tour onto the Eildon Hills in Melrose, Scotland. The Eldion Hills are said to be the icons of the Borders and are visible from miles around. Steeped in legend and history, the King Arthur and his army are said to have lived up here. The Iron Age man and Romans have also called it their home in the past.

Although the walk up is steep, quickly you’ll get views down to Melrose and its picturesque abbey. Mid Hill, at 1,385ft, is the highest of the Eildons and the first point you’ll reach at. From here you can get fantastic views across the rolling Borders countryside. You then walk to the top of North Hill, once the site of an Iron Age fort and a Roman Hill Station. You’ll get better view of the Tweed Valley, with the old railway viaduct at Leaderfoot visible below.

A steep descent takes you close to where the Queen of the Fairies is once said to have got to work on a Borders man, Thomas the Rhymer (She entranced him away to fairyland and when he returned several years later – although he thought he had only been gone a few days – he had the ability to see into the future.).  You can take a detour to a memorial marking the actual spot it is said to have happened. It takes 3 to 4 hours for you to reach the top of the hill and the distance is almost 5 miles from below. The road that leads to the top can be muddy and rough, so that a full walking gear is needed. Also, you are at the mercy of the elements on top.

The lanes and paths from top of the hills lead back to the pretty town of Melrose. In the centre of Melrose, opposite the abbey, there is a pay and display car park. Melrose is blessed with a great range of places to eat and drink including Marmions Brasserie, Burt’s Hotel and a range of cafés. For a really good, vibrant pub try the Ship Inn.

While you holiday in Melrose visit places that have some significance to the past. At the centre of the town is the place where the heart of Robert the Bruce is thought to have buried. The Three Hills Roman Heritage Centre, just next to the library passed at the start of the walk, is full of interesting history about the town and the surrounding countryside.

The coming autumn season in Fife, Scotland is marked for something special for the children. The Fife Children’s Book Festival will happen from Sunday 12th September to 25th September 2010.

Fife Council Libraries and Museums are the lead organisers of the Book festival. Children’s Book Festival features appearances by best-selling children’s authors, related craft and reading workshops and entrancing book, film, theatre and other entertainment events set in libraries, theatres, public parks and community venues right across Fife.

The lunching day will start with a day of family fun at the Dunfermline Family Book Carnival in Pittencreiff Park from 11am – 5pm. Then it’s a white knuckle ride through 14 days of the most interesting and diverse events you can imagine. For little readers in the early years the festival has special theatre, stories & film events to share and the chance to hear favourite stores come alive from the lips of the writers themselves.

The festival’s mid-primary programme has a wonderful selection of performance poetry and award winning writers to inspire readers and support the curriculum with events that are original,funny, scary and thrilling – with something for all tastes and ages.

Events for Older Primary children have Samurai sword displays, Scottish history, the launch of Cathy Cassidy’s new book and award winning writers galore. The book & film events are a great new idea this time for class reading and the organisers supply the books!

If you are of Secondary School age watch out for American best-seller Michael Grant as he launches his new book in the popular series ‘Gone. Add to this Book and film evenings, a flying theatre and a special CPD event for teachers. The final day of Family Book Carnival will be held in St. Andrews. The event organisers are trying their maximum to make sure that you’ve had the best time at the Best Children’s Book Festival Fife has ever seen!

Scotland has an outstanding diversity of cetacean watching opportunities with its extensive coastline, numerous headlands and rich inshore waters. Recently, there were evident sightings of dolphins and whales have reported in Moray Firth and at Spey Bay.

It is not months, but only a few weeks since the bottle-nose colony of dolphins along the coast in Moray Firth started to delight wildlife watchers. The authorities got worried since the influx of visitors started to increase and they have issued a plea for the public to act responsibly to ensure Scotland remains number one place in Europe for dolphin watching. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is concerned following reports of harassment.

Harbour porpoises and minke whales have also been reported from the WDCS wildlife centres and other shore-based watching sites around Scotland. Pilot whales have been spotted near Cromarty in spring and a “super-pod” of common dolphins in Gairloch. There are some great land-based watching sites all around Scotland that are really easy for visitors to reach by car or on foot. The authorities reminds the public, if anyone is out watching dolphins by boat on the water, they can keep a safe distance away from them to ensure the animals security.

It is always an unforgettable experience to see whales and dolphins in their natural environment. All you need is a bit patience to spot them in sea raise up by chance.

Scotland is about to get a major tourist attraction soon with the transformation of the home of  ‘Sir Walter Scott‘, in the Borders. The ‘Abbotsford House’ will get a makeover with the grant of  £4.8m by the Heritage lottery fund. This project has seen lot of support and appreciation from all corners, Lord Sanderson, chairman of Abbotsford Trust said that, this project will create a legacy for one of the Scotland’s important son.

Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish historical novelist and poet, he was also the first English language author to get an international career in his life.

It was learnt that a new visitor centre, learning suite and exhibition area will also be constructed along with other repair works. This project will be one of the major tourist attractions with Sir Walter Scott being the person who lifted the Scottish identity at the global platform with his literary works.

This project will also draw lot of revenue for the Scotland tourism board being a world class tourist attraction.

Source :  BBC News

Scotland government has announced new funding to help events in the Highland, since the country is getting ready to celebrate the year of Food and drink.

Events that will receive funding include September’s Blas Festival and the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship in October this year. The Royal National Mod in Thurso and Wick, Living Food in Cawdor and Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running have also been targeted with funding.

The announcement was made in Dornoch, the location for one of four government cabinet meetings across Scotland. The year of food and drink will be running until next May in 2011. This year will be celebrated as a legacy of the Scottish government’s Homecoming Scotland celebrations last year.

First Minister Alex Salmond have said that, the events in the Highlands selected for funding can help enhance Scotland’s reputation as a land of food and drink.

The minister feels that the food and drink sector plays a key role in recovering Scotland’s economy, since visitors to Scotland is sure to spend one pound in every five on food and drink related activities. Foreseeing this opportunity Scotland will produce some of the finest of food and drinks in the world for  promotion.

The Big Kid Circus is coming to Dunfermline tomorrow, that is on Tuesday 27th July. Dunfermline has always on offers some fantastic entertainment & events, with something for everyone!

It’s Dunfermline’s turn to welcome the ‘Big Kid Circus’, and they have now entered their sixth successful year of touring throughout UK. With the effort of Kiril Kirilov, and his wife, Bili-Anna, the Big Kid Circus aims to produce high quality, exciting entertainment, using artistes new to the UK.

The Big Kid Circus also offers another fabulous opportunity for your kids who are celebrating their Birthdays. The Big Kid Circus throws special entertainment for a group of more than ten children. Dunfermline’s perfect location also makes it your ideal base to get out and enjoy all that Fife & Scotland have to offer.

So do you want to feel like a big kid again? Book your tickets and rush for the magic.

With multiple stages and an eclectic mix of festival favourites, iconic acts, local bands, and headliners with a wide appeal, the 9th Wickerman festival 2010 will happen today (23rd July) and tomorrow(24th July) in Scotland. Up to 20,000 music fans are expected to arrive for the event.

Sited on 120 acres of isolated farmland, near Dundrennan, South West Scotland, in deepest Galloway, the festival welcomes families, and features two main stages, as well as a dance area, acoustic and reggae tents, a campsite, trade stalls, alternative area, bars, and food stalls.

The Wickerman features a children’s area, Dumfries Museum’s Activity Tent, a drumming workshop, mountain bike skills workshops with the Forestry Commission, Cosmic Circles Fire Dancers, a funfair for kids, chainsaw juggling, outdoor cinema, children’s circus and the climax of the weekend’s happening is the burning of a 25 foot high wickerman sculpture on Saturday at midnight.

This year’s fancy dress theme is Vampires and Werewolves. Festival goers are invited to bring their Halloween costumes and get in the Hammy Horror groove for next July’s fangtastic celebration of all things Fiery and Fearsome. This time Wickerman Festival have a twinning agreement with the Lake of Stars Festival in Malawi. Both the festivals will work together to promote Scottish and African arts, culture and tourism, with bands from both continents having the opportunity to perform on an international stage.

The tickets cost for adults £85, teens aged 13-15 cost £42.50, kids under 13 are admitted free. Everyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult and bring proof of age – anyone without proof of ID will be liable to pay the full adult ticket price at the gate.

Fife is celebrating the great Outdoor Access Festival which will begin from Saturday 31st July and will last untill Sunday 8th August 2010. It is an extensive programme featuring over 100 outdoor events, designed to promote access and enjoyment of Fife’s great outdoors.

The festival, which is in its third year, has gone from strength to strength.  This year the organisers are planning to  almost doubling the number of events on offer to visitors, ranging from walking to cycling, and rambling for the disabled to horse riding.

For the first time ever this year, organisers are teaming up with nearby Dundee Parkour club to bring urban free running and parkour into Fife. Parkour- a non-competitive sport with French origins, where participants run along a route attempting to climb or negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, is relatively new to the UK.

The festival is run jointly by Fife Coast & Countryside Trust and Fife Access Forum and the events are run by a wide range of over thirty commercial and public sector organisations including Fife Council Outdoor Education Team, Ramblers Scotland, Forth and Tay Disabled Ramblers, British Horse Society and Blown Away Land Yachts.

This year’s festival also plays a key role in the “Celebrating Fife” campaign which is coordinated by Fife Council.

Celebrating Fife 2010 showcases Fife’s unique environment, cultural identity and lifestyle activities. The programme of events and opportunities is ambitious, and aims to raise awareness of Fife’s heritage and its hidden cultural gems. Tickets have already started its sale and everyone who books their festival tickets online will also receive a free copy of the latest Scotland Outdoor Magazine direct to your doorstep!

A study report by NHS Health Scotland found out that Scottish adults drink 25 per cent per head of population than those in England and Wales. The reason behind this is stated as there was a 70 per cent drop in alcohol’s relative cost.

The research analysis was based on the industry data of sales of pure alcohol per person,which averaged 12.2 litres of pure alcohol per person over the age of 18.

The 50.5 million litres of pure alcohol sold in Scotland last year was enough for every adult drinker to exceed the weekly consumption guidelines for men every week of the year.

The new figures come as the Scottish Government pushes for a minimum price for alcohol to tackle the country’s drink-related problems. The figure remained virtually static since 2005 and is equivalent to more than 537 pints of beer or 130 bottles of wine.

The Scotland Police is spending an amount of £3.56billion a year to solve the problems related to drunkards.  Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said it was now time for critics of the Scottish Government’s minimum pricing plans to “wake up” to the scale of the nation’s drink problem.

It was reported that the economy of Scotland have seen no development in the first quarter of this year. The authorities say the severe winter weather have got to do with this lagging growth of Scotland’s economy.

“Over the year the construction sector was hit the hardest, but in the first three months of the year it grew by 2.8%. And the service sector, which fell by 2.4% in the last year, continued to decline by 0.2% in the first quarter”, says the Finance Secretary John Swinney.

Scotland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remained at the same level as the last three months of 2009, but fell by 3.5% over the year to the end of March. Although the Scotland government says it was later into the recession than the rest of the UK there seems a lagging effect in terms of recovery.

Scotland emerged from recession in the final quarter of last year with an increase of just 0.3%.

The UK economy as a whole grew by 0.3% in the first three months of this year.