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A postcard from… snowy Edinburgh
I haven’t been showing up much lately on social media or on the blog in these first weeks of 2018 (why? Well, I’ve found that the less online time the less stress I have, so I’m just embracing the offline. Or real life, some might say). But — very quickly — I wanted to share…
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A wintry walk around Ardmore Point, Helensburgh
When it comes to the seasons, I’m like a flighty lover. Every time another one rolls around — whether that’s the depths of winter, or the height of the Scottish summer — I declare I’m in love. Autumn or spring is the only one for me; I adore the frosted leaves, or make eyes at…
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A whirlwind walking tour of Glasgow city centre
Advert: A bloggers’ press trip with VisitScotland. As someone who grew up not far from Glasgow, studied there and then swapped it for Edinburgh, I’ve experienced both of Scotland’s most noted cities. Glasgow is unpretentious, sprawling and somewhat underrated by visitors; whilst Edinburgh is its obviously beautiful opposite, with its Old and New Towns and…
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An evening at Edinburgh’s Christmas market
Over the past few weeks, winter has come to Edinburgh. Reports of the first frost on the Meadows; walks home with numb ears and breath clouding before me; the early sunsets that belie the true chill. I’d take a cold, dry day over rain every time and — as the weeks speed towards Christmas —…
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From castle to coast: A day in Dirleton, East Lothian
The more I see of East Lothian, the more I love it. Sitting adjacent to historic Edinburgh, this sprawling region of countryside, castles and coastline really is a gem — and makes ideal day-trip fodder for us when we need to escape the city. This weekend (after a bit of research and map reading via…
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A postcard from… the Scottish Borders
Rather like Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders are a part of Scotland that may not feature on your immediate itinerary if your travel aims are to bag big mountains, wild coastlines and postcard castles. However — especially with the golden light and changing trees of autumn — the Scottish Borders are understated yet beautiful. Last…
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Autumn in Glasgow’s gothic West End
With its sandstone-lined streets and distinctive mock-gothic university, Glasgow’s West End is beautiful. And its recent role as Boston and Harvard in Outlander has only bolstered its popularity with a new audience. This is a bourgeois bubble of Scotland’s largest city but for me, it holds more memories than a quick cameo in a TV…
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An early autumn escape (and 3 walks) in pretty Perthshire
I’m in love with autumn in Scotland — it’s like a childhood sweetheart I’ll never shake. Watching the leaves fall, mimicking the snowflakes that will come later, seemingly from the heavens. The soft switching of the colours, so hard to spot until the trees and hills are full-blown brown. The movement of the wildlife, the…
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Finding fairytales at Preston Mill, East Lothian
As I write, looking out the window of our flat towards Arthur’s Seat, here or there a pioneering tree shouts its last of the season in yellow ochre. The dormant volcano’s rump is going from green to purple, the outcome of that colour wash the inevitable dull brown of deep winter. I wonder how many…
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Hill & Haar 