Travel

As we eagerly step into February, bidding farewell to the somewhat gloomy and prolonged days of January, I find myself back from the sunlit shores of Malaga—a charming city that makes for an excellent getaway if you haven't experienced it yet.This trip has become an annual tradition, serving as a delightful celebration for my birthday nestled at the...

Surf crashed against the beautiful, sandy beach for as far as the eye could see under a cloudless, blue sky as we lunched in shorts and T-shirts in temperatures well over 20C. A lone windsurfer cut through the azure blue sea and locals indicated that this beach was popular with surfers. It is easy to see why.Dog walkers paraded along the boardwalk. Others...

The newest Cunard ship, the Queen Anne, visited South Queensferry on her maiden trip.The ship dropped anchor just off South Queensferry making her first port of call on the British Isles Festival Voyage. She was accompanied by Forth Ports tugs who gave the traditional display with their firehoses to mark the ship's first arrival in the river.A traditional piper...

The all-electric train operator which has caused a stir on the Edinburgh to London route is looking to run trains to Glasgow perhaps from next summer.FirstGroup which owns Lumo has said that the company is in discussions with Transport Scotland and Network Rail to extend the routes on to Glasgow after the trains arrive in Edinburgh. This would...

Air Canada has announced it will resume and extend its non-stop service between Edinburgh and Toronto.Starting from June 2023, the service will operate up to daily during the summer peak, and continue three times weekly into the winter season until January 8. It is currently planned to return in early spring 2024.Air Canada offers more daily flights from...

Ryanair has announced a sale on flights to the slopes with the lowest fares available to many European ski destinations this winter.With fares starting from £29.99, this is the time to book and then take in those snowy mountain views before enjoying some much-deserved après ski.Whether you’re looking for an adventurous winter break on the slopes or a relaxing escape...

Walking, hiking and rambling is the number one planned activity for visitors to Scotland this summer, according to new figures coinciding with National Walking Month.The new VisitScotland stats show that tourists are flocking to Scotland from around the UK and overseas for short walks and coast-to-coast trails as well as Munro-bagging.Scotland's national tourism organisation said visitors then spend millions...

Hainan Airlines will operate more flights from Edinburgh to Beijing this year.The airline will increase the length of their season by nine weeks and it will now run from 17 May to 26 October.Four flights to Beijing will be available to passengers each week in the peak summer months aboard an Airbus A330-300.Edinburgh is the only airport in...

New phase of Industry leading holiday homes take centre stage at Camelot Holiday Park.Camelot Holiday Park at Longtown in Cumbria has released a new phase of luxury holiday homes to buy - at last year's prices.Prices are from £55,000 for the three bedroom Willerby Manor, a spacious and contemporary static caravan holiday home with a fully fitted luxury kitchen...

A camping and glamping site near Musselburgh has been awarded a five-star rating by VisitScotland with inspectors praising the quality of the facilities and describing the park and its grounds as ‘spotless’.The rating makes Drummohr one of only 33 five-star camping and caravan parks sites across Scotland and one of four five-star sites in East Lothian.Drummohr has undergone significant...

Holyrood Park is widely seen as 'an iconic green space' in the heart of the city and 'Edinburgh's premier park'.Through the path-breaking work of James Hutton, the park also has great significance in the history of geology. It is, many would agree, ‘a city park like no other’. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is currently carrying out a 12-week...

Sadly, Portobello made the headlines for all the wrong reasons during the early stages of lockdown when thousands packed the beach to grab some welcome relief and enjoy the sunshine.Senior politicians expressed concern, particularly after disturbances, and this cast an unexpected and unwanted nationwide spotlight on the Costa del Forth.Now, as we continue to be dominated by the world-wide...

Paris less than one year out from the Olympics followed by the Paralympic Games, is currently in-Seine-ly gripped by Rugby World Cup fever, fired by France's sensational opening night victory over the mighty All Blacks.French fans crave their fist Rugby World Cup win but, while the oval ball circus continues, construction is going ahead at pace for Paris 2024, and the worlds...

If you happen to be in London this summer then while Her Majesty is up at Balmoral you can wander through the corridors of her London home. Buckingham Palace has opened the 19 State Rooms to the public until 29 September with the exhibition Queen Victoria's Palace. The exhibition celebrates the 200th anniversary of her birth.The State Rooms are...

Service to operate up to daily during the summer peak and it will continue three times weekly into the winter seasonCustomers in Scotland will benefit from convenient connections across North America and beyond via Air Canada’s Toronto hubAir Canada has resumed its non-stop service between Edinburgh Airport and its Toronto hub. The newly extended service is set to...

As a result of a multimillion pound investment in a new aircraft and additional crew at Edinburgh Airport, Ryanair is announcing six new routes from our capital's airport this summer.The new routes will take passengers to Belfast, Bournemouth, Cornwall, London Stansted, Rhodes and Venice as well as 63 other destinations in Ireland and Europe. There will also be...

One of the world's most luxurious and unique cruising yachts called in at Ocean Terminal this week on its first ever cruise from Scotland.The Scenic Eclipse II set off from Leith for its eight day Scottish Isles, Historic Trails and Wilderness Voyage, calling at Aberdeen on Friday and other locations will include Stromness in Orkney, St Kilda and Skye.The...

Rothbury. We've seen the sign on many occasions as we drove up and down the A1, but never thought of making the short journey.We did this time and we are glad we did. To set the scene, Rothbury is a market town in Northumberland. It is situated on the banks of the River Coquet and is 14 miles north...

A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP THAT’S 20 YEARS IN THE BAKING!Kenmore Bakery used its special 25th Anniversary Afternoon Tea, held on Saturday at the bakery in Acharn, Kenmore, to thank one of its most loyal customers in the Highland Perthshire area, which has been buying the bakery’s award winning shortbread for nearly twenty years.Five star Mains of Taymouth Country Estate & Golf...

With the quirky touch of public rooms named after Shetland Ponies originally stabled in the nearby Stud on the estate, it is obvious that there is a great deal of history surrounding the original buildings which now form part of Garvock House Hotel in Dunfermline!Formerly known as Transy House, the House was owned by a wealthy family and formed...

Many of us would struggle to row half a mile let alone 3,000 miles across the Atlantic but that’s what a team of five rowers from Portobello achieved.Crossing the finish line in Antigua in late January having set off from the Canary Islands 39 days earlier, the Atlantic Body & Soul team are back and giving a "blisters and...

Lovers of all ages are being invited to check-in to what has been called Edinburgh’s most romantic hotel room – at a boutique city centre hotel which was newly refurbished  in 2018 after a devastating fire. Nira Caledonia reopened its doors to the public just in time for summer following a £1.4 million intensive project to restore half of the...

Scotland’s only direct flight to the Caribbean began this week as Virgin Atlantic set off for Barbados from Edinburgh Airport.A launch event for the new service was held on Wednesday as flight VS223 departed from the capital to the island on 8 December. The twice weekly service is being operated on an Airbus A330 with three classes available, The...

Soaring numbers of people from across the world are exploring Scotland solo - including Edinburgh - new figures have revealed.Visitors say that Scotland's friendly people and inclusive culture make the country stand out from other destinations.VisitScotland has identified a post-pandemic trend in solo travelling after a surge of interest over the last three years.From 2021 to 2023, Google searches...

At Edinburgh Airport Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have introduced a new service allowing you to check your bags in the day before your flight.This move could make your journey a bit easier on the day of travel itself, allowing you just to walk through the security area to the departure lounge. (It only applies to flights leaving in the...

MAINS OF TAYMOUTH OFFERS TWO LOCATIONS FOR HOLIDAY HOME OWNERSHIP Mains of Taymouth Country Estate & Golf Course is offering those in the market for a luxury holiday home two fantastic opportunities to secure a property on the five star estate.Overlooking the picturesque nine hole golf course, fully furnished and decorated lodges from Willerby Bespoke are available at the Cairn...

The Nethy Bridge Hotel, part of the Strathmore Hotel group, is described in the promotional material as a charming Victorian manor house.This imposing, granite-built hotel appeared that way as our taxi rolled up to the entrance. I was looking forward to some good Highland hospitality. However, the 70-bed hotel spectacularly failed to live up to that billing.It is ideally...

A new visitor trail based upon the three bridges over the Forth at Noth and South Queensferry has been launched by VisitScotland.The Forth Bridges Trail is a five-mile circular route with 16 points of interest in North and South Queensferry and along the Forth Road Bridge. There is a historical element to it sprinkled with local tales and folklore,...

The 900 service is a familiar sight on Edinburgh city centre streets and now it will run 24 hours a day seven days a week to connect the capital to Glasgow. Tickets will be £7.60 single and £10.00 return. If you buy in advance the return is £7.60.This means that the service will offer 50 journeys each way every...

Wildfires continue to create problems in Greece and Rhodes in particular.Jet2 have issued an update for their customers.A spokesperson said: "By the end of Wednesday 26 July Jet2.com will have operated 20 flights to the UK from Rhodes so far this week – a combination of repatriation flights and scheduled flights - which have continued to meet the...