Soak in the views: a Perth farmhouse is on sale for £450,000
When the Perthshire native Julie Campbell and her Spanish husband, José González, bought part of a derelict farm steading on a hillside north of Pitlochry back in 2009, it contained just one thing: a beautiful, beaten-up, old Victorian rolltop cast-iron bathtub.
As they undertook an architect-designed conversion of the steading to turn it into what is today — the sublime, four-bedroom semi-detached countryside home they call simply The Barn — it seemed a shame to throw the old bath away. So it was shifted into the front garden, where it stands ornamentally on a raised deck, against a backdrop of a lush green hillside. It has been put to a multitude of uses ever since.
'I was going to make it into a pond,' Campbell
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BBC News
21 hours ago
- BBC News
Solway coastline secures major restoration boost
The Solway coastline in south west Scotland has secured a major funding boost to help with its conservation, restoration and is the first project to secure support through the National Lottery Heritage Fund's (NLHF) £150m Landscape Connections Solway Coast and Marine Landscape Connections Project - Scamp for short - will receive £1.4m to shape plans which will help unlock a further £ will work with the local community to deliver an extensive programme of habitat restoration right along the Dumfries and Galloway coast. The project is the first of about 20 across the UK which will benefit from the funding aimed at boosting nature recovery, helping rural economies and attracting more chief executive Eilish McGuinness said it was the "perfect project" to get things started."The Solway Firth's rich natural heritage has supported communities along its length since the earliest settlement," she said."The heritage of millennia of human habitation are reflected in the landscape and history of the people, places and communities."This will be enhanced with National Lottery player support to deliver large-scale, long-term, meaningful change for the environment and its people, furthering our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for, and sustained for everyone, now and in the future." Dumfries and Galloway Council is leading the Scamp initiative alongside a long list of local Gail MacGregor said: "With a potential total investment of almost £8m from the heritage fund this commitment demonstrates the huge potential of our Solway Coast to become a leading light in coastal and marine nature restoration, playing its part in helping with the nature and climate crisis."By allowing our coastal and marine environment to thrive we will be bringing opportunities for learning, green jobs, wellbeing and nature-related economic development to our communities." Karen Morley, Scamp programme manager, said it welcomed the funding."It is rare for a nature restoration project to attract this level of investment over a prolonged period of time," she said."But it is also essential for this ambitious innovative programme of work to be delivered by ourselves and our partners and ensure we can make a real restorative impact on our Solway land and seascape." The Scamp scheme will be delivered over 10 years including a two-year development key habitats will be prioritised - seagrass meadows, native oyster reefs, saltmarsh, coastal woodland and sand dunes. It will also see 120 miles (195km) of new coastal trail created with 10 coastal "gateway" sites along the coast and trails will allow people to learn more about the Solway Firth and the surrounding area.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Reform has landed in Scotland
Yet again a Scottish by-election has kicked the political establishment in the shins. Yes, in Scotland, after 18 years in power, the SNP is currently the political establishment and its defeat at the hands of Labour with a 602 vote majority – and Reform UK close behind in third place by just 869 – votes demonstrates the disruptors are making an impact. Labour's unexpected and narrow victory makes it clear the SNP is likely to struggle to form a Government when the full Holyrood election is held next May. That election will be held under a proportional voting system which, were Reform UK to poll anything like the 26.1 per cent achieved in Hamilton by its candidate Ross Lambie, could give the party a healthy group of MSPs in the mid-twenties and possibly make them king-makers. For the Conservatives, the evening was bad but not quite as embarrassing as they privately feared. Polling only 1621 votes, Tory sighs of relief were audible from Gretna to John O'Groats once they realised their vote share was 6 per cent, saving a lost deposit had it fallen to below 5 per cent. Still, it remains impossible to say if the Conservatives have yet bottomed out. Tory candidates face being squeezed across Scotland from all ends by the other pro-UK parties so long as regaining trust with voters remains the Conservatives' biggest challenge. Despite the best efforts of Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay providing more focussed stewardship, the Conservatives still risk falling below their worst ever Holyrood vote in 2011 when Annabel Goldie's campaign achieved only 12.4 per cent. The SNP leadership will need to look hard at their strategy of building up Reform as a 'far right' bogeyman and talking-up the prospect of a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform. The First Minster, John Swinney, had suggested the only way to stop Reform was for Labour voters to get behind the SNP; he begged them from the pages of a Labour-supporting tabloid to come over to the nationalists. Instead of reducing Labour's support by this tactical ploy, he received a stinging political slap in the face as his pleas only served to give Reform credibility as a serious challenger while Labour activists flooded the constituency on the last day to get their vote out. What is also clear from the by-election is that making out Nigel Farage as a vote loser in Scotland does not hold water. The same used to be said about Margaret Thatcher and Boris Johnson, but the truth is there has always been a Scottish market for big personalities that parties of the Left have sought to demonise. Photos of the Clacton MP were all over the Reform UK's publicity materials, and he was regularly promoted via social media – and did the unthinkable of visiting the constituency during the campaign. Yes, he's a marmite figure, but he's been a marmite figure for much of his political life in most of England too, and now has the best ratings of all the party leaders. After the initial realisation during polling day that they simply did not have the shoe leather on the ground to push for second place, Reform UK's supporters quickly realised they had actually achieved an amazing result. Their candidate, Ross Lambie, had polled 7,088 – which next to Labour's 8,599 and the SNP's 7,957 resulted in a highly creditable three-way fight. Coming from only 7.8 per cent in the Hamilton and Clyde Valley Westminster constituency boundary at last year's general election to achieve 26.1 per cent this time round is a very strong showing. Reform UK has landed in Scotland.
Sky News
a day ago
- Sky News
Scottish Labour win by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse as SNP suffer shock defeat
Scottish Labour's Davy Russell has won the by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. Mr Russell took top spot with 8,559 votes. The SNP placed second with 7,957 votes, with Reform UK closely taking third with 7,088 votes. The new MSP said he was "proud" to have been elected, adding: "I said in this campaign that I will put this community, our community first. "I will work every single day to do that." The by-election was called following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie. The Scottish government minister died in March at the age of 57, having last year taken medical leave to undergo treatment for secondary breast cancer. heavy losses to Labour at last year's UK general election. First Minister John Swinney congratulated Mr Russell following the result. In a post on X, the SNP leader said Ms Loudon had "fought a superb SNP campaign". He added: "We have made progress since the election last year but not enough. We still have work to do and we will do it." All eyes were also on Reform UK and whether it would enjoy a "tartan bounce" in light of the party's recent slew of local election wins in England. With Reform UK never having won an election in Scotland, party deputy leader Richard Tice said candidate Ross Lambie coming in third was a "massive boost for us". He added: "It's a fantastic result, just a few hundred votes away from the SNP, nobody predicted that. "I think that sets us up with excitement and momentum for the next 11 months into the Holyrood elections." Mr Russell said the constituents had voted to "take a new direction" with his party. He added: "Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP. "They've broken our NHS, wasted our money, and after nearly two decades they don't deserve another chance." 1:01 Mr Russell said the community had also "sent a message" to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage "and his mob tonight". He added: "The poison of Reform isn't us, it isn't Scotland, and we don't want your division here. "Reform have no real answers to the issues we face, and they can't beat the SNP here or replace them across Scotland." Mr Russell said his party was ready to "fix" the NHS and "end the SNP's addiction to wasting your money". He added: "The road to a new direction for Scotland in 2026 - with Anas Sarwar as first minister and a Scottish Labour government - begins right here. So, let's go and win it together." Ten candidates went head-to-head in the Holyrood by-election: • Collette Bradley, Scottish Socialist Party - 278 votes • Andy Brady, Scottish Family Party - 219 votes • Ross Lambie, Reform UK - 7,088 votes • Katy Loudon, Scottish National Party (SNP) - 7,957 votes • Janice MacKay, UK Independence Party (UKIP) - 50 votes • Ann McGuinness, Scottish Green Party - 695 votes • Aisha Mir, Scottish Liberal Democrats - 533 votes • Richard Nelson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - 1,621 votes • Davy Russell, Scottish Labour Party - 8,559 votes • Marc Wilkinson, Independent - 109 votes The votes were verified and manually counted at South Lanarkshire Council headquarters in Hamilton. Campaigning became heated in the run up to the by-election, with Reform UK accused of running a "racist" ad on Facebook against Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Reform leader Mr Farage continued to double down, accusing his rival of "sectarian politics". In response, the Scottish Labour MSP branded Mr Farage a "poisonous little man" and accused him of running a "campaign of dirt and smear". First Minister Mr Swinney had earlier warned it was a "two-horse race" between the SNP and Reform UK, urging voters to "defeat the gutter politics" of Mr Farage. With less than a year to go before the Scottish parliament election, the result potentially offers a snapshot of how the political landscape north of the border could look in 2026. Mr Sarwar said: "I think people need to change the script, because we've proven the pollsters wrong.
