Latest news with #ClanMacDonald
NZ Herald
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Scotland Highlands bus tour shows you the best of the region
Passing the ancient stronghold of Stirling Castle, Alistair regales tales of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce and reveals that while William Wallace was hanged, drawn and quartered, he was not known as Braveheart. Instead, the real Braveheart was Robert the Bruce, who, inspired by a spider's persistence to anchor its web, defeated King Edward 11 in the Battle of Bannockburn. We also pass the grave of Rob Roy MacGregor, known as the Scottish Robin Hood. Our refreshment stop is at the Gateway to the Highlands in the charming town of Callander. Nestled near Loch Lomond in the heart of the Trossachs National Park, it offers an array of gift shops and bakeries. Further along, Alistair points out some hairy Highland coos (cows). We stop to swap hairdressing tips as Alistair tells us their glamorous ginger fringes double as fly swatters and weather shields against rain, snow and sleet. We feed carrots to the three gentle giants and give them head massages before we leave. Entering the U-shaped glacial valleys of the Highlands, it's like we've slipped into cinematic legend. Not only were Braveheart and Rob Roy filmed here, but also Harry Potter, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Skyfall, where James Bond returns to his Scottish roots. I suspect I've also slipped into Outlander country, imagining Jamie and Claire Fraser strolling hand-in-hand through the glen. Within Lochaber Geopark, we traverse the low road flanked by volcanic crags, their treeless slopes strewn with cascading scree. The hauntingly beautiful Glen Coe, once home to hundreds of Highlanders, is known as 'The Weeping Glen'. Alistair recounts the tragedy of 1692, when 38 members of Clan MacDonald were massacred after welcoming government soldiers into their homes under the guise of Highland hospitality. Passing Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis, we arrive at Fort Augustus on the Caledonian Canal, and the legendary Loch Ness. After lunch at the Loch Inn, where I balk at ordering a Haggis Burger, we board the Spirit of Loch Ness for a one-hour cruise. Our boat has state-of-the-art sonars that beam live images on screens. Sean, our captain, gives us hilarious yet gripping commentary. Part of the 250m-deep, peat-infused water is named Nessie's Lair. Only two people have reached the bottom, where, even with lights, they gained no vision. Images of a rift valley appear on the underwater scanner, and the sonar picks up large shadows. The first mysterious sighting dates to 565 AD when St Columba saw the monster attacking a man and commanded him to stop. This spawned hundreds of witness accounts referencing a creature lurking beneath the surface. Sean tells us that images of 8m-long sturgeons, hundreds of years old, have been picked up. Could these be the monsters? In 2018, New Zealand scientists tested the waters for DNA while delving into the theory that a plesiosaur had survived the dinosaur extinction. The DNA results surprisingly revealed creatures 'larger than a shark and smaller than a whale'. The abyss was filled with giant eels! I do manage to snap a photo of Nessie, but confess it was a Nessie transfer some canny Scot had applied to the window beside me. As the afternoon settles in, we head back to Edinburgh, briefly stopping at the Commando Monument and training ground for Britain's Special Forces, before veering south through Monarch of the Glen country in the Cairngorms National Park. Our final refreshment stop is at Queen Victoria's favourite village, Pitlochry, where we indulge in its famous whisky ice-cream in salute to our Highland adventure. Back in the coach, Alistair introduces us to a host of Scottish musicians such as The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Soon we're singing our way to Edinburgh with the refrain from The Proclaimers' famous song, 'But I would walk five hundred miles; And I would walk five hundred more', even though we've only travelled 340 miles on our 12-hour round trip through the Highlands of Bonnie Scotland.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Stop scapegoating Britain's landed classes
An essential tenet of today's land access movement is that landowners are villainous and the larger their holdings, the worse they are. It's an attractive idea but it doesn't withstand all that much scrutiny. Last year, the Right to Roam campaign published a collection of curious essays titled Wild Service. The premise is that farmers and landowners have ruined English and the public need to make the countryside great again. It's an argument I sort of like, except I'd go in for doing it in a less antagonistic way. Turning up uninvited on somebody's farm with a JCB and a plan to create a wetland habitat is quite likely to end in tears and prosecution. Team Right to Roam, in the introduction, single out Richard Benyon's Englefield Estate for a bit of a kicking. His 'vast domain' is, according to Wild Service, ''shut, at all times, to the public'. A clumsy comparison with the church on the estate is made, which is apparently, 'open to all'. The grace of God, it goes on, 'and the meanness of man, side by side'. You can imagine my shock when, as part of the research I was doing for my own forthcoming book, Uncommon Ground, I turned up at Englefield to find that the front gate was in fact open. I wandered up the drive and happened to meet David, a lovely Ghanaian man. He told me he was just so thankful that people open their property to the public in Britain because in Ghana there is 'nothing like this'. Curiously, over the next couple of hours, I had half a dozen similar experiences. A month later I wrote to Richard Benyon and he invited me to talk. He too had read Wild Service and his take would be best summed up as bemusement. Not only are 1,700 acres of Englefield accessible but the public being able to enjoy the countryside is something he's championed all his life and, as for that church, his 91-year-old mother opens it every morning. The narrative that large landowners are hell-bent on keeping the common man off their acres is juicy but it simply is not true. In fact, generally, the larger the holding the greater the access. Take the Holkham Estate, for instance, where Jake Fiennes – the conservation manager – told me proudly that over 20 per cent of Lord Leicester's 25,000 acres can be enjoyed by joggers and picnickers. Conversely and quite understandably, I discovered too that the smaller the holding, the less good the access often is. Sure, let's break up large estates but will there be rambling after the revolution? I met a young activist who had been sent down to the Arundel Estate to 'bear witness to the ecological destruction' that goes on behind those hedges. Funnily enough, on a place famed for wildlife conservation, she had found it anticlimactic. Not only was it teeming with birds but nobody chased her away. She concluded, resignedly, that her adventure had been a 'symbolic thing'. Last week, the news broke that Clan MacDonald's 20,000 acre estate on the Isle of Skye has gone up for sale. Some cheered – but not apparently the tenant farmers and crofters who've benefited from centuries of ownership. The Scottish government continues to give landowners a kicking and tenants suffer – it's like hammering a CEO while ignoring the impact on everybody who relies on the company. Benyon is a thoughtful man – life is too short, he told me, to care about people writing nonsense. What matters to him more apparently is the happy sound of schoolchildren visiting his estate. The week I was there, they'd had 1,700 of them through the gate. 'I want young people to understand,' he told me, 'that the countryside doesn't just happen. There are skilled people who make it happen. I want them to understand where food comes from.' We desperately need to rethink our relationship with the countryside, but if we allow half-baked narratives to foment, we will all lose. Patrick Galbraith's 'Uncommon Ground: Rethinking Our Relationship With the Countryside' will be published on April 24 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
30-03-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Stop scapegoating Britain's landed classes
An essential tenet of today's land access movement is that landowners are villainous and the larger their holdings, the worse they are. It's an attractive idea but it doesn't withstand all that much scrutiny. Last year, the Right to Roam campaign published a collection of curious essays titled Wild Service. The premise is that farmers and landowners have ruined English and the public need to make the countryside great again. It's an argument I sort of like, except I'd go in for doing it in a less antagonistic way. Turning up uninvited on somebody's farm with a JCB and a plan to create a wetland habitat is quite likely to end in tears and prosecution. Team Right to Roam, in the introduction, single out Richard Benyon's Englefield Estate for a bit of a kicking. His 'vast domain' is, according to Wild Service, ''shut, at all times, to the public'. A clumsy comparison with the church on the estate is made, which is apparently, 'open to all'. The grace of God, it goes on, 'and the meanness of man, side by side'. You can imagine my shock when, as part of the research I was doing for my own forthcoming book, Uncommon Ground, I turned up at Englefield to find that the front gate was in fact open. I wandered up the drive and happened to meet David, a lovely Ghanaian man. He told me he was just so thankful that people open their property to the public in Britain because in Ghana there is 'nothing like this'. Curiously, over the next couple of hours, I had half a dozen similar experiences. A month later I wrote to Richard Benyon and he invited me to talk. He too had read Wild Service and his take would be best summed up as bemusement. Not only are 1,700 acres of Englefield accessible but the public being able to enjoy the countryside is something he's championed all his life and, as for that church, his 91-year-old mother opens it every morning. The narrative that large landowners are hell-bent on keeping the common man off their acres is juicy but it simply is not true. In fact, generally, the larger the holding the greater the access. Take the Holkham Estate, for instance, where Jake Fiennes – the conservation manager – told me proudly that over 20 per cent of Lord Leicester's 25,000 acres can be enjoyed by joggers and picnickers. Conversely and quite understandably, I discovered too that the smaller the holding, the less good the access often is. Sure, let's break up large estates but will there be rambling after the revolution? I met a young activist who had been sent down to the Arundel Estate to 'bear witness to the ecological destruction' that goes on behind those hedges. Funnily enough, on a place famed for wildlife conservation, she had found it anticlimactic. Not only was it teeming with birds but nobody chased her away. She concluded, resignedly, that her adventure had been a 'symbolic thing'. Last week, the news broke that Clan MacDonald's 20,000 acre estate on the Isle of Skye has gone up for sale. Some cheered – but not apparently the tenant farmers and crofters who've benefited from centuries of ownership. The Scottish government continues to give landowners a kicking and tenants suffer – it's like hammering a CEO while ignoring the impact on everybody who relies on the company. Benyon is a thoughtful man – life is too short, he told me, to care about people writing nonsense. What matters to him more apparently is the happy sound of schoolchildren visiting his estate. The week I was there, they'd had 1,700 of them through the gate. 'I want young people to understand,' he told me, 'that the countryside doesn't just happen. There are skilled people who make it happen. I want them to understand where food comes from.' We desperately need to rethink our relationship with the countryside, but if we allow half-baked narratives to foment, we will all lose.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Skye clan estate and historic castle put up for sale
One of the largest estates on the Isle of Skye, which includes a famous castle and the historic lands of the Clan MacDonald, is being put up for sale. The charity which owns the land said it had taken the "difficult" decision to sell Armadale Castle and the 20,000-acre estate because of financial challenges. The Clan Donald Lands Trust said it wanted to focus on giving grants to "Clan and indigenous Highland heritage projects". The sale came as a surprise to people living in the south of Skye, who have criticised the lack of community involvement in the decision. The estate covers much of the island's southern Sleat peninsula. The land is mostly used by tenant crofters and farmers, and has a history as a game shooting estate. It also includes Armadale Castle, the historic home of the MacDonalds of Sleat. This popular tourist destination includes a clan museum, café and walled garden. The land and castle have been owned since 1971 by the Clan Donald Lands Trust. This charity was formed by clan members from around the world following the death of Clan Chief Alexander Godfrey, the 7th Lord Macdonald. The trust blamed a large increase in the costs of running and maintaining Armadale Castle for the decision to sell the land. In a statement, the board of trustees said: "Due to the high-cost, low-income nature of Armadale, we have always been reliant on external grant funding to cover our operating costs. "The availability of this funding has been reduced by the impact of ongoing investment market volatility. "At the same time our core costs - including electricity, insurance and essential building repairs - have massively increased." The trustees said the sale of assets would allow the charity to "stand on its own two feet" for the first time. Visitors were assured that the sale should not negatively affect tourists during the 2025 season. It is unclear what the announcement means for those who work in the visitor centre or on the estate. BBC Scotland News has contacted Clan Donald Land Trust's CEO, Alex Stoddart, for further comment. News of the sale caught the surrounding locals off guard. Dr Andy Williamson, chair of the Sleat Community Council, said no-one in the community had known the decision was being made. But he was not "overly surprised" by the lack of consultation. "The trustees aren't in the community. They're in London and the US," he said. Dr Williamson said the lack of a relationship between the landowners and the community could be "detrimental to a good outcome" in the sale. "Our fears are it could be packaged off or further broken up. Our fears are that people might want to buy it simply to put wind turbines on it," he said. "How does that benefit the community? How does that benefit the people of Sleat and the Isle of Skye?" However, the estate agents hired to promote the sale said they were mindful of local sensitivities. Robert McCulloch, from Strutt and Parker, said: "We recognise the deep connections that many feel to this land and the importance of a respectful approach to its future. "We are committed to managing the forthcoming sale process with sensitivity and integrity." The sale comes as the Scottish Parliament is to debate the Land Reform Bill, which would regulate how large land estates in Scotland are sold. Among the measures under consideration are rules that would force landowners to tell the local community in advance of plans to sell large plots of land. Dr Williamson said that the community might have been interested in a community buy-out, but that the sudden sale had made that all but impossible. "It's going on the market on Thursday and today is Tuesday. So, how do we raise however much money it is? We don't know what the asking price will be. "How would we do it? How would a community like Sleat generate that kind of money in the time involved?" Visits to Skye's Storr could hit post-pandemic high The dark history behind Skye's famous Fairy Pools The changing face of Scotland's landowners
BBC News
25-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Isle of Skye clan estate and historic castle put up for sale
One of the largest estates on the Isle of Skye, which includes a famous castle and the historic lands of the Clan MacDonald, is being put up for charity which owns the land said it had taken the "difficult" decision to sell Armadale Castle and the 20,000-acre estate because of financial Clan Donald Lands Trust said it wanted to focus on giving grants to "Clan and indigenous Highland heritage projects".The sale came as a surprise to people living in the south of Skye, who have criticised the lack of community involvement in the decision. The estate covers much of the island's southern Sleat land is mostly used by tenant crofters and farmers, and has a history as a game shooting also includes Armadale Castle, the historic home of the MacDonalds of Sleat. This popular tourist destination includes a clan museum, café and walled garden. The land and castle have been owned since 1971 by the Clan Donald Lands Trust. This charity was formed by clan members from around the world following the death of Clan Chief Alexander Godfrey, the 7th Lord trust blamed a large increase in the costs of running and maintaining Armadale Castle for the decision to sell the a statement, the board of trustees said: "Due to the high-cost, low-income nature of Armadale, we have always been reliant on external grant funding to cover our operating costs."The availability of this funding has been reduced by the impact of ongoing investment market volatility."At the same time our core costs - including electricity, insurance and essential building repairs - have massively increased."The trustees said the sale of assets would allow the charity to "stand on its own two feet" for the first time. Visitors were assured that the sale should not negatively affect tourists during the 2025 is unclear what the announcement means for those who work in the visitor centre or on the Scotland News has contacted Clan Donald Land Trust's CEO, Alex Stoddart, for further of the sale caught the surrounding locals off Andy Williamson, chair of the Sleat Community Council, said no-one in the community had known the decision was being he was not "overly surprised" by the lack of consultation."The trustees aren't in the community. They're in London and the US," he Williamson said the lack of a relationship between the landowners and the community could be "detrimental to a good outcome" in the sale."Our fears are it could be packaged off or further broken up. Our fears are that people might want to buy it simply to put wind turbines on it," he said."How does that benefit the community? How does that benefit the people of Sleat and the Isle of Skye?" However, the estate agents hired to promote the sale said they were mindful of local McCulloch, from Strutt and Parker, said: "We recognise the deep connections that many feel to this land and the importance of a respectful approach to its future. "We are committed to managing the forthcoming sale process with sensitivity and integrity."The sale comes as the Scottish Parliament is to debate the Land Reform Bill, which would regulate how large land estates in Scotland are the measures under consideration are rules that would force landowners to tell the local community in advance of plans to sell large plots of Williamson said that the community might have been interested in a community buy-out, but that the sudden sale had made that all but impossible."It's going on the market on Thursday and today is Tuesday. So, how do we raise however much money it is? We don't know what the asking price will be."How would we do it? How would a community like Sleat generate that kind of money in the time involved?"
