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Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The best 'coffin roads' to hike in Scotland this summer
Across abandoned expanses of Scotland's wildest terrain, ancient footpaths chart a nearly forgotten history: Hundreds of mourners trudging from coasts and valleys, shouldering corpses in caskets for many miles. Over tall mountains, through rivers and woodlands, never letting the body touch the ground. Steeped in premonitions and superstition, these treks were a rural culture's oldest death rites. Now, they're some of the most unique hikes you can take. Corpse, or coffin roads, were used throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands to carry caskets on foot from the remotest places once populated by thousands, to cemeteries with burial rites. The Coffin Roads by Ian Bradley explains the centuries-old folk practices and lore associated with these well-trod trails in the West Highlands and Hebrides, which differentiate them from similar paths found throughout the United Kingdom. Bradley describes multi-day wakes turning 'raucous and exuberant,' with whisky as an entire community prepared for a funeral procession of epic proportions. Groups of women skilled at keening crooned over the body, often following behind as the men set off, several at a time hoisting a heavy casket shoulder-high. They'd rest and change bearers often, propping the coffin on piles of stones called cairns, which can still be found in many uninhabited places. Cairns were part of a series of rituals to prevent the dead from returning home, like traveling in winding routes to confuse the spirit, through water where it couldn't follow; and the body's feet pointed towards the burial site. These practices, Bradley says, initiated grieving in a community-led pilgrimage of gradual transition for both the living and the dead. ScotWays, a charity maintaining Scotland's rights of public access, details how to find several coffin roads in its guidebook, Scottish Hill Tracks. Volunteer director Tim Simons says it's difficult to estimate how many existed. Separate from other paths traveled in daily life, used only to usher coffins, many are lost to living memory. 'Quite a few will have fallen out of use over 100 years ago,' Simons says, but those that remain, are an important part of the country's cultural heritage, well worth exploring. 'The more people travel [here],' he continues, 'the busier it gets, but these routes are still relatively quiet. You can often do one and not see a single soul all day.' Whether you're undertaking a journey to commemorate a transition or just want to see some of Scotland's most awe-inducing places, here are five coffin roads to explore. (Hiking in the Scottish Highlands: Expert tips on five challenging routes to the peaks) One of Britain's most important historic sites is a great starting point. Just over two hours from Glasgow, Kilmartin Glen holds more than 350 ancient relics like burial cairns, standing stones, and barrows—many prehistoric, constructed before England's Stonehenge or Egypt's earliest pyramids—all clustered in a six-mile stretch outside Kilmartin village. Bradley describes this as the archetypal coffin road. 'It's clear from archaeological evidence that it was essentially a ritual landscape,' he explains. 'There's no evidence [of] people living there, it's all monuments to the dead. Its prime purpose seems to have been as a kind of coffin road through which the dead would have been carried, with probably considerable ceremony, to various kinds of graves.' The easily accessible, roughly three-mile walk along flat paths winds through a linear cemetery, connecting some of the valley's main sites. (10 whimsical ways to experience Scotland) The Green Isle Walk is also well-suited for beginners. It was one of several purported coffin roads crossing the West Highland Peninsulas to meet at a jetty on Loch Shiel; here, boats carrying caskets departed for St. Finan's Isle, also called the Green Isle. The Green Isle is a holy site dating to at least the seventh century that contains remains of a medieval chapel and a burial ground still in use. Just under three miles, out and back, the path follows Loch Shiel's shoreline, through Scots pine, Atlantic oak, and green fields dotted with Cheviot sheep en route to the pier. Across the water, catch glimpses of stone crosses and tombstones silhouetted against the hills. One of the most famous coffin roads is also one of the most frequented. The Isle of Harris was a substitute for planet Jupiter in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, and, more recently, the setting of Coffin Road, a crime novel by Peter May. The long reputed coffin route on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides crosses the island's dramatic interior through the hill pass of Bealach Eòrabhat, headed for turquoise-edged white sand beaches, and cemeteries along the west coast. Over eight miles, lunar outcrops give way to moorlands and sweeping views of cliffs where golden eagles nest. Craig McDonald, a trip leader with Wilderness Scotland, describes their most-requested coffin trek as a special one where cairns can still be seen. 'It's moderately difficult,' he explains, 'but its trickiness doesn't come so much from climbing, it's more that there are a couple of sections up to the high point of Bealach Eòrabhat, where the path peters out, but there aren't many other tracks that break off from it, so it's difficult to take the wrong way.' Still, he recommends carrying a map and knowing how to use it. 'If a fog or mist came in, it could get a bit disorienting.' (8 activities to do under the stars in Scotland) For experienced hikers, some of the most remote trails can give the best sense of just how grueling these funeral processions were. McDonald describes the Applecross peninsula's Kenmore to Applecross route as 'a stunning walk with beautiful terrain.' It also features several old coffin cairns and historical features like stone markers and wrought iron gates. (Why the Scottish Highlands is the best birdwatching destination in the UK) The path's destination would have likely been what is now Clachan Church, an early 19th-century building on the site of a seventh-century monastery. 'It's a challenging [hike],' McDonald says, 'you're in very remote country and people often do it as an out-and-back walk which is about [20 miles]. The track ascends about [1,640 feet] and it's quite wet and boggy in places. There are a couple of river crossings as well, so if there's been heavy rain in the days prior, I would err away from doing it unless you're experienced or don't mind getting your feet wet.' The coffin road to Kintail, one of the most storied paths, travels through its namesake, Kintail National Scenic Area. It's one of several believed to have led over the Kintail mountains, which include multiple Munros (mountains in Scotland with an elevation greater than 3,000 feet), to Clachan Duich, an ancient burial ground sprawled around ruins of an 11th-century church at the head of a sea loch. Accounts of smugglers' huts, 18th-century massacres, and mountaineer Frank Smythe's well-documented paranormal visions along the route make it one of the most evocative. Stretching 26 miles, from Glen Strathfarrar, it scales a high mountain pass and takes in the Falls of Glomach, one of Britain's highest waterfalls. 'It's a very rugged landscape,' Bradley says. 'You get a sense of the huge effort and hard work involved in carrying a heavy coffin over that terrain.' (An eco-conscious adventure through the Scottish Highlands) Andrea Bussell is a writer and ex-New Yorker living in the mountains of Scotland's Highlands. Her writing about travel and culture is rooted in a love of nature, slow living, and indigenous wisdom of the places she visits. See more at @ambussell.
National Geographic
03-06-2025
- General
- National Geographic
These iconic ‘coffin roads' offer an unmatched view of Scotland
Across abandoned expanses of Scotland's wildest terrain, ancient footpaths chart a nearly forgotten history: Hundreds of mourners trudging from coasts and valleys, shouldering corpses in caskets for many miles. Over tall mountains, through rivers and woodlands, never letting the body touch the ground. Steeped in premonitions and superstition, these treks were a rural culture's oldest death rites. Now, they're some of the most unique hikes you can take. Corpse, or coffin roads, were used throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands to carry caskets on foot from the remotest places once populated by thousands, to cemeteries with burial rites. The Coffin Roads by Ian Bradley explains the centuries-old folk practices and lore associated with these well-trod trails in the West Highlands and Hebrides, which differentiate them from similar paths found throughout the United Kingdom. A funeral in the Scottish Highlands. Illustration from the 19th century. Photograph by clu, Getty Images Bradley describes multi-day wakes turning 'raucous and exuberant,' with whisky as an entire community prepared for a funeral procession of epic proportions. Groups of women skilled at keening crooned over the body, often following behind as the men set off, several at a time hoisting a heavy casket shoulder-high. They'd rest and change bearers often, propping the coffin on piles of stones called cairns, which can still be found in many uninhabited places. Cairns were part of a series of rituals to prevent the dead from returning home, like traveling in winding routes to confuse the spirit, through water where it couldn't follow; and the body's feet pointed towards the burial site. These practices, Bradley says, initiated grieving in a community-led pilgrimage of gradual transition for both the living and the dead. ScotWays, a charity maintaining Scotland's rights of public access, details how to find several coffin roads in its guidebook, Scottish Hill Tracks. Volunteer director Tim Simons says it's difficult to estimate how many existed. Separate from other paths traveled in daily life, used only to usher coffins, many are lost to living memory. 'Quite a few will have fallen out of use over 100 years ago,' Simons says, but those that remain, are an important part of the country's cultural heritage, well worth exploring. 'The more people travel [here],' he continues, 'the busier it gets, but these routes are still relatively quiet. You can often do one and not see a single soul all day.' Whether you're undertaking a journey to commemorate a transition or just want to see some of Scotland's most awe-inducing places, here are five coffin roads to explore. (Hiking in the Scottish Highlands: Expert tips on five challenging routes to the peaks) Best coffin road walks for beginners One of Britain's most important historic sites is a great starting point. Just over two hours from Glasgow, Kilmartin Glen holds more than 350 ancient relics like burial cairns, standing stones, and barrows—many prehistoric, constructed before England's Stonehenge or Egypt's earliest pyramids—all clustered in a six-mile stretch outside Kilmartin village. Kilmartin Parish Church in Kilmartin Glen, Scotland. Photograph by UK City Images, Alamy The Kilmartin Stones are a collection of 79 ancient gravestones—one exception being a side-slab of a tomb chest—at Kilmartin Parish Church. Photograph by Alba Tross, Alamy Bradley describes this as the archetypal coffin road. 'It's clear from archaeological evidence that it was essentially a ritual landscape,' he explains. 'There's no evidence [of] people living there, it's all monuments to the dead. Its prime purpose seems to have been as a kind of coffin road through which the dead would have been carried, with probably considerable ceremony, to various kinds of graves.' The easily accessible, roughly three-mile walk along flat paths winds through a linear cemetery, connecting some of the valley's main sites. (10 whimsical ways to experience Scotland) The Green Isle Walk is also well-suited for beginners. It was one of several purported coffin roads crossing the West Highland Peninsulas to meet at a jetty on Loch Shiel; here, boats carrying caskets departed for St. Finan's Isle, also called the Green Isle. The Green Isle is a holy site dating to at least the seventh century that contains remains of a medieval chapel and a burial ground still in use. Just under three miles, out and back, the path follows Loch Shiel's shoreline, through Scots pine, Atlantic oak, and green fields dotted with Cheviot sheep en route to the pier. Across the water, catch glimpses of stone crosses and tombstones silhouetted against the hills. Intermediate island hikes One of the most famous coffin roads is also one of the most frequented. The Isle of Harris was a substitute for planet Jupiter in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, and, more recently, the setting of Coffin Road, a crime novel by Peter May. The long reputed coffin route on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides crosses the island's dramatic interior through the hill pass of Bealach Eòrabhat, headed for turquoise-edged white sand beaches, and cemeteries along the west coast. Over eight miles, lunar outcrops give way to moorlands and sweeping views of cliffs where golden eagles nest. The Coffin Route on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides crosses the island's dramatic interior toward the area's white sand beaches. Photograph by David Forster, Alamy Craig McDonald, a trip leader with Wilderness Scotland, describes their most-requested coffin trek as a special one where cairns can still be seen. 'It's moderately difficult,' he explains, 'but its trickiness doesn't come so much from climbing, it's more that there are a couple of sections up to the high point of Bealach Eòrabhat, where the path peters out, but there aren't many other tracks that break off from it, so it's difficult to take the wrong way.' Still, he recommends carrying a map and knowing how to use it. 'If a fog or mist came in, it could get a bit disorienting.' (8 activities to do under the stars in Scotland) Challenging hiking trails in Scotland For experienced hikers, some of the most remote trails can give the best sense of just how grueling these funeral processions were. McDonald describes the Applecross peninsula's Kenmore to Applecross route as 'a stunning walk with beautiful terrain.' It also features several old coffin cairns and historical features like stone markers and wrought iron gates. (Why the Scottish Highlands is the best birdwatching destination in the UK) The path's destination would have likely been what is now Clachan Church, an early 19th-century building on the site of a seventh-century monastery. 'It's a challenging [hike],' McDonald says, 'you're in very remote country and people often do it as an out-and-back walk which is about [20 miles]. The track ascends about [1,640 feet] and it's quite wet and boggy in places. There are a couple of river crossings as well, so if there's been heavy rain in the days prior, I would err away from doing it unless you're experienced or don't mind getting your feet wet.' The 11th-century Clachan Duich Church in Kintail National Scenic Area. Photograph by Philip Sayer, Alamy The coffin road to Kintail, one of the most storied paths, travels through its namesake, Kintail National Scenic Area. It's one of several believed to have led over the Kintail mountains, which include multiple Munros (mountains in Scotland with an elevation greater than 3,000 feet), to Clachan Duich, an ancient burial ground sprawled around ruins of an 11th-century church at the head of a sea loch. Accounts of smugglers' huts, 18th-century massacres, and mountaineer Frank Smythe's well-documented paranormal visions along the route make it one of the most evocative. Stretching 26 miles, from Glen Strathfarrar, it scales a high mountain pass and takes in the Falls of Glomach, one of Britain's highest waterfalls. 'It's a very rugged landscape,' Bradley says. 'You get a sense of the huge effort and hard work involved in carrying a heavy coffin over that terrain.' (An eco-conscious adventure through the Scottish Highlands) How to do itThe Scottish Highlands can be reached by flights to Inverness, though many travelers fly into Glasgow or Edinburgh then rent a car or take the bus or train west. To reach the Isle of Harris, daily flights are available from Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Inverness to Stornoway on the adjacent Isle of Lewis. From Stornoway, Harris is an hour's a direct ferry is available from the Isle of Skye to Harris or from Ullapool to Stornoway. While it's possible to plan your own hiking trip in the Highlands and Hebrides, essential safety, navigation, and weather preparedness skills are advised year-round. For guidance, Mountaineering Scotland offers resources and training. If you'd like to join a guided trip, Wilderness Scotland offers group trips, custom itineraries, and self-guided packages. Many other local providers also offer year-round guided and self-guided hiking and cycling. Andrea Bussell is a writer and ex-New Yorker living in the mountains of Scotland's Highlands. Her writing about travel and culture is rooted in a love of nature, slow living, and indigenous wisdom of the places she visits. See more at @ambussell.
Hypebeast
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Eric Emanuel Marks a New Chapter With First Seasonal Collection
NY-based sportswear designerEric Emanuel's eponymous label is embarking in its next chapter with the unveiling of its first-ever full seasonal collection. Styled by Ian Bradley and photographed by Menelik Puryear, the hefty lookbook celebrates Emanuel's energetic ethos and sense of humor with casual styling and bold hues for the summertime. Comprising tailored essentials, colorful, textured knits, retro sports gear, branded underwear, and more, the label's inaugural SS25 collection expands on its sports-focused aesthetic with playful colors and textures. A range of cable-knit shorts and zip-up hoodies is cast in off-white, minty green, deep blue, and yellow. Bradley layers these core pieces with stand-out tops, including a green cropped mesh jersey, emblazoned with a pink 91, and an orange and yellow tie-dye canvas shirt. In other looks, Emanuel continues to evolve his signature shorts design with new materials, including green, pink, and brown pairs made from a plush knit. Summer stripes also make an appearance in chunky knit sets comprising button-up shirts and shorts in pink and yellow colorways. The collection is topped off with more elevated pieces, including classic Oxford-style shirting, denim shirts, and the linen track pants, which feature a contrast panel down the side legs. The Eric Emanuel SS25 Collection launches first with the Summer Cableknit Shorts & Zip-Ups in Navy, Green & Yellow, Oxford Shirting in Blue, Pink and White, and Linen Track Pants in Brown/Blue, Green/Blue, and Ivory/Blue, today at thebrand's web store. The brand will subsequently launch its Striped-Knit Shorts & Button-Downs on June 6. See the gallery above for a deep dive into the lookbook.
BBC News
24-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Liverpool Uniqlo: Hundreds queue as fashion giant opens in city
Hundreds of shoppers have been queuing outside Uniqlo's new store in Liverpool as the Japanese clothing giant officially threw open its doors in the who started waiting as early as 06:00 BST on camping chairs were treated to a performance by Japanese drummers outside the new outlet in the Liverpool One shopper, Ian Bradley, said he had even trimmed his beard for the event, adding: "This is the biggest day of my year."The global brand said it was delighted to be in the heart of a "vibrant and thriving" city. Another shopper in the queue was Emma, who described herself as an adopted Scouser and said: "I'm from London where Uniqlo has been for a long long time."I'm just so glad I no longer have to travel back as it is now in our wonderful city."As a gay woman they do gender neutral clothing and they also do kid's clothes for my six-year-old which is fantastic."Last year the company suffered an online backlash in China after the boss of its parent company said the Japanese clothing retailer does not source cotton from Xinjiang, where the Chinese government denies using forced labour by people from the Muslim Uyghur minority in its production. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Arab News
19-03-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Important to build relationships, says Riyadh Air VP of global communications
RIYADH: To commemorate the year ahead, Riyadh Air recently hosted a sahoor in historic Diriyah, bringing the community together in a private setting to answer questions and interact with attendees. Ian Bradley, vice president of global communications at Riyadh Air, spoke to Arab News about building connections. 'Being in Diriyah is hugely symbolic for the birthplace of Saudi Arabia — and our birth will be coming by the end of this year,' Bradley told Arab News. 'It's very important to build relationships with the media and influencers here in the Kingdom — they help us spread our message out to a wider audience. And throughout the rest of this year, we'll have so many new things to talk about as people get excited toward our launch,' he said. At the event, Osamah Al-Nuaiser, senior vice president of marketing and communications at Riyadh Air, spoke about the company's upcoming big plans. 'We partnered up with Delta — which is the No. 1 airline in the world. So, we have engaged with multiple partners, and we have handpicked and selected them for a reason, to engage directly with the airline and build a strong and solid relationship for the future,' Al-Nuaiser said. When asked whether Riyadh Air has secured alliances, Al-Nuaiser was transparent. 'We haven't joined an alliance, and the reason is to make sure that we connect our values between both airlines, to connect our commitments as well, and to make sure that we are on the same level of premium offering, premium service and connectivity.' Riyadh Air started more local. 'We started off with Saudia Airlines,' Al-Nuaiser said, highlighting engagement with Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines and two Chinese carriers. He added that the airline also engaged with Virgin Atlantic for connectivity between Riyadh, London and beyond. 'We will soon announce partnerships with other airlines,' Al-Nuaiser said. A timeline highlights key events for 2025 so far. On Jan. 8, CATRION signed a strategic agreement to deliver world-class culinary experiences with Riyadh Air. Shortly after, on Jan. 13, the first technical spare part, named 'Jamila,' arrived. On Feb. 4, LIV Golf signed a multi-year partnership. On Feb. 13, Riyadh Air unveiled its brand sonic, composed at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. On Mar. 4, SGS signed a SR500 million ($133 million) contract for ground handling services across Saudi airports. Riyadh Air's sahoor paid homage to old traditions and the new airline by respecting the roots of local culture. Artisans created clay cups, and a calligrapher handwrote names on them, offering them as tokens for attendees to take home. 'We see ourselves in the hospitality business. So, we make sure that we enter the market with a solid, unique setting proposition,' Al-Nuaiser said. Riyadh Air's maiden flight is expected in late 2025.
