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Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
I've been walking around Scotland for over a year - I think I've found my favourite spot
The village's inhospitable location it what preserves its unique character. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The coastal villages nestled in the north-east coastline aren't so easy to reach on foot when following the sea. The steep drops into the cosy huddles of dwellings scattered with orange rooftops followed by sharp ascents onto the exposed cliff tops to avoid impassable jagged rock edges can be hard on the knees. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It always feels worth it, though, walking through some of Moray and Aberdeenshire's quaint seaside communities. The slower pace allows you to venture into the narrow streets squished between chunky cottage walls, picking up on the subtle details that make the place. It might be the linen on washing lines blowing in the sea breeze, white-washed walls with different colour-painted window frames, and there's usually a snoozy seaside cat lounging on a lobster trap or a wooden bench somewhere, waiting for its titbit. A seaside puss in the north-east coastal town of Buckie having a listen out | Katharine Hay There are a handful of these villages or towns 'on the map' for various reasons. Pennan has a film stamp for its role in Bill Forsyth's Local Hero starring Peter Capaldi, with the red telephone box from the '80s Scottish cult classic still standing proud in the village. The Local Hero telephone box in Pennan, the Aberdeenshire village known for its role in the Bill Forsyth Scottish cult classic of the 80s | Katharine Hay More recently, Cullen, while known for being the birthplace of the hearty 'Cullen Skink', proudly hosted Good Will Hunting-star Matt Damon for filming Christopher's Nolan's The Odyssey. Portsoy has a Peaky Blinders memorial to commemorate the fictional death of Michael Gray filmed at the harbour. Meanwhile, Gardenstown is said to have hosted Bram Stoker in its Garden Arms Hotel in 1896 where the author is believed to have written some of his horror classic, Dracula, released the following year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But one location, just a few miles up the coast, stole the limelight for me, and that was Crovie. Crovie is preserved by its inhospitable location in the cliffs of Aberdeenshire coast | Katharine Hay There are no roads leading through this wee cliff-foot fishing village right at the waters edge. Cars are to be left outside it and even bikes aren't allowed in. You can only access the row of some 60 houses on foot. The cliff-foot village is only accessible on foot | Katharine Hay Like other seaside fishing villages, Crovie is characterised by a distinct layout, with many houses having their gable ends facing the sea to protect them from the changeable north east weather patterns. I arrived into the village about 8pm on a summer's evening. Walking along the front row of houses, their different pastel shades and muted colours took on a warm glow in the sunset light. Two girls in their nighties were playing cards on the stone walkway smoothed over by years of exposure to the elements. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A few doors further up, a middle-aged man sat holding a glass of red wine, losing his thoughts in the infinity view of the North Sea ahead. A couple further up were sat on a bench pointing out to the water. Following the direction of their gaze, I saw dolphins leaping in the bay. It was a rare occasion being in a beautiful location in Scotland at the height of summer with people around, yet feeling such peace. There seemed a mutual respect for place and gratitude for the serenity that evening brought. Crovie is no stranger to visitors. One Aberdeenshire local, who owns a holiday cottage for him and his wife, said there are just five permanent residents in the village. The rest are holiday homes. It was a bit sad to hear some history of the place that once was, was lost. Yet, Crovie's inhospitable location with no roads will no doubt continue to preserve this unique place standing defiant in a cliff's edge in years to come. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A squid offering | Katharine Hay
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Best British Beaches 2025: Scotland dominates new list of perfect coastal destinations - here are all 10
3 . Camusdarach Beach Camusdarach Beach in Morar, Scotland, came third with 88.54 per cent of reviews (309 out of 349) rating it five stars. Described as an arc of white, glistening sand and clear water, it can be found south of the estuary of River Morar, with views of the Isle of Skye. This beach was also featured in the film Local Hero and is a popular filming location to visit. | Canva/Getty Images
STV News
30-07-2025
- Business
- STV News
What was it really like reporting on Trump's working holiday in Scotland?
'That's him away'. Its a line from the end of the great film Local Hero, which Andrea Brymer quoted to me standing on the 18th green of the New Course on the Menie Estate. Marine One, the US President's helicopter, whisked Trump away from an action packed few days in Scotland. On previous visits by President Trump I have covered protests and the politics around the trip, but this was the first time I had been up close and seen a bit of how these things work and the sheer scale of it all. I was on holiday last week so wasn't involved in reporting the first few days of the most public private visit ever. It was quite a return to work on Monday though, knowing that I would be inside Turnberry at the Ballroom press conference ahead of the bi-lateral meeting between the President and Prime Minister. That came about by pot luck. The Scottish Parliamentary Journalists Association was given two spots in the media pool alongside four Westminster reporters and the travelling White House press pack. My name was drawn out of the hat for broadcasters and Andrew Learmonth of The Herald was drawn on the newspaper side. STV News My plan was always to ask about whisky tariffs, which seemed like the most pressing Scottish issue to raise with the President and the Prime Minister as they finalise the UK/US trade deal. Under the deal as it stands they come under the 10% tariff rate, but the industry say that will cost £4m a week which will hit jobs and investment. They are pushing for zero tariffs because Scotch Whisky can only be produced in Scotland, production can't be moved to the US, and there is no similar tariff on bourbon imports from the US to the UK. Before Monday I had only ever seen White House press briefings with the President on telly or online and they seemed like real bun-fights. All at the whim of President Trump, a bit of a free for all with journalists trying to catch the President's eye or just outshout their colleagues. There is no guarantee of getting to ask your question, let alone pressing POTUS for an answer. So I turned up at Turnberry on Monday more in hope than expectation. In fact I turned up at a car park near Turnberry at 8.30am to be bussed in through the ring of steel. I turned up for a day at a five star hotel, with a packed lunch as instructed after a warning that lunch options would be restricted – that made me laugh. They did actually provide sandwiches, shortbread and obviously for a Trump resort, millionaire's shortbread. We were sequestered in a room in the Spa, from the window we could see the President's car – known as the Beast. STV News These kind of events inevitably involve a lot of hanging about, in fact they are probably 90% hanging about. We were allowed out of the room to go to the toilet – complete with gold coloured taps (almost everything is gold coloured) or visit the shop where you could buy a Maga hat at £55 or a pack of gold Trump playing cards (made in China, that made me laugh too) for £15. For all Trump's business credentials, I think he has missed a trick by not selling tartan Maga hats at Turnberry and Menie. After five hours of hanging about, we were taken outside for the arrival of the Prime Minister and his wife. They were greeted on the steps of Turnberry by President Trump. This is when it really felt like the court of Trump. The President of the United States of America was meeting the Prime Minister in the UK but everything was on Trump's terms, he was calling all the shots. They stayed on the steps for a while as a piper played loudly in the background, then took some questions from the waiting press pack. I had been running over my question in my head, during the hanging about, in preparation for the press conference and was a bit surprised that he was taking so many questions on the steps. What if this was it? Inevitably things were running late, they always do so what if there wasn't going to be another chance? So I shouted, above the pipes, 'Is there a better deal to be done on whisky tariffs?'. He answered 'We'll talk about that. I didn't know whisky was a problem. I'm not a big whisky drinker'. The President took about 15 minutes of questions on the steps, much of it drowned out by the piper. He spoke about Gaza, Russia, other parts of the trade deal and said the Prime Minister's wife was well respected in America. That may well be the case, but I don't imagine many Americans know who she is given how much she carefully keeps out of the spotlight. STV News Back in the holding room, no one knew what opportunity there would be for further questions, but after an hour of hanging about we were led round the back of the hotel, past dozens of golf buggies, including the President's special armoured one – a kind of mini-beast or beastie – past the bins and in the back door to a store room filled tables and chairs for the Ballroom. After half an hour of hanging about there were allowed in to the Ballroom where the President, the PM and their officials were waiting for us. I made sure I was near the front to try to nab a good spot. I knew that my earlier question and answer had been drowned out a bit by the piper so was determined to get it in again. After a lot of hanging about I wasn't taking any risks. These things last as long as the President lets them. He could take a couple of questions or dozens. It really does come down to who shouts the loudest or catches his eye. Realistically I wasn't going to catch his eye but I am quite loud. STV News After questions on Russia and Gaza I took my chance – 'Mr President, you say you love Scotland, you're the most Scottish President ever (he likes being the most something ever). Is there a better deal to be done with the Prime Minister for Scottish industry, on whisky for example?' He then told us about his mother coming from Lewis, 'serious Scotland' as he described it, he says he loves Scotland and the way he talks he does seem to have a genuine affection for Scotland. I know he doesn't like being interrupted and I know I can be a bit interrupt-y so I had to restrain myself as he went on about that. Eventually I followed up with 'but is there a better deal to be done for Scotland, for whisky?' He said 'I assume when we do our trade deal a lot of it comes to Scotland I hope, maybe all of it should go to Scotland.' He said that smiling at the Prime Minister who jumped in to say 'it's a very good deal for the whole United Kingdom', but the President came back with 'a lot of it is coming to Scotland, and I am very particular this is a part of the world I want to see thrive'. The press conference continued for another hour, and it contained real news lines: cutting the deadline for a Russian ceasefire in Ukraine from 50 to ten or 12 days, recognising the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, although President Trump is still incredibly closely tied to Israel. Andrew Learmonth got his question in about the First Minister's plans for another Independence Referendum, to which President Trump said he didn't want to get involved in politics. He had advice for the Prime Minister on tackling immigration and he took a question on wind power from the Press Association's Craig Paton to pick up his lance and tilt at 'windmills', Donald Trump as Don Quixote. To give President Trump his due he took pretty much all the questions thrown at him. He didn't answer them all directly, he rambled on and on at times, but in many of his answers there was a news nugget. The press conference ended after a few questions on the Epstein scandal – I think the US media threw them in just to shut him up. STV News The whole thing was quite an experience. Up close President Trump was more engaging than I had expected, more charismatic, but alternating between interesting and boring, funny and just plain barking. I had one job to do at Turnberry on Monday. Get a line on Scotland. For me the news line was on whisky tariffs, and the President delivered. The First Minister and the whisky industry believe there is now a window of opportunity over the next few weeks to get the tariffs on whisky down, maybe even down to zero. They think they've got until the President's state visit in September. That's when it will shift from the political travelling Court of Trump we've just seen, to the actual Court of King Charles, which is what President Trump really loves – 'No-one does pomp and ceremony like you people'. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Sky News
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Trump hopes to escape Epstein controversy, but story risks following him to Scotland
I knew Donald Trump when he was nothing. Nothing like he is today, to be precise. It was the 18 April 2006, and he had landed by helicopter at St Andrew's, on his way to survey a stretch of Aberdeenshire coastline he was going to turn into a golf course. He duly delivered and "Trump International" is a stunning addition to Scotland's golfing real estate, alongside his other course at Turnberry. 1:30 Back in 2006, Trump was big time and big news. He was the brand built on property and showbiz and, upon arrival, the star of TV's The Apprentice breezed his way through our interview, obliging us by pointing down the barrel of the camera and delivering his trademark "you're fired". We talked investment, Scottish roots and some local objections to the golf course. I said it was all a bit like the film Local Hero, which likened him to the rich guy played by Burt Lancaster and he seemed happy enough. Innocent times. Fast forward 20 years to President Trump and we are braced for his latest return 'home'. For this son of Scotland (his mother is from the Isle of Lewis), it's a homecoming from hell. Hellish on security logistics, at least. You might think a trip to the old country would carry an element of triumph, wrapped in a nation's pride. He's the prodigal who made president, after all - think Biden, Ireland, and the rock star welcome rolled out there for one of their own. Not so for President Trump. The dynamic's different with the Donald - the heartland he'll visit isn't loved up, it's locked down. Same as it ever was, whenever he lands in Scotland. Hundreds of extra police officers have been drafted from around the country to hermetically seal his golf courses in Turnberry and Aberdeenshire. A private trip in two very public settings demands a huge security operation, complicated by an army of protestors mobilising for what they're calling a "carnival of resistance". Demonstrations are planned over a range of causes - organisers cite "threats" to democracy, climate, the global economy and more. There is no cause untouched by a president of the US and none forgotten by this weekend's protests. Scotland leans left of Donald Trump, and critics will lean into an effort to let him know. It's an awkward setting for a charm offensive by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland's First Minister John Swinney. As the biggest show in politics rolls into town, they will polish the script on trade negotiations, wary of a president distracted, unpredictable and prone to changing the plot. His distraction, of course, is the political drama back home. Trump will welcome a weekend under the radar as an opportunity to escape the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, but there's every chance the story will travel with him. Daily efforts to steer the media away from the scandal haven't stemmed the flow of persistent enquiry and revelations that cement Trump's relationship with Epstein in the public consciousness, and so further raise questions of cover-up.
Daily Record
21-07-2025
- Daily Record
The Scottish hidden gem beach that was once named best to 'escape the crowds'
The bay has been described as "one of the most beautiful in the country". Scotland's summer so far has been an unpredictable affair. While much of the country is currently experiencing wet weather, clear skies are hopefully on the horizon. A classic summer activity is a day out by the seaside. While there is no denying that a sunny day is the best time to head to the beach, Scotland's coast is still spectacular even in the pouring rain. One upside of heading to the beach in wet weather is that you won't have to contend with as many people. However, you don't need to get soaking wet to enjoy a peaceful afternoon by the sea. Scotland is home to many lesser-known bays that are perfect for those looking for a quiet day out. One was even previously named the "top hidden beach in Scotland to escape the crowds". Camusdarach Beach is located on the west coast of the Highlands, south of the estuary of the River Morar. It once topped a list of the country's best secluded beaches by UK Hidden Gems. The bay was described by the experts as "one of the most beautiful in the country, if not the entire world". It offers panoramic views out to the Isle of Skye, Rum, and Eigg. Camusdarach Beach is perhaps best known for featuring in the classic Scottish 1983 film Local Hero. It starred as the fictional 'Ben's Beach', with the majority of the beach scenes in the movie filmed there. The beach is located a few minutes' walk from the Camusdarach Campsite, which has pitches, glamping pods, and self-catering apartments. The site, which is open until September 15, features Wi-Fi and a modern toilet and shower block. According to UK Hidden Gems, Camusdarach Beach is also suitable for swimming. The experts noted its "clear waters and sandy shoreline" that make it "an inviting spot for a refreshing dip", though also stated that beachgoers should be careful of the tides and only enter the water if they are confident swimmers. UK Hidden Gems wrote: "The beach, which has three light-coloured sand beaches that run end to end, is frequently referred to as one of the most beautiful in the country, if not the entire world. "It's also possible to camp at this beach, and in the same location also makes sea kayaking and launching small boats simple." It isn't just the experts that Camusdarach Beach is popular with, as it has earned rave reviews from the public as well. The beach has an average rating of 4.9 out of five on Google based on 401 reviews. One previous visitor posted: "Very beautiful white sand beach. When we were there it was quite windy, which a few surfers took advantage of." A second shared: "A very beautiful bay with a sandy beach. When it's warm, it's definitely a great place to swim." Other beaches that were featured on the experts' roundup include Traigh Seilebost on the Isle of Harris and Elie Beach in Fife. Traigh Seilebost was noted for its scenic walking opportunities, while Elie Beach earned praise for its golden sand. The full list of the top 10 hidden beaches in Scotland to escape the crowds can be found on the UK Hidden Gems website.
