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Daily Record
5 days ago
- Daily Record
The secret Scottish beach that was named 'best for dreamy holiday'
The Daily Record has returned with our first Walk of the Week of the summer season. As we enter June, it only seems fitting to choose a beach for the latest edition of our weekly series. It is no secret that Scotland's beaches are some of the most picturesque and idyllic in the world. We previously rounded up the best bays across the country for 2025. Today, however, we are shining a light on something of a hidden gem. If you want mesmerising views and true peace and quiet, Uig Sands might be the place for you. Also known as Uig Beach and Ardroil Sands, the bay is tucked away on the Isle of Lewis. It is situated on the western side of the island, around an hour away from its main town of Stornoway. Uig Sands was previously named among the 38 "best beaches in the world for a dreamy holiday" by Condé Nast Traveller. The experts stated that "a busy day at Uig is when two people show up at once" and praised the beach's dramatic surroundings. The bay is famous for the site where a Viking chess set, including dozens of intricately carved chess pieces, was discovered in a tiny stone chamber near its edge. Named the Lewis chessmen, some of the pieces are on display in the Kingdom of Scots at the National Museum of Scotland. Near the beach is also the renowned Uig Sands Restaurant, which overlooks the magnificent bay and serves up local fish and shellfish. It also features rooms for customers looking to spend the night. According to the Visit Outer Hebrides website, the primary way to access Uig Sands is via the village of Ardroil. There is a small track here that ends at a car park with toilets. Keep reading for some images that show why Uig Sands is a must-visit this June. If you are looking for further travel inspiration, a selection of the Daily Record's previous Walks of the Week can be found here:
Edinburgh Reporter
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Another successful Children's Festival is over
The Edinburgh International Children's Festival has just finished and has already been declared a major success. The festival was attended by 17,000 people which is an 11% increase from last year, with 87% of all tickets sold, and it will be back next year from 30 May to 7 June 2026. The event began with a packed Family Day at the National Museum of Scotland which was free to attend and which 7,460 people attended. This was followed by a week of shows attended by 3,615 pupils from 41 schools including nursery, primary and secondary schools. Festival Director Noel Jordan, said: 'From uplifting productions celebrating the diversity of our global sector and centred around the perspective and viewpoint of the child, to incredible industry panel discussions and provocations, what a fantastic week this has been. As my final Festival I could not have been prouder. With such an incredible and dedicated team behind it I am sure the Festival will continue to go from strength to strength. Thank you to all our audiences, funders, supporters and performers who make this festival such a joyous experience.' The shows included work from 7 different countries and the premiere of new commission Tongue Twister created and performed by Scottish artist Greg Sinclair and commissioned in partnership with Aberdeen Performing Arts. The show which features Greg attempting to say tongue twisters in as many different languages as possible, delighted its audiences with its language antics and gorgeous costumes. 'That was the bestest show in the world!' (child). Tongue Twister is touring to the Light the Blue Festival this weekend in Aberdeen. The Festival also enjoyed a run of the 2024 'must-see' Fringe show The Show for Young Men performed by Robbie Synge and young performer Alfie exploring topical ideas around masculinity and male friendship, and finished on a high with 6 sell-out performances of Double You, a raucous and high energy circus production from Belgium hosted in Portobello Town Hall. As well as families and schools, the Festival welcomed over 310 delegates from festivals and arts organisations in 30 different countries including Australia, Hungary, Thailand and Norway also attended the Festival. The delegate programme provided a platform for programmers, producers and artists to see and discuss high-quality work, share work in progress and network with peers from all over the world. In addition to the delegates who attended in person, 56 more attended the digital delegate programme online. The much-anticipated new commission the Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl which unfortunately was cancelled at the last minute due to a performer injury, plans to open in August for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase. The Edinburgh International Children's Festival will return in 2026 from 30 May to 7 June under new direction, following Noel Jordan's announcement earlier this year that after 10 successful years at the helm, he will be standing down and returning to Australia in November. Imaginate Family Day_National Museum of Scotland_24th May 2025 Counterflows_6 April 2025 Counterflows_6 April 2025 Imaginate Family Day_National Museum of Scotland_24th May 2025 Counterflows_6 April 2025 Counterflows_6 April 2025 Counterflows_6 April 2025 Imaginate Family Day_National Museum of Scotland_24th May 2025 Counterflows_6 April 2025 Young audiences from infancy to S1 at Edinburgh International Children's Festival. Young audiences from infancy to S1 at Edinburgh International Children's Festival. Young audiences from infancy to S1 at Edinburgh International Children's Festival. Young audiences from infancy to S1 at Edinburgh International Children's Festival. Like this: Like Related
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Scotsman
6 days ago
- Science
- Scotsman
Earth's 'giants': The new exhibition of prehistoric animals, including woolly mammoth, coming to Scotland
The Edinburgh exhibition will feature giant creatures from 66 million years ago to the present day. Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter 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... An 'immersive' exhibition of giant creatures over the past 66 million years is to open to the public in Edinburgh. Giants is to go on show at the National Museum of Scotland in January, featuring life-sized 3D models and nearly complete skeletons on a journey through time. The exhibitions will span from 66 million years ago to the present day, with visitors to encounter the enormous creatures that roamed the Earth after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The exhibition, developed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and toured by Nomad Exhibitions, features life-sized 3D models and nearly complete skeletons. Models to go on display include the formidable Otodus megalodon, the mightiest shark of all time, the Mammuthus primigenius or woolly mammoth, weighing in at between six and eight tons with long thick fur and imposing tusks, and Gigantopithecus blacki, an Asian primate comparable in size to three orangutans. This life-sized 3D model of a mammoth is to feature in the new Giants exhibition. | NMS Dr Nick Fraser, keeper of natural sciences at National Museums Scotland (NMS), said: 'We're really looking forward to bringing Giants to Scotland next year. Popular attention on prehistoric life tends to focus either on dinosaurs or on our own earliest human ancestors, which leaves a relatively neglected gap of around 60 million years of natural history. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Giants is a striking invitation to us all to think about that period, to see how nature adapts over time, and also to reflect on the ways in which current human activity is denying that time to today's endangered giants.' Interactive elements allow visitors of all ages to step into the shoes of palaeontologists and biologists, engaging with the scientific processes behind fossil discovery and reconstruction. Meanwhile, immersive projections transport audiences into the natural habitats of these colossal beings, providing context to their existence and eventual extinction. Life-sized 3D model of a megalodon. | NMS New giants have emerged since the age of the dinosaurs, such as elephants, rhinoceroses and whales, but experts have warned they are now too under threat of extinction. NMS said the exhibition also serves as a poignant reminder of nature's fragility and the urgent need to protect these animals for future generations. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The models featured in the exhibition were created by company Fisheye, which used polygonal shapes to create a 3D effect. The inner steel structure is finished with a recycled felt plane onto which prints and audio-visual screens were integrated. The tour will also include Birmingham Museum, where it will open in August. Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: 'This inspiring installation not only captures the imagination with its monumental scale, but also delivers a vital message about sustainability and our shared responsibility to protect the planet.'
Scotsman
7 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
The Scots inventor of an early typewriter and a "magical letter" home from New York
Number 1 Remington typewriter, the first type of Remington made, around 1864. PIC: NMS | NMS A letter send home to Scotland from New York more than 150 years ago hints that one of the earliest typewriters may have been invented in the industrial powerhouse of Paisley decades before the machines first came on the market. Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter 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... John Galloway was a Paisley man with an inventive spirit - and a determination to succeed. He emigrated from Scotland to New York in the early 1840s and now a letter written home by the Scot indicates he was working on the invention of the typewriter before he left these shores - and decades before the typewriter first hit the market. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The correspondence, which includes an early piece of typed print, was written in 1868 and has been donated to the National Museum of Scotland by Robin Collins, the great, great, great niece of Galloway, who described it as a 'magical little letter'. The letter written in 1868 which details Galloway's invention of an early writing machine, which he likened to a piano which printed letters. | NMS The correspondence illuminates the Scots role in the development of the early writing machine, which he likened to a piano that could print letters. 'When I was young in comparison to what I now am, I took up the idea that some kind of machine could be made with keys, similar to those of a piano, to print letters, instead of writing them with a pen,' Galloway wrote home to his niece. He added: 'It would surely be as easy and as speedy to operate upon keys with the fingers, as to write with a pen; the trouble of learning would be less and the composition would be more easily read than when done up in a rugged scrawl.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad READ MORE: Eight stunning photographs of New York from the air Before leaving for America, Galloway lived in the industrial powerhouse of Paisley. He came from a family of engineers and Galloway worked as a millwright in the town alive with learning and innovation as progress was pushed. New York, the adopted home of inventor John Galloway, in 1954. He left Paisley for America with his wife in the mid 1840s. PIC: Public Collection/New York Public Lending Library Collection. | Public Collection/New York Public Lending Library Collection. Dr Rebekah Higgitt, principal curator of science at NMS, said: 'The letter is evidence of the existence of an early machine for typewriting, which we didn't know about. 'Galloway went for a patent for a machine in the 1870s, but this is evidence of two early machines. One of these was made in New York but he talks about an earlier one. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are trying to work out exactly when he emigrated, but we think the early machine was possibly made in Paisley.' Galloway's early typewriter does not survive, but the letter and the little sample of typed text from his later invention - shed light on the man and his dream for the writing machine which later transformed communication and the world of work, particularly for women. Galloway wrote he had constructed 'an apparatus with which I accomplished that object, with the exception that the impression was made in relief, only, instead of being done with colour.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Number 1 Remington typewriter, the first type of Remington made, around 1864. PIC: NMS | NMS Galloway told his niece that he still had some samples 'made at the time', but it is unclear exactly when that was. 'Certainly, it was in Scotland,' Dr Higgitt said. READ MORE: The Scottish islanders conned by a new life in New York Galloway wrote of leaving Scotland for America shortly after his first typewriter took shape, with the project abandoned. Whether he left his early model behind is not known. He left at a time of significant economic hardship in Paisley and industrial change, with widespread bankruptices, particularly among mill owners, and high rates of unemployment recorded. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad By 1950, he was living in New York and was almost 40 at that time. He and his wife, Janet, were listed in the census with their baby son, who was born in America. This would date his work on the typewriter before that of Peter Hood, who was working on a writing machine in Angus in the 1850s, the curator added. The US-based E. Remington & Son made by an early typewriterin 1864 with modern versions made and exported from 1876. The timeline puts Galloway's machines potentially decades ahead of when these typewriters first arrived in Scotland from America. They were considered luxury items which then cost the equivalent of half the average annual salary. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Meanwhile, Galloway was working as a bookseller in New York, with his two sons later involved in the business. Despite his employment, Galloway pressed on with his inventions and was granted two patents in New York, one in 1873 for an 'Improvement in Type-Writing Machines' and one in 1883 - three years after he retired - for a stenographic machine. Another piece of evidence potentially adds further weight to Galloway's role in the development of the typewriter. A short pamphlet was published in 1837 by a man of the same name called 'A New System of Stenography', which introduced a novel system of shorthand writing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In the 1868 letter, Galloway wrote of his second machine, which - unlike the first - printed letters with ink. According to Dr Higgitt, this was almost contemporary with a machine with piano-style keys which was patented that year by Sholes, Glidden and Soule. Galloway wrote that his machine would have been better 'had it been made by a regular machinist, and with proper materials'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the time of the letter, Galloway's wife was seriously ill and his aspirations for his new family life across the Atlantic were being challenged with the realities of low-paid opportunities and a long, cold winter. But his vision for the typewriter remained intact,.The sample typed text sent home to Scotland opens with a line from poet Robert Burns: 'And faith he'll print it'. The letter talks about the weather, the fine and long autumn turning to a cold winter, and the high fuel costs which, he wrote, would cause 'much suffering among the poor'. The correspondence added: 'Rents are so outrageously high here, and all the necessaries of life are so high also, that it requires great exertion to make a decent livelihood. We find it difficult to make any headway, notwithstanding all our efforts.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Galloway never patented his invention, which seemed to come at a difficult time in his life. Shortly after writing the letter home, his wife died. Mrs Collins, of Yetholm in the Scottish Borders, donated the letter and the typed text after visiting The Typewriter Revolution exhibition in 2021 'by chance'.
Edinburgh Reporter
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Winter Festivals report shows economic benefit
A report produced for the event organisers, UniqueAssembly, has confirmed there was substantial positive impact on Edinburgh and Scotland – all despite the fact that bad weather led to cancellation of some of the outdoor events on the days around Hogmanay. Edinburgh's Winter Festivals lasted for seven weeks at the end of 2024, and the report shows the economic and community benefits of the various activities including the Christmas Wheel, the Around the World Starflyer, Ice Skating and Ice Bar, with the Taylor's family funfair rides and live concerts, as well as Santa in St Andrew's Square Garden. More than 2.8 million people visited the Edinburgh's Christmas attractions with many visitors from overseas included in that number. The division between local, UK and international visitors is almost evenly split at Hogmanay. The total economic impact of the Edinburgh's Winter Festivals was calculated last year at £198 million, combining the financial impact of both Edinburgh's Christmas (£150 million) and Edinburgh's Hogmanay (£48 million). This represents a return of £244 for every £1 invested by the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC funding contribution of £812,456 towards Edinburgh's Hogmanay), whilst making a contribution to the year-round health and prosperity of the city. Although the Torchlight Procession and the Concert in the Gardens fell foul of the weather, more than 25,000 people attended on the four days around Hogmanay including The Night Afore Concert, Bairns Revels and New Year Revels in Assembly Rooms, the Candlelit Concert in St Giles and a hastily arranged indoor event in Assembly Hall with Hot Dub Time Machine. On New Year's Day the First Footin' Cultural Trail attracted an audience of more than 15,000 people, including many family groups at 18 venues across the Old and New Towns, this year extending its footprint and welcoming Portobello Town Hall and Leith Arches into the programme. First Footin' and Sprogmanay presented 44 acts with 298 performers for the programme, and as part of its participatory music event, Come Away In, renowned folk artist Karine Polwart welcomed 150 participants to join a community choir for uplifting performances on New Year's Day at St. Giles' Cathedral. K Polwart entertained at St Giles' on New Year's Day Sprogmanay welcomed a family audience of 5,500 to take part in lots of New Year arts, crafts and activities, including magic, dancing unicorns and giant I-puppets through a collaboration with National Museum of Scotland. Free family ceilidhs took place in Assembly Roxy and Portobello Town Hall offering a truly Scottish experience for families on New Year's Day both in the city and beyond. Despite the cancellation of outdoor events, three quarters of those surveyed said they enjoyed their festival experience with 93% saying it is a valuable part of 'Edinburgh's winter identity'. Street theatre by Close Act which wowed the children at Sprogmanay at the National Museum of Scotland on New Year's Day 2025 © 2025 Martin McAdam Al Thomson of UniqueAssembly at Sprogmanay © 2024 Martin McAdam Sprogmanay PHOTO Robin Mair Hogmanay was very wet and windy – and all outdoor events were cancelled. Photo Alan Simpson Hogmanay concert at St Giles' Cathedral to mark the end of its 900th anniversary celebrations. The concert included the three cantatas from Christmas Oratorio. The Cathedral Choir were directed by Michael Harris with the St Giles' Camerata led by Angus Ramsay. Hogmanay concert at St Giles' Cathedral to mark the end of its 900th anniversary celebrations. The concert included the three cantatas from Christmas Oratorio. The Cathedral Choir were directed by Michael Harris with the St Giles' Camerata led by Angus Ramsay. Numbers Three quarters of the stall traders at the Christmas markets were Scottish and the organisers say this boosts the local economy and Scotland's global tourism profile. A similar percentage – 76% – of the artists and creatives who took part in the Winter festivals were local. Out of those who responded to the survey 95% agreed that Edinburgh's Christmas is a 'valuable and iconic part of Edinburgh's winter identity bringing a festive spirit to the city'. And 90% of those who responded said they are more likely to return to Edinburgh during the winter season as a result of their experience. The ticketing Scheme allows EH residents a discount – and 101,500 tickets were sold using the discount code. Some 8,000 free community tickets are distributed to local community groups and charities, enabling access for as many people as possible to the Christmas festivities. The Winter Windows Schools Competition drew entries from 24 of the city's schools and were displayed in the city centre. In a new development the Silent Light Projection Show also illuminated communities in the city including Granton Primary School, Stockbridge Primary School, Gilmerton Community Centre and The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. Other community benefits included donations to the Lord Provost's charity for inclusiveness, the OneCity Trust and the homelessness charity, Simon Community Scotland. Social Bite also benefited through its Festival of Kindness as well as monies raised from the Santa Run for locally based charity, When You Wish Upon a Star and Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS). Cllr Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener, said: 'The findings of this report demonstrate that Edinburgh's world-famous winter festivals don't only draw a huge international crowd, boosting the economy and adding to the city's vibrant calendar of events, but, crucially, they deliver significant benefits to Edinburgh's local communities, businesses and charities. This is despite the cancellation of last year's outdoor events, showing just how far reaching the programme events is. I look forward to finding out more about this year's plans, which look set to brighten the city in the winter months.' Alan Thomson from Unique Assembly said: 'We take a lot of heart from this report that even having lost our outdoor events at Edinburgh's Hogmanay to weather, the Winter Festivals have still delivered not just wonderful and joyful opportunities for people to come together, but also huge benefits for the people of Edinburgh and for Scotland across traders, local families, communities and charities and our tourism businesses. We are working on our plans for this coming winter's celebrations and look forward to sharing those with you very soon.' Roddy Smith, CEO of Essential Edinburgh said: 'Edinburgh's Winter Festivals are a crucial period for our city centre and again it is very pleasing to see our residents and visitors coming in such large numbers. With such a varied and appealing Festival programme, combined with the high quality hospitality and retail offering in the city centre, Edinburgh continues to be an attractive destination to enjoy the festive season. We are already looking forward to what's in store for this year.' Louise MacLean, Business Development Director, Signature Group, said: 'The Winter Festivals in Edinburgh provide a vital boost for hospitality in December. The surge in footfall, driven by visitors seeking festive entertainment, food, and drink, brings a much-needed increase in sales to all our venues across Edinburgh but particularly George Street and the New Town. Since the eastward shift in footfall with the appeal of St James, the Winter programme is not just welcomed by us, it's crucial to our Christmas trade which often sustains us through the hard month of January. We can plan for this due to knowing that Unique Assembly's festivals will bring revellers to the city. From there, we must ensure these visitors become our guests.' The report will be considered by the Culture and Communities committee next week. The papers for the meeting will be here when published. Early Bird tickets for Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party and Torchlight Procession will go on sale on 30 May at 10am. Shetland's South Mainland Up Helly Aa' Jarl Squad in the Grassmarket after the Torchlight Procession was cancelled with the Depute Lord Provost, Lezley Marion Cameron. PHOTO Craig Duncan Like this: Like Related
