Latest news with #Pitlochry
Travel Daily News
20-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Fonab Castle Hotel joins Elegant Hotel Collection in Scotland
Fonab Castle Hotel & Spa joins Elegant Hotel Collection, becoming its first Scottish member, enhancing global reach and promoting authentic luxury experiences in the Highlands. LONDON, UK – Fonab Castle Hotel & Spa, the five-star hotel and spa in Pitlochry, has joined Elegant Hotel Collection, marking a significant milestone as the full-service luxury representation brand expands into Scotland. Nestled in Perthshire's Big Tree Country, the 42-room Fonab Castle Hotel & Spa is surrounded by enchanting landscapes, making it an idyllic destination for spa and wellness experiences, immersive culinary escapes and high-octane adventures in the Highlands. Originally a grand private residence, the Scots baronial castle was built in 1892 for Lieutenant Colonel George Glas Sandeman, and has since transformed into Pitlochry's only five-star hotel and spa. The hotel blends its historic charm with contemporary elegance, to create an exceptional hospitality experience as part of the Crerar Hotels Group. Powered by HotelREZ, Elegant Hotel Collection is breathing new life into luxury representation by combining traditional soft brand services with global distribution and technological innovation. Bringing independent luxury hotels into a global movement that celebrates authentic independence, the luxury soft brand is committed to invitation-based expansion centred around its five brand pillars of authenticity, inclusivity, innovation, distinction and sustainability. Jodie Wright, Chief Commercial Officer, Crerar Hotels Group, commented: 'As the first Scottish member of Elegant Hotel Collection, we are immensely proud to represent our region in this prestigious global community. This strategic partnership will enable Fonab Castle to strengthen its presence in key regions, including the UK and the USA and we look forward to welcoming an even broader audience to experience the unmatched luxury, heritage, and warmth that define the resort.' Catt McLeod, Vice President, Elegant Hotel Collection, said: 'Expanding our global footprint with the addition of Fonab Castle underscores our commitment to creating an unrivalled offering for guests seeking unforgettable stays in distinctive locations around the world. Fonab Castle is a truly idyllic destination for adventure, relaxation and indulgence in the heart of Scotland. This incredible five-star resort expertly caters to the growing demand that we are seeing for unique and authentic experiences.' Fonab Castle Hotel & Spa joins an illustrious membership of independent luxury hotels worldwide, including renowned establishments such as Exclusive Collection (UK), Galgorm Resort (Northern Ireland), Cresta Palace Celerina (Switzerland), Paresa Resort Phuket (Thailand) and The Townhouse Hotel Mykonos (Greece), which was recently awarded a prestigious Michelin Key.
The Courier
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
Don't miss young playwright's 'real deal' original script as Water Colour heads to St Andrews
There will be few plays seen on a Scottish stage this year that hit as powerfully as Water Colour, let alone any written by a 21-year-old. The winner of the St Andrews Playwriting Award 2024, by young Glaswegian writer Milly Sweeney, is about two young people whose chance late-night meeting on a bridge over the River Clyde as one of them contemplates suicide changes both their lives in different ways. Molly Geddes is Esme, a student at Glasgow College of Art, whose dream studies are disrupted by a crippling anxiety that her classmates are mocking her and her tutor looks down on her. Friendless and paralysed by her fear, she dreads the thought of her high school reunion. Meanwhile Ryan J Mackay (whose past work includes Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End and the National Theatre of Scotland's Kidnapped) is Harris. He is over-the-moon to get his dream job in a top Glasgow kitchen, but becomes eventually beaten down by overwork and visions of Esme in the brief moment he met her at her worst. The fact it's a brand new co-production between Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the Byre Theatre in St Andrews, two of the best theatres in the area. It's also technically the first play of Pitlochry's always-exciting summer season, although this year's was programmed before new artistic director Alan Cumming took over. Director Sally Reid (a hit as an actor in Pitlochry's Shirley Valentine and in Scot Squad on the BBC) will rightly draw people in too. She did a great job of Dundee Rep's hit Jim McLean bioplay Smile. And here she's on to another winner, directing her two immensely talented young leads with lots of heart and energy, not to mention really landing the funny lines. Quite simply, Sweeney's script is the real deal. A perfect insight into the trials of youth and young adulthood, it's truthful, funny and beautifully observed. Plus the perfect structure ebbs and flows as each character's fate plays out like a reverse image of the other. There's really no reason to avoid this wonderful play and every reason to see it if you can. But for those who appreciate trigger warnings, it does very realistically depict two characters in the throes of mental breakdown. 4/5
Times
16-05-2025
- General
- Times
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
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thousands of cyclists take part in Highlands event for charity
THOUSANDS of cyclists have taken part in an event in the Highlands to raise money for charity. On Sunday, around 5000 cyclists took part in Cancer Research UK's Etape Caledonia feat, which started in Pitlochry. The event branched off into 40, 55, and 85-mile routes, meaning riders of varying degrees of experience could take part. (Image: PA) Organised by Motiv Sports UK, the fundraiser attracted cyclists from all backgrounds and the closed-road event meant participants could cycle without fear of traffic or disruption. Each route offered views of the Highlands' lochs, forests and hilly backdrop. READ MORE: Activists surround police van as man 'detained' at pro-Palestine protest Gold medal Olympian Hailey Duff MBE (below) officially started the event at 6.30am, leading the throng of cyclists off on the course. (Image: PA) She powered over the finish line as the first female just two hours, 30 minutes and 54 seconds later, smashing her target time of 3.5 hours. Dentist Alanna Cameron (below) from Inverness took the top time, setting a new course record for the 40-mile route of two hours, 19 minutes and 16 seconds, knocking a slim five seconds off the previous record set by Louisa Brown. (Image: PA) Female riders led the pack this year on performance with a second impressive course record set for the 55-mile route by Sharon McNicol from Troon who came in at three hours, one minute and five seconds on the 55-mile route, smashing almost 26 minutes off the previous route record held by Kate Woodward. Among the standout participants was Nathan Grove, a Scottish RAF engineer and bowel cancer survivor, riding the 55-mile route to raise awareness and money for Cancer Research UK and finishing in three hours, 47 minutes and 24 seconds. READ MORE: Pope Leo calls for Gaza ceasefire in first Sunday blessing Originally from Tain in the Scottish Highlands and now living in Letham, Angus, he has raised nearly £13,000 for the charity across several endurance events. Nathan Grove (Image: PA) Event director Jo Dytch, who has been involved with the event since its launch in 2007, said: 'Cancer Research UK Etape Caledonia is more than a cycling event, it's a celebration of strength, solidarity and community. Stories like Nathan's remind us why this event matters. 'Taking part in a sportive of this scale, in stunning surroundings and peaceful closed roads is a tremendous experience, and all the more meaningful if cyclists have been riding to raise money to help transform lives through funding cancer research. 'Thank you to the community of Highland Perthshire who came out in their droves to support the cyclists and offer a warm Scottish welcome. 'Congratulations to everyone who took part today. We're already looking forward to our landmark 20th edition in 2026!'
The National
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Mental health takes centre stage in powerful debut by young Scot
Written by 21-year-old Glaswegian Milly Sweeney, Water Colour is the winner of the St Andrews Playwriting Award and is directed by Sally Reid who played PC Sarah Fletcher in Scots Squad. Starring Molly Geddes and Ryan J Mackay, both fresh from the Netflix production of Lockerbie, it will open at Pitlochry on Friday before moving to the Byre Theatre in St Andrews at the end of the month. Sweeney told the Sunday National that the story was entirely fictional but the Clyde bridge drama had been a catalyst for tackling the issue of mental ill health. READ MORE: 'It's needed now more than ever': Thousands march in support of Scottish independence 'I found from talking to other people that these kinds of stories of helping strangers in their time of need are not really uncommon – it is more of a universal experience than I had anticipated,' she said. 'Something like one in four people will struggle with their mental health throughout their lifetime. There is increased awareness of mental ill health and more people are reaching out for help but the funding for getting these people help from the NHS has not mirrored that increase. 'They can't get the help they need and there are waiting lists and barriers to getting diagnoses so these are all things I was wanting to explore.' Sweeney said she herself had struggled with bouts of mental ill health as had some of her friends. (Image: Milly Sweeney) 'There is a general sense of hopelessness I feel in the world just now which is quite hard to ignore,' she said. One of the characters in the play is a budding artist who specialises in watercolour and Sweeney said she had been keen to explore the relationship between artists and mental illness. 'I think sometimes creative people are more susceptible to it but there have also been various studies on the positive impacts of the creative arts on mental health and that is again something we explore in the play.' Despite the subject matter, Sweeney said the overall message of the play was one of hope. 'Even in the murkiest of waters there is colour to be found so it is this idea that you can extract some sort of positivity from a dire situation,' she explained. 'If you sit with it long enough there is always colour to be found.' Although this is her professional playwriting debut, Sweeney has had a lot of experience in playwriting despite her young age, having joined Glasgow Acting Academy at the tender age of eight and attending regularly until she was 18 years old. 'I'm proud to have gone there and grateful to have had that as the staff pour pore so much love and effort into it,' she said. 'I write shows for young people there and I have a queer, female-led theatre company with my friends called Cuttin' Aboot. We produce original plays and I have been writing for them since we started. 'Having theatre is where I go to for my healing and recovery. Having something that you are passionate about and something to look forward to gives you the motivation to get well and get stronger. 'I also count myself very lucky to have a solid support system – kind, patient friends and family.' Sweeney added that she also felt very lucky to have won the St Andrews Playwriting Award when she had just graduated from New College in Lanarkshire. 'I still can't believe it is all happening the way it is,' she said. Director Sally Reid said she was thrilled to be going back to Pitlochry to direct Sweeney's debut play. 'The first time I read it, the characters sprang off the page and I was immersed in their vivid worlds,' she said. 'Milly's play delves quickly and succinctly into the heads and hearts of the characters as they navigate through the complexities of staying afloat in their young adult lives, surviving in Glasgow, a new city to both of them. It brings hope when the characters believe there is none and hopefully the audience will feel that sense of uplifting hope when they leave.' Water Colour is co-produced by Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Byre Theatre and the Playwrights' Studio, Scotland and runs in the Studio at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from May 9-17 before heading to the Byre Theatre on May 28-29
