Latest news with #WalterScott
The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Steamship marks 125 years sailing on scenic Scottish loch
Departing with a long blast from the ship's steam whistle, the excited cheers of young voices marked the start of a weekend-long Steamboat Festival at Trossachs Pier. The festival is the centrepiece of a special anniversary year for the Steamship Sir Walter Scott, which was crowned Flagship of the Year 2025 by National Historic Ships UK in April. READ MORE: Historic steamship gears up for 125th anniversary celebration Historic ship begins 125th season on scenic Scottish loch SS Sir Walter Scott returns to Loch Katrine An actor portraying Sir Walter Scott joined the celebrations, honouring the poet whose 1810 masterpiece 'The Lady of the Lake' made him and Loch Katrine, where the poem is set, famous. Built in 1899 at Denny's Shipyard in Dumbarton on the Clyde, Steamship Sir Walter Scott was commissioned to replace the ageing and smaller Rob Roy steamer and help satisfy the huge demand for sailings from the large numbers of visitors flocking to the Trossachs. Tributes were also paid to Captain John MacKinnon, who steered the maiden voyage in 1900. A larger-than-life figure, Captain MacKinnon and his family played a defining role in the first half of the Steamer's life. He remained at the helm until his death, when his son Donald took over as captain. During both World Wars, John and Donald's daughters also cared for the ship. Highlights of this weekend's Steamboat Festival at Trossachs Pier include pirate-themed cruises aboard the Rob Roy Smuggler, complete with storytelling, face painting, and a treasure hunt, alongside a flotilla of classic and model steamboats sailing on the loch. There will also be live music, traditional games, appearances from costumed performers, local food and drink tastings, craft stalls, and fascinating heritage exhibitions. In a tribute to the vessel's enduring legacy, 125 local schoolchildren from local schools joined the cruise, recreating the historic maiden journey. (Image: Paul Saunders) James Fraser, CEO and Lead Trustee of Steamship Sir Walter Scott said: "To see 125 schoolchildren aboard this morning's voyage, representing the future, on a vessel that has been sailing since their great-great-grandparents' time, was truly emotional. "This Steamer is more than a boat: she symbolises the Trossachs' unrivalled cultural heritage in Scotland. She was saved for the nation by incredible public support, and today she sails on, restored, celebrated, and loved. "As we mark 125 years, we do so with gratitude and pride. We invite everyone to join us at Loch Katrine this weekend to celebrate a remarkable past and a bright future for this Scottish treasure." The Steamboat Festival runs across the weekend, with Steamship Sir Walter Scott sailing three times a day in her anniversary year until October 26th.
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Scotsman
3 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
On reaching the third floor of the monument, you can feel the satisfaction of completing the climb, while taking in the beautiful views of Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street Gardens and the National Gal
Footage shows the Scott Monument's Museum Room, which features four stained glass windows, along with the amazing panoramic views from the third floor of the monument. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... On previous visits to Edinburgh, climbing the famous Scott Monument was on my list of things to do, but was bumped off in favour of some of the more publicised activities in the city. However, when I eventually took the trip up the monument, the experience did not disappoint - offering unrivalled views of the Old Town and a chance to learn interesting nuggets of history from the knowledgeable and easy to listen to guides. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The construction of the Scott Monument George Meikle Kemp won a competition to design a monument to Sir Walter Scott following the Scottish writer's death in 1832 and construction of the monument began in 1840. The monument features 68 statues of characters from Sir Walter Scott's novels and Scottish poets , writers and royalty. Climbing the Scott Monument To reach the highest accessible platform on the monument, visitors have to walk up 287 steps, with stops on the way to take a break and explore. After paying our admission fee, we waited for the rest of our group to congregate, and made our way up the first set of the steps to the first floor and Museum Room. A view from the Scott Monument, with Edinburgh Castle visible in the background. | National World Here, we took a seat and rested our legs, while a guide talked us through who Walter Scott was, the construction of the monument and gave us an insight into more recent conversations around the monument, for example whether or not the stonework should be cleaned. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Museum Room has four incredible stained glass windows, and also holds artefacts such as a silver trowel presented by the then Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh to mark the laying of the monument's foundation stone. A view from the Scott Monument, with the Balmoral Hotel visible on the right. | National World After some time to walk around, and take in the view of the Old Town, we regrouped and walked up to the second floor. The platform on the second floor is quite small, however you can get a great birds-eye view of Edinburgh Waverley station - named after the Waverley Novels by Sir Walter Scott. On reaching the third floor of the monument, you can feel the satisfaction of completing the climb, while taking in the beautiful views of Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street Gardens and the National Galleries of Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad You can look along the entire one mile length of Princes Street, with the Balmoral Hotel clock tower visible to the east and, category A listed building, St John's Church to the west. How much does it cost to climb the Scott Monument? Tickets can be purchased from the Scott Monument kiosk on arrival. Prices are: adult - £9, child / concession - £7, family ticket - £26. What are the Scott Monument's opening times? The monument is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 3:30 pm (which is the last tour). It is closed daily for lunch from 12:30pm to 1:45pm. Have you got a video you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your footage will appear on our website.
Wales Online
30-05-2025
- Wales Online
50 years of steam magic: discover the beauty of Ilfracombe via the magnificent Paddle Steamer Waverley
Summer is the perfect time for family adventures. This summer, families can embark on an enchanting adventure by water, by setting sail on the magnificent Paddle Steamer Waverley - which has recently received a Visit Wales Gold Award for 2025 - as she celebrates 50 years of sailing in preservation. From Monday, June 2 until Wednesday, June 25, families can take a trip like never before aboard the world's last seagoing paddle steamer, with cruises departing from Penarth, Swansea, Tenby and Porthcawl to the charming and idyllic North Devon seaside resort of Ilfracombe, a nod to what has been a long-standing tradition for South Wales passengers. Once aboard, take a step back in time as you observe the magnificent triple expansion steam engine, bringing to life the authentic charm of a real steamship as you hear the telegraph ring, witness the engine's graceful motion, watch the paddles turning through the portholes and sense the soothing aroma of hot oil and steam. Waverley's master, captain Dominic McCall, said: "We have developed our best possible sailing programme for South West Wales to ensure that as many locals and visitors as possible have the opportunity to step aboard Waverley and enjoy a traditional pleasure steamer excursion." (Image: Waverley Excursions) Introducing Waverley Waverley is named after Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels. She was built to replace the 1899 Waverley, which was sunk by enemy action on May 29, 1940 at Dunkirk. Waverley's keel was laid on December 27, 1945 but due to material shortages after the war, she was not ready for launch until October 2, 1946. It wasn't until the following year on January 20, 1947 that she was towed to Greenock for the installation of her boiler and engines. Her maiden voyage was on June 16, 1947. Waverley was built for the route up Loch Goil and Loch Long from Craigendoran & Arrochar in West Scotland. She now visits several areas of the UK, offering regular trips on the Clyde, The Western Isles, the Thames, South Coast of England and the Bristol Channel with calls at Liverpool and Llandudno. Waverley is the world's last seagoing paddle steamer. In 1974, at the end of her working life, she was famously gifted for just £1 to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society. Waverley Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., a charity registered in Scotland, was set up to own and operate the ship. Waverley then began a second career as a beloved tourist attraction. Since she has been in operational preservation, she has been awarded four stars by Visit Scotland, an Engineering Heritage award, and has carried more than six million passengers from more than 60 ports around the UK. Throughout your cruise, full catering facilities will be available, allowing you to indulge in a hot or cold snack, afternoon tea and cake, a wholesome meal in the Dining Saloon - or you can simply relax in one of the steamer's comfortable lounges. (Image: Waverley Excursions) No cruise is complete without visiting the souvenir shop, where exclusive gifts and mementos await, allowing you to carry a piece of Waverley's legacy home with you - ensuring the memories of your special day last a lifetime. Special offers are available on selected dates, allowing a friend to travel with you, free of charge*. Children travel for just £1, whilst under 5s travel free of charge on all sailings. If you dream of creating unique family memories that will last a lifetime this summer, then don't miss out on a Waverley Excursion. Bookings are now open, with tickets available from or you can secure your cruise by calling the booking office on 0141 243 2224. *Seniors bring a friend for free on selected sailings only. Buy one senior ticket and receive a second ticket free of charge. Both passengers must be aged 60 or over to take advantage of this offer. Applicable to advance bookings only.
The Herald Scotland
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
He is Scotland's greatest novelist but no-one reads him now. Why?
With originality and verve, he illuminated the turbulent past, mainly of Scotland, but also England and France. Scott's phenomenal productivity was in part the result of finding himself almost bankrupt in 1825. Yet he had been drawn to stories of the great events that shaped Scotland since he was a boy. Despite the demands of his roles as Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire and Clerk of the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scott turned to fiction with such energy it was as if he were an uncorked bottle of champagne. Read more In the space of 18 years, 27 novels fizzed out of him in a seemingly unstoppable stream, intoxicating readers worldwide and changing forever the face of his homeland. The more vivid the period, the livelier his imagination: Waverley was about the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion; Woodstock about the Cavaliers and Roundheads; Ivanhoe took place in England after the Norman Conquest, while Old Mortality was about the Covenanters. The Heart of Midlothian is based on the Porteous Riots of 1736; Kenilworth was set in Elizabethan England, Quentin Durward in 15th-century France and The Talisman in Palestine during the Crusades. In tribute to his continuing influence, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction was founded 16 years ago by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, with the winners announced at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose in June. Previous winners include Hilary Mantel, Robert Harris, Robin Robertson and Tan Twan Eng, and this year's shortlist features novels set in Sicily in 412 BC, the 19th-century American frontier and England in the winter of 1962–3. As a genre, the historical novel appears to be thriving, its perennial success directly attributable to the Laird of Abbotsford. Scott's literary career had begun first as a collector of Border Ballads – Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border – and then with epic poems such as Marmion and The Lady of the Lake. Only in his forties did he turn to fiction. Learning of his change of direction, Jane Austen wrote: "Walter Scott has no business to write novels, especially good ones. "It is not fair. "He has fame and profit enough as a poet, and should not be taking the bread out of other people's mouths. Sir Walter Scott's home in Abbotsford (Image: free) "I do not like him, and do not mean to like Waverley if I can help it – but I fear I must." Scott's fame crossed continents. Eager to see the locations he so vividly described, tourists flocked to Scotland to visit the scenes of his stories and explore his stately home, which was opened to the public in 1833, the year after his death. His evocation of bygone times turned a country once deemed primitive and inhospitable into the alluring backdrop for drama, intrigue and heroism. Thanks to the appeal of his swashbuckling plots and unforgettable characters, and to the romance surrounding the author himself, Scott put Scotland on the map. A natural storyteller, whose grasp of social and political history was profound and enlightened, Scott's impact on literature was transformational. Across Europe and America, writers took their cue from him, notably Balzac, Alessandro Manzoni, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, James Fennimore Cooper, Theodor Fontane, Pushkin, Tolstoy and Turgenev, all of whom acknowledged their debt. Not everyone, however, was a fan. Mark Twain believed his novels exerted a "malign" influence on "the character of the Southerner". By diverting Southerners' attention from the present and future to an idealised past, wrote a frothing Twain, he helped foment the American Civil War. Until the present era, familiarity with Scott's novels was essential for anyone who wished to be considered well-read. To admit never having broached The Heart of Midlothian or Ivanhoe (Tony Blair's desert island book) was to invite derision. Today, sadly, Scott is barely read in his home country. Whereas there have been recent translations of his work in Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Catalonia, here he has become the Great Unread. Read more People wouldn't thank you for a set of his novels; I doubt if even charity shops would accept them. But although his stories are consigned to library bookshelves, where they gather dust, his legacy endures. The rocket-like Scott Monument in Princes Street is within earshot of the tannoy system at Waverley Station. What other city has named its main railway station after a novel? And all across the UK streets, houses and pubs are called after his books or characters: Marmion Road, Durward Avenue, Waverley Place, Ivanhoe Avenue, Woodstock Road, Peveril Street, Kenilworth Terrace... It is one of literature's great injustices that a writer whose purpose was to bring history alive for as wide an audience as possible is now deemed dry and dull. Neither accusation is fair. Scott has fallen from favour not because of changing taste, although that plays a part; nor because he is now as historic as his subjects, although that too is true. It is not because of his rich, occasionally antique language, or his love of dialect, or his leisurely digressions. The biggest enemy of Scott is time itself—not its passing but readers' lack of it. Modern bestsellers are written to catch the attention quickly and not overstay their welcome. It's a brave writer who produces a novel as long as Peveril of the Peak. But for some of us, the heft of Scott's stories is part of their appeal. In fact, right now I'm off to continue Rob Roy, which had me hooked from the opening page. I may be some time. The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction shortlist: The Heart in Winter, Kevin Barry; The Mare, Angharad Hampshire; The Book of Days, Francesca Kay; Glorious Exploits, Ferdia Lennon; The Land in Winter, Andrew Miller; The Safekeep, Yael van der Wouden. The winner will be announced on Thursday 12 May at 5pm. For details and tickets go to:
The Herald Scotland
21-05-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Historic steamship gears up for 125th anniversary celebration
A recreation of the original cruise will commemorate the historic milestone. In tribute to her enduring legacy, 125 local schoolchildren have been invited to join the voyage, officially launching the three-day Steamboat Festival, which runs from Friday, June 6 to Sunday, June 8 at Trossachs Pier. Visitor interest in Loch Katrine in the heart of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park continues to grow, boosted by the introduction of a new scenic tower at the 'Birthplace of Scottish Tourism' above Trossachs Pier. READ MORE: Historic ship begins 125th season on scenic Scottish loch Opened in late summer 2024, the scenic tower and lookouts are now accessible via a restored pathway, allowing visitors to once again enjoy the iconic Victorian panoramic vista. It was here in the early 1800s that Sir Walter Scott found inspiration to write 'The Lady of the Lake'—a blockbuster poem that helped bring Loch Katrine and Scotland to international fame. Already, the tower has welcomed more than 20,000 visitors. The investment by the The Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust - a charitable organisation which was formed in 2005, to preserve the Steamship for the nation and the enjoyment of the public - has not only reopened one of Scotland's most celebrated views but also helped preserve a site of exceptional cultural and natural significance for future generations. James Fraser, CEO and Lead Trustee of Steamship Sir Walter Scott, said: 'This is a year of special celebration, legacy, and gratitude. Steamship Sir Walter Scott was saved for the nation thanks to the incredible generosity and determination of our supporters, and it's hugely rewarding to have welcomed over one million visitors back on board following major restoration works 20 years ago and again a couple of years ago. "The season has got off to a real flyer with record numbers enjoying cruises on the historic Steamship boosted greatly by a prolonged period of great weather. The Steamship Sir Walter Scott (Image: Paul Saunders) "We're especially excited about the upcoming Steamboat Festival, which promises a fantastic weekend for all ages. Highlights include pirate-themed cruises, a treasure hunt, face painting, costumed story-telling actors, a flotilla of steamboats and steam launches, live music, games, food and drink stalls, and plenty of family-friendly attractions. "It's shaping up to be a truly memorable way to mark 125 years of this much-loved vessel.' After being built in 1899, the Steamship Sir Walter Scott was conveyed in sections from Dumbarton along the River Leven, towed to Inversnaid, carried overland by horse-drawn wagons and reassembled at Stronachlachar on Loch Katrine. Half of the total bill of £4,269 was related to the cost of delivery. It has never sailed any waters other than Loch Katrine, which has been supplying Glasgow's drinking water since 1859. A £1.3 million refurbishment, which began in 2007, converted the vessel from being coal-fuelled to being powered by Scottish smokeless biofuel to reduce the environmental pollution and to cut the risk of diesel spilling into Glasgow's water supply. Passengers aboard the Steamship enjoy live commentary telling the story of the vessel's construction, history, and role in shaping Scottish tourism, as well as the nature and wonders of Loch Katrine. They can also view the engine room during a voyage. At the pier, where passengers depart for a cruise, there is an immersive exhibition showcasing the history of Loch Katrine's steamships. The exhibition includes the human stories of the captains, crew and key people over the 125 years, whose dedication contributed to the Steamship's success and ensured her safety through two World Wars before the challenges of ownership around her 100th anniversary, which resulted in the transfer to a dedicated and independent charitable trust in 2007. The Steamboat Festival will run daily from 10am-5pm from Friday, June 6 to Sunday, June 8.
