Ishan Crawford

If you’ve ever dreamed of standing in the hush of a pine forest watching a red squirrel dart up a tree, or peering across a misty loch hoping to catch the glint of an otter’s sleek fur — Scotland’s got you covered. Forget Nessie for a sec; the real stars of the show are Scotland’s “big five”: otters, red squirrels, seals, red deer and golden eagles. This summer, there’s no better excuse to lace up your boots, pack a flask and go track down these elusive locals. Otters at Kylerhea: Skye’s Shy Stars First up, otters. They’re shy, quick, and…

From ancient towers perched on green embankments to cheeky weasels peeking out from stone cracks, Scotland’s natural charm never fails to surprise. This week’s selection of your photos, sent between July 4 and 11, captures the everyday magic that unfolds when the skies clear — or even when they don’t. Kinnoull Hill Tower: Perth’s Picture-Perfect Spot Mark Taylor’s shot of Kinnoull Hill Tower is one for the postcards. Perched high on a grassy embankment above the River Tay, the tower feels like a sentinel watching over Perth’s fields and bushes below. A zig-zag river carves its way through the landscape,…

Erin Napier is swapping small-town Mississippi for the misty streets of Scotland — and she’s doing it with a grin, despite a fear that once kept her closer to home. A Scotsman’s Homecoming, with Erin by His Side Fans of HGTV’s Home Town know Erin and Ben Napier for their old-house charm and Southern hospitality. But chilly Edinburgh isn’t Laurel, Mississippi. For Ben, though, this trip is personal — it’s a chance to show his roots. “Seeing his homeland with my Scotsman 🏴,” Erin wrote under a sun-dappled Instagram snap. She and Ben are bundled up in jackets and sunglasses,…

Heading out on Sunday? Better check your train plans twice. ScotRail has announced significant service disruptions on the busy Glasgow Central–West Calder line — and the knock-on effects could frustrate weekend travellers across Cambuslang, Bellshill and beyond. What’s Actually Happening on Sunday? This Sunday, July 13, the usual train services from Glasgow Central to West Calder will come to a full stop. The reason? Planned engineering works between Holytown and West Calder. To keep passengers moving, ScotRail will roll out all-day replacement buses. These buses won’t just cover the direct route — they’ll wind through multiple towns to pick up…

Scotland’s summer tour heats up with a fierce clash against Fiji in Suva this Friday. Both sides have named bold lineups — and a few surprise changes — as they gear up for their 11th face-off in rugby history. Big Debuts and Bold Picks for Scotland Scotland’s selectors have rolled the dice. New face Fergus Burke, who qualifies through his Edinburgh-born grandad, gets his first start at fly-half. It’s a big shout — Burke slots in next to Jamie Dobie at scrum-half, with captaincy duties shifting to flanker Rory Darge. Behind them? A backline built for speed. Darcy Graham, Cameron…

For three decades, one Scottish company has quietly made life-changing moves feel a little less overwhelming — helping people start over, far from home, with more than just boxes and keys. From Singapore to Scotland: An Idea Takes Root Back in 1995, Mary Smith saw something many didn’t. After three years running relocation support in Singapore, she returned home and realised Scotland needed its own guiding hand for incomers. “It was a natural fit,” she says. “I knew how it felt to pack up your life, land in a new place, and not have a clue where to start.” One…

A free mobile app is giving ordinary people across Scotland the chance to help save one of the country’s most critically endangered fish — the flapper skate — by turning their photos into vital scientific data. From Photo Albums to a National Effort Back in 2018, a single angling charter skipper, Ronnie Campbell, kickstarted what’s now become a national project. He handed over 400 digital images of flapper skates to the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). Fast forward seven years and that seed has grown into SkateSpotter, a mobile app curated by NatureScot that now boasts over 4,000 photos…

Beneath the cold, restless waves off Scotland’s northern coast, a turbine has been whirring away for more than six years — and that’s got renewable energy watchers buzzing. Submerged off the Pentland Firth’s rugged shoreline, the underwater turbine’s record run without major hiccups has breathed new life into the promise of tidal power — and thrown a spotlight on Scotland’s quiet but determined push to turn its churning seas into clean energy gold. What Makes This So Impressive? Let’s not sugarcoat it — the ocean is brutal. Salt, storms, constant currents. If your shiny new turbine can’t survive years down…

Contractors and merchants across Scotland will soon breathe a sigh of relief as Vivalda ramps up its service — offering Cedral’s popular fibre cement facades in a fraction of the time it used to take. Faster Turnaround for a Busy Trade Vivalda’s Cumbernauld branch is now delivering Cedral’s core cladding range on a three-day cycle. That means no more weeks-long waits for a batch of slate grey panels or matching accessories. For many small contractors juggling tight deadlines and weather windows, that’s no small thing. Wes Hague, Vivalda’s commercial director, didn’t sugar-coat it: “Poor product availability is one of the…

Scotland’s flagship digital health and social care conference, DigiFest, is back in-person this December — and it’s all about driving a bold, ‘digital first’ mindset to tackle the country’s biggest health and social care challenges. It’s more than just an event. For many, DigiFest 2025 could mark a turning point for how Scotland reimagines care — with innovation, people, and community right at its heart. A Stage for Scotland’s Big Ideas There’s a reason people keep an eye on DigiFest. It’s where some of Scotland’s most ambitious ideas first get airtime. This year, the University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation…