Author: Morag Mackenzie

Every festive season, the picturesque Highland town of Aviemore and its breathtaking mountain backdrop are magically transformed into a stunning Christmas haven for Scots

Decades of holiday memories confirm that Santa Claus’ home in Scotland is the town of Aviemore. The winter sports resort surrounded by Cairngorm National Park welcomes visiting families each year to the capital of Christmas in the Highlands.

The story of the mountain resort starts in 1961 with a chairlift. There has been a settlement at Aviemore since at least as far back as the 1600s and the stone circle in the town hints at a more ancient past. The arrival of the railway produced the first flutter of attention from Victorian holidaymakers. However, it wasn’t until the opening of The White Lady chairlift in December 1961 that the potential of Cairngorm for leisure was realised.

Skiers now had the first directly accessible piste close to Aviemore with reliable late-season snow. Enter department store magnate Lord Fraser of Allandale and brewer George McEwan Younger. The due envisaged Scotland’s answer to the Alpine resorts of Europe, designed to appeal to a new generation of holidaymakers.

They set out to create the first all-weather resort in the UK, leading to the construction of the Aviemore Centre in 1966. It quickly became a major Scottish tourist destination. There was a cinema, shops, restaurants, and a swimming pool – all surrounded by new chalets, hotels and lodges for the ultimate holiday experience in the Highlands. The kitsch Santa Claus Land and its go-kart track, set against the dramatic landscape, were a highlight for young visitors.

A new funicular railway in December 2001 signalled the beginning of a period of optimism which was enhanced by the creation of the Cairngorms National Park in August 2003.

The tradition of family holidays has endured – Aviemore is one of the best places in Scotland for a break with kids. Santa Weekends at Macdonald Aviemore Resort have brought festive traditions into a new era Part of the magic of the trip is when children have the chance to meet Santa in his woodland grotto, visiting the elves’ workshop before being introduced to real reindeer.

The Cairngorm reindeer herd, first introduced in 1952 by Swede Mikel Utsi, is the only free-ranging herd found in Britain, roaming the countryside around Aviemore. There are around 150 animals living on the nearby mountains or on the Glenlivet Estate. The centre that manages the herd partners with Aviemore Resort to introduce the reindeer to guests as part of their stay.

The festive entertainment continues with a live Christmas panto that’s produced each year within the resort. There’s a full Scottish breakfast each morning, Christmas film screenings, family discos and an opportunity to swim in the indoor lagoon pool with flumes and wave machine.

On Christmas Day itself, the resort offers a lunch menu that starts with dishes like ham hock terrine or spiced parsnip soup before continuing with roasted turkey crown, Scottish sirloin of beef in a red wine jus or monkfish fillet wrapped in pancetta. For dessert, Christmas pudding in brandy sauce or blackberry cranachan trifle with spiced oats, bramble fruit, Chantilly cream and almond praline.

Iain Miller, managing director at Macdonald Aviemore Resort, says: “We really are at the heart of everything here in the Cairngorms, and it’s a place where families have been coming to for generations. Traditions are easily forgotten about nowadays, but Aviemore has really stood the test of time as a place of celebration across Christmas and into the New Year.

Scotland is as one of the most progressive and rational places on earth, a beacon of liberalism. But there was a time when this country was the most barbaric, superstitious and blood-soaked part of Europe

Between the late 1500s and the end of the 1600s, Scotland was gripped by a collective madness that exhibited itself in butchery, cruelty and organised mass murder. The Scottish Witch Trials can be seen as a case of national psychosis. While witch trials took place across Europe, here they reached a level of savagery seen nowhere else. Across Europe, around 50,000 people were executed as witches. In the 1600s, Scotland had a population of just 800,000. Here, an estimated 4,000 people, mostly women, were tortured and executed by the Kirk and state for witchcraft.

The Fishwife of Edinburgh

The case of Agnes Finnie, an Edinburgh trader, is the archetypal Scottish witch trial. Finnie was a poor woman and a nasty piece of work. Over the years, at least half a dozen people she cursed fell ill. One lost the power of speech, one broke a leg, one was paralysed and one died. People began to refer to her as a witch. The authorities were informed. Finnie was taken to the tollbooth in 1642 and held as a witch. She was burned at the stake on Castle Hill.

Isobel Gowdie

It seems Isobel Gowdie really did believe she was a witch – though she was probably also an attention-seeker. She was arrested in 1662 and taken to the Kirk at Auldearn for interrogation. No torture was necessary as she openly told an elaborate story of witchcraft.

Gowdie confessed to dalliances with the Devil, turning horses into straw, meeting the Queen of Fairyland, stealing milk from cattle, and plotting to harm children using wax images. There’s no record of Gowdie’s execution but that’s not usual: 90 per cent of records are missing.

The Witches of Pollokshaws

Aristocrat Sir George Maxwell, a well-known witch-hunter, fell ill in 1676. A friend of his daughters, Janet Douglas, claimed Janet Mathie had made a wax image of Maxwell and stuck pins in it. The figurine was found and Mathie arrested.

Janet accused Mathie’s son, John Stewart, of the same crime. Again, the doll was found, and Stewart was arrested. His 13-year-old sister, Annabel, was also arrested. Under interrogation, she named names. Soon six people were in custody, including 80-year-old Margaret Jackson. Due to Annabel’s young age, the court only jailed her. The five others were burned at the stake.

Many now think it was Janet who planted the wax dolls in order to frame those she accused. Her motives remain unknown. Money, fame, attention? What we do know is that she eventually fell foul of the law herself for reasons that are unclear, and was whipped in Edinburgh then banished.

The Paisley Witches

Christian Shaw was the 11-year-old daughter of the Laird of Bargarran. In 1696 she fell ill. She deteriorated, apparently coughing up hair, feathers, sticks and bones. She accused a number of poor women in the neighbourhood of cursing her.

Once a highlander called at the Laird’s home seeking shelter and Christian accused him of witchcraft. In all six people were held. Soon defendants were admitting to consorting with the Devil. More names were named, more arrests made. By the time of the trial 27 people were accused. Charges included the murder of babies, drowning two men in a ferry accident, and killing a minister with fever.

Two accused died in jail before the trial could start. Seven were finally taken to court and all strangled and burned. Christian recovered and founded in the Bargarran sewing thread company.

The Last Witches

The last witch executed in Scotland was Janet Horne in 1727 in Dornoch. She was senile and her daughter had deformed feet and hands. Neighbours accused Horne of shoeing her daughter like a horse and riding on her to meet the Devil. Both mother and daughter were sentenced to death. The daughter escaped but Horne was stripped, smeared and tar, paraded through the town in a barrel and set alight.

Nine years after Horne’s death, the witchcraft laws were repealed as Scotland embraced the Age of Enlightenment.

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Immerse yourself in spooky Scotland with our 

October ‘Scottish Hallowe’en’ WeeBox, 

on sale now until September 30th!

As the saying goes, the devil is in the detail – and if you really want to raise the spirits this Hallowe’en, a creepy cocktail always hits the spot. Cast a spell with a glass of something dangerously delicious…

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Lucifer’s Margarita

Ingredients:

• 50ml blood orange gin
• 20ml lime
• 10ml honey
• Dash of Tabasco (optional)
• Chilli horns to garnish

Method:

1. Half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice
2. Add the ingredients and shake for 10 seconds
3. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with sliced chilli horns.

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Violets Kill

Ingredients:

• 40ml spiced rum
• 15ml Crème de Violette
• 25ml lime juice
• 10ml sugar syrup
• Egg white
• Two raspberries to garnish

Method

1. Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and dry shake (no ice)
2. Then shake again with ice
3. Double strain into a coupe glass and garnish with two raspberries.

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Hallowe’en Bobby Burns

Ingredients:

• 50ml Scotch
• 25ml sweet vermouth
• 5ml Benedictine
• 2 dashes of Peychaud Bitters
• Lemon peel twist to garnish

Method:

1. Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice
2. Add the ingredients, shake vigorously and strain into a chilled coupe glass
3. Garnish with a fresh lemon peel twist

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Order your October ‘Scottish Hallowe’en’ WeeBox now

On sale until September 30th!

Hallowe’en has been a top tradition since long before the history books began recording, but through the years many cultures have begun taking their place in Scotland’s celebrations

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Guising. Neep lanterns. October 31st. Surely there is nothing else to know?

Ding! Incorrect. Good old-fashioned Scottish guising is being steadily Americanised into a “trick or treat” format where, rather than doing a wee turn – a song, a dance, a joke – to earn a reward, many youngsters merely rock up at your door, demand a sweetie then saunter off again.

And neeps?

Turnips have been almost ousted by pumpkins. There is some logic to this one: pumpkins are easier to carve – thanks to their soft, fleshy innards – without necessitating the blood, sweat and tears involved in making a turnip lantern.

Hollowing out a turnip (a neep or a tumshie), as those of us of a certain vintage can attest, is nigh on impossible without mangling multiple spoons and repeatedly stabbing yourself in the hand with a blunt butter knife.

Following many hours of laborious chiselling and graft, the contents of your mother’s good cutlery drawer have invariably ended up looking like spoon-bending Uri Geller has been on the rampage. But, finally, voila, your neep lantern is complete.

Surely the date of Hallowe’en can’t move?

You would think so, but not everyone celebrates on the 31st. The Ayrshire town of Kilmarnock has long had a tradition of marking Hallowe’en on the last Friday of October.

There are a few theories posited about the reason behind what has been dubbed “Killieween”, with the most plausible being it might originate from when many employers paid their staff on the last Friday of each month.

Whatever happened to tradition?

Like many things, Hallowe’en has gradually evolved. After all, when did you last do some nut-burning of kail-pulling at Hallowe’en?

There is a reference to both in the 1785 Robert Burns poem, Hallowe’en, which talks of the merry friendly country folk that convened “to burn their nits, an’ pou their stocks”.

Next you’re going to tell me pumpkins aren’t orange?

Will, that is something of a misnomer. They also come in shades of green, yellow, red, white and blue.

Recent years have seen people display teal-coloured painted pumpkins to help raise awareness of food allergies and let guisers know they can expect a healthy alternative to so many sweets, such as toys, games and trinkets.

When can we eat then?

Best avoid sausage rolls. A clause of the Witchcraft Act of 1735 is said to have forbidden the consumption of pork or pastries on Hallowe’en. The Act was reportedly repealed in the early 1950s… but do you want to risk it?

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Order your October ‘Scottish Hallowe’en’

WeeBox now – on sale until September 30th!

To mark Hallowe’en, we asked Sophia Kingshill, co-author of the book, The Lore of Scotland: A Guide to Scottish Legends, to take us on a tour of the spookiest places in the country

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Alloway, Ayrshire

Even before Robert Burns sent Tam o’ Shanter galloping away from a “hellish legion” of witches, legends flourished about the Ayrshire village of Alloway. In 1791, the historian France Grose wrote Alloway kirk was notorious as a place where witches and warlocks would dance “to the pipes of the muckle-horned Deel”.

In 17th-century Scotland, the bagpipes were often said to be the Devil’s favourite instrument. In 1679, witches burned at Bo’ness were accused of meeting near Kinneil where “they all danced and the Devil acted as piper”, and in the 1650s a woman from Dalmeny in Midlothian confessed to having danced on the Pentland hills with the Devil. Burns’ 1790 poem Tam o’ Shanter draws on such traditions. His protagonist is a tipsy young man who spies on a coven at the kirk. The witches pursue him to the River Doon, which he reaches just in time to escape since they cannot pass running water. The site of his crossing is not named in the poem but is clearly Brig o’ Doon, a medieval bridge south of Alloway.

Southern Necropolis, Glasgow

On the evening of September 23, 1954, PC Alex Deeprose was called to an incident at the Southern Necropolis at the cemetery and the constable was expecting something similar. Instead, he found hundreds of children, aged between five and 12, many of them carrying primitive weapons. They told him they’d gathered to hunt a “vampire with iron teeth” which had killed and eaten two boys. The children dispersed as darkness fell, but the following evening a similar crowd assembled. Newspapers around the world picked up on local press reports and many said the event was caused by the influence of American “horror comics” although no was found featuring a vampire. In the Old Testament, we find a “beast terrible and dreadful and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth” (Daniel 7:7). Was this the creature the children were hunting?

Mull of Galloway, Wigtownshire

Several accounts have been given from this area of encounters with fairies, including the tale of a woman in Kirkmaiden who had just given birth. Alone with her child in her cottage, she was startled to hear around midnight the tramping of horses. The door flew open, an eerie glow lit the kitchen and tiny people dressed in green surrounded her bed. One said: “This is Hallowe’en. We have come for your child, and him we must have.” “Oh, God forbid!” she shrieked and fainted. When she came to the baby was sleeping and nothing had been disturbed.

Glamis Castle, Angus

Glamis Castle’s reputation as the most haunted house in Scotland features a remarkable array of historical and romantic ghosts. One story connects the castle with Macbeth, whose spirit is said to haunt the castle in guilt for his murder of Duncan. Janet Douglas, widow of the sixth Lord Glamis, was burnt for witchcraft in 1537 and is associated with appearances of a “grey lady” in the family chapel. Other ghosts include a pageboy who sits outside one bedroom, a tongueless woman tearing at her mouth and a lunatic spectre. Legend also has it that there is one room in the castle never identified. A brief reference comes from Sir Walter Scott, who wrote of a chamber known only to three people: the Earl of Strathmore, his heir and a single other person whom they might confide in.

Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh

In 1645 the plague struck Edinburgh, killing many residents of this crowded close. The houses were soon in use again but said to be haunted. In a 1685 book on witchcraft, George Sinclair tells the story of what happened to the Colehearts. The day they moved in, ghosts started appearing. First came an old man who peered at Mrs Coleheart, making her faint. Her husband saw the same man, a young child and a disembodied arm that tried to shake his hand. In the 18th century, Mary King’s Close began to be built over, but the ghosts remain. The most famous is of a little girl. A psychic who visited with a TV company saw the child, who apparently said she had lost her doll. A cameraman went to buy a replacement and there is now a collection under the bricked-up window where the ghost appeared.

Haltadans Fetlar, Shetland

“Of all our hundred isles, big and little, Fetlar is perhaps the most eerie, as it certainly is where the folklore has been most carefully preserved,” wrote the Shetland author Jessie Saxby in 1932. She had heard many tales of trows, the fairy people of the Shetland and Orkney Islands. One such legend explained the origins of Haltadans, a circle of boulders surrounding two more stones. It was said a group of trows, dancing to the music of two fiddle players, had gone on with their revels too long. Overtaken by the sunrise, they had been turned to stone. The name of the site means “halting dance”, referring to the way trows were said to be limp and stumble.

Uisinis, South Uist

The peninsula of Uisinis on the east coast of South Uist is now uninhabited, but 350 years ago, so the story goes, a couple named MacPhail lived here, with their son and his wife, and their daughter, a 12-year-old dumb girl. When old MacPhail died, his son went to the town to prepare for the funeral, leaving the three women alone in the house with the corpse. At around 1 a.m., MacPhail’s wife was astonished to hear the dumb girl speak: “Granny, granny, my grandfather’s getting up! He’ll eat you and he won’t touch me!”

Sure enough, the dead man was sitting upright. His widow jumped back and closed the bedroom door on him, but he was pushing from the other side, so she piled boxes in front of the door. He then began to dig his way through the earth underneath the door. His head and shoulders had just emerged when the cock crowed three times, whereupon the undead man fell lifeless.

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Immerse yourself in spooky Scotland with our October ‘Scottish Hallowe’en’, on sale now until September 30th!

Skye may be rugged and remote, but there’s certainly no need to give up life’s little luxuries during your stay on the island.

The Bracken Hide

It all sounds great in principle. You arrive at your scenic, secluded cabin in a remote corner of Scotland ready to get away from it all… until the rain starts pouring and you realise you are paying to be stuck in what is essentially a glamorous shed – with absolutely nothing to do.

It is precisely this kind of tourism model that is being shaken up by the owners of Skye’s newest hotel, the Bracken Hide.

At first glimpse, the hotel’s timber cabins that cover the hillside might look like the kind of glamping pods we’ve all seen before. But despite offering breathtaking views across the Sound of Raasay and the privacy of a personal terrace, the comparisons to traditional pods end there. For at the Bracken Hide, you can also enjoy all the amenities of a luxury hotel; including a high-end restaurant whisky/cocktail bar, cinema room, gaming area, wild plunge pool and Estonian sauna.

The facilities are housed in a central, architecturally striking hub that is just a few steps away from the cabins. It is also only 900 metres (or a ten-minute walk) to the centre of Portree, Skye’s largest town and capital. The aim, according to owner Charlie Garton-Jones, was to give guests “the best of both worlds”.

“People say they want a wilderness hotel,” he explains, “but they kind of don’t want to be in the wilderness. Our hotel is surrounded by rugged nature, but you are still connected to the town. People want wilderness, but they still want an expresso machine, underfloor heating and good wifi.”

Kinloch Lodge

Staying at Kinloch Lodge, on the shores of Loch Na Dal on Skye is a truly special experience. With looming hills behind, the shimmering loch in front and views of distant Knoydart, it’s a gorgeous spot in any weather.

White-washed Kinloch Lodge is a 16th-century hunting lodge, owned by Clan Macdonald. This year is celebrated 50 years as a hotel, opened by Godfrey Macdonald, High Chief of the Macdonalds, and his wife Claire who built the hotel’s enduring reputation for wonderful food. Today the hotel is run by their daughter Isabelle, and her children’s school photos mix with the ancestral oil paintings in what is still a family home. Guests are welcomed like old friends and made very comfortable by the fire – often quickly finding a drink in their hand.

Luxurious and created with sustainability in mind, Skyeskyns handcrafted goods have created such a buzz that the ‘tannery’ is now a five-star visitor attraction on Skye

Sheepskins have always been a byproduct of raising lambs for meat. When the tannery industry in the UK went on the decline in the late 20th century, one couple raising their own flock on the beautiful Isle of Skye sought to find an effective use for these wasted skins. The solution? The creation of Scotland’s sole commercial woolskin tannery. Skyeskyns was created in 1983 by Lydia and Clive Hartwell from their croft on the Waternish Peninsula in northwest Skye.

Forty years later, Skyeskyns is now steered by the second generation of the Hartwell family, producing high-quality, hand-crafted sheepskins and sheepskin goods. Not only does the family company produce durable sustainable products but Skyeskyns is now a popular five-star visitor attraction, drawing thousands of visitors each year.

Director Jess Hartwell, daughter of Lydia and Clive, has expanded the business to include a stylish boutique in Portree, a seasonal pop-up yurt café in Waternish, as well as developed the online business to sell Skyeskyns products worldwide.

Skyeskyns has expanded its homeware range thanks to its small but perfectly formed sewing team who crafts everything from larger sheepskin rugs to pouffes, cushions, travel mugs with sheepskin holders and more. Each item is hand-crafted with expert care and attention, using natural fibres.

Sheepskins are an enduring interior trend, taking in styles ranging from Scandi to maximalism. A few sheepskin pieces throughout the home add style, texture and cosiness. The Skyeskyns sheepskin rugs and single sheepskin throws are all unique in their colours and textures and oh-so-stylish.

Skyeskyns rugs and throws are predominantly sourced, tanned and finished in the UK with some stunning international sheepskins also available in their range.

Over the years, their range has expanded to include womenswear and menswear including crew neck sweaters, mohair scarfs, leather bags, leather jackets, woollen hats and more, usually sourced from like-minded small family firms with a passion for craftsmanship and quality.

Skye is not just the birthplace of the company, its dramatic landscape is also the inspiration behind new Skyeskyns products and their passion for sustainability.

The island is home to an abundance of creative makers and artists, each bringing a unique skillset to the island. As Scotland’s only commercial sheepskin tannery, Skyeskyns is keeping a legacy and skillset alive for the country. Jess said: “We are proud to uphold an age-old craft and to share it with younger generations and visitors to the tannery every day.”

skyeskyns.co.uk

Marmalade Cheesecake

This cheesecake can be made with your favourite flavour of marmalade, and is delicious with lemon, lemon and lime, or lime and ginger marmalade, as well as traditional orange. Homemade is best, of course! Find this recipe and many others using marmalade, in The Three Chimneys’ Marmalade Bible, Shirley Spear, former owner of The Tree Chimneys restaurant on the Isle of Skye, published by Birlinn.

Ingredients

• 1 x 225g packet of digestive biscuits
• 110g Scottish butter, melted
• 225g Scottish crowdie cheese
• 150ml fresh double cream
• Juice of a lemon
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp. Seville orange marmalade
• 2 tsp. powdered gelatine, dissolved in 2 tbsp. warm water

Method

1. Lightly oil a deep, 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin.
2. Crush the biscuits in a food processor, or place them in a polythene bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
3. Place the biscuit crumbs into a mixing bowl, pour the melted butter over the crumbs and stir well. Cover the base of the tin evenly with the mix and pat down. Set aside in the refrigerator.
4. Place the cheese, cream, lemon juice and egg yolks into a bowl or food processor and mix well until very smooth.
5. Put the gelatine into a small, non-stick saucepan and pour the warm water over it. Stir well on very low heat and add the marmalade, stirring all the time until melted, then mix this into the cheese mixture.
6. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold into the cheese, combining well.
7. Pour the finished mixture into the baking tin to cover the biscuit base, and place in the refrigerator to set.
8. Just before serving, remove the tin from the refrigerator and remove the cheesecake from the tin by pushing it up from the bottom. Decorate with the fruit of your choice. Strawberries are a great combination with the orange flavours, and chocolate curls are lovely too.

From ancient inns offering pub food and myriad whiskies, to acclaimed fine dining experiences, there’s a restaurant to suit every weary traveller on Skye

Seamas’ Bar

Seamas’ Bar is a whisky cathedral. A huge cabin with a vaulter ceiling, there’s a dazzling collection of malts – over 400 bottle in total from every corner of Scotland. We are between the Red and Black Cuillins, mountains shaped 60 million years ago by fire and rice, the remnants of a huge volcano that was sculpted by glaciers. It is a dramatic setting for a dram.

The Black Cuillin ridge contains 11 Munros and 16 other summits, the most challenging mountain range in the country. Climbers have been glad of the informal hospitality at Seamas’ since it opened in 1987, an extension to the Sligachan Hotel that has sat at this crossroads since 1830.

Whisky flights present the easiest way to navigate your way around the packed gantry of bottles. The introduction to malts starts with Auchentoshan and jumps to a Balvenie Doublewood via Cragganmore and Glenkinchie. The island hopper selection goes from Arran to Orkney with Highland Park, then Jura before returning to Skye with a Talisker 10 Year Old. Enjoy with a locally sourced cheese board, oatcakes and chutney.

Scorrybreac

Actor Jack Lowden says Scorrybreac is his favourite restaurant in Scotland. “In came this plate of fish that the maître D’ had caught himself that day and the brilliant chef had done daft with it with oranges and sprinkled Douglas Fir through it. The whole thing just worked” he explained in an interview this summer.

The maître D’ is the quietly charismatic Will Humphries, a Welshman with an enthusiasm for provenance. He does most of the heavy lifting in the dining room, both conveying plates and the story behind the ingredients. Ask him questions about wine and local produce before he glides off to a nearby table.

The brilliant chef is owner Calum Munro, son of Runrig singer Donnie. Brough up on Skye, Calum trained in the kitchens on the mainland before moving to Paris. He returned home and started cooking dishes on the family Aga.

The Stein Inn

It started as a holiday daydream. Charlie Haddock and her partner, chef Paul Rankin, had been to a festival at Mhor 84 in Balquihidder. Feeling a little jaded afterwards they headed off in a campervan to Skye to visit their friend Michael Smith at the Lochbay restaurant and recuperate. They visited the pub next door.

“We joked to each other, “wouldn’t it be great to own a place like this?” Charlie explains. “Then suddenly we were in Catalonia with my son on holiday a couple of years later, and Michael calls to say the pub has come up for sale. We put in an offer, and it became a reality. Since then, the family have embraced island life, adding their own story to the pub with rooms, the oldest inn on Skye.