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Scotland Travel Guide

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Jaunted's Picks For Must-See Masterpieces At The Edinburgh Fringe Festival

August 10, 2009 at 12:34 PM | by egw | 0 Comments

Where were you when the largest art festival in the world started this weekend? The 62nd annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival brings performers from all over the world to Scotland for two weeks of doing whatever their muses lead them to do, for lucky audiences who don't mind waiting in line and drinking many, many beers. With most shows under £10, it's a cheap way to catch a show which could one day be sitting pretty on the West End, also known as the Broadway of London.

Our picks among the thousands of offerings this year:

· "The B.F.G."
Honor the U.K.'s own Roald Dahl with this puppet masterpiece for all ages about a man of unusual size and his new best friend. At Augustine's, 41 George V Bridge. Tickets £7.

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Five Reasons To Visit Scotland in 2009 (Or Ever, Really)

January 26, 2009 at 11:30 AM | by brycelongton | 3 Comments

There are plenty of reasons to visit Scotland, London’s twee neighbor to the north—and by that we mean, plenty of reasons beyond the thousands of burly men in skirts with adorable Scottish accents. Just to prove it, we’ll give you five fabulous reasons to go to Scotland, and we won’t mention kilts at all.

Reason 1: 2009 is a banner year for the Scots, as it is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert “Rabbie” Burns, and the entire country is partying all year long to celebrate. Rabbie Burns, for those who don’t know, is the famous (Scottish) poet who gave us “Auld Lang Syne,” and for whom the town of Burns, New York, was named after. The year long “Rabbie” celebration is widely called “Homecoming” and anyone with Scottish descent is invited to fly “home,” trace their ancestry, drink some whisky, and dance around with their fellow countrymen. Whether you dance in pants or “skirts,” is up to you.

More reasons after the jump

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Music Travel: Glasgow's Officially a Creative City

August 27, 2008 at 9:00 AM | by amandak | 0 Comments

We're big fans of UNESCO's Creative Cities program which so far has quite rightly crowned Berlin as a City of Design and let Santa Fe don the cap of City of Folk Art. This month a new creative city has stepped up: Glasgow has been official christened a UNESCO City of Music.

Being a City of Music, according to UNESCO, is meant to help Glasgow preserve its music culture as well as make it an extra-attractive tourist destination. Home to great indie bands like Franz Ferdinand and Belle & Sebastian, and with a typical week of music in the city totalling 127 different gigs, you'd be hard pressed not to find something musical to entertain you on a night out in Glasgow.

Related Stories:
· Glasgow's Music Scene Recognised with Rare Honour From UNESCO [The Independent]
· Take Me Out to Glasgow [Jaunted]
· UNESCO coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: turquoise boy]

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We Heart Colin Firth and His Travel Picks Too

June 30, 2008 at 9:30 AM | by amandak | 0 Comments

We have to confess to just a tiny crush on Colin Firth, that quintessential English gentleman who we adored in "Bridget Jones's Diary" and is starring in "Mamma Mia!" soon. This tiny crush means we are very, very open to the travel suggestions he made recently in the UK Times.

Colin's especially keen on the desert, like the stuff you find in the northern Sahara in Tunisia, but it sounds like the place on earth that he'd most recommend is the west of Scotland.

He's vacationed in that part of Britain more than once, but he's also spent time around Loch Fyne filming a movie and says it had an "impossibly romantic glow." Right: Adding west Scotland to our must-travel list now. We hope the charming Colin Firth will come along with us.

Related Stories:
· My Hols: Colin Firth [UK Times]
· Anticipated Summer Movie Travel: Who Wants to Go to Greece? [Jaunted]

[Photo: rutty]

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Missed Connections: Share The Fringe In Edinburgh

August 3, 2007 at 11:43 AM | by egw | 0 Comments


O, my luve's like a red, red rose... With the advent of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival a week from Sunday, a flood of foreigners will be crowding the streets of Scotland's biggest city to see new and cutting-edge live works. But just because you're on the Fringe doesn't mean you can't find someone to take to the shows. Exercise those plus-ones for once after you visit these hot spots:

The Secret Garden -- Eating in this dark, candle-lit spot is a "indulgent and decorative experience" from the wine waiters to the baked-goat-cheese tarts.
Castlehill, The Royal Mile

The Bongo Club -- Cafe by day, jazz/soul/techno club by night, so the bongos need never stop playing. 37 Holyrood Road

The Jolly Judge -- Yes, it's around the corner from a court of law, but why should that stop you from sampling one of its 30-plus malt whiskies while you battle some smarties on Monday's quiz night? 493 Lawnmarket

Related Stories:
· Edinburgh Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Edinburgh Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: attator]

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Starship Settles in Scotland

March 9, 2007 at 11:30 AM | by amandak | 0 Comments


We're betting you haven't hit the Scottish town of Linlithgow yet on your treks around the world. They'll admit they have never been a tourist mecca, but that's all about to change with the establishment of a memorial honoring the (fictional) birthplace of Montgomery Scott, aka the guy who gets asked "Beam me up, Scotty."

With official confirmation from the original Star Trek author that Scotty will be born on June 28, 2222 in Linlithgow, the town's got the go ahead from its local (believe it or not) Enterprise Committee to establish the memorial. The display will include Scotty's original costume, some personal items donated by the late Scotty actor James Doohan's family, and even a scale model of the spaceship.

So if you need to be beamed up or just want to take the controls of the Starship Enterprise, Linlithgow is the place for you. The nice thing is they're not even ashamed to say that they're doing it all just to create some niche tourism. The other nice thing is we're not going to end this with some "beam me up" joke.

[Photo: anna_t]

Related Stories:
· Memorial to Star Trek's Scotty [Linlithgow Journal]
· Scotty Beamed Into Future Birthplace [Scotsman]

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Hot Scot Pick: Bob Hanlon

February 14, 2007 at 11:10 AM | by djk | 0 Comments


Gridskipper points us to Visit Scotland's second annual Date a Hot Scot (or, as they pretty appropriately rename it, Date a Hottish Scottish) contest. For a limited time only, the tourism board is offering you the chance to rate the hotness of a chosen few Scots and enter to win a trip to Scotland to meet them all.

Bob Hanlon (pictured above) is our favorite. According to the tourism board, Dumfries (Bob's hometown) is his favorite place in Scotland. While a second date with Bob is not guaranteed if you win the contest, you do run the chance of winding up at one of the area's B&Bs with him should you two really hit it off. Good luck!

Related Stories:
· Date A Hot Scot (or a Hottish Scottish) [Gridskipper]
· Date a Hot Scot [Official Site]

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Bob Dylan Stops Rolling, Buys Scottish Mansion

January 23, 2007 at 10:00 AM | by egw | 0 Comments


The New York Post reported today that Bob Dylan likes to wear kilts. Just kidding! But they did say he just dropped a lot of money -- reportedly more than $4.3 million -- on a hundred-year-old Scottish mansion, a former bed and breakfast, in Nethybridge. Originally built for a Russian department-store magnate, Aultmore House must have caught the singer's fancy when he stayed there last spring, according to the London Times; the singer later agreed to purchase it, but tried to keep it secret up till now.

What does Mr. Zimmerman see in this town no Americans have ever heard of? Well, his new house probably has gorgeous views of Cairngorms National Park, which contains all but one of Scotland's five highest peaks and contains natural and historical conservation plots within its more than 1400 square miles, according to its website. Best of all, you don't have to be a multi-platinum singer-songwriter or have changed your name since the 1950s in order to visit. Check out the park's calendar here for public events, or else you can work through a tour operator for everything from backpacking to "snow-holing" (a form of winter camping) expeditions. We're coming for you, Bob! How does it feel?

[Photo: Andy & Emma]

Related Stories:
· Manse For Dylan [NYP]
· St. Andrews: Home of World-Class Golf and Low-Class Sex Acts [Jaunted]

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World's Most Dangerous Airports: Barra Airport, Scotland, BRR

January 18, 2007 at 3:45 PM | by markj | 0 Comments


For the next couple of days we are doing a quick fly-over of the world's most dangerous airports. Know a stomach dropping, palm sweat inducing airport we should check out? Send it along.

Barra Airport is the only airport in the world where planes land on the beach. BRR is situated in on the wide beach of Traigh Mhor, on Barra island, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. If you want to fly here commercially you will want to book with British Airways, which flies to Barra from Glasgow and Benbecula.

The airport is literally washed away by the tide once a day, and if you arrive on a late afternoon flight, you may notice a couple of cars in the parking lot with their lights on, which provides pilots some added visibility, since the airport is naturally lit.

Needless to say you probably don't want to hang out at Barra Airport beach, unless you are a aviation junkie, in which case Barra Airport has a fool proof system, as sign that reads:

Keep off the beach. When the windsock is flying and the airport is active.

Ah the old sock on the door trick--the universal sign for "come back later".

Click here to check out a beach landing video.

Related Stories:
· World's Most Dangerous Airports [Jaunted]
· Barra Airport [Google Maps]
· Barra Airport Photos [Flickr]

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Glasgow Airport to Get Rail Link

November 30, 2006 at 10:22 AM | by djk | 0 Comments


Glasgow is about to join the list of smaller European cities that put New York (and many other American metropolises) to shame in the airport transportation department. The Scottish Parliament just approved the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Bill, which covers construction of a direct train link between Glasgow's city center and its international airport.

The airport link, expected to be operational by 2010, will run between Central Station (where a new platform will be built) and Glasgow International Airport. Additional stops should include the Paisley Gilmour Street and Paisley St. James stations. Glasgow International is currently serviced only by public buses.

A similar project is currently under review for Edinburgh.

[Photo: COLIИ]

Related Stories:
· Glasgow rail link gets go-ahead [BBC]

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Donkeys Essential For Surviving Fires

November 7, 2006 at 9:10 AM | by amandak | 0 Comments


We already know that the Chinese have launched a campaign to fix up their somewhat comical English. It's a pity, really, that gems like the "No entry on peacetime" sign at Beijing Airport won't welcome travelers anymore. But it seems that on our own English-speaking shores, we can't get other languages right. We can, however, get them funny.

The Fire and Rescue department in Strathclyde, Scotland, recently translated a safety handout into multiple minority languages: jolly friendly of them, we say. But, as so often happens, something got lost in translation. The Urdu version, translated back into English, gives us this hint on escaping from a burning building:

Never jump out of a window straight. Put yourself on a donkey etc and come down.
Seems the Urdu words for donkey and cushion are similar; this kind of mix-up could happen to anyone. But if you see any Urdu-speakers on your travels panicking and frantically seeking a donkey, be as community-spirited as the Strathclyde Fire department and help them out.

[Photo: 416style]

Related Stories:
· House Fire? Grab a Donkey [Ananova]
· Old, Weak, Disability and Pregnant Lounge [Jaunted]

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Naked Rambler's Birthday Suit in Jail

March 3, 2006 at 7:55 AM | by johnrambow | 0 Comments

Oh, Naked Rambler, you're always so naked, and now your ass is in jail. It all happened when Stephen Gough walked into Edinburgh Sheriff Court to deal with a couple of the many charges that occurred during his recent walks with his equally sky-clad girlfriend (no word on her charges, if any).

Of course, our N.R. went to court naked. When he did the same thing on the next day, the judge told him he was "offensive" and found him in contempt.

Related Stories:
·   Naked rambler jailed for contempt [BBC]
·   Cheeky Brits [Jaunted]
·   Naked Rambler Hits Snag [Jaunted]