Katharine Hay
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Articles by Katharine Hay
Iconic Scottish destination Green Welly Stop goes on sale after 61 years
The site now includes two cafés, shops, a fuel station, whisky, traveller facilities and staff accommodation One of Scotland's best-known roadside landmarks has been put on the market after more than six decades in family ownership. The Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum, Stirlingshire, has gone on sale, marking the end of an era for the family behind the Highland destination.
First bovine animal tests positive for bluetongue as vaccine supply concerns grow
Five animals in Scotland have tested positive for the virus so far. The potentially fatal livestock virus bluetongue has been detected in a bovine animal in Scotland for the first time as concern over a depleting vaccine supply in the country continues to grow. The National Farmers Union Scotland (NFU Scotland) confirmed the latest case of BTV-3 on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway. It remains unclear whether it was a cow, heifer, bull or stott.
Search to find Kingussie Kong II as another monkey escapes from Highland Wildlife Park
Yet another Japanese macaque, this time one called called Luka, fled from his home at the park near Kingussie. A search is ongoing to track down a monkey that has escaped from its enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park. The Japanese macaque, called Luka, fled from his home at the park near Kingussie overnight. A search party, involving thermal imaging drones, was launched on Monday.
Hay's Way: Stepping into wellness, up close and personal with a shark and the Mull of Kintrye test
Just another standard week on Hay's Way. I've landed on the Mull of Kintyre peninsula with a funny thought in my head. Shortly before getting to this landmark point on Hay's Way, I learned about the ‘Mull of Kintyre test.' Legend has it the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and UK television broadcasters used an unofficial rule that any onscreen penis could not be shown at an angle higher than the downward slope of the Mull of Kintyre peninsula on a map.
Calls to revive St Columba's legacy in a new heritage route between Scotland and Ireland
Campaigners said the saint's legacy in wider Scotland has been largely overlooked. Plans have been launched to revive St Columba's legacy with a heritage trail from Scotland to Ireland. Campaigners on each Irish Sea are calling on both countries to link stories and places associated with the sixth-century saint, his followers and the spread of Christianity and Gaelic culture. There are a handful of figures who can claim to have left such a deep mark on both Ireland and Scotland as St Columba.
Scotland hit by potentially deadly livestock virus for the first time
Scotland was the last UK country to remain bluetongue free until now. Scotland has recorded its first case of bluetongue virus, making it the last country in the UK have the disease confirmed. The strain of the infection, BTV-3, a potentially fatal disease affecting livestock, was confirmed on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway on August 8 after an animal showed suspicious clinical signs. The animal was subsequently euthanised on welfare grounds.
Glorious Twelfth fortunes split as Angus Glens thrive and Highland moors struggle
The season comes as brood numbers are still struggling in some parts of the country, with scientists following individual hens from before they lay through to the point at which their chicks fledge to find out why. Scotland's grouse shooting season is expected to be a tale of two halves this year, with some estates anticipating a strong run of days on the hill while others face a severely depleted population after several years of poor breeding.
Tiny island's shopkeepers sell up shop to marry each other and enjoy married life
Norman, 80, said he wanted more time to spend with his wife-to-be. The couple who run the only shop on a small west coast island are putting the business up for sale so they can get married and spend more time together. Norman Bissell, 80, and his fiancée, Birgit Whitmore, have run the Isle of Luing Stores on Luing for the past eight years, but say they are now ready to hand over the shop before their wedding later this year.
NTS opposes giant offshore wind farm amid threat to views from islands
The development will be visible from island gems including Iona and Staffa. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has objected to plans for one of Scotland's largest offshore wind farms. The independent charity said that the development would have a “significant” impact on island communities, wildlife, tourism and the heritage of some of the country's most celebrated islands.
Calls to block fish farm's plan to double waste dump into Loch Tay
Fish farm owners said research shows the proposed waste production level would not change the loch's ecological status Calls have been made to block a fish farm's plans to double the amount of waste it can discharge into a freshwater loch as anglers warn Scotland's endangered Atlantic salmon face extinction. Kames Fish Farming Limited, which claims to own the country's last family-run trout farm, lodged an application to expand its aquaculture operation in Loch Tay, in the central highlands.
Muirburn licensing 'should be delayed' in wake of wildfires, say farmers
The new muirburn licensing rules are due to come into force next month. Farmers in Scotland have called on the Scottish Government to delay its new legislation for muirburn - controlled burning of vegetation - in the wake of devastating wildfires. The new rules, which come into force next month, makes it an offence to carry out muirburn in Scotland without a NatureScot license. Muirburn is often used on grouse moors to lightly burn heather to encourage fresh shoots for wildlife to feed on.
Isle of Harris community given £1m to buy 11,000-hectare estate
Community ownership of the Bays of Harris estate is now within reach A commuinity on the Isle of Harris is one step closer to acquiring an 11,000 hectare estate after it received a £1million cash injection to help secure the sale it has been trying to conclude for more than a decade. Talks on a community buyout of the Bays of Harris Estate , which includes a large area in the south of Harris and the Isle of Berneray, have been ongoing since 2012.
Residents warned to close windows after Cairngorms wildfire changes direction once again
The wildfire in the Cairngorms has burned for more than two weeks The wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park has changed direction once again with residents in Aviemore urged to close their windows if they smell smoke. Flames have been burning through the national park for more than two weeks after smoke was first reported near Ryvoan Bothy on RSPB Scotland land on Wednesday, 15 July.
NatureScot rejects licence for centuries-old guga hunt for the first time
The ban comes after mounting pressure from animal activists this year calling for the hunt to be banned. NatureScot has banned Scotland's guga hunt from going ahead this year for the first time in its 500-year history. The annual seabird hunt sees ten men, known as the Men of Ness, travel to the small uninhabited island of Sula Sgeir, to the north of Lewis, to harvest young gannets to eat.
Recommendation made to refuse guga hunt ahead of NatureScot meeting
A formal decision will be made next month Scotland's nature agency has been recommended to cancel the controversial guga hunt this year, according to papers released ahead of the formal decision next month. A determination published this week showed NatureScot has been advised to refuse this year's application for the activity. The 500-year-old or so guga hunt takes place each year on Sula Sgeir, an island some 40 miles north of Ness on the Isle of Lewis.
Major incident declared due to Cairngorms wildfire as hundreds of villagers evacuated
High winds and changing weather conditions have caused significant flare-ups and flames to spread further A major incident has been declared in the Cairngorms National Park after a large-scale wildfire forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Nethy Bridge, a village of around 600 people, was evacuated on Friday night, with residents taken to a respite centre at the nearby Macdonald Aviemore Hotel. Roads into the village were closed as emergency services continue to tackle the flames.
Major incident declared in Cairngorms as hundreds of villagers evacuated
High winds and changing weather conditions have caused significant flare-ups and flames to spread further A major incident has been declared in the Cairngorms national park, where a large-scale wildfire has forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Nethy Bridge, a village of around 600 people, is being evacuated, with residents being taken to a respite centre at the nearby Macdonald Aviemore Hotel.
New £2m vessel for 'bucket-list' Loch Ness cruise after tours run out of capacity
The cruise has previously welcomed celebrities including Billy Connolly, Robin Williams and Ewan McGregor. More visitors can enjoy trips across Scotland's famous Loch Ness following a £2m investment in a bigger boat. Fort Augustus-based company Cruise Loch Ness Ltd launched the 236-seat ‘Voyager of Loch Ness' for visitors for the first time last week, increasing capacity for tours to over 450 passengers per hour.
ScottishPower rebuilds UK's largest wind farm with fewer but bigger turbines
The site was first opened in 2009 and has doubled in size and welcome a new visitor centre and paths for walkers and cyclists. The UK's biggest onshore wind farm will be taken down and rebuilt with fewer but larger turbines, developers have said. Whitelee Windfarm is home to 215 turbines that stretch across moorland near Eaglesham, south of Glasgow. One of the largest wind farms in Europe, the development has been producing electricity for about 20 years.
Ease muirburn rules and secure guaranteed helicopter support for wildfires, rural experts say
Calls come after a large-scale wildfire swept through the Cairngorms National Park Rural leaders have renewed calls to ministers to loosen new licensing rules for muirburn and explore the use of dual-purpose helicopters in the wake of the Cairngorms wildfire.
Highland fisherman creates tick-defying clothing using 'wonder material'
The discovery was made unexpectedly during a stalking trip in the Highlands. A Scottish champion fisherman who helped develop the world's first graphene fishing rod has turned the same "wonder material" into outdoor clothing designed to help protect wearers against ticks. Scott Mackenzie, a five-time World Casting Champion from Inverness, first began experimenting with graphene almost a decade ago while developing high-performance fly-fishing rods.
Swinney to visit Cairngorms wildfire as questions grow over Scotland's fire response
An exclusion zone remains in place at the scene. The First Minister is to visit the scene of the Cairngorms wildfire this morning, six days after it broke out in the national park. John Swinney's visit comes as another wildfire hit Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat over the weekend. Speaking ahead of the trip, during which he will thank firefighters who have been tackling the blaze, which burnt through a 4 mile stretch of land, Mr Swinney said the “dangers cannot be underestimated” from such incidents.
Cairngorms: 'Unpredictable' blaze creating 'treacherous' conditions
Mar Lodge - UK's largest nature reserve - now closed down to weekend visitors due to ongoing wildfire Conditions at the scene of the large wildfire in the Cairngorms remain ‘treacherous' with the UK's largest nature reserve closing carparks over the busy weekend given the ‘unpredictable' nature of the blaze.
Islanders find anti-guga hunt activists cost the public purse £110,000
Thousands of pounds were spent on repairs and improving security measures. Threats, vandalism and demonstrations led by animal activists protesting against the guga hunt have cost the Scottish Government some £110,000 so far this year, it has been revealed. The costs to the public purse were reported in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request which examined the financial burden of the protests since the beginning of this year.
What can Scotland learn from Spain's Catalonia about wildfires?
Deploying goats or other roaming livestock and creating firebreaks are widely accepted techniques to help tackle devastating wildfires. As wildfires become more frequent in Scotland, rural experts have urged the Scottish Government to adopt fire prevention techniques used in some of Europe's most wildfire-prone countries. Countries such as Spain and Greece have become a warning of what could lie ahead further north as temperatures continue to rise.
Two helicopters dispatched to tackle Cairngorm wildfire after minister said fire was 'contained'
A force of 50 firefighters are being helped on the ground by an army of volunteers with questions raised about a Scottish Government minister's claim on Thursday that the fire was ‘contained' Two helicopters have been called to douse flames at an ongoing large-scale wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park. The blaze was first reported on Wednesday morning after smoke was spotted at Ryvoan Bothy near Nethy Bridge on the RSPB's Abernethy estate.
Cairngorms wildfire: A9 lane closed as blaze expands
Smoke is affecting visibility of drivers just south of Dalwhinnie Traffic on the A9 has been disrupted due to an ongoing wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park which is now affecting a 3.7mile stretch of heather and trees. Lane one of the busy road at Dalnaspidal, just south of Dalwhinnie, has been shut due to smoke affecting visibility. Drivers have been advised to drive with caution and their hazard lights on.
Scotland 'must act now' as threat of 'wildfire disaster' looms
The warning comes amid as firefighters continue to tackle a wildfire in Scotland's largest national park. Scotland faces a wildfire disaster unless action is taken now to address future risk, it has been warned. It comes amid efforts to extinguish a large-scale wildfire in Cairngorms National Park, with the fire covering an area almost 6km (2.3miles) squared.
Woodland charity calls on public to report garden centres selling rhododendron
Shrub was introduced from Asia centuries ago for its ornamental appeal A conservation charity is asking the public to help identify garden centres still selling an invasive plant that it says is contributing to the decline of Scotland's ancient woodlands. The Woodland Trust Scotland has launched a campaign to track the sale of Rhododendron ponticum, a shrub introduced from Asia to gardens across the British Isles centuries ago for its ornamental appeal.
'We are losing the identity of Scotland' - New charter launched to protect the open moors
Warning that conservation has been largely overlooked in land use discussions It is a landscape that has inspired generations of Scottish writers, from Sir Walter Scott to John Buchan, supports some of the country's richest biodiversity and has helped shape Scotland's national identity. Yet the experts behind a newly launched charter have warned that the protection of heather moorland and open hill ground has been largely overlooked in Scottish government discussions about land use.
'We are more popular than Taylor Swift' - Tartan Army reflect on experience in US city dubbed 'mini Scotland'
A campaign has apparently been started to rip up Scotland fans' passports to make them stay While Boston has been dominated by the Tartan Army takeover over the last week, one smaller city just beyond its borders has earned itself the nickname “mini Scotland”. Providence, Rhode Island — a city of about 200,000 people — has been transformed by Scotland supporters since the country's World Cup campaign got under way last week.
World Cup helps Scots adoptee on his journey to find birth family in Morocco
The global event helps bring international connections. By any measure, it has been an extraordinary World Cup journey for Ryan Anderson. Born in Morocco before being adopted and brought to the UK as a baby, the Edinburgh man has spent his entire life in Scotland. He speaks with a distinct Scottish accent through a raspy voice after spending the first six days of Scotland's World Cup adventure singing a portfolio of Tartan Army anthems.
Tartan Army fan flies back to Scotland to work TRNSMT before returning to US for Brazil game
It's a busy time for Mr Dean For many Tartan Army fans, commitment to the national team has been measured in long journeys and eye-watering costs to make it Stateside for the World Cup. For lifelong Scotland supporter James Dean, however, the tournament has required dedication not only to his country but also to his work.
Brothers make first trip abroad together for Scotland's World Cup in honour of late football fanatic mother
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Scottish charity walker makes plea to help find lost kilt after 3,000-mile trek across the US
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Mixed response as John Swinney addresses Tartan Army crowd on eve of Scotland vs Haiti
The event was attended by a string of A-list Scottish celebrities. John Swinney was booed by some on stage as he gave a short speech at a star-studded Tartan Army dinner ahead of Scotland's first World Cup game in 28 years. Actor Gerard Butler, Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd, both sporting a kilt, and singer Clare Grogan were among famous guests joining the First Minister at a Scottish Night in Boston Dinner and Gala Event at the Royale in Boston.
Hay's way: The road to Boston for Scotland's first World Cup game in 28 years
In many ways, I still feel like I am walking round Scotland despite be Stateside. On my flight to Boston to cover the World Cup, I found myself sitting beside a physician from Harvard Medical School who is researching a cure for myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer. A Brazil supporter, he told me about a conference he would soon be attending in Glasgow, where members of his international medical society were to be given kilts to wear. ‘I am not sure about it,' he said.
'Every second person you see is from Scotland' - Tartan Army fill the streets of Boston for World Cup
As temperatures soar, Scots descend on Massachusetts as World Cup fever builds ahead of opener against Haiti Everywhere you look in Boston on the eve of Scotland's first World Cup match in 28 years, blue-and-white strips and kilts colour the streets. Some 30,000 supporters are expected in the city as the Tartan Army continues to descend on Massachusetts ahead of Scotland's opening fixture against Haiti on Saturday.
Bass Rock landowner sells historic gannet colony site to RSPB Scotland
Bass Rock, off the coast of North Berwick, has been bought by the RSPB | Colin Hattersley The sale has concluded to safeguard “awe-inspiring” seabird colonies. Bass Rock has been sold to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in a historic move that will see the world-famous island owned by a conservation charity for the first time.
UK unprepared for wildfires almost a year on from Scotland's 'megafire'
Katharine Hay The warning comes as May is set to reach record temperatures. The UK is unprepared for wildfires despite Scotland seeing what was believed to have been the biggest wildfire incident on record last year, rural experts have said. Estate membership organisation Scottish Land and Estates (SL&E) warned Scotland needs a more Integrated Fire Management Strategy to prevent future devastating damage to wildlife.
Hay's Way: An island that held me like a local and the legacy of Stuffy the Squirrel
Katharine Hay There's no welcome like a Bute welcome, writes Katharine Hay Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with session musicians, squeezing away at an accordion lent to me by a local man named Robbie, was one of my first experiences on the Isle of Bute. After several days on the island, I realised it was also a quintessentially Bute experience. The Anchor Tavern, a pub in the village of Port Bannatyne, was bought by the community in 2022, saving it from ruin.
Scottish Forestry taken to court for fourth time in two years over environmental concerns
Opponents to the forestry scheme have raised concerns about local wildlife, including the curlew and lapwing populations which are both of ‘critical concern' in Scotland Scottish Forestry has once again been challenged on its decision that a major forestry plantation in the south of Scotland can proceed without the need for an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Microsoft Cares About Your Privacy
An unlikely ingredient bringing more resilience to a town with high unemployment, reduced public transport and an ageing population. “A woman has just dropped off 10kg of rhubarb,” Hannah Clinch tells me as we catch up after meeting at Dunoon Film Festival last week.
Peatlands above Loch Katrine restored in bid to protect water supply for millions
Katharine Hay Loch Katrine supplies drinking water for over a million customers in Scotland. High above Loch Katrine, excavators have spent the winter reshaping one of Scotland's oldest landscapes to help it hold water how it once did centuries ago. Scottish Water has completed the second phase of a major peatland project surrounding the loch in the Trossachs region, restoring a further 94 hectares of degraded areas.
'Bad news' for Orkney island after stoat discovered for first time
Katharine Hay Efforts are underway to trap the creature A stoat has been found on one of Orkney's smaller islands for the first time, sparking concern for the native wildlife population. The mammal was caught on camera on the northern island of Rousay with attempts now underway to find it using dogs, AI cameras and extra traps. Stoats, an invasive, non-native species, eat eggs and chicks and pose a severe threat to the island's ground-nesting birds, wildlife experts have said.
Hebridean metal detectorist and his rare finds to feature in new BBC series
Filmed across Uist and Barra, the new series paints a portrait of island communities sustained by Gaelic culture, crofting traditions and a strong sense of place A metal detectorist from the Outer Hebrides is to feature in a new BBC series exploring the people, traditions and histories that shape life across the islands.
Microsoft Cares About Your Privacy
In parts of Inverness, Portree, Dornoch and Fort William, short-term lets account for more than one in five homes Plans to tighten controls on short-term holiday lets across large parts of the Highlands are to go out to consultation amid growing concern over the impact of tourism on housing and the sustainability of rural communities. The six-week consultation proposes two Short Term Let Control Areas (STLCAs) covering Inverness and much of the more rural areas of the region.
'Rare' find in Highland bothy reveals secrets of its past
The find offers rare physical evidence of a hidden whisky-making operation in one of Scotland's most inaccessible landscapes. A centuries-old whisky bothy, concealed for generations in a remote ravine beneath a Highland munro, has yielded fresh evidence of Scotland's illicit distilling past. The discovery was a tapered copper alloy collar, believed to have been abandoned during a hurried escape from excise officers.
What do Scotland's political parties have planned for land policy, farming and wildlife management?
The varying manifestos show how different rural Scotland's future would look under each party. Scotland's political parties have distinctly different visions for the future of the country's rural landscape ahead of this year's election. Farming and food production The Scottish Conservatives says farming should be “properly funded”, with at least a £50 million uplift to the rural budget and guaranteed multi-year settlements.
Wool prices 'best in a decade' as new logo launched to protect Scottish yarn
Farmers are still getting less than £1 per kilo of wool, but industry leaders say prices are expected to improve further Wool prices have reached their highest level in a decade, as a new logo celebrating Scottish yarn is expected to provide a further boost to the market. Fleeces are fetching more than 70 per cent above last year's levels, according to figures from British Wool.
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