Pre-Order Now Live - Secure your free A5 print & Bookmark with issue 09 today

Issue 09 is almost here!
We are now taking pre-orders for our ninth edition.

It gives us great pleasure to be sharing with you the ninth edition of Hidden Scotland magazine. Welcome to our Autumn/Winter 2024-25 issue.

All pre-orders will come with:

→ An 'Isle of Rùm' bookmark
→ A5 print of our front cover image

Each magazine is wrapped by hand with bookmark and print included. Available for a limited time only.

If you are a subscriber to Hidden Scotland magazine, then your order will also arrive with the bookmark and print.

We hope that you enjoy issue 09 and as always, thank you again for your continued support!

We will begin shipping early October.

WHAT’S IN ISSUE 09

Documenting the Small Isles with Simon Hird

The Small Isles don’t draw the same attention as some of the larger islands off the west coast, but that doesn’t make them any less unforgettable. When I travel out to photograph them during the earliest stirrings of spring, journeying from one to the other in turn, I find an archipelago of rugged beauty, the warmest of welcomes and a population of industrious, hardworking locals.

A roundup of Scotland’s Fishing Towns & Villages

“If wishes were fishes I know where I’d be/ casting my net in the dark rolling sea.” So sang the legendary Borders-born folk singer Eric Bogle, using one of Scotland’s oldest trades as a metaphor for life itself. History tells us that fishing has been used as means of survival since early settlers arrived here around 7,000BC. Leaping forward around nine millennia, meanwhile, a 2023 survey carried out by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation showed that 19 out of 20 Scots believe fishing is still vital to coastal communities.

A weekend exploring The Black Isle - a local’s guide

Tori Gray lives and works in Fortrose in the Black Isle. In this feature Tori shares her insight into the area’s top attractions, activities, as well as where to eat, drink and shop like a local.

Curating Scotland’s Bothy Culture

Simple shelters in secluded places. Kat Hill’s book ‘Bothy’ weaves visitors’ stories with her own, creating a new anthology of this unique part of Scotland’s outdoors.

Wild at Heart

Yoga in a yurt, forest bathing, cold-water therapy and whittling in the woods; wild wellness is a growing trend. Being surrounded by nature is now widely acknowledged to have healing powers and across the Highlands there are wild spaces where you can retreat from the world and experience its restorative effects. The wild is calling.

Chasing the Night

With some of Europe’s darkest nights, Scotland displays the Aurora Borealis to splendour – especially with solar activity peaking in its current cycle. But the clarity of the stars makes night-sky viewing essential even when the Aurora isn’t forecast, writes Emily Rose Mawson, as she shares five of Scotland’s richest skies.

Design Disrupters - Timorous Beasties Interview

As they prepare to open their new Edinburgh showroom, designers Paul Simmons and Alistair McAuley tell Hidden Scotland how their Glasgow-based studio Timorous Beasties ended up with a reputation as the enfant terrible of the interior design world.

Illusive Creatures - Wildlife spotting by day and night

As winter draws in, night shortens the window for spotting wildlife. But creature watching after dark brings its own advantages – and thrill, says Emily Rose Mawson, as she discovers five wildlife hides for day and night.

The Modern Croft

The Collins dictionary defines a ‘croft’ as ‘a small, enclosed plot of land, adjoining a house, worked by the occupier and his family,’ an unsentimental summing up that does little to evoke the harsh realities of crofting life over the centuries. Today, however, the word is more likely to conjure up a cute cottage in a bucolic rural setting. For just as the ‘bothy’ has been reinvented by architects and designers in recent years, old croft houses across the Highlands and islands are being restored and converted into hip hideaways and field-to-fork restaurants for design-savvy tourists.

A life in colour - Endlessly inspired by the elements, Ellis O’Connor’s life on the Isle of Skye is as distinct as her artwork.

It’s a quiet night at Cortachy Castle, until somewhere in the darkness an ominous sound breaks the silence. The clear rat-tat-tat of a military drum echoes from the high castle walls, but with no drummer to be found anywhere around the grounds. No living drummer anyway.

MORAY - Discovering the nooks & crannies

Picture a land of clear rivers and ancient forests. A place with dolphins in the bay and red squirrels in the trees, where historical towns dot the map and centuries-old distilleries produce world-class whisky. Somewhere to stop, look, listen, and breathe.

Braemar Castle - A castle which owes its very survival to the tireless efforts of its local community.

When Braemar Castle faced closure in 2007, the local community of Braemar stepped in. Twelve years later in 2019, the castle underwent the beginnings of a £1.6m conservation and development project and finally reopened its doors once again in May 2024. This is a castle which owes its very survival to the tireless efforts of its local community.

A Place in Scotland Interior

Interior Designer Banjo Beale and photographer Alexander Baxter go behind the scenery in their new book, A Place in Scotland to uncover the most beautiful Scottish interiors.

A Walking Guide to Dunkeld

There aren’t many better towns in Scotland to spend a day wandering around than Dunkeld. Not only is it one of Perthshire’s most scenic settlements, but it has a long and fascinating history that can be seen from your first footsteps around these old streets.

This issue also includes

• Recipe from Eastfield

• Author Rosie Steer finds creativity and calm by using Celtic traditions to mark the turning of the seasons.

• What’s on in Scotland

• Folklore, Myths & Legends

We’ve also just launched the 2025 Calendar!

Our wall calendar is back! Pre-order today.

We are delighted to be back with our wall calendar for 2025. Our A3 landscape wall calendar is printed on a beautiful matt art paper stock that will make the images really stand out. Enjoy a selection of stunning photography that captures some of Scotland's best bits that were photographed throughout 2024.

The landscape layout allows for an A4 image on one side, which can be utilised as a print afterwards. As well as a square for each day for you to add those all important events and special dates you have coming up in the new year. There is also a notes section for any additional information you need to jot down for that month.