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We’re delighted to be back with a new ‘Hidden Scotland Weekly’. We really hope that you enjoy reading.

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PRE-ORDERS ARE NOW LIVE ISSUE 08. SPRING/SUMMER 2024.

It’s now been four years since our first issue appeared, back in the fateful early months of 2020, and it’s a source of real pride that the magazine continues to find a growing audience.

Within our latest issue you’ll find pages packed with all manner of Scottish tales and topics, from whisky, folklore and regenerative farming to a focus on some of our most impressive botanic gardens. We also look at the reintroduction of wild beavers, take a deep-dive into the wonders of Fife and spotlight the remarkable Ploterre, a creative business inspired by nature. And as ever, there’s more to discover too.

All pre-orders will come with a free A5 print of our front cover image and an Orkney bookmark by photographer Jim Richardson . A note to all our subscribers, this is also included with your magazine.

We are dispatching these on the 15th of April, any orders after the 13th will not include the free print and bookmark.

Wallace Betrayed at Robroyston

In August 1305, the unthinkable happened. The legendary Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace was betrayed, captured and handed over to the English King. It had only been 8 years since he burst onto the scene with the action at Lanark followed by the Battle of Stirling Bridge. He may have lost the Battle of Falkirk a year later, but he had still remained a thorn in the side of Scotland’s enemies.

Wallace had been a wanted man this entire time, evading capture by spending much of his time in forests and caves, protected by a network of loyal followers. A regular spot to rest was at Robroyston, where he could easily communicate with a fellow patriot, the Bishop of Glasgow. One night, as Wallace lay sleeping in the farm buildings, armed soldiers under the orders of John Stewart of Menteith surrounded him.

He might have been a famous warrior, but even Wallace had limits. With no chance of fighting his way out, he was escorted to the dungeons of Dumbarton Castle. From there, Wallace would be dragged down to London in chains to be hanged, drawn and beheaded. His body was then cut into quarters before being publicly displayed in four separate towns as a warning.

Nobody knows who betrayed Wallace’s whereabouts, but suspicion lay on the man who owned the barn he hid in. He supposedly came into a large amount of money along with a grant of the lands that contained his farm. He had to sell Scotland’s National Hero to get it, but this was now Rab Rae’s Toun.

Words by Graeme Johncock 

Argyll’s Secret Coast

Up ahead, the path creeps through machair that swishes and billows beside a slim cuticle of white sand: Ostel Bay, on the turn of high tide. Where the sea has receded, slowly uncovering more of the broad beach, the sand shimmers like sealskin. The water in this bay of the Firth of Clyde is as rich as blue opal. On its horizon, the dramatic mountains of the Isle of Arran rise hazy mauve against the pale sky. Pops of colour are provided by wildflowers on the shore, dancing in the wind that fills my ears as if I am holding a conch shell to them. There is nobody else around – not even a trace of footsteps on the sand.

That fact isn’t surprising: Argyll’s Secret Coast at the south-western end of the Cowal peninsula is just what its name suggests – little known and even less visited. Occupying the protrusion of land between Loch Fyne and the Kyles of Bute, the Secret Coast is a jigsaw of sea lochs, lonely hills and ancient woodland. It’s where red squirrels forage, common seals bask and golden eagles soar. There are forgotten villages and crumbling castles. It’s a rare place to be alone with nature.

The walk to Ostel Bay – Gaelic for Kilbride Bay – is among the network of paths, woodland tracks and quiet roads that burrow deep without straying far. In shoreside Glenan Wood at Portavadie, it’s a few steps from the car park to reach twisty ancient oak woodland – as intricate as a fine pencil drawing – quilted with mosses, lichens and algae. Through the trees lies a lost village thought to date from 1309. It’s returned to the ground now, the buildings piles of stones tangled in undergrowth. On the nearby shore, jellyfish slumber, translucent, awaiting high tide to carry them away. Thrift and sea pink flutter in the breeze and wild mustard glows.

I’m staying in an eco lodge at coastal smallholding Carry Farm on the Ardlamont peninsula, and each day I have awoken to this: yellow flag irises dancing on the edge of a stony beach that mirrors the silver of the Kyles of Bute, and, rising opposite, the hills of the Isle of Bute lit up acid green by the morning sun. Occasionally a sailing boat will glide past on the water, or you’ll spot a reed bunting teetering along the shore.

Owners Fiona and Derek have been running the farm – a white stone building with a bright red roof – since 1997. “Having spent my childhood summers sailing the west coast of Scotland, I have always had a soft spot for red roofs – so you can imagine my delight when I actually owned one!” says Fiona.

The couple developed Carry Farm and its adjacent Tighnabruaich Sailing School organically, building sensitively as required, and they hope guests staying on the farm’s campsite or in one of its architect-designed lodges will use the opportunity to go slow and switch off their devices to make the most of being away from the city. “What sets our region apart from many areas in Scotland is that despite being very rural and remote, it is accessible to the central belt within a couple of hours. This means that our adventure coast can be enjoyed by people living in more built-up regions,” says Fiona.

The farm is home to two donkeys (Barney and Louis), and a 50-strong herd of Hebridean sheep. This small breed tread lightly on the soil and help manage the heathland, allowing tussock grass, heathers and wild orchids to survive. Fiona weaves their wool into beautiful crafts available in the farm shop and gallery, which also sells free-range eggs and lamb. The gallery is a crafty outpost that continues further in the art shops of Tighnabruaich, a charming village where Victorian and Edwardian villas with pointy gables and stained glass windows peer out over one of the few surviving working wooden piers in the Firth of Clyde. It belongs to the heyday of the paddle steamers, when Glaswegians took trips “doon the watter” – up the Clyde and through the Kyles of Bute. The Waverley still calls at Tighnabruaich on its summer excursions.

As the sun begins to plop below the horizon, I walk along the shore at Carry Farm, bidding goodnight to the sheep and donkeys before dropping to the water’s edge. I am, of course, the only person around – but I am not, as it happens, alone. An oystercatcher approaches, looking like it is suited and booted for a dinner date. It starts to kleep – a kind of whistling noise designed to deter passers-by from seashore nests. I keep moving. This is the oystercatcher’s territory. This land, where pure beaches are untouched and ancient woodland locks away stories of centuries past – it is for us to visit and then leave well alone, undisturbed, perfectly secret.

More places worth visiting

Evanachan Farm Hut

A roadside hut near Otter Ferry, stocked with organic eggs, jams, chutneys and handmade cheese from Evanachan Farm. Simply pay in the honesty box.

Kames Village Store

An award-winning traditional grocer’s, selling everything from Bute cheese to Argyll Bakery bread and Loch Fyne ales. A must for anyone self-catering.

The Tearoom

Handmade Victoria sponge, gooey cheesecake and the best brownies in town – this Tighnabruaich café’s lusciously stocked counter is the centrepiece of a cheerful interior where you can relax and watch the world go by

The Oystercatcher

The Ballimore oysters served at this friendly and much-loved restaurant on the banks of Loch Fyne in Otter Ferry are fresh from next door. Local fare on the menu also includes mussels and crab, and meat from nearby farms.

Portavadie Marina Restaurant and Bar

Watch yachts glide by as you warm your hands around a mug of hot chocolate; dine al-fresco on Tarbert scallops with parsnip and apple; or toast a brilliant holiday with a house-infused gin and lemonade

Carry Farm

Four well-equipped, comfortable and tranquil lodges on Carry Bay, steps from the beach and with magnificent views. There is also a small site for wild camping where you’ll awaken to the sound of lapping water.

Words by Emily Rose Mawson and photographs by Sam Rogers

Northton Salt Flats - Harris - Taken by Sam Rogers