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We’re excited to bring you another edition of ‘Hidden Scotland Weekly’. As always, we hope you enjoy reading and find inspiration for your next adventure.

Enjoy this week’s edition, and have a fantastic Sunday!

We’re excited to let you know that Issue 10 is now available to order — and it’s being dispatched straight away. Click here to get your copy.

Have a great weekend.

ISSUE 10 SPOTLIGHT - THE BORDERS

We’re pleased to share that our tenth issue has arrived from the printers in Glasgow and is now available to order. All copies are being dispatched straight away. Here is a sneak peak at one of the articles within issue 10.

In this edition, we head south to a part of Scotland that often escapes the spotlight. The Borders is a region shaped by rivers, ridgelines and resilient towns. It’s a place where farming traditions sit alongside a thriving arts scene, where you can walk for hours without seeing another soul or spend a weekend tracing historic streets filled with independent shops and galleries.

The feature picks out places to visit, local food and drink, quiet walking routes, and recommendations from those who call the area home. It’s both a route map and a reminder of just how much this part of the country has to offer.

Edinburgh’s Most Famous Serial Killers

Back in the early 1800s, Edinburgh was at the forefront of modern medicine. However, it took a lot of fresh bodies to keep the anatomy classes running. When a change in the law resulted in a shortage of legal cadavers, some enterprising people saw an opportunity.

The theft of freshly buried corpses became so bad, that mourners were forced to protect their loved ones even after the funeral. Guardhouses and night watchmen were installed into graveyards as well as strong, iron mortsafes over fresh burials.

Burke and Hare, two of Edinburgh’s most notorious residents, found a different way of doing business. William Hare ran a lodging house in Tanner's Close and when one of his tenants died before he could pay the bill, he was determined to get his money somehow. Word had spread about the shortage of bodies for medical students and Hare had an idea.

With William Burke’s help, he replaced the lodger’s body in the coffin before it could be buried and carted it along to Surgeon's Square, selling it to anatomist Robert Knox. The assistant who handed over the cash made it very clear that if any other bodies turned up, they were very welcome.

The pair could do with the extra income but getting hold of naturally occurring corpses wasn’t an easy task. Instead, over the next 10 months Burke and Hare murdered 16 people as part of their new enterprise.

Their usual technique was to lure the target back to Hare’s lodging house, fill them with cheap whisky and suffocate them in a manner that would later be named burking. While the bodies were still warm, they rushed them down the Cowgate to Knox’s door.

Eventually, the pair were caught and Hare gave Burke up to save his own skin. In return for his full, written confession, Hare was released while his partner in crime was hanged and his body used for public dissection as poetic justice. Hare might have been a free man, but he was chased out of Edinburgh.

Nobody knows where he ended up or if he carried on his murderous enterprise somewhere new.

Story by Graeme Johncock

Hunting for History on the Black Isle - by Beth Reid

I have only begun to properly explore the Black Isle in the past year and have been overwhelmed by its beauty and rich history. This peninsula’s rolling fields and lush green woodland are surrounded on three sides by water, namely the Firths of Cromarty, Beauly, and Moray. In addition to its strong maritime relationship, this location pins the Black Isle between Inverness and the far north of Scotland, meaning that it has been a site of historical importance for centuries.

The history of the Black Isle can be discovered across the peninsula, from castle ruins and tower houses to Pictish stones and historic fishing villages. Today, I want to take you to Fortrose and its surrounding villages to explore its offering of Scottish history.

Location 1: Avoch Castle

If you fancy a walk to stretch your legs as well as immersing yourself in history, then begin your adventure by making your way to the site of Avoch Castle. Unfortunately, the castle itself is no longer visible, thanks to Oliver Cromwell’s dismantling of the castle to use the stone for his construction of a new fort in Inverness during the 1650s. However, this is very much still worth a visit, particularly to experience a location that was pivotal during the Scottish Wars of Independence.

Avoch Castle was perched atop Ormond Hill, overlooking the village of Avoch and with spectacular views across the Moray Firth to the south, and across the Black Isle to the far north. It was built in the late 11th century during the reign of William the Lion, as one of two royal castles constructed on the Black Isle to boost royal authority in the area in response to the MacWilliam rebellions. It was in the 13th century that Avoch fell into the hands of the de Morays. In 1297, Andrew de Moray raised his standard at Avoch Castle as a call to arms in rebellion against the overlordship of Edward I of England. His rebellion would sweep across northern Scotland before joining forces with William Wallace and defeating the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, after which Andrew would die from wounds sustained in battle. Standing atop Ormond Hill on the site of Andrew’s family castle and gazing across the surrounding landscape, you can almost imagine what it must have been like to experience the turmoil and tension of that era of Scottish history.

Location 2: Fortrose Cathedral

10 minute drive from Ormond Hill, about 3 miles Head further along the coast of the Black Isle to Fortrose, a former royal burgh with its own incredible history. This was once the episcopal seat of the medieval diocese of Ross and the remnants of Fortrose Cathedral are still visible in the centre square of the town. These beautiful ruins of red sandstone were once much larger, with only the south aisle, chapel, and chapter house remaining. Built in the 13th century to replace a religious site at Rosemarkie, the Scottish Reformation of 1560 led to the abandonment and decaying of Fortrose Cathedral. Its fate was sealed in the 1650s, when stone from the nave and choir were removed for the construction of Cromwell’s fort at Inverness (a similar fate to Avoch Castle).

I absolutely love the ruins of Fortrose Cathedral, particularly the south aisle and chapel, as these were commissioned in the late 14th to early 15th century by Euphemia Ross, Countess of Ross. Much of my background and current work in historical research focuses on women of medieval Scotland, and these ruins are a spectacular display of the wealth and power that noblewomen of this period could hold. Euphemia commissioned the new south aisle and chapel before her death and was interred here in a grand tomb to immortalise her influence as the Countess of Ross. I find it quite fitting that the surviving section of Fortrose Cathedral was hers.

Location 3: Chanonry Point

Take a 5 minute drive or a 30 minute walk from Fortrose out to Chanonry Point. With a name that echoes the religious history of this area of the Black Isle, this is also one of the best places in the UK to go dolphin-spotting. Chanonry Point is at the tip of a very narrow peninsula into the Moray Firth, opposite the behemoth of 18th-century Fort George which stands on the other side of the water. This narrow point and the tidal activity of the Firth creates ideal conditions for dolphins to hunt fish. Check out tidal times and make sure you time your visit well to increase your chances of spotting some dolphins.

Location 4: Rosemarkie

A 6 minute drive along the coast or a 30 minute walk along the beach from Chanonry Point will bring to you our final spot for the day, the historic seaside village of Rosemarkie. Rosemarkie may appear as a small fishing village today, but this is an ancient site of extensive Pictish activity and religious significance. It has the perfect place to explore this history: the Groam House Museum.

The Groam House Museum is an independent museum in Rosemarkie containing an impressive collection of Pictish stones, Celtic artwork, and artefacts from local history. The jewel in the museum’s crown is the Rosemarkie Cross, a 2.6 metre tall Pictish cross slab dating to the 8th century and intricately carved with Pictish and Christian symbols. Surrounded by more Pictish stones from around Rosemarkie, the historical importance of this area has earned the museum its place on the Highland Pictish Trail. In addition to its Pictish collection, the museum has extensive artefacts from across the centuries which immortalise Rosemarkie’s local history. It also holds the George Bain Collection, a selection of sketches, designs, and craftwork by the artist George Bain, who worked tirelessly to preserve Celtic style art and was committed to promoting Scotland’s rich art history. This is a museum not to be missed for anyone wanting to explore and understand the history of this particular area of the Black Isle.

Written by Beth Reid

Beth Reid is a writer and content creator who explores Scotland through the lens of its history. She is passionate about sharing lesser known perspectives and experiences from Scottish history, with her debut book Women in the Scottish Wars of Independence to be published in 2025. 

Kabn - Shores of Loch Fyne

Kabn has crafted something truly special on the banks of Loch Fyne. These architectural cabins sit lightly on the historic Ardkinglas Estate, their glass walls capturing the changing moods of Scotland's western waters. The design draws from both Japanese simplicity and the tough, practical building traditions of the Highlands, creating spaces where guests feel both sheltered and connected to the wild landscape beyond. What makes these retreats remarkable isn't just their striking appearance, but their thoughtful integration with the surrounding environment.

The cabins face directly onto a private beach, where otters and ospreys are frequent visitors. Inside, king-sized beds are positioned to make the most of panoramic views, while wood-burning stoves create that distinctly Scottish warmth when Atlantic weather rolls across the loch. The attention to detail extends throughout—locally sourced timber, organic bedding, and carefully chosen kitchen provisions that invite slow, mindful cooking. While modern connectivity exists, its limitations feel like a blessing rather than inconvenience. Here, the gentle rhythm of tides and birdsong replaces digital distractions.

To book a stay or to Find out more, click here.

Brand new in the shop

We’ve just updated the Hidden Scotland shop with our new spring product drop. You’ll find work from illustrator David Fleck and artist Phoebe Roze, along with a wider range of gift cards and books. New titles include Café Canna and A Year in My Shetland Garden.

Browse the full collection below.

Issue 10 Sponsors

It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to the sponsors of Issue 10.
We invite you to learn more about them by clicking their logo.

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