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This week’s email arrives in that quieter stretch between Christmas and Hogmanay. We hope you had a good few days, whether spent close to home or further afield, and that the pace has eased a little.

This edition leans into that feeling, with stories shaped by craft, travel, and reflection at the close of the year. You’ll meet traditional signwriter Thomas Payne and spend time with the detail and care behind his work on Scotland’s streets.

There’s a new journal from Graeme Johncock, written as winter settles in, moving through local places, December traditions, and the moments that mark the turn of the year. You’ll also find a fresh quiz, a short history note, and a selection of thoughtful reads to see you towards Hogmanay.

Signs of the Times - Meet traditional signwriter Thomas Payne

Walk down any typical high street in Scotland today and you will no doubt notice the overwhelming number of signs vying for your attention with their gaudy colours and eye-catching fonts. It wasn’t always this way, however. Photographs of town centres that pre-date the availability of cheaply printed signage depict beautifully painted shops decorated by skilled signwriters who used a limited number of lettering styles and traditional techniques to present basic information about a building’s occupants.

Our high streets are constantly evolving and recently there has been an increase in the number of independent businesses occupying premises vacated by chain retailers, banks and other companies that are choosing to focus on their online presence. These local boutiques, barbers, beauty salons, cafés and restaurants are more likely to invest in quality signage that reflects the values of their brand in order to make a good first impression on customers. That means more work for the small community of signwriters who continue to practice a trade that often goes unnoticed but can have a powerful subliminal appeal.

“A hand-painted sign has a perceived sense of quality and tradition that is still universally understood,” says Thomas Payne, who is part of a new generation of signwriters helping to create contemporary, Instagrammable designs for clients looking to add a personal touch to their shopfronts. The 35-year-old, who has adopted the playful moniker ‘Thomas Paints’, can often be spotted perched on a ladder with his palette and brushes in Edinburgh, the Lothians and occasionally further afield, or glimpsed through a shop window applying gold-leaf lettering to the inside of the glass. Since launching his business in 2015, he has painted hundreds of hanging signs, windows and shopfronts, as well as working on more quirky commissions such as decorating a pizza delivery truck or creating a mural for Hibernian Football Club. When asked about his reasons for pursuing such an unusual and specialist career path, he answers straightforwardly, “I just like looking at nice signs.” Dig a little deeper, though, and there is more to the story.

Payne gained a B.A. Hons in Furniture Design and a Masters degree in Product Design from Edinburgh College of Art before working his way up through various agency roles. One year, his wife bought him set of brushes and some paints for Christmas and suggested he try his hand 58 at making some signs for an exhibition. “I was bored with working on a computer all the time,” says Payne, speaking from his workshop and studio in Longniddry, which is filled with old signs he collects to inspire his work. He is now so dedicated to his craft that he is on a mission to paint every sign in the village, and even offers his services for free if local businesses can’t afford to hire him. “If I see a sign that’s ugly or deteriorating it drives me bananas,” he says, pointing to projects for the village shop and primary school as examples of his pro bono work. “It’s good to give something back to the neighbourhood, although I’m really doing it for me so I don’t have to look at bad signs,” he jokes.

Payne’s process combines traditional painting skills with his design background, which allows him to create bespoke signs with a modern or classic feel. He uses computer software to develop ideas with his clients and prepare them for painting, but once he’s up on the ladder the process is much the same as it would have been for sign painters a century ago. The designs are plotted onto paper using a special printer that pierces tiny holes in the surface. The stencil is then fixed to the surface and chalk dust is blown through the holes to create a temporary outline that provides a guide for painting (a modern version of a traditional technique known as pouncing).

Payne uses quill-shaped sable brushes to apply durable oil-based enamel paints from a wooden palette, resting his painting hand on a mahl stick to prevent slippage and to keep it away from the wet paint as he works. He says his goal is not to paint perfectly, but rather to leave “flair and bounce and fluidity” in the shapes and lines he produces. “After years of painting, my eyes are tuned to what a well- painted letter should look like,” he claims. “It still needs to look neat but I like the edges to be subtly curved or flared to retain that hand-painted feel.” 

The results speak for themselves and Payne’s clients clearly recognise the value that a hand-painted sign brings to their business. Florist Rebecca Henderson, who commissioned Payne to decorate the frontage of her shop on South Queensferry’s historic High Street, says she gave him free rein to design the signage and was delighted with how it turned out. “I wanted my sign to be more than just a name above a shop,” she explains, adding: 60 “It needed to uphold the traditional features of the building and the High Street. The design and style Thomas came up with just feel right here.” For Payne, helping business owners to realise such an important aspect of their branding provides him with moments of supreme satisfaction. “I’ve had several clients look at a sign I’ve painted and just burst into tears,” he says with a grin. “It’s definitely not why I do it but that’s a really nice feeling.” 

The majority of Payne’s work involves painting onto signboards or shopfronts but he also takes on more unusual commissions, such as adding lettering to tiled roofs or applying a logotype to the side of the towering 40-metre-tall Port of Leith distillery in Edinburgh. Working out the logistics of how to accurately transfer his designs onto these awkward surfaces is one aspect of his craft that Payne finds particularly rewarding. “I love figuring out how to paint on something that’s a bit unique or hard to get to,” he says. This claim is backed up by the case studies featured on his website, which include examples of signage expertly painted onto brick, corrugated cladding, harling, roofs and rough stone walls. If you can paint on it, he’ll find a way.

In addition to sign painting, a few years ago Payne taught himself the traditional craft of glass gilding; applying sheets of 23-and-a-half-carat gold leaf to glass using water to produce a lustrous mirror finish. “The Victorians used gold leaf to add decorative elements to shop fascias because it’s UV stable and it will never fade,” he explains, adding that he learned by practising on pieces of glass purchased at charity shops. In addition to gilding shop windows, Payne spends most Fridays working on house numbers, which he says are a great way to end the week because “they’re often the finishing touch to someone’s home renovations and it’s lovely to see a client’s happy face when they’re done.” 

Almost eight years into his sign painting venture, Payne is currently busier than ever, with between 30 and 40 active projects ongoing at any given time. He employs an assistant to help him complete many of his larger jobs and his client list now includes important institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. He admits that he entered into the profession at a good time and has been aided by the rise of social media, which is a useful tool for promoting his work. He has over 10,000 followers on Instagram, who delight in his quirky posts including oddly satisfying videos of him slowly pulling off masking tape to reveal clean paint lines on various surfaces. 

Despite all of his success to date, Payne remains grounded and focused on a simple yet important objective. “I just want to make shops and high streets more attractive with well considered designs,” he insists, modestly. With his help, our town centres might just regain some of their former glory.

This article as taken from issue 07 of the Hidden Scotland Magazine, grab your copy here.

Follow Thomas on Instagram or check out his website.

words // Alyn Griffiths - photography // Simon Hird

Our 2026 Calendar

We are delighted to be back with our wall calendar for 2026. Enjoy a selection of stunning photography that captures some of Scotland's best bits throughout the year.

The A3 landscape wall calendar is printed on a beautiful matt art paper stock that makes the images really stand out. 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.

Special Sunday Offer

£5 off our 2026 calendar.

Use code SUNDAY5 to redeem.

Graeme Johncock, the travel blogger and storyteller behind Scotland's Stories, is now bringing his adventures to us in a weekly column. He will journal about his explorations around Scotland, sharing fascinating stories and highlighting unique places to visit. Accompanied by his dog Molly, Graeme continues to uncover and share the rich history and beauty of Scotland.

An Eventful Year Comes To An End

As the year winds down, the winter weather closes in and the days get shorter, this isn’t the time for traipsing all over Scotland hunting down good stories and scenic spots. That doesn’t mean I can just put my feet up and take a break though, I just made sure to stay a little closer to home.

Luckily, I’m right in the heart of Fife and there’s plenty of interesting places to visit nearby as well as festive events to get you in the spirit!

Walking around Culross is always a treat, but the historic village feels entirely different when the summer crowds are gone. The cobbled streets were almost eerily quiet and I only saw a handful of people the entire day. While unfortunately Culross Palace was closed for the winter, it did mean that I managed to get a seat in the Biscuit Café without a problem!

Even closer to home, it’s a tradition for towns and villages around Scotland to organise a street party for their Christmas light switch on. I was there for my local town Cupar’s event, with mulled wine, fairground rides and a few stalls to keep us entertained. Even more popular than that, throughout December Santa’s sleigh drives around every nearby village to delight the kids while raising money for local charities!

The real highlight of December for me was a visit to the Bowhouse Market near St Monans. This converted steading has really gained in popularity since it opened as a regular market showcasing some of the best produce from the East Neuk of Fife. Not only did I stock up on Christmas presents from Scottish producers that mean a lot more than something ordered off the internet, I also filled up on delicious street food sourced from the farm next door.

Amazing to think that we almost didn’t have anything like this in Scotland - Christmas was actually banned for hundreds of years! It was strongly discouraged by the Presbyterian Church of Scotland after the Reformation in 1560, Christ’s Mass just being too Catholic and full of frivolity.

In the 1600s, it was made officially illegal, with people punished just for baking Yule Breads or putting up decorations. The law was eventually repealed, but Christmas remained something barely celebrated in Scotland until it became a holiday in the 1950s, meaning that Hogmanay (New Years) was a much bigger deal!

As I type this, the Daft Days are coming – the time between Christmas and Hogmanay when it’s hard to remember what day of the week it is or count how many mince pies you’ve eaten. It’s a time to sit by the fire, stay warm and play games or share stories. To me, that’s the real joy of this time of year, not opening presents or eating a feast, but spending time with friends and family.

I hope you get to do the same. Lang may yer lum reek and best wishes for 2026!

Written by Graeme Johncock To check out more of Graeme’s Scottish Itinearies, click here.

Hidden Scotland Guide Books

Hidden Scotland’s guidebooks to the Isle of Skye and Edinburgh are now available, each offering a focused, carefully edited way to explore two of Scotland’s most compelling destinations. The Skye guide looks beyond the obvious, covering places to stay, landscapes to seek out, food, culture, and quieter corners across the island and Raasay. The Edinburgh guide turns to the capital, bringing together history, walking routes, cafés, galleries, shops, and day trips beyond the city. Both are practical, well-researched, and designed to be read before you arrive and carried with you once you do.

Charlottefield

Sleeps 4 guests in Perthshire.

Nestled in a perfect spot underneath an ancient Caledonian forest of oaks and birch, Charlottefield looks across the glen and down to the  River Tummel. With miles of trails and tracks to explore this is a great base for a family who want to stay on nature’s doorstep. With two comfortable bedrooms and an open-plan living room and kitchen, Charlottefield is a wonderfully comfortable home to come back to after exploring everything Atholl Estates and Perthshire has to offer.

After a long walk to a loch, or climbing one of the nearby Munros relax in the wood-fired outdoor bath in the former woodshed next to the house. Nature enthusiasts can forage in the fields and forests, and might spot our resident pair of golden eagles soaring, red squirrels, deer and beavers.

Find out more here.

Love what we do? Subscribe today

A Hidden Scotland subscription brings the magazine straight to your door, twice a year, before it reaches the shelves. Each issue is carefully edited, beautifully printed, and focused on places, people, and stories that reward curiosity. Subscribers receive every issue first, wrapped by hand and accompanied by a bookmark and an A5 cover print. It is a quieter, more considered way to explore Scotland, guided by writers and photographers who know the country well.

Quiz Answers

Issue 11 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.

If you would like to email us about any suggestions or feedback please email [email protected] with the subject feedback. Thanks!

If you would like to email us about any suggestions or feedback please email [email protected] with the subject feedback. Thanks!