Kielder Water & Forest Park, situated in the upper reaches of the North Tyne Valley about 70 miles from Edinburgh, has long been a favourite location for a day out or a weekend away. There is a host of outdoor activities on land and water –trekking trails, cycle routes, sailing clubs and wildlife spotting. This year, however, a new star attraction will lure visitors to the area – the purpose built Kielder Observatory which was launched on April 25^th by Sir Arnold Wolfendale, the 14^th Astronomer Royal. Read the rest of this entry »

Right, readers, pay attention. Rebus has retired from St Leonard’s Police Station, and all the new staff have arrived. There’s DCI Bell, Alistair Watt, and graduate trainee DS Alice Rice. They, like their predecessors, are kept busy on the mean streets of Edinburgh solving the huge crime wave of murders that from time to time break out in the Capital. This time, however, Ian Rankin is not guilty. Alice Rice and her colleagues are the new boys in blue penned by Gillian Galbraith, originally from near Gladsmuir in East Lothian, who comes to novel-writing after a career as an Advocate, specialising in medical negligence cases. Read the rest of this entry »

Today Jonathan Mills announced the programme for the 62^nd Edinburgh International Festival, his second as Director. He has taken as his theme an evolving Europe and the cultures which surround it, a dynamic Europe, where borders are changing, new countries are emerging, and here in Scotland strong feelings about our own identity are being expressed. Read the rest of this entry »

Originally set in deepest Lancashire and written as a showcase for the musical talent of Jane Horrocks, Little Voice has acquired a Scottish accent in the new production by Michael Harrison of Jim Cartwright’s popular play. Read the rest of this entry »