Travel

The Nethy Bridge Hotel, part of the Strathmore Hotel group, is described in the promotional material as a charming Victorian manor house.This imposing, granite-built hotel appeared that way as our taxi rolled up to the entrance. I was looking forward to some good Highland hospitality. However, the 70-bed hotel spectacularly failed to live up to that billing.It is ideally...

A new Ryanair flight from Edinburgh will travel to Nîmes in southern France three times a week until the end of October 2022.The route adds to the eight French destinations from Edinburgh and will take travellers to the city in Occitanie between Provence, the Cevennes mountains, the Camargue and the Mediterranean.The city stages large-scale events throughout the...

BEAR Scotland - Transport Scotland’s operating company - is planning to resurface approximately one kilometre of the M90 southbound carriageway near Kirkliston over three nights, beginning on Monday 19 April, 2021.  For the safety of workers and road users, the M90 will be closed southbound between Junction 1 and Junction 1A of the M9 from 20:00 until 06:00 on...

Jet2 announced this week that they have more destinations for you to think about when booking a holiday or flight.From summer next year there will be flights and holidays to Bourgas in Bulgaria and you can already book to go to Bodrum twice weekly from May to October or Corfu with a weekly service on Thursdays.Using two new 727-800...

Ryanair has announced a sale on flights to the slopes with the lowest fares available to many European ski destinations this winter.With fares starting from £29.99, this is the time to book and then take in those snowy mountain views before enjoying some much-deserved après ski.Whether you’re looking for an adventurous winter break on the slopes or a relaxing escape...

With so many big-name hotel companies saturating the market, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for chain hotels to stand out from the crowd.The problem for many of these companies is that they are trying to cater for the masses with demand from both corporate and leisure clientele fundamental to their success.  Their hotels have to appeal to a broad range...

At Edinburgh Airport Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have introduced a new service allowing you to check your bags in the day before your flight.This move could make your journey a bit easier on the day of travel itself, allowing you just to walk through the security area to the departure lounge. (It only applies to flights leaving in the...

Scotrail is putting millions of half-price tickets up for sale between 26 January and 2 February for travel before the end of February.This is part of the Yours to Use campaign to encourage more people to use the train than the car this winter.The half-price tickets can be purchased in the following ways, quoting the promo code SALE23: Online at scotrail.co.uk/sale. Via...

Birmingham showcased its industrial past and rich cultural diversity during the colourful closing ceremony for the Commonwealth Games.Walking around Britain's second city only underlines those elements in the city's history. Now, the city council, who invested millions in the multi-sports event, hope that there is a lasting legacy.Their vision is to put Birmingham fully on the international map for major sports, and the Olympics has been...

Captain Richard Allison is in charge of the Edinburgh base for Norwegian Airlines.An Edinburgh native he is now happy to be back home, even though he leaves the capital behind him en route to the States several times a month! Norwegian Airlines have recently begun flying to three destinations on the East Coast, with some flights costing as little...

Jet2.com has partnered with Yorkshire Tea to introduce the popular tea brand to its new in-flight menu and the hot drink will be available to buy on-board or offered as a hot drink option with pre-ordered adult meals.It will be served in Yorkshire Tea’s well-known, 12oz plant-based red cups and the airline's in-flight menu also has a number of other...

New direct flights to Turkey will begin next year.A new service between Edinburgh and Turkey will launch for summer 2022 as SunExpress will begin to fly to and from Edinburgh Airport.The new service to Antalya will begin in April 2022 operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays, then stepping up to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from May 24 2022. The service...

Many of us would struggle to row half a mile let alone 3,000 miles across the Atlantic but that’s what a team of five rowers from Portobello achieved.Crossing the finish line in Antigua in late January having set off from the Canary Islands 39 days earlier, the Atlantic Body & Soul team are back and giving a "blisters and...

The Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket has used its landmark first anniversary to reveal fascinating behind the scenes facts which have helped to ensure its guests enjoyed staying there in the last year. Dedicated staff at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket work round the clock to ensure the highest standards of service - which has resulted in some staggering...

airBaltic will begin flying to Edinburgh Airport this summer with flights between Edinburgh and Riga from June.It’s the Latvian airline’s first route from Edinburgh and it will operate two flights per week between to Riga on an Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The route is scheduled to begin on 4 June 2021 and will operate on Mondays and Fridays.Gordon Dewar, Chief...

Swap the city for the highlands with Highland Safaris Autumn WatchLooking to get out into the fresh air this autumn? Discover the sights and sounds which makes this season so special, with a short journey of around an hour and a half from Edinburgh to get to Highland Safaris at Aberfeldy.Their Autumn Watch Land Rover Safaris – taking place...

The Mercure Edinburgh City Princes Street Hotel has undergone a locally inspired refurbishment to the public spaces including the bar and restaurant. The city centre hotel, which looks out to Edinburgh Castle, the Old Town and Princes Street Gardens, has made improvements to its entrance, reception, bar and restaurant, and has renamed their Princes Street Brasserie.Interior designer Helen Hooper of HH Interiors,...

‘First footers’ at Edinburgh’s hottest new arrival to receive exclusive discountEdinburgh’s new Market Street hotel officially opens this week for bookings – giving guests the chance to be the first to stay and experience one of the city’s most anticipated new arrivals.Those ‘first footing’ the new hotel, situated on the city’s iconic Market Street, can benefit from exclusive discounts...

Award-winning travel-writer Nick Thorpe and national newspaper journalist Jean West are hosting an online workshop in travel writing during the Covid-19 lockdown.Newhaven-based Nick Thorpe has been a travel writer for more than 20 years and in his first book Eight Men and a Duck he voyaged to Easter Island by experimental reed raft.His Scottish boat-hitching odyssey Adrift in Caledonia,...

PEMBERTON RIVINGTON IS LODGE OF THE MONTH AT THE MEADOWS FORFARA stunning Pemberton Rivington residential lodge at £65,000 is the current Lodge of the Month at The Meadows in Forfar, a superb new gated development from Stewarts Leisure Parks.Complete with two bedrooms, including master bedroom en-suite with bath, and a fully integrated luxury kitchen, the Pemberton Rivington is a...

YOTEL, said the promotional blurb, offers guests a completely new hotel experience. The idea is to take essential elements of luxury hotels and turning them into a compact, but smart space. Bosses also aim to deliver a sense of community with areas for co-working, social gatherings and exercise.Edinburgh is the brand’s first city centre hotel in Europe and the 270-plus...

Leonardo Hotels have an extensive portfolio throughout Europe and there are several in Scotland, including three in Edinburgh. The 52-bed Simpson Townhouse intrigued as it was listed as boutique, was central, they advertise attractive deals and we were also curious to experience to look through the keyhole to discover what bosses have done to transform a former hospital building into...

Luxury charter travels around Scotland from April to October every yearThe Belmond Royal Scotsman luxury charter train will begin its 2019 touring itinerary from Edinburgh Waverley, the departure point for every excursion in its programme.Of the seven main tours that the train operates, the Scotland's Classic Splendours and Scotch Malt Whisky Trail excursions are the first of the...

The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa has begun its multi-sensory bath experience, offering you a moment or two to relax even if you are a busy business traveller.While the hotel has its own spa, some people just don't have time. It is only £20 extra to upgrade to include the Soak Your Senses bath experience in your room.What this...

A new visitor trail based upon the three bridges over the Forth at Noth and South Queensferry has been launched by VisitScotland.The Forth Bridges Trail is a five-mile circular route with 16 points of interest in North and South Queensferry and along the Forth Road Bridge. There is a historical element to it sprinkled with local tales and folklore,...

With uncertainty hanging over where we'll be allowed to go next summer, TUI UK is tempting us (and letting us dream) with 11 holiday destinations on offer direct from Edinburgh for winter 2021/22 and summer 2022.That seems a long way off, but summer 2022 packages go on sale from 5 November 2020 with a range of sweeteners including free kids’ places,...

On a visit to South East Asia recently I went to see a new botanical garden in Laos. Coming from Edinburgh where the Botanics are such a popular attraction it seemed like an interesting place to go. The garden, Pha Tad Ke, is the first ethnobotanical garden in the country, shining a spotlight on the local and traditional knowledge of...

A camping and glamping site near Musselburgh has been awarded a five-star rating by VisitScotland with inspectors praising the quality of the facilities and describing the park and its grounds as ‘spotless’.The rating makes Drummohr one of only 33 five-star camping and caravan parks sites across Scotland and one of four five-star sites in East Lothian.Drummohr has undergone significant...

We woke to a sky rich in red over the undulating Lakeside countryside. It was stunning. It bode well for the day ahead. Two hours later the sun had broken through to warm the chill air.The thermometer rose to 8C as Bowness-on-Windermere (pictured, early morning) came alive. It was January 3, but the attraction of Lakeland continues.Cars poured in...

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) will have hundreds of thousands of tickets for sale from Tuesday to cover the Christmas and New Year period.Tickets will apply to travel between 21 December and 6 January 2023.You can sign up today for alerts on the LNER website and App.David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said: “We are looking forward to...