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About Mar Hall

A luxury spa getaway and a writing course 500

WORTH

cottish Memories is delighted to be working with Writing Magazine to offer one lucky reader a luxury spa getaway at the five star Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort, near Glasgow and a Writing Magazine creative writing course, worth a combined total of 500. Your prize will include a nights dinner, bed and breakfast for two people with full use of the leisure facilities. Choose your preferred course from our nine creative writing home study courses, detailed on http://writ.rs/cwcourses The winning entry will published in Scottish Memories and Writing Magazine, the UKs biggest and bestselling magazine for writers (find out more at www.writers-online.co.uk).

3.40 February 2014

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When superstars are playing concerts or filming in or around Glasgow, theres one place they love to call home from home. Its Mar Hall, the five star golf and spa resort overlooking the River Clyde and a free overnight stay there will be the icing on the celebration cake for the winner of our competition! In a secluded location just a few miles from Glasgow airport, Mar Hall is the ideal place for celebrities to unwind or for the rest of us to take a luxurious West Coast break. A Listers who have laid their heads there include Brad Pitt, Beyonce, Kylie Minogue, Bob Dylan, The Who, Depeche Mode and Lionel Ritchie. The Gothic-style baronial mansion, designed to resemble a stately house in the Elizabethan era, has 53 individually designed bedrooms and suites. Find out more at: www.marhall.com

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SCOTLAND THEN

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the time and how they have a true loyalty to Scotland. Let me the Edward landsca tell you that even after several generations, thisian is very true. pe; and the openin scene I cant explain the anity that we seem to g feel, butin I love the of Miss Name: Robert Robinson The Prime Jean Brodie, which sense of belonging, even though I am an Australian. featured Maggie Smith cycling primly Carol Burnett, Australia Lives: Manchester Edinburghs Mornin through gside district in the 1930s, was one that would COCKY HUNTERS STORE have Hobbies and interests: been familiar to our grandp Dear Scottish Memories Drawing, ever since I can arents. The ities were also concern remember. When I as Reading the story about Cocky Huntersauthor store in the for a while that ed December issue brought back happy memories ofcycling my ten our local paper ran might be politically danger childhood in Aberdeen. We used to stand outside the shop a competition to draw a ous since it enticingly o ered the workin and sing this little song: picture of a bonre, which g class new, ambitious horizons to head to my delight, I won. Then, for and literally led them into seeing Aberdeen, Aberdeen, four years later, the Co-op held an art contest, rst prize how the other half lived, particu being a shiny new bicycle now I had transport! Recently its the best place I have ever seen. larly on aristocratic country estates Ive taken up oil painting; I nd it extremely rewarding. Theres polish for your oor, where trespassing could not be eectively The colours ignite that same bonre and a key to t your door. control feeling I felt when I was a boy. In Cocky Hunters store, in Aberdeen. led by intrepid gamekeepers with intimidating big dogs. There was also the paranoid Fondest childhood memory: Jean Mair, Lincolnshire apprehension in government I vividly remember my dad playing circles that left wing radical vinyl LPs of The Pipes and Drums CRAIGTOUN PARK s would nd it easier to organis e nationally if and the sound of the bagpipes still Dear Scottish Memories they could nd new ways to strikes a chord with me today. In the December issue, on your letters page, reader Alan criss-cross the countryside: Above: Soon, but children such However, I would say my fondest Grey mentions visiting Craigtoun Park. Im not sure of the disquie could also t was get in on the dispelled when of Congress LC-D412it became memory is from the ageCycling of twelve act ( Library exact date but sometime in 1946 or thereabouts, Fife County 401). obvious Right: after a few years enthusiasts spoke about the fresh thathouse air and Council bought Craigtoun House and Park. The was when my dad gave me an old book from ordinar freedom y folk of riding simply enjoyed cycling his school days, Kidnapped by Robert converted into a maternity hospital and later the park was for the pleasur and exercise it e his critics gave them and by regular opened to the public. Louis Stevenson. I imagined him reading had no ly speedi more sinister ng to and from motives than Dumfr this exciting adventure story, growing The medical ocer at that time was concerned by the ies, fourtee that. n miles away, less an Now up in than Paisley. it was mine, and I in fact that pregnant women had to travel either to Dundee, hour! He was Scottish also the rst cyclist to be too could embark own journey. Kirkcaldy or even Dunfermline if theyorigin neededs to go to ned on for my reckles And since the s speeding since he pedalle velocip hospital. Later, they also bought Netherlee Houes, Newport ede d 68 miles into machine, the forerunner Glasgow in June 1842,lms: Films I remember of the modern bike, Favourite and it was also converted into a maternity hospital. where in the had been invent busier he manag ed in Dumfries ed to knock from my childhood are Geordie, streets Mary Neilson, over Kirkpatrick Macmi Scotland by a child and was duly llan in the rst ned Whistle Down the Wind and old ve shilling place, it was s and publicly criticise even more suitabl d formusicals. Hollywood At a young age SETON SANDS his wanton e that the craze should misbehaviour aI city by take hold the sawmagist The Great Escape starring Steve McQueen. Dear Scottish Memories In one rate. way it did north of scene, Ives fondly speaks of Musselburgh, which years later The story in the November issue about the the border concrete blocks .A blacksmith by trade who had AI mode mature st would visit on my way to Longniddry. My sons enjoyed placed on the Scottish coasts to repel Hitlers forces reminded inven d into tor his familys busine Despit ss at Thornh e this playing on the rocky beach at Seton Sands. As to the lm, me of family holidays weDumfr had in the late Fifties and early condem ill near ned act of folly, ies, Macmillans Macmi llan was the lads still quote the line Och, never mind, youll be Sixties. We spent them atderived Seton Sands holiday camp, along inspira by nature tion a modest man, from the simple quietly retiring walking down to Argyle Street in a couple of weeks, man. from Port Seton on hobby horse his native then in widesp backwoods without any read use as a the east coast. drive regarding childrens plaything which commercial success was similar to . He didnt evenRoberts Favourite I say holiday having fun against danger a bike if the tiny rider botherboys s facing them to at Seton tra theScottish design of his was propelling on the heavy on the beachpatent camp but it was c dominated new velocip himself by running his feet roads. opted Sands ede but for domestic along the ground Cycling retains location: more of a collection quietness, marryi . Macmillans shaft its invigorating raising ng, a family of brilliance came sense of freedo Wemyss Bay and settling of huts, not like it through his additio m with the wind down. He died inthe 1878 ns which meant in the face, something on Firth is today. Our hut but his smithy in the summe that not to be sni still stands and of r of 1839 at the boasts ed at in this over-re a plaque Clyde. My was a converted age of 27 with the suitabl he perfected a gulated society sentim e heavy, rather which ent is inscrib much grandfather was railway carriage, as pedal-d ed on it that he unwieldy, more restrict riven velocip ive in many built better than he ways than in ede constructed Glaswegian and were a few others. knew. mostly of wood the earlier years His that included design of last century when the city is only a Just across the road wheel was seized a steerable bicycling rst upon and in front and a improved by became so larger one in widely short train ride among the sand more entrepreneur popular (witne the rear, both iron ial talents who added ss the growth rimmed and connec of health and away. My sons chains, dunes were large to pedals via ted safety rules and gears, lighter metals and rubber metal rods, all the increase in and I have stayed concrete blocks, originating tyres but all from spare materia hawk-eyed founde on the blacksm d onroadw ls left lying around 02 at the bayiths several times. We hopped the ferry to presumably to ay police origina as scrap in his patrols). l model which had becom smithys yard And Rothesay, then to Milport we hired bicycles. We repel German with global e well which he pieced togethe known where despite his self eacing r during warmin spare rode around the .perimeter,0 enjoying the stunning views. forces landing on the beach. This photo, taken in 1962, nature g suppos moments in betwee edly 8 78719 n churning out Nowad 77096 9 on the ays Back on the mainland, as night fell, looking across the with shows me aged sixteen to look cool with the concrete horse way, crusad shoes there the trying es against and like for the equine obesity and a was never trade. fadislands Firth, the became an array of flickering lights, as if blocks in the background. for gures a better His invention which are fully t, cycling was not taken time to beckon We will be back! McJimpsey, Cumbernauld asyou. a pastim 14:24 to get on your too seriousDavid e has made 06/01/2014 ly in his village comeback; witness a bike and explore but he confou the 4,000 people nded pedalle the who d to Holyro great outdoors. Scottish Memories February 2014 13 od recently to Its protest all there waiting . Scottis

Reader of the month

Readers letters

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TRANSPOL IA SPECs, buses,

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN We would like you to write a piece of non-fiction, of no more than 600 words, relating to Scotland. It could be a memory of living in or visiting Scotland, a travel feature on a Scottish location, or a piece on Scottish history. In short, the only requirement is that your piece of writing should celebrate the best of Scotland, past or present.
Send your entry by email to: laurenr@warnersgroup.co.uk as a word document or PDF attachment (in Times New Roman or Arial, no less than 12pt) with Celebrate Scotland followed by YOUR TITLE as the subject line. In the email message give your full name and address. Do not write your name on the attachment. The competition closes on 17 April, 2014. Visit the website: http://scot.sh/wm-comp for full terms and conditions.

Classic car ns bikes, trams, trai re and much mo

10 pages

of reader memories

h Memories February 2014

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