Rainbow Mystery
Former teacher Moira MacDiarmid, out walking her dogs near her home in the West Highlands recently, had to rub her eyes in disbelief when she found herself gazing at - a white rainbow. Moira is a keen naturalist and observer of weather patterns in the spectacular area around Gairlochy, near Spean Bridge, where she lives. But she had never seen a phenomenon like this one before. Moira described the experience, saying, "It was 6.45 am and, with dawn breaking the light of the moon made the sky stunningly clear. Over Loch Lochy, towards Clunes, I saw a white rainbow - beautifully formed, no shades and no colours. There was moisture in the air at the time, and I reckoned the rainbow could have been caused by the interaction with the moon." a call to the Met Office, in Bracknell, Berks, had the weather forecasters scratching their heads, but spokesman Colin Donnelly soon had the answer. "Although nobody here has ever seen one, it's apparently called a Lunar Rainbow," he said. "If the moon is bright enough and the conditions are showery, then rainbows can be observed by moonlight. But, as the human eye can't distinguish any colours because of the faint light at dawn or dusk - the lunar rainbow appears to be white."
Bloody History of Castle
Proposals to make the scene of one of Scotland's bloodiest clan battles into a major tourist attraction have taken a step forward. Despite it being poorly signposted and almost hidden from view off the A82 Glasgow to Inverness road, it is estimated that around 15,000 people a year visit old Inverlochy Castle on the outskirts of Fort William. Now an Inverlochy Castle Association has been formed to help generate more than £6,000 funding to carry out the first phase of an ambitious £1 million scheme. It will entail the removal of a number of trees and shrubs which screen the castle, improving landscaping and providing a network of paths. The association also hopes that funding can be found to employ a part time project officer to oversee development. In the long term, the association wants to provide a visitor centre, picnic areas and riverside walk, replace a narrow access bridge and improve interpretative facilities and marketing. "Despite the castle being partly hidden by trees, it still draws an estimated 15,000 people a year," said Highland councillor Brian Murphy. "We feel we can improve on those numbers significantly just by opening up the vista so people can see it from a distance." The 13th century castle - scene of major battles in 1431 and 1645 - is currently undergoing major renovations by its owners, Historic Scotland, which has backed the Fort William initiative. Mr Murphy said it was hoped to eventually provide new flooring in the castle towers, which would add to the visitor experience.
Time Gun Test
Edinburgh Castle's new One O'clock gun was tried out for size recently to ensure the new lighter weapon will be manageable when it is introduced later this year. The 25 pounder howitzer, introduced in 1953, is due to be decommissioned and replaced by a more modern 105mm light gun in September. The Army brought in a 105mm to check it could be moved easily from different parts of the castle. The District Gunner, Staff Sergeant Tom McKay, who maintains and fires the gun, said: "Normally the gun is fired from Mills Mount. "However on Armistice Day it's fired from the Half Moon Battery, so we are just ensuring that everything fits before we bring it into service." The gun, held at Edinburgh Castle by the Royal Artillery's 105 Regiment, was the only remaining time gun to be fired in Britain, providing timely reminder to thousands of visitors and city dwellers every day. An Army spokesman said: "A 105 was brought up to the castle to make sure it would fit snugly in its new home and it did. "Everybody involved with the One O'clock gun will be looking forward to using the new one, which is currently used throughout the Royal Artillery."
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Dedicated to the Pipes
Gillian Chalmers, from Fraserburgh, aims to keep one Scottish tradition alive after signing up to play the bagpipes at an exclusive musical school. The 12 year old has been playing the pipes for only four years, but so impressed judges at the world renowned National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music at Plockton that she was immediately given a place. Gillian has already made a name for herself at competition level, winning the March, Strathspey and Reel in the under 13 category at Carnoustie last October. She also took first at the Scottish Pipers Association in Glasgow and a first and second at the Young Piper of the Year in Nairn in November. Her ambition after completing her secondary education is to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and ultimately make a career out of playing the pipes. This is all good news for bagpipe enthusiasts - recent figure suggest more people in the Far East are learning to play the pipes than in Scotland. The decline has been put down to a lack of financial support and expertise for young players wanting to start while still at school. The National Centre is hoping to change all that after opening its doors just 11 months ago. It's already attracting world famous musicians who specialise in the violin, pipes, Scottish harp and chanter.
Best Feet Forward
It will be a case of best feet forward in Norway for a group of North dancers this summer. For members of the Kilmorack Scottish Country and Happy Feet dance classes will be forging links across the North Sea when they undertake a cultural exchange trip in June. Under the name Norway 2001, 28 dancers led by their tutor, Frances Grant, will join Norwegian dance enthusiasts including a group of Scottish country dancers in Oslo. The trip has resulted from a visit made to Scotland almost three years ago by the Venner Av Gammel Dabnser group led by John Nordbo of Oslo. During their stay, the Norwegian dancers visited the Highlands and joined the Kilmorack group for a social dance. "We have kept the friendship going and they have now invited us back to visit them," explained Frances. The Scottish group will stay in Bergen and Voss before travelling to Asker, near Oslo, where they will be taking over a guesthouse. They will be accompanied during their tour by musicians Marian Anderson and George Bremner. Added Frances: "We will not be performing as dancers - the dances will be social events." Between now and June they will continue with their fund raising efforts to help pay for the hire of halls and to take a "taste of Scotland" to Norway.
Upgrade for Visitor Centre
The visitor centre at the award winning Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve near Kinlochewe in Wester Ross is set for a £500,000 upgrade, after owner Scottish Natural Heritage secured a funding package for its redevelopment. Planning permission has already been granted for the extension of the existing centre, a former croft house at Aultroy, to include an expanded area for interpretation and new toilets. There will continue to be a small retail section stocking items related to the reserve. A series of all-abilities "talking trails", described as a "next generation learning orientated experience", will be installed in the building itself and the surrounding area. The car park will also be extended and there will continue to be no admission charge for any of the facilities. Manager of the Beinn Eighe NNR, SNH's David Miller, welcomed the announcement. "It's great news that the funding is now all in place, particularly since we celebrate the reserve's 50th anniversary this year. The upgraded centre will focus on the provision of barrier free access and the whole interpretative experience, inside and outside the centre, will be based on trails."
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