In 1971, Manolo Blahnik created shoes for the designer Ossie Clark's catwalk show in London. Relatively new to shoemaking, the Spanish designer forgot to put steel pins in the heels of the shoes, which meant that models wobbled, unbalanced, down the catwalk.
"If I'm being completely honest, I knew I was going to have to be in this camp to have a real chance of going to the World Cup. I set myself targets and goals and I really did commit to the process ever since November, using it as fuel to make sure I got into this one."
The event was the following day: we had 250 tickets sold, we'd done so many rehearsals, and inside there were lighting rigs, performers' equipment, shop stock. It was truly heartbreaking. So many businesses lost so much money and time, and now the loss of the space itself is having a huge impact on the wider community.
No. It's out of our hands really. We can only do a certain amount. It's a game for us to play against an opponent that's had the upper hand on us for years. We're playing them away from home. They've got a brilliant record at home. It's a challenge but a real opportunity for us to go and deliver an even better performance than we did last week.
"I liked our last holiday house better," announces my niece on arrival at Gairnsheil Lodge's Laggan Cottage in the Scottish Highlands. The thing about six-year-olds is that they famously have very little taste, and this isn't the first thing we've disagreed on (other topics include bedtimes, what constitutes 'dinner' and how often you should brush your hair). You'd think for someone who was being treated to a bucket list holiday she'd have a little more respect.
A few weeks ago, a notice quietly appeared on the Scottish Register of Tartans authorising a train company to commission its very own tartan design - the corporate equivalent of being knighted, but in wool. The company in question is low-cost train operator Lumo, which can now officially claim to be the proud owner of an officially official tartan. The design was first shown off last month when Lumo launched its Glasgow-London services,
Some of the best hotels in Scotland exist outside of the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow -but that's not to say you can't find somewhere exceptional to stay wherever you wish to lay your head across the country. Whether you're looking for a cosmopolitan city break or hoping to explore Scotland's stunning coastline on the road trip of a lifetime, there's somewhere stunning for any type of traveler.
'The Porchester Hall, a beautiful building near The Royal Oak, looked hugely grand as I walked in with my pal Tim,' Bethell said. 'We were there first and grabbed a table near the front, watching people pour in covered in tartan, as we waited for a polite time to go get a plate of haggis with potatoes, carrots and swede. It was delicious.
The Traitors, and its stunning home in Scotland's Ardross Castle, returned to our screens on New Year's Day 2026 for a highly anticipated fourth run. The latest series follows the runaway success of The Celebrity Traitors in autumn 2025, where the UK was gripped by a host of household names entering the now-instantly-recognisable property to scheme, plot and accuse each other of being a traitor.
In one of sport's weirder coincidences, England are about to play must-win games against Scotland in both rugby and cricket on the same day. The forecast 3C temperatures for the Calcutta Cup encounter may be cooler than in Kolkata appropriately the venue for the T20 World Cup group fixture but a white-hot contest inside a chilly Murrayfield can be absolutely guaranteed.
The best places to visit in May take advantage of that elusive window of perfect weather as spring turns to summer, when it's not too hot and it's not too cold-all you need is a light jacket. That frees up essential space in our carry-ons (big puffy jackets and thermal leggings can stay home, finally), creating more room for souvenirs from wherever we may go.
Scotland's Knoydart peninsula is sometimes called Britain's "last wilderness." The land juts out between Loch Nevis and Loch Hourn-that's "Loch Heaven" and "Loch Hell," respectively-and has no through roads, no connections to the U.K.'s road network. What few locals live here, in the craggy Highlands of the west coast, get around on foot, by boat, or drive between their tiny communities down narrow lanes. They help each other with whatever resources they have.
Both sides of the Old Firm are reportedly interested in Dundee's Luke Graham while Kilmarnock's David Watson is ignoring speculation about his future. Celtic and Rangers are both eyeing respective summer moves for highly-rated 22-year-old Dundee centre-half Luke Graham. (Football Insider), external Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson, the 21-year-old who has been linked with Aberdeen, Bolton Wanderers and Celtic and is out of contract this summer, says he is leaving his future to his agent and concentrating on his football. (The Herald), external
He, like all Hearts' signings, went through Jamestown Analytics' assessment and passed the test. "If he had rated poorly, we wouldn't have signed him. It just wouldn't have got over the line," McInnes said of Findlay on Open Goal, external in October. "He's a brilliant boy in terms of being a brilliant team-mate. He allows you to play with that high line, gives you that left-sided balance."
Tomas Magnusson scored a late winner as the Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts defeated Hibernian 1-0 in a tense Edinburgh derby to tighten their grip on top spot. Magnusson, on as a substitute, popped up with the game's decisive moment in the 88th minute to spark jubilant scenes inside Tynecastle. The Jambos are now six points ahead of Rangers, who have a game in hand, and nine in front of Celtic, who have two games in hand.
