Dark Rock Diaries (Free subscription) | 09/10/2009
After two consecutive Saturday’s visiting grounds in Scotland - Dalbeattie Star and Wigtown & Bladnoch respectively - by complete contrast it’s a trip to Merseyside for me tomorrow. Another new ground though, as I visit Bootle FC and their ridiculously named ‘Delta Taxi Stadium’ as they take on Ramsbottom United in the Premier Division of the North West Counties League....
Tom Morton's Beatcroft (Free subscription) | 04/10/2009
It was probably too much, the overnight boat trip from Shetland, followed by a thrash down the road to Glasgow, doing the show, and then another drive down to Wigtown, for the annual book festival. I should probably have had a quiet night in then, but a gathering of whisky writers forced me to partake of...Freixenet Cava, red wine and yes, whisky. Or to be precise, a Charles Maclean guided tasking...
Dark Rock Diaries (Free subscription) | 03/10/2009
Wigtown & Bladnoch 0 Whitehill Welfare 3 Scottish Cup First Round Replay Admission: £5 Programmes: None produced - disappointing! Attendance: 190 plus one dog The Welfare won this tie fairly comfortably, apart from a period early in the second half when Wigtown enjoyed a good spell and hit the crossbar. The Trammondford Park ground is on the edge of Wigtown in what is a nice setting, although...
Dark Rock Diaries (Free subscription) | 02/10/2009
It’s a bit of an adventure tomorrow as I get along to the Scottish Cup first round replay between Wigtown & Bladnoch and Whitehill Welfare. Wigtown really is out on a limb in the far south west of Scotland, some 28 miles from Stranraer, which is the nearest rail station. Thankfully, I am getting a lift to Wigtown, but even from Morecambe it is a three hour drive each way. Without a lift there...
Tom Morton's Beatcroft (Free subscription) | 01/10/2009
Cold, cold, cold in Shetland with an icy north westerly bringing in the Greenlandic North Atlantic Blues...it's a time for staying in a sorting things out for the dark nights, snatching the fading daylight hours fior roof repairs and house-painting. Instead, I'm on the boat tonight and heading south. Wigtown Book Festival appearance (Tom Morton's Drinking for Scotland) on Saturday night. It's the same...
Football Detective (Free subscription) | 27/09/2009
I was at Wigtown Book Festival yesterday. Wigtown is a small town in the bit of Scotland just north of the Lake District. It's lovely. By the sea. Lots of bookshops. Nice cafes. Friendly people. There was a pipe band and firework display the night before I was on. I took my daughter. 9pm. She loved it. The festival has an amazing line up. At breakfast on the day of my event, who should come into the...
BBC News (Free subscription) | 25/09/2009
The 11th annual book festival celebrations get under way in the small south west Scotland town of Wigtown.
Woolpack Dave's beer and stuff blog (Free subscription) | 25/09/2009
I know, I'm copying what the great BrewDog are doing, but come on James, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. It's certainly true that since taking the plunge and actually digging into my deep pocket with my very short arms 1 and ordering some BrewDog beers I've been impressed with what they do. I love Tokyo for special occasions 2 and for the slightly more regular occasions 3 I like the Paradox....
downthetubes.net news blog (Free subscription) | 16/09/2009
Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway is Scotland's National Book Town and advertises itself as "a book lover's haven" with over a quarter of a million books in twenty book-related businesses. It is not surprising therefore that it has its own book festival. This year the Wigtown Book Festival programme has more than 170 events over 10 days at the end of September and the start of October with...
Beattie's Book Blog (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009
Wigtown – a town saved by books Martha Allison previews one of Scotland’s top literary events of the year Published: 10/09/2009 in The Press & Journal THERE was once time when book festivals were fusty affairs. Not any longer. Just as music festivals have upped their game of late, so literary bashes have changed, with a whole new set of “boutique” events coming to the fore....
Susan's Journal of Literary Things (Free subscription) | 25/08/2009
Good books and good food - the perfect combination! On my recent trip to Dumfries and Galloway, I spent a lot of time at Reading Lasses bookshop/ café in Wigtown , Scotland's National Book Town. It's the only second-hand bookshop specialising in women's studies and literature in the whole of the UK. Our cottage was about fifteen miles away on the coast so whenever we travelled into the hills...
Football Detective (Free subscription) | 18/08/2009
Yesterday was one of the best days of my writing career: I did an event at Edinburgh Book Festival! It was great to walk into the festival and see my books all over the place. Quite an ego boost. The event was great too. Lots of Hearts, Hibs and Dunfermline fans vying for a large trophy. The festival people were really helpful and kind. I used to run Bradford and Ilkley book festivals, so I should...
Susan's Journal of Literary Things (Free subscription) | 13/08/2009
Partly inspired by Sara Maitland's A Book of Silence , I'm heading up to Dumfries and Galloway for a week from tomorrow. I'm looking forward to exploring Wigtown (it'll be the sixth Book Town I've visited!), doing lots of coastal and hill walking and also seeing some of the land art by Andy Goldsworthy and Alec Finlay that's in the area. As always seems to be the case before I leave for a trip, I'm...
Holiday Parks UK (Free subscription) | 14/07/2009
Enjoy your summer in the UK this year and explore some of the best regions with the most wonderful countryside and coastlines. There are so many different areas for you to decide upon and if you are thinking about a trip to Scotland then Wigtownshire could be a very good choice. In the South West corner is this holiday oasis and you will be away from everything and be able to relax and enjoy your holiday....
Ramblings of the Bearded One (Free subscription) | 07/07/2009
. William Neal is an artist based out in Wigtown, SW Scotland. For many years he’s painted landscapes of Galloway, but more recently he’s moved into creating large abstract artworks, full of light, texture and colour, but completely flat and smooth. He was after some updated portraits and new images of his studio, so I was out there last week clicking away. Part of his fascinating and varied...
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