2017 - Stonehaven Guide Blog

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Sunday 5 November 2017

Dunnottar Castle - Scottish Heritage.

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This is an interesting insight to a great piece of Scottish Heritage right on our doorstep in Stonehaven
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Sunday 22 October 2017

Old Photographs Stonehaven Scotland

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Some interesting old photos of Stonehaven which was a Jacobite town in 1715 and it was a safe base for the retreating Jacobite army to stay overnight on the night in February 1716. In 1745 Stonehaven, part of the Episcopalian north east, was again reliably Jacobite and it was one of the north eastern ports where reinforcements, plus money and equipment were periodically landed from France.
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Tuesday 10 October 2017

Stonehaven Golf Club, Scotland, Hidden Links Golf Tours

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Take a couple of minutes to find out more about Stonehaven's challenging but interesting Golf Course.
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Friday 29 September 2017

Wednesday 27 September 2017

Dunnottar Castle

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Dunnottar Castle brings thousands of visitors to Stonehaven every year. For those that have not had a chance to visit yet hope this video whets your appetite.



It is a really interesting place to visit. and there is more interesting places to see when you visit Stonehaven.

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Monday 18 September 2017

More Chances to learn the Tango

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Tango Intensive workshops with International Maestro Damian Thomson and Ani Tchakmakdjian from 20 26 September 2017.


Go along, learn a new skill and have fun.

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Wednesday 23 August 2017

Tango going down a storm in Stonehaven

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It seems a lot of people in Stonehaven are keen to learn how to tango. Yes it takes two to tango.

However, much more people than that have been keen to attend workshops by professional dancer Ani Tchakmakdjan

She has a new programme of 6 weekly workshops starting on 30th August through to 13th September at the Stonehaven British Legion.

Ani will be teaching an Authentic Argentine Tango.

The classes are suitable for beginners as well as those with experience.

You can attend with or without a partner.

Please be warned - Tango is addictive

Booking in advance is essential.

Call or text Ani on
07779 612769 or
Send emai





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Tuesday 15 August 2017

Book Launch at Kirktown Garden Centre

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On Saturday 19th August 2017, Andy Hall will be at Kirktown Garden Centre, Stonehaven for a Book Signing for his latest book "Aberdeenshire -  A New Perspective"


Andy has lived in the North East of Scotland all his life and loves every aspect of it: the light, landscape, architecture, literature, music, history and its people.

When he embarked on the photography for this book, he wanted to see the area with fresh eyes and to revisit the familiar to discover the unfamiliar.

This he has done to great effect.

He is working in partnership with Network Aberdeen Social Enterprise run bt Dr. Caroline Traa to give young adults with additional support needs an opportunity to have a meaningful working experience.

The book gives a fascinating insight of Aberdeenshire and some great images.

Well worth a read.

Book can be signed between 2pm and 3pm.

George Mcgillivray
www.stonehavenguide.net
www.webecommarketing.co.uk



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Sunday 6 August 2017

Mearns Connections Festival 2017

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The 2017 Mearns Connections Festival at the Grassic Gibbon Centre in Arbuthnott looks like it will be a cracker this year.

 At the Mearns Connections Dinner on Friday 11th, the guest speaker is Finlay Calder, British Lions captain and Scotland rugby legend. He is very entertaining. Tickets are £25 and include a 3 course supper.

Geordie Murison, the fabulous local King of the Bothy Ballads and his pals will provide a Bothy Nichts evening of entertainment on the Saturday night (12th).

For those of you who know Geordie, you’ll know that you are guaranteed a fabulous evening of entertainment. His friends Jim Taylor, Allan Taylor and others are equally entertaining. For those who don’t know them, you’ll have a great time. Tickets are £15 and include a stovie supper.

There is a Ballad Bus on the Saturday afternoon which goes on a musical journey around some Mearns Churches with artistic stained glass windows.Tickets are £12.

On Sunday afternoon, popular local photographer, Andy Hall is doing a talk at the Mearns Launch of his new book "Aberdeenshire - A New Perspective". Tickets are £5 and include tea, home bakes and a raffle ticket for a framed image of Catterline Bay.

There will be some books for sale and Andy will be happy to sign them afterwards. If you would like to come to any of these events, please phone the Grassic Gibbon Centre on 01561 361668 or send email 
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Thursday 13 April 2017

NEW VENTURE SUITS NIKKI, 22, DOWN TO A TEA

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A GO-AHEAD Stonehaven woman is set to become one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the area by following in her family's footsteps.

At just 22-years-old Nikki Howarth is set to open and run her own business - a coffee shop and bistro in a prime corner spot at the town's Market Square.

Nikki got the idea from her parents Mick and Sheila Howarth owners of the Belvedere Hotel in Evan Street who praised their young daughter's spirit of adventure in starting a new enterprise at a time when banks and other businesses are shutting down in the town.

The former Mackie Academy pupil and psychology graduate from Abertay University is to open her new venture next week but realises she faces a huge learning curve.

The coffee shop, to be called "Nikki's",  is in the former Maggie May's premises at the corner of Barclay Street and Margaret Street which shut down in December.

Nikki will be joined by chef Paul Johnston who she "pinched" from her parents' hotel to help prepare everything from sandwiches to stovies and many gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options.

Nikki, who gained her first catering experience helping out at the Belvedere, said: "I’m really excited. Having worked at my parents' hotel I feel that I’ve got a good relationship with a lot of people in the community, who’ve been very encouraging. I’ve also gained a good understanding of what’s required to run a commercial kitchen and how essential good customer service is ."

Her mum Sheila, who recently spearheaded the successful campaign against massive commercial rates rises that threatened the future of hotels and pubs in the area, said:  "Mick and I were concerned about the possibility of cutting staff hours and potentially jobs in the future, so to avoid this, we looked at the possibility of taking over another business to redeploy some of the staff. So when Nikki said that she’d like to take over and run the cafe on her own, we thought it was a great idea."


And she joked: "The down side obviously is that I’m now two excellent staff members down at the hotel."
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Tuesday 14 February 2017

FOTHERINGHAM PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS SPONSOR THE CUTTY SARK MUSEUM PROJECT

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The Cutty Sark Museum Project, has been given a tremendous boost for 2017 by an extremely generous sponsorship support package by Fotheringham Property Developments, Gourdon.
Managed by Mearns Heritage Services, the Cutty Sark Project has been under way in partnership with local schools since the summer of 2016. A potential and appropriate building for the Museum was identified in Inverbervie, the birth place of Hercules Linton, designer of the famous Cutty Sark, but as a result of some local objections this had to be abandoned.
Given the importance of the unique local heritage of Linton and the Cutty Sark, and the fact that Linton was given national recognition through the award of a bronze plaque by Historic Scotland in 2015, meant that a strategy was needed to overcome this minor setback.
Bervie, Glenbervie and Auchenblae primary schools have all been working with Mearns Heritage Services on projects to develop an integrated Cutty Sark project, which draws together, the various connections between Robert Burns, Tam o’ Shanter, William Burnes the father of Robert Burns, born at Clochnahill outside Stonehaven, Cutty Sark, and Hercules Linton, in the context of the Mearns, and culminates in a dedicated Cutty Sark Museum.
The innovative approach which has been adopted, is to develop a “virtual” Museum, where information, design, audio links, graphics and photography in an interactive website, will inform the final design and size of the Museum building. Project Director Dave Ramsay said “The generous sponsorship by Fotheringham Property Developments, (FDP) is much more than just financial support. What we have through this sponsorship, is access to high quality, specialised, architectural and property development and project management, to industry standards.”
“When it comes to the final specification of the Museum, and identification of a building to suit our needs, we then have the expertise of a highly experienced Property Development Team, who can assist with all the specialist information required for grant funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other funding bodies. This is what makes this Partnership support by Fotheringham Property Developments so valuable.”
George McGillivray, web designer of Webecom Marketing, will be leading on the design aspects of the Project, while a skilled team, of heritage and graphics specialists, coordinated by Dave, will provide the inputs to the website. George has a wide experience of developing specialist heritage sites, to suit an extensive range of purposes and audiences.
“As a local business we see great value in supporting other local organisations and endeavour to do so. When Dave approached us about the prospect of creating a Cutty Sark Museum, we could see his vision and enthusiasm for the project and were delighted to support it both financially and with our expertise to help make this vision become a reality Allan Fotheringham Senior – Managing Director
The Project has support from Aberdeenshire Council, Viscount and Viscountess Arbuthnott, Cutty Sark Museum Greenwich, and the Eyemouth Maritime Heritage Centre, birth place of Jock (White Hat) Willis, who commissioned the Cutty Sark for the tea trade.
To provide further support for the Project, Ronan Littlejohn of Johnshaven, is putting together a small team of cyclists for a sponsored cycle ride from Invervbervie, the birth place of Hercules Linton, to Dumbarton, where Cutty Sark was built and launched in November 1869. Ronan has been an enthusiastic and highly successful fund raiser, generating thousands of pounds for local families and charities.
Dave said “Given the level of specialist and community support which we have encouraged, I have no doubt that we will create a viable and valuable visitor attraction which will recognise the unique story of Hercules Linton, Cutty Sark, and Inverbervie”.
The website and “Virtual” Museum, and all the work of the schools, additional features and special exhibits, will be formally launched at a special event on the 15th May to commemorate the death of Hercules Linton on that date in 1900.
Photography by Ron Stephen
Original Article Source: http://www.fotheringhamhomes.com/news/2017/fotheringham-property-developments-sponsor-the-cutty-sark-museum-project/ 
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Sunday 8 January 2017

Is There A Pot of Gold Here?

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Copyright ©Kenny MacFarlane

Love this amazing photo of a rainbow over Dunnottar Castle.

A chance meeting in a bar in Stonehaven led to a conversation about Stonehaven and taking photos.

Kenny MacFarlane had come to Stonehaven from Glasgow to visit his girlfriend and to take photos of the Fireballs Festival.

He didn't have much luck with Fireballs photos but managed to capture this amazing photo while out walking near the iconic Dunnottar Castle on New Year's Day 2017

He told me the story of how he watched the rainbow form and waited till it had dropped down on the castle and was able to create this great shot.

No pot of gold was found but it was certainly a golden moment and I am very grateful to Kenny for sharing this with me and allowing me to share this with others.

If anybody is interested in purchasing this photo please send us an email.
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