Clan MacThomas

Improvement Scheme Unveiled

Members who regularly visit Glenshee will have encountered the hazardous junction where the A93 meets the B951 just South of the Clach na Coileach.

On the 20th January 2012, Perth and Kinross Council unveiled a plan to spend £2.5 million realigning the junction and replacing Lair and Cray Bridges neither of which meet current regulations.

The improvement of this junction has been under discussion since 1984 so it cannot come a moment too soon.

Please click here for further information. 

Added 27/01/2012

The Tartan Ball 

The Glenshee Tourist Association, of which the Clan MacThomas Society are members, are holding "The Tartan Ball" at the Spittal of Glenshee Hotel on Saturday 10th December. If any member is interested in organising a table at this event on behalf of the Society will they please contact the Treasurer as soon as possible.

Full details are available to members, who have logged in, by clicking here.

Added 22/10/2011

Snow in October 

The Press and Journal newspaper reported on the 7th October that snow had fallen overnight on the top of the hills around Glenshee. 

The Glenshee Ski Centre director, Stewart Davidson, was quoted as saying that he was shocked to see snow in October.

Added 13/10/2011

Sandi Thom wins Awards                            

We are delighted to report that Clan and Society member, Sandi Thom, collected two awards at Scottish Music Awards 2011 which were held in Glasgow on 4th September. Sandi was named as "Best Artist" and was also recognised for the "Blues/Jazz Recording Of the Year". The second award was for her album "Merchant and Thieves".

Thanks to any Clan members who voted for Sandi.

Added 06/09/2011

Glenshee Heather Festival 2011

The 2011 Heather Festival, organised by the Glenshee Tourist Association, will take place between the 13th August and 4th September 2011.  The programme of 34 events celebrating all things wonderful in Glenshee will include craft events, food days, guided walks and mountain bike rides, highland games, cream teas, heritage talks, geocaching, and activity centre open days.

The highlights include:

Added 11/08/2011

Glenshee Outdoor Activity Guide

A new guide detailing 22 great walking and cycling trails in the glorious countryside at the gateway to the Cairngorms National Park has recently been published by the Glenshee Tourist Association.

Copies can be downloaded from the "Glen of the Fairies" website or a hard copy can be requested by e-mailing your details to GTA@girlfridayadmin.com.

Added 23/03/2011

Dennis at 60

On the 17th of March the BBC Breakfast Programme has featured the 60th birthday of the Dennis the Menace character in the Beano children's comic.

We hear you asking, has the Webmaster gone mad - what has that to do with Scotland? The answer is simple! Both the Beano and Dennis were created by the Dundee based publishing company DC Thomson & Company.

Please click here to read more about the anniversary on the BBC website and here to learn more about the publisher.

Added 17/03/2011

Winter Returns to Glenshee

It may be nearly the middle of March, but winter appears to have returned to Scotland with a vengeance.

On the 12th March it was reported that as a  result of drifting snow the A93 between Glenshee and Braemar was only passible with great care. A few miles further North roads were closed and the police were advising only essential travel.

The question is when will Spring arrive? Hopefully before the Clan gathers in Glenshee at the end of May!

** Update **

On the morning of 14th March the BBC reported that the snowgates on the A93 at the Spittal of Glenshee were closed because of the snow. The road has since reopened.  

Added 12/03/2011

Updated 14/03/2011

House of the Rising Sun

Sandi Thom's latest single, "House of the Rising Sun",  is rising up the iTunes Blues chart and has recently been played on BBC Radio 2.

The Scottish Daily Record recently published a long article explaining the background to the recording of this particular song and lots more. Please click here to read it.

Both Sandi and her brother Chris, who is mentioned in the article, are members of the Clan MacThomas Society.

Added 10/03/2011   

Sandi Thom at the 2011 Blues Awards

This year the British Blues Awards are letting fans decide who will be nominated for some of the 2011 categories. The most popular nominations will then go through to the final voting stage.

Clan MacThomas Society member, Sandi Thom, is eligible in the British Female Vocals and British Guitarist categories and her latest album "Merchants and Thieves" qualifies for best British Blues album.

Members who wish to support their fellow Clan member can click here to support Sandi.

Added 15/2/2011  

Sandi Thom on Tour 2011

Clan MacThomas Society member and singer/songwriter, Sandi Thom, started her 2011 European tour at the Landmark Hotel in Dundee, Scotland on Thursday 13th January.

This is being followed by some 20 shows across the UK and Germany until Sandi returns to Scotland on Friday 22nd April for an event at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen.

For full details of the tour please click here.

Added 04/01/2011

Updated 15/02/2011

Wildcats on BBC Countryfile

Clansfolk may be interested to know that the edition of the BBC Countryfile programme aired at 18:00 on Sunday 12th December 2010 included a comphensive report by Jules Hudson on the conservation of Scottish Widcats.

Members who missed the programme should be able to view the feature on the BBC i-player for seven days after the original showing.

Added 12/12/2010

Ski Season starts early in Glenshee

Recent heavy snowfall has allowed the 2010/2011 skiing season in Glenshee to start several weeks earlier than normal. The Ski Centre has reported that snow conditions are excellent and that nine of the twenty one lifts are open. On the 1st of December some 100 people took to slopes. The only problem was that the A93 from the south was closed at the Spittal of Glenshee and that the only access was via Braemar. Local businesses will welcome the financial windfall that the skiers bring to the area.

Please click below for further information:

Ski Centre 

Ski Scotland   

Added 02/12/2010

The weather forecasters were not wrong. 

The cold weather that has been predicted for this week has arrived and the BBC reported earlier today that snow has now blocked the main A93 road between the Spittal of Glenshee and Braemar.

Members who know the area well or read this column on a regular basis will not be too surprised!  The road is the highest public road in Scotland and reaches a height of 670m above sea level at the Cairnwell Pass.

Added 24/11/2010

Snow Returns to Glenshee 

It is only just November and we have already seen the familiar reports of snow returning to Glenshee and blocking the main A93 road over the Cairnwell Pass to Braemar.

On the 9th of November 2010 a UK national newspaper, the Daily Express, featured a photograph of a walker in the snow in Glenshee on its front page. That we believe is a first!

Please click here to see the full Express's report.

Added 09/11/2010

Warnings to Walkers

Following two recent incidents in Highland Perthshire & Angus, the Tayside Police have warned walkers of the dangers of walking in the hills as the winter approaches.  Two men and a woman became lost in the Glen Isla area and were eventually rescued after a five hour search. A day earlier a full scale hunt had been launched by mountain rescue teams after a couple lost their way near the summit of Schiehallion - some ten miles west of Pitlochry.

Courier Report 

Added 12/10/2010

Wild Connections

A festival is being held this Autumn to showcase Highland Perthshire's "Wild Connections". The festival will run from Saturday 9th October until Sunday 17th Octover 2010 and visitors will be able to take part in a number of wildlife related events. These will include a Red Deer Foray, a Squirrel walk and Scottish Wildcat tracking. Please use the links to obtain further information:

BBC Report

Wild Connections Website

Added 07/10/2010

Glenshee Visitor Centre Opens

The MSP for North Tayside, Mr John Swinney, has officially opened a new visitor centre in Glenshee. The centre is based within the Glenshee Pottery just off the A93 a few hundred yards south of the Clan MacThomas land at the Cockstane.

The centre will be run by the Glenshee Tourist Association which hopes to persuade people to break their journey, make them aware of what is on offer in the area and encourage them to stay longer and return for future visits.

The association's aim is to develop the picturesque Glenshee area into a year-round visitor destination.

Courier Report

Blairgowrie Advertiser Report

Added 06/08/2010

Dalmunzie History 

In May 2010 Dalmunzie in Glenshee celebrated 500 years of recorded history. The Courier has reported that Dalmunzie is first mentioned in a charter by Sir William Scott of Balweary, which granted lands including "Delmonge" to John Fergusson of Dunfallandy on 6th May 1510.

Much has happened since that time and today the lands of Dalmunzie support Dalmunzie Estate and Dalmunzie Castle Hotel.  The Clan MacThomas Society will be holding its annual Gathering at Dalmunzie in May 2011.

For more information please use the following links:

Courier Report

Dalmunzie History

Added 06/08/2010

A "Big Butterfly Count" is taking place across the UK between 24th July and 31st August. The Count is taking place in 2010 as part of the International Year of Biodiversity. It has been suggested that counting butterflies can be described as taking the pulse of nature.

To date no sightings have been reported in our Clan lands. If anyone is visiting the Cockstane in the next month could they please try to carry out a count and report it via the Count website:

The Big Butterfly Count

BBC Report

Added 25/07/2010

Wildcat Kitten makes its Entrance

A wildcat kitten born in May at the Highland Wildlife Park near Kincraig has made its first public appearance. The kitten's mother, Seasaidh, featured in the launch on the Royal mail stamps issued earlier in the year.

The BBC reports that the unnamed kitten appears cute. However a representative for the Wildlife Park is quoted as saying that "it is about as cute a roll of barbed wire". 

Please click here to read the full BBC report.

Added 17/07/2010    

Walking Festival - October 2010

The annual Blairgowrie Walking Festival with take place this year between Saturday 2nd October and Monday 4th October. Although the Festival is based in Blairgowrie several of the events will take place in and around our Clan areas.  As in past years some of the walks will use parts of the Cateran Trail and others  will take take in Munros, Corbetts, and long distance trails including Jock's Road - one of the highest drove roads in Britain. The walkers will travel to parts of the White Mounth near Lochnagar as well as remote areas south of Braemar into Glenshee and Glen Isla.

Please click here for further information. 

Added 16/07/2010

Cateran Trail 10th Anniversary 

29th August 2010 is the 10th Anniversary of the opening of the Cateran Trail which winds its way around East Perthshire passing through our ancient Clan lands. To celebrate this milestone there will be an organised walk along a section of the trail followed by rendezvous at the Bridge of Cally Hotel for a BBQ, Real Ale and Refreshments.

Please here for more information about this event or here for information about the Trail itself.

Added 15/07/2010

Fire-fighters Wanted

Members may be interested to know that Glenshee has its own Fire Station - it is just down the A93 road from Finegand Farm. The station has a fully equipped Water Tender and is manned by a team of volunteer fire-fighters who are nearly all members of the local community.

Tayside Fire and Rescue are always keen to recruit new volunteers to ensure that a full  establishment is maintained. 

Added 15/07/2010  

Broadband Improvements

Many of us these days take a fast and reliable Broadband service for granted. However it is not so easy for those in rural areas.

A scheme has been launched to bring state-of-the-art digital technology to the more remote parts of Scotland. The Strathardle broadband exchange is one of the first of 29 high-tech hubs that will be able to offer an enhanced internet connection following a multi-million pound upgrade sanctioned by BT and the Scottish Government. This will bring relief to residents and businesses in the Kirkmichael area where the system has been running at full capacity for some two years.

The Blairgowrie Advertiser reports that residents have "expressed delight". Please click here for a fuller report.

Added 09/07/2010

Falling School Rolls

Life for schoolchildren living in the Highlands can be difficult. The number of pupils attending the Strone of Cally Primary School at Bridge of Cally has fallen to only one and Perth and Kinross Council has therefore decided to "mothball the school" indefinitely. Children from the area will in future have to travel to Kirkmichael Primary School. 

Please click here to read a full report from the Blairgowrie Advertiser. 

Added 09/07/2010   

Midges in the Highlands                                                          

Back in March it was suggested that the harsh winter might have killed off a proportion of the trillions of midges (Culicoides impunctatus) that cause misery to visitors to the Scottish Highlands. The BBC has now reported that this does not appear to have been the case and that the midges have now returned with a vengeance.

Please click here to view the latest BBC report or here for more about midges.

Added 17/06/2010

Updated 18/06/2010 

Glenshee Heather Festival 2010                                           

The 2010 Heather Festival, organised by the Glenshee Tourist Association, will take place between the 13th and 31st August and will include a full programme of events including:

• Beer Festival
• Heather Festival Market
• Heather Hop Dance
• Guided Walks
• Guided Mountain Bike Outings
• Outdoor Activity Days
• Classic Car Rally
• 4 x 4 Safaris

   

The Heather Festival Market which will take place on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th August 2010, from 11am - 4pm each day. It will be held in the Blackwater Hall on the A93, between Bridge of Cally and the Spittal of Glenshee.

For full details please click here.

Added 14/06/2010

Cateran Trail Relay Race 

Over one hundred runners took part in the Cateran Trail Relay Race which took place on the 10th May 2010. The 23 mile route was divided into three sections  Blairgowrie to Bridge of Cally, Bridge of Cally to Kirkmichael and finally Kirkmichael to the Spittal of Glenshee. Some runners ran the whole distance and others ran the race as a relay. The fastest individual runner covered the distance in just over three hours and the first  lady came home in a record time some 20 minutes later. The Spittal of Glenshee Hotel laid on refreshments and entertainment and the new manager presented the prizes.

For further details please visit the Blairgowrie Advertiser.

Added 14/5/2010      

A six year study into the native forests in Scotland has just published its first reports. Surveyors are conducting research in about 730,000 hectares of woodland across the whole of the country. The research is being conducted by the Forestry Commission Scotland, with support from Scottish Natural Heritage.

Reports on the woodlands in Perthshire are scheduled to be published in 2011 or 2012.

It will be interesting to see what they make of the new planting on the Clan MacThomas Society's land at the Cockstane.

For more information please use the following links:

Added 13/05/2010