Following on from the article  Take A Virtual Trip Around the Nature of Scotland here are some more links that you may find of use.

Theatre

Pitlochry Festival Theatre has launched an entertainment programme for all ages. #PFTLightHopeJoy aims to engage, entertain, inspire and comfort audiences in isolation with demonstrations, performances of short plays, poetry, songs and stories, as well as the opportunity to learn new skills, and do some fun arts and crafts. Join in through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

Glasgow Short Film Festival is also brightening the days and inspiring budding young animators to get to work with a selection of children’s animations in a weekly Family Shorts programme. In its first GSFF Online: Family Shorts instalment watch a selection of stories about unlikely friendships and getting along in tricky circumstances – sound familiar?

Touring the film sets of Scotland

Scotland has a long tradition of creating home-grown screen epics. From the streets of Edinburgh, seen in Trainspotting, Trainspotting 2 and the Avengers: Infinity War, to the mountains of Glen Etive seen in James Bond’s Skyfall. The vast amount of Scottish locations shown on screen in TV’s Outlander or the historical immersions with Outlaw King and Mary, Queen of Scots, there is no film set quite like it in the world in terms of breadth and diversity of landscape.

credit: Petra Jochen Bruckhaus

Now, more than ever, movies and TV are a great way to escape our daily routine. Take a look at the VisitScotland Film Tourism Guide and dedicated page on Film and TV locations to find some inspiration.

Locations for Books

Literature has always provided inspiration for dreamers. Scottish literature provides amazing material that will bring imagination to the frontline of Scotland’s landscapes.

Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith is handing the keys over to 44 Scotland Street based in Edinburgh’s chic and beautiful New Town.  Colourful characters and warm humour will charm every reader.

For the romantics dreaming of the Highlands, go back to the roots of the first great Scottish novel, Waverley, written by Sir Walter Scott. Readers can relish in the love triangle that animates the story. History buffs will enjoy the torments of young Edward Waverley in the times of the Jacobite uprising.

credit: K Armet

For the free-spirited and mischievous readers, step inside J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Barrie was himself a boy who refused to grow up. Moat Brae, the garden where Barrie played as a child that inspired Neverland, is now a children’s literature centre located in Dumfries.

For more Scottish literary inspiration take a look at the Scottish Literature E-Book.

Sweetheart Abbey Dumfries By The Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons

Live Music

 The lively Macgregors Bar in Inverness are hosting a daily #LifeAtFive livestream on their Facebook. Enjoy pub nights, traditional music sessions and storytelling at this Thistle Award-winning business.

Get up and dance with the #CovidCeilidh movement on social media. Kickstarted by fiddler Duncan Chisholmto help comfort and entertain everyone at home it has quickly become a collaborative effort in the folk community. Pick up an instrument or follow the hashtag to ceilidh along.

Art work by Martin Laird

Art

The most recent exhibition at The Queen’s Gallery – the Palace of Holyroodhouse, George IV: Art & Spectacle explores the life and tastes of arguably the most magnificent of British monarchs. While the gallery’s doors are temporarily closed, art-lovers can still experience George IV’s unrivalled collection of art through this virtual walkthrough.

Ghost Tours

Dumfries and Galloway’s first paranormal investigation team, Mostly Ghostly Tours, are doing daily #VirtualVisits live on their Facebook page. Learn more about south Scotland’s history and tune in for spooky stories.

Chocolate 

Scotland’s Chocolate Trail offers treats that would make Willy Wonka envious. Chocolate lovers can choose from a variety of chocolate from silky smooth and plain, locally foraged, and seasonal flavours such as Scots pine, wild mint and elderflower for home delivery.

The Chocolates of Glenshiel use ingredients from small Highland enterprises in their chocolates creating flavours like Eldeflower Gin, Speyside Whisky, Highland Roast Coffee and Dundee Marmalade.  The south of Scotland boasts Cocoa Black Boutique in Peebles owned by the UK World Chocolate Master, Ruth Hinks with a beautiful range of artisanal chocolates.

Vegans and those looking for plant-based treats will obsess over the delicious chocolate free from animal products at Considerit. Flavours range from Chai Spice Chocolate Bar to a Popcorn Chocolate Bar.

Cookery Advice

The Station House Cookery School in beautiful Kirkcudbright, Dumfries & Galloway is offering a cookery advice helpline. Don’t know how to boil water? Call them! Looking to use up ingredients in the cupboard? Call them! This is a completely free service as the school is looking to help the community during this time.

Tom Kitchin of The Kitchin, was the youngest chef to have received a Michelin Star at 29. Tune into his Instagram tutorials to get quick, easy and delicious recipes that the whole family can cook together.

The mountain by the lake on Skye B Bell