Why Shooting Breaks in Scotland are so Popular

March 9th, 2009
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Scotland offers plenty of opportunities for shooting breaks for beginners and expert marksmen alike. Going afield with gun in hand has never been so popular. Historically, shooting breaks have been considered a gentleman’s sport but that’s no longer the case.

Pistol and rifle shooters have large numbers of private and public shooting clubs to choose from. Many of the clubs are upscale with specialized shooting and private membership required. Other clubs are more generalized in nature and provide numerous opportunities for anyone wishing to participate.

Competition is part of the enjoyment in shooting breaks. Contests of skill are always on the board and have a great following, both among participant shooters and spectators. Prizes are dependant on the contest but there’s always a lot of pride involved for the winning shooter.

Hunting breaks are equally as popular and perhaps even more so.

Game birds and animals include an abundance of wild game that make shooting breaks in Scotland very popular. The eminent place that hunting occupies in Scotland is due in large part to the natural hunter that resides in most men and the elevated view Scottish men and women have of the environment. There is a venerable history of sportsmanship and shooting skills in Scotland and the sport has carved a niche out of both history and the present.

Grouse are among the most popular game birds and provide excellent and challenging shooting for shotgunners. Pheasants, geese and partridges aren’t far behind in popularity and create pleasant diversions afield for friends and family. Whether hunting individually or in a group, hunters can spend many enjoyable hours on shooting breaks and take home plenty of birds for the pot.
Whitetail deer are the largest game animal in Scotland and have a dedicated following. Fox, rabbits and vermin attract their share of shooters as well and create challenging hunts of their own. Scottish gamekeepers do an excellent job of controlling the hunt and managing game populations at the same time. Whether moors, manors or club woodlands, the conservation ideal is held high and hunting is viewed as a sustainable natural resource.

Guides are available in some areas that can lend a hand in making a successful hunt. Guides for hire often specialize in a particular bird or two but many are quite capable of providing an excellent multi-species hunt, depending on the season and location.

5 Reasons to Arrange a Staff Break in a Castle

March 6th, 2009
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A staff break in a castle will be one of the best investments you’ll ever make in your business. Taking the time to enjoy the beauty and elegance of Birkhill Castle will create opportunities for growth that you won’t find during the hustle and bustle of the everyday business world.

Here are five reasons should arrange a staff break at Birkhill Castle.

Refocusing

Being together with your staff gives you all an opportunity to refocus on your business priorities, make decisions, and review goals. Getting back on track after a hard year is easier away from the pressures of the office.

Brainstorming Opportunities

This may be an overused term in some places but there’s a solid basis for accepting its value. Staff will feel encouraged, in a fresh environment, to talk about new ideas and strategies. Your business can receive an infusion of creativity and thought.

Team Development

Management teams don’t develop overnight and they don’t become effective without being designed. Your staff needs to have times of interaction and fellowship. Meetings in the office become routine without anyone realizing it. A staff break in a castle provides new opportunities to develop as a team.
New surroundings can become the stimulus that will take your team development a step further. As staff members talk and eat together, relationships tighten and become more supportive. As the group interacts, your business will prosper as a result of the increased involvement and personal commitment that a growing team energizes.

Restoring Connection between You and Your Staff

A castle staff break provides the safe social environment that you and your staff need to communicate. Poor communication develops over time and making a fresh start often requires a change of scenery.
You can walk with staff one-on-one, eat with them as a group, and participate in sports as a team member or in good-natured competition. This interaction helps to re-establish your own relationship with those so important to your business.

Rest and Relaxation

Sometimes the most effective thinking can be done when you’re not trying. Being surrounded by manicured grounds and within forty minutes of dozens of golf courses has a way of opening up the mental floodgates.
Everyone needs to unwind. A castle break can involve shooting and fishing or a good game of billiards if it’s raining. The dining room offers plenty of delicious fare and there is lots of time to chat.

10 Most Expensive Wedding Dresses Ever Made

March 6th, 2009
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Wedding gowns are truly beautiful sights to behold, and some designers have the talent and vision to create dresses that only a very few brides will be fortunate enough to wear. These gowns are highly priced, exquisitely made, and admired by many. Here are ten of the greatest wedding dresses ever, some worn by celebrities and some so extravagant that they are for display only:

1. Princess Diana

The gown that Princess Diana wore in her 1981 wedding is one of the most well-known and widely viewed. Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, this elegant dress features a 25-foot train and is crafted from antique lace, ivory silk taffeta, and over ten thousand pearls and sequins. The fabric for the gown is hand-woven and the lace is sewn with gold thread.

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2. Renee Strausse Sparkly Wedding Gown

In 2006, designer Renee Strausse partnered with Martin Katz Jewellers to create a sparkly wedding gown that is adorned with diamonds and worth a staggering $12 million. The Diamond Wedding Dress is the most expensive gown in the world.

Renee Strausse wedding dress

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3. Grace Kelly

When Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier in 1956, she wore a Helen Rose design that is made with 100 yards of silk net and 25 yards of silk taffeta. Widely regarded as one of the most lovely gowns ever, it features a fitted bodice, round collar, and full skirt, designed using century-old lace and peau de soie fabric.

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4. Yumi Katsura

Japanese bridal designer Yumi Katsura crafted a legendary gown that is valued at $8 million US dollars and $1 billion yen. The design includes an 8.8 carat green diamond, a rare 5 carat white gold diamond, a thousand pearls, and zari embroidery stitched onto silk and satin.

Yumi Katsura wedding dress

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5. Melania Knauss

When Melania Knauss married Donald Trump in 2005, she wore a John Galliano gown that weighs an incredible 50 pounds. The dress, which has a 13-foot train, is created from 300 feet of white duchesse satin and features 1,500 pearls and crystal rhinestones.

Melania Knauss wedding dress

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6. Imperial Pearl Syndicate

In the early 1950s, the Imperial Pearl Syndicate debuted a $100,000 wedding gown made with 100,000 cultured pearls over a silk net and satin gown. The 27-pound dress was the most expensive of its time and was modeled by celebrities such as Gloria Swanson and Nina Foch.

pearl wedding dress

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7. Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones wore a beautiful Christian Lacroix wedding gown in November 2000. The dress, with its 6-foot train, was greatly admired by the hundreds of guests who attended the $1.5 million event.

Catherine Zeta-Jones wedding dress

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8. Mauro Adami

Mauro Adami of Italy is the designer of this unique platinum wedding gown, made with 40 meters of fabric and sewn with platinum and silk thread. The dress is valued at £240,000.

Mauro Adami wedding dress

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9. Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham’s wedding gown is a creation from famed bridal designer Vera Wang. This strapless wedding dress design is often requested by brides who desire a less expensive replica.

Victoria Beckham wedding dress

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10. Glittery Gown

A Hong Kong designer crafted this 40 pound wedding dress out of 9,999 karats of various jewels. The glittery gown is worth $130,000 or 999,999 yuan.

glittery gown wedding dress

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Top Golf Courses in Scotland

February 24th, 2009
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When it comes to playing the world’s finest golf courses, if Scotland is not in your itinerary, then you really are not getting the most out of your trip. Known as the birthplace of golf, Scotland is home to some of the world’s most famous and revered courses. There are plenty that you will have a hard time playing, like the Old Course at St. Andrews, and there are some that will be more accessible to you. By playing any of the following courses while in Scotland, you will be able to experience the best that British golf has to offer.

Murcar Links Golf Club

The Murcar Links Golf Club is unique because it provides not one, but two different courses for people to try out. Located in the nice area of Aberdeen, the club is most well known for its Murcar Course, which is highly accessible and a very affordable option for people who want to experience Scottish golf in its purest form. It’s a long course by Scottish standards, but still plays to the true style of links golf. The less popular Strabathie Course provides a little bit tighter fairways and less length, and serves as a nice counterbalance for the longer Murcar Course.

Cowglen Golf Club

When most people visit Scotland, they take in the primary city of Glasgow. As one of the biggest, nicest, and most progressive cities in the world, Glasgow provides much more than golf. While there, you can play any number of excellent courses.

Cowglen Golf Club is a top notch property located just outside the city, and it has drawn great reviews from players who have had the pleasure of seeing and playing the course. The course’s distinctive design is what makes it great, to go along with its length. It is a course that is better played in the summer, so that you can enjoy the beautiful views afforded by the surrounding georgraphy.

Haggs Castle Golf Club

Haggs Castle Golf Club in Glasgow has a little bit different feel, and is better for a player who wants to enjoy the history of the area while playing a round of golf. If you are looking to play a course that might remind you of some of the Open Championship courses, then this is a really good one. Paced by great bunkers all over the place and its location close to some of the top locations in the country, Haggs Castle Golf Club is truly a gem in the country.

All in all, most of these courses will provide something of value to both the serious golfer and just the casual traveler. They vary in style and design, but provide much of the same Scottish flavor that has made the island such a popular destination over the course of time.

Why are there so many castles in Scotland?

February 24th, 2009
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Before Scotland was taken over by Great Britain in 1707 it was based on a patriarchal form of government where the people were split into clans based on each particular extended family, and one was the chief of the patriarchal clan. As the chieftain was the head, he was expected to have a larger type of house. Not for the sake of showing of wealth, but for the sake of being able to entertain everyone from the clan. In that way, his house, or castle did not belong to him, but to the entire clan.

Eventually the chief did own all of the land that the entire clan lived on as the Scottish Privy Council recognized a need for co-operation between clans. The Chief was also looked to as the head, and protector. All chieftains and their clans were under the high reining king of the time. However, whatever the chief decided was the final word for the clan, thus there were many ongoing disagreements between the clans and the high king.

The castles were built for protection for the clans, as there were many wars over the years. The chief was expected to protect his clan, and therefore had to build a structure that not only would house his family, and be able to hold the clan in festive events, but would also be able to protect, house, and feed them during an attack.

In 1746 the Act of Proscription was passed, which disallowed the clans’ ability to carry arms, wear traditional dress, and it even restricted music. The final straw was the Heritable Jurisdictions Act which removed the feudal authority that the chiefs had previously held. With this collapse in addition to the financial difficulties in the country at the time, the chiefs slowly had to sell of their lands to provide for the clan. Eventually it became clear that the new British landlords were not as forgiving, and loving to their tenants as the chief had been, and as a result the chiefs sold off their final lands, including the castles to try to repair the damage that had been done, and enable a mass migration to America.

The castles that are left are the standing remains of the patriarchal clans, and a reminder of a unusual, but very dear form of government. They are a reminder of the kind and loving chiefs, who were willing to do anything to protect and care for their family, no matter how lowly any of them were.

8 Reasons to Host Your Wedding Reception in a Castle

February 24th, 2009
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Your wedding reception is one of the events that you will remember for the rest of your life- thats why you should consider making it into as large of an event as you possibly can. Have you ever considered having your wedding reception in a castle?

Here are ten very good reasons why you should consider having your wedding reception in a castle in no particular order.

1: Something you will never forget

Many people talk about making their wedding reception memorable, but you can actually make it happen with a reception held in a castle.

2: Your friends and family will talk about your wedding reception for years, (and possibly generations to come)

Regardless of what may happen in the coming years no one that attends your wedding reception will ever forget it (and there is a lot to be said for being a hard act to follow for your family and friends!).

3: Fantastic wedding pictures

You’ll have breathtaking wedding pictures to cherish for the rest of your life. Looking back on your reception with pictures of your wedding party in a castle is something very few people will have the pleasure of doing.

4: Themes for your reception?

The possibilities are endless- if you have ever wanted to have a ‘King Arthur’ type wedding, or any other type of theme, a castle is the perfect setting.

5: Many brides dream about their wedding day their whole lives

A great number of brides wedding day dreams include a castle setting. As Prince Charming takes them away to their happily ever after, many brides spend years hoping that they can have just such a wedding when the time comes- make her wedding day everything she ever dreamed!

6: Overnight sleeping arrangements

A pleasant addition to the whole experience! Not only would the bride and groom get to have their wedding reception in a castle, but they’d would also get to spend their wedding night in a castle aswell!

7: Competitive Pricing

Compare the cost of having the wedding reception at an upmarket banquet facility versus a castle and you will be surprised at what you find. If it’s within your budget then it seems only logical to take that option for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

8: Summer Wedding?

Castles have an aura about them- this can sometimes be enhanced when the summer sun comes.

Want to arrange your castle wedding reception? Contact us today.

Castle Weddings - The Perfect Wedding

February 10th, 2009
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Women spend their entire lives dreaming about having the perfect wedding. They imagine it will be unique and different for anyone who is invited. They imagine it will be something out of a fairy tale or story book that will be memorable for the rest of their lives. So what happens today when everyone seems to plan and execute the same kind of wedding? How do you make yours memorable and perfect?

The answer is having a castle wedding.

castle wedding

The difference between a castle wedding and any other wedding is it is 10 times more unique than any other type of wedding. People who have planned and had castle weddings have had nothing but wonderful things to say about it, and they truly did have the best day of their lives because of it.

Everyone, from relatives to friends say that no other wedding is as magical as castle wedding. That’s why anyone looking for the perfect wedding should consider planning a castle wedding- they will remember it fondly for the rest of their lives.

Theme weddings are on the rise- women everywhere want to break from the norm. They want a wedding that will be special and memorable- a wedding that the whole family will remember for many years to come.

Perhaps you’ve had a castle wedding, or have been to a castle wedding before? Share your thoughts and memories here!

Welcome to Birkhill Castle!

February 4th, 2009
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Welcome to Birkhill Castle- the beautiful and historic castle in Birkhill, Fife.

The Earl and Countess of Dundee provide the castles beautiful character and facilities for castle weddings, staff corporate breaks, private party events and a variety of activities.

The castle boasts luxurious castle accommodation for up to 24 people, dining, access to the walled garden and woodland garden, as well as use of the facilities such as the tennis court, 40ft swimming pool and other castle facilities.

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