Modern Scot - 09/07/2026

Environment  ·  9 July 2026

The Forth’s Lost Oyster Beds Are Being Brought Back to Life

The Firth of Forth once held one of Scotland’s great natural food systems. Long before modern conservation language, before “blue carbon” and biodiversity targets, the estuary supported extensive native oyster beds. Oysters from the Forth were eaten locally, traded widely…

Transport  ·  9 July 2026

Island Livestock Resilience Cannot Stop at the Farm Gate

On Islay, farm resilience is a daily concern. It is the feed that has to be secured before weather or ferry disruption closes a window. It is the fertiliser that has to arrive when grass needs it. It is the…

Community  ·  9 July 2026

The Galloway Feastival Growing in the Shadow of James Clerk Maxwell

Glenlair is better known for science than for summer festivals. The estate near Castle Douglas is associated with James Clerk Maxwell, the Scottish physicist whose work helped explain electricity, magnetism and light. Maxwell moved to Glenlair soon after his birth…

Economy  ·  8 July 2026

Aberdeen’s Oldest Bartender-Owned Spirits Brand Launches Vermouth

Aberdeen is not usually the first Scottish city people associate with spirits. Its modern image is more often built around granite and oil. Yet the city has a deeper drinks history than many might expect. In 2019, University of Aberdeen…

Heritage and Arts  ·  7 July 2026

Platforms, Piers and Quiet Crossings: A Dreamier Way Through Scotland’s Summer

Scotland’s summer is not only made of the biggest stages and the busiest streets. Some of its best days begin at a station, a harbour wall, a lighthouse path or the edge of a quay, where the pace is slower…

Economy  ·  7 July 2026

Waste Glass and New Homes: The Dumfries Firm Testing Scotland’s Housing Economy

Waste Glass and New Homes: The Dumfries Firm Testing Scotland’s Housing Economy A Dumfries-based construction business has secured more than £5m in funding to scale a building system that turns waste glass into structural panels for homes and other buildings.…

Policy and Government  ·  7 July 2026

Estimated 579,814 Scots Waiting While Ministers Claim NHS Progress

Scotland’s NHS waiting lists are falling in some areas, but the latest official figures still show an estimated 579,814 people on at least one planned-care waiting list. That is around one in ten people in Scotland. The figures, published by…

Policy and Government  ·  7 July 2026

House Rich, Cash Poor: The Risk Inside Scotland’s Mansion Tax

The Scottish Government has opened consultation on two new council tax bands for homes valued above £1 million, setting up a debate over property wealth, local government funding and the long-delayed reform of Scotland’s council tax system. The proposal would…

Energy  ·  7 July 2026

Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone Faces Questions Over Power, Land and Community Benefit Claims

Scotland’s first AI Growth Zone is now facing serious questions over whether its public claims on renewable power, land use, jobs and community benefit can be matched by deliverable plans. The Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone was announced by the UK…

Featured  ·  29 June 2026

Mrs Gunn and the Secret Pink Toolbox

I was sitting in the front room on Sunday evening, enjoying the breeze after an unusually warm weekend. I had a book in my hand, one cat settled at my feet and another curled in my lap. The curtains moved…