DAYS OUT LISTINGS
DAYS OUT
INGS
LIST
"a
I 000 SLED RALLY Sat 20/Sun 21, Barn—dusk. Glenmore Forest Park, Heronsiield Car Park, loch Morlich, near Aviemore. Free. The Spillers Winalot Complete Siberian Husky Club oi Great Britain Sled Dog Rally, to give it its toll title, comes to Scotland with a weekend oi racing, weather permitting, of course. Normally they trundle round the south oi England on wheels but it the snow holds, 230 teams comprising some 1000 dogs will be whizzing round the Serpents Loch trail. What makes it all the more exciting is that the sledges can’t brake or steer in the snow. Mush! Mush! Bang! Bang! 0w! Further lntormation from 01479 810363.
This section gives details ot selected events taking place in and around the Central Belt of Scotland this fortnight. Events are listed by area and then alphabetically. All submissions should be accompanied by a contact phone number tor our lntormatlon. Days not compiled by Thom nibdin.
Bonuses ' 1
I BOWHILL ESTATE RANGER LEAD WALK Sun 21. 2-4pm. Meet at The Visitors' Centre. Bowhill Country Park. Selkirk. £1 (children free). A leisurely walk through the mixed woodland around Bowhill House. The walk will provide an interesting opportunity to find out how a
LuTHIANS & FIFE
; I COMPUTER FAIR Sun 21. 10am—4pm.
MacRobert Pavilion. Royal Highland Centre. lngliston. £2.50 (£1.50). Better bargains on the PC front. with everything from games softwear to new memory. new and used computers. books and cables available from twelve different companies.
I CRAFT AND DESIGN FAIR Sat 13. 1.30am-4.30pm. The Assembly Rooms. George Street. Edinburgh. 75p (40p). 11‘s the great craft clearance. with lots of old stock. discounted lines and seconds. all at reduced prices. direct from the makers.
I FIFE WEDDING EXHIBITION AND BRIDAL FASHION SHOW Sun 21. 11am—5pm.
; Rothes Halls. Kingdom Centre.
‘ i I THE BIRDS II Sun 21. ll);lll‘t~llt)\)li.
I Watersports Centre. Strathclyde Country
' Park. Motherwell. 01698 300155, extension 131. Free. The second of a series of Ranger-led walks looking at birds in their different winter habitats.
I BURNS FESTIVAL CANOLELIT
. PROCESSION Fri 19. 6.30pm. Ayr Racecourse. Ayr. Free tickets from 01292
288080 or on the door. A candlelil procession of schoolchildren round the racecourse. to mark the start of Burns International Festival in Ayr. The procession culminates in a ceremonial
I bonfire and big firework display.
I THE CAULO, CAULO CALDER Sun 14. 1.30pm. Corner of Laburnum
Road/Myrtle Road. Viewpark. Motherwell. 01698 230055 Free. 1t may be cold. it may be wet. but the banks of the river are still host to an abundance of wildlife. as you will find out on this walk through Viewpark Glen with the Ranger service.
I CRAFT AND DESIGN FAIR Sat 21. 11am—5pm. University Union Building. Kelvinway. Glasgow. 75p (40p). It’s the
great craft clearance with lots of old stock.
discounted lines and seconds. all at reduced prices. direct from the makers.
I SCRUB CLEARANCE Fri 19—Sun 21.
Ardkinglas listate. Cairndow. Meet Fri 19. ‘ 7pm at Kelvinbridgc Underground. £4 per
night for accommodation. A weekend away with the Argyle Conservation
Volunteers which promises to burn off a few of those festive calories. The accommodation is reputed to be ‘nice and cosy' for winter and there. is always lllC chance of an impromptu ceilidh once the
i rhody bashing is finished for the day.
' Phone Phil on 01546 603798 (day) or 01546 606619 (eve) for further details. I SUSTRANS VOLUNTEER SESSION Sun
I Dry Ski Slopes Put in a bit of practice
before hitting the white stuff:
Hewmilns 35 High Street. Newmilns. Ayrshire. KA8 91i.~\. 01560 322320. l’uhlicskiing Sat/81:11.2——lp111.£3.50 “$2.501. Ninety -111etc1‘ 'llll with button lift. i'.‘.etiitigcl;1sses.
Hillend Ski Centre lllllt‘lltl. littinhargli. 1113.1 .145 4433. More Sat. 9 30.1111—9pm; Sun.9311:1111—6p111.The longest and most challenging artificial ski run in litn‘ope. Ski maintenance. coaching days. kids” clnlis. telemarking and snowboarding.
I GLENCOE Chairlift company: 01855 851 226/232 (ski report). .\'ot enough snow to open as we went to press. and they need ‘something really snbstantial' to change matters.
I NEVIS RANGE Chairlift company? 01397 705 825/855 tski report). After a good start. the white stuft‘just melted away. and they need a couple ofdays heavy snow to get things going beyond the dry-ski slope. I CAIRNCORM Chairlift company: 01479 861 261. live lifts open. w ith skiing near the bottom of the runs only. Still. Avietnorc is close by. so there are other things to do.
I GLENSHEE Chairlift company; 013397 41.3211/4 I 343. .\ftct".1good festive period there me only ten lifts going, with the Sunnyside run the best. Reasonable length. but runs a bit thin.
I THE LECHT Chairlift company: 019756 51440. The most fortunate of the slopes. with nine lifts operating. It would be better if the rain. mist and ind would hold off.
i Glenrothes. 01592 611101. £1. Choose the ; dress of your dreams — and the lingerie of : your partner’s — at the biggest exhibition
; for the Big Day in Fife. Among the other
: specialists exhibiting will be
working estate functions. looking at its history. land use and wildlife.
I RIVER TWEED RANGER LEAD WALK Sun 14. l—4pm. Meet in the car park at Newtons St Boswells. £1 (free return
21. frotn 10.30am. Cycle Path near Bridge v ' '," of Weir. Sandholes Road Entrance. 0141 g ' 552 8241. Free. The sustainable transport\§‘\\$~ organisation which is building a network \ "*i
transport). A walk following the River Tweed to Maxton which should offer a good chance to see a variety of ducks and other riverside wildlife.
DUMFRIES 8r GALLOWAY
I BURNS ANNIVERSARY LANTERN PROGESSION Sat 20. 5pm. Town Centre. Dumfries. Free. further details on 01387 260446. To mark the 200th anniversary of Robert Bums's death. three lantem-lit processions will converge in Dumfries. each headed by its own band. This should be an excellent event for participants and photographers alike. as two of the processions will cross the River Nith. At 5.30pm there is an ‘event‘ in the town
centre.with music and spectacle. There are 1
still tickets left for the evening ceilidh in the Lorebum Hall featuring The Occasionals (£4.50/£3). which should be booked in advance from the above number. lfyou’re planning on spending the day in the area. the Burns Centre on Mill Road is worth a visit. See Burns feature.
photographers. florists. stationcrs. cake bakers. jewellers and car hire companies. Fashion shows throughout the day.
I THE WALTZING UNIVERSE Fri 19. 7.30pm. Royal Observatory. Blackford Hill. Edinburgh. 0131 668 8405. £2 (£1.50). Dr Mark Casali gives a lecture on the rotation of celestial bodies. including an explanation of why the phenomenon is important for weighing distant galaxies. During winter the observatory's telescopes are open for public use every clear weekday evening (7—9pm. £1.50). Phone after 4pm on the day to book a place. The ‘Universe' exhibition with
. models. videos. computer games and
i
l
l 1
photographs of space continues to make good Days Out visiting and is open Sat—Thurs. 1—5pm; Fri. 1—9pm.
THE NORTH
I DOG SLED RALLY Sat 20/Sun 21. 8am—dusk. Glenmore Forest Park. Heronsfield Car Park. Loch Morlich. near Aviemore. Free. See photo caption.
of cycle paths across the UK need help clearing the vegetation on the Bridge of Weir section of the Clyde Coast cycle path. Tools are provided. but volunteers should take protective gloves and suitable footwear for the occasion.
A W
What freeze? This year's skiing has not got off to an auspicious start. with the
West Coast thawing out and the Fast
being stricken by bad overhead weather.
Still. things should get better from here!
i I Skl Clubs For the social life and post-
piste piss-ups. your local ski-club can‘t be beat. They also organise mini-buses to
slopes on most weekends and can put you in touch with other people who might want to car share. Glasgow Ski Club Meet every Thursday at 9pm in The Scaramouche. iilderslie Street. Details from 0141 632 9762 or 0141 883 6665.
Edinburgh Ski Club meet every Tuesday
, from 9.30pm at the Royal Circus Hotel.
Royal Circus. For an information pack phone 0131 220 3121.
I SCOTLAND THE BEST 1995 by Peter Irvine (Mainstream £9.99). Every Days Out reader worth their salt will want their own copy of the new edition of this excellent guide. Where others list anything and everything, Irvine insists that only the best will do. He has a dry wit which transcends the truncated listing style and a taste which stretches from the push to the proletarian, just so long as it’s authentic. This is a great read, even it you don't plan to visit Scotland‘s best sledging slopes, tea shops, street markets, hills, pubs or beaches — and you’ll find it equally
usetul whether you’re lending it to your
backpacking siblings or rich uncle and aunt. Yup, it’s the best alright. lThom Dibdin)
76 The List 12-25 Jan 1996