Stage 1 report on Crofting Bill published. It supports a 3 croft limit for fast track assignations. But once more - a question. A crofter with 10 acres of bog and rock can have up to 3 crofts (or more if consented) but landowners owning thousands of ha face no such limits. Why not? ow.ly/JBie50XMw4t

For nosey parkers, curious minds, and investigative sleuths, gift a one year personal subscription to Who Owns Scotland this Christmas. Full details at foot of the Subscribe page whoownsscotland.org.uk/subscribe/

The Scottish Government’s independence papers were shot through with highly tendentious material, but the civil servants who produced them must have drawn the line at a whole-cloth fabrication. Because that is what the SNP’s third off energy bills claim is.

BLOG - You can have this information but it will cost you £630. Following a previous blog highlighting how land sale prices are being concealed, Registers of Scotland, has refused an FoI request & will charge £630 for the info on the price paid for land. andywightman.scot/2025/12/you-...

Isla Ratcliff @islaratcliff.bsky.social on the thrill of Vivaldi: ‘This is just great dance music’ list.co.uk/news/isla-ra...

The real significance of this anniversary is that for 750 of Dingwall's 800 years history, Dingwall had self-government. The past 50 years are the oddity. And "the practice" of Royal Burghs didn't end in 1975. Royal Burghs still exist & charters are live legal documents www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Following SLE's recent report 'Repopulating Rural Scotland', we have published a statement setting out our perspective on what is truly needed to reverse depopulation & ensure local communities can take charge of shaping their areas for a better future. Read our statement 👉 tinyurl.com/4sdjmk65

Surely this is Scotland's snazziest trig point? A re-visit to Ben Rinnes was needed as we knew the old decaying trig point had been encased in steel this summer by the Friends of Ben Rinnes. It has a beautiful granite view indicator too. www.walkhighlands.co.uk/moray/ben-ri...

BLOG - Clan Donald Lands Trust estate has been sold and here is who is believed to have bought it. andywightman.scot/2025/12/clan...

The Scottish Four Seasons by @islaratcliff.bsky.social now available on TIDAL to stream at high fidelity. Do listen 2 this stunning trad interpretation of Vivaldi s famous work. Support independent musicians by buying album together with poems & track notes islaratcliff.bandcamp.com/album/the-sc...

Happy International Mountain Day! 🏔️ Can you guess which popular Scottish mountain this photo was taken from? Let us know in the comments 👇 📷John Turner

Our Rural Land Market Data Report 2025 is out this week. In a new blog, Research Officer Julie Rostan explains what the latest data tells us, and why hidden sale prices could be masking the true scale of Scotland’s rural land market. buff.ly/o1U1oLd

how do I convince you that buying music directly from the artist is a very cool thing to do? how do I get you to understand that the most important part or the music industry is the musicians and that you should directly give them money in exchange for their music?

Quite seriously, this is the best song ever written about the destruction of social capital. Jeely Piece songwriter Adam McNaughtan dies aged 86 - BBC News share.google/PZuS8dfwHD6j...

When the Hills Wear Stripes | Walkhighlands: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/when-th... @walkhighlands.co.uk

NOVEMBER UPDATE Who Owns Scotland now published with total of 4900 landholdings (76.64% rural Scotland). The project is financed solely by subscription income. New subscriptions welcome - they start at £5 whoownsscotland.org.uk

Scotland's framework for native woodland creation is unfit for purpose. Instead of planting trees we should control grazing, ban burning and leave the rest to nature parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2025/11/20/s...

BLOG - You were never meant to know about the £25 million estate sale. How prices being paid for large-scale landholdings are being concealed from public view and what needs to change. andywightman.scot/2025/11/you-...

Slioch yesterday morning

When you look at it like this, every moment of hot air is especially inexcusable. Please share from my science colleagues at #COP30 planetarysciencepavilion.org/2025/11/14/s...

Tune in to BBC Radio Scotland ‘Classical Now’ at 7pm tonight to hear me chatting about my new album ‘The Scottish Four Seasons’ 🌸☀️🍁❄️🎻

Voting closes at midnight tonight! 🕛

A weekend of signing CDs, writing handwritten track lists for my crowdfunder supporters, packaging them up & getting to know my local post office staff very well 💿✍️📦📮🎻 Thank you to everyone who has bought my album & sent lovely messages. I’m feeling very happily overwhelmed by the response so far ❤️

“It is far too easy for the true owners of property to hide behind secret trusts and offshore structures.” Our latest investigation shows how an oligarch praised by Putin controls UK property, including in Scotland’s biggest town www.theferret.scot/r...

Jamie Mann does an excellent job of exposing the transparency failings in UK and Scottish property records here. www.theferret.scot/russian-olig...

The Scottish Four Seasons by @islaratcliff.bsky.social - Teview by @fateamagazine.bsky.social here (and it’s good!) www.fatea-records.co.uk/magazine/rev...

🌸☀️ THE SCOTTISH FOUR SEASONS - OUT NOW 🍁❄️ My album ‘The Scottish Four Seasons’ is out today! I’m SO excited that it’s finally out in the world for you to hear! 🥳 Listen / buy here: islaratcliff.bandcamp.com/album/the-sc... Film by Jack Hinks @jackhinksmusic.bsky.social

I've just bought Isla's Scottish Four Seasons & have listened 3 times straight through. It's wonderful. A mix of the familiar classical with plenty of unexpected traditional folk phrasing to keep the recording wonderfully fresh and interesting.

In a digital world, our parliamentary politics is out of date, says @andywightman.scot www.holyrood.com/comment/view...

Vlog No.3: A day of 2 radio interviews, 1 film shoot, 1 rehearsal, a haircut (not featured) and some happy tears 🥹 Only 4 days until album release!!! 🥳 Pre-order now on Bandcamp! And only 6 days left to vote for me to be ‘Musician of the Year’ at the Trad Awards! Now for some sleep… 😴 Isla x

BLOG - Land Reform (Scotland) Bill and the £25 million Estate. An analysis of the impacts of the Bill on a sale of 3500 ha of land that took place in September. In summary, it changes nothing. andywightman.scot/2025/11/land...

I will leave Parliament as I entered it: with landlord monopoly and class inequality remaining as Scotland's hereditary curse fb.watch/DhIuhkSXYz/

Guardian editorial on Land Reform (Scotland) Bill www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

✨ Album artwork reveal!!! ✨ I’m delighted to reveal this gorgeous album cover art by Elly Lucas. Elly took such care in creating this stunning collage of Scottish plants 🌱 You can now pre-order my album on Bandcamp! islaratcliff.bandcamp.com/album/the-sc... Only 5 days until release day! Isla x

1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️

Centuries of overgrazing & muirburn for grouse moors mean Highland Scotland looks treeless & desolate. But it doesn't have to be this way. New film Scotland's Missing Forests went online y'day. Chuffed to see almost 10k views. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuTV... @chrisgpackham.bsky.social

I’ve been nominated for ‘Musician of the Year’ at the @handsupfortrad.bsky.social Trad Awards 2025! 🥳 This is SUCH an honour ❤️ Now I need you to vote for me! Voting closes on Sunday 16th November. Vote here: projects.handsupfortrad.scot/scotstradmus...

Vlog No.1: A day of admin, social media promo and a Hegedu rehearsal 💻🎻🎶 Vote for me for ‘Musician of the Year’ (deadline 16th Nov): projects.handsupfortrad.scot/scotstradmus... Here is the first of several vlogs showing what being a professional musician actually involves (it’s not all music!).

The result of the Stage 3 vote on the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill is: ✅ Yes - 85 ❌ No - 28 🟣 Abstain - 9 The Bill is therefore passed. You can find out more online at: https://ow.ly/g4AC50XnkZw

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill passes with 85 voting yes, 28 voting no and 9 abstentions

Cabinet Secretary arguing that ownership of land should not be based on wealth or birth. AGREE. BUT wealth is precisely what is driving increased concentration. Just today I ordered a deed transferring even more land to one of richest women in the world with no questions asked /…

There had been ONE intervention in this debate with only the ScotGov Minister to close the debate. Debate? There has actually been NO debate.

Folk often ask me what I would do by way of land reform legislation. Have a read of this blog to find out. It seems pointless to do much further detailed work since there is so little appetite for such measures andywightman.scot/2023/12/land...

This debate is winding up now just 40 minutes after it started. Only 3 open debate speakers. I don’t think Parliament is interested in land reform any more. MSPs say all the right things but nothing changes.

Richard Leonard making the first meaningful speech in this Land Reform Bill debate

Curious to hear a Scottish Green politician be so critical of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill when it is a Bill signed of by them in Government as part of the SNP-Green coalition in March 2024

Still v frustarted that debates around tenant farming stilll resolves around trying to expand tenancies. But they are in decline whilst in other Euroopean countries the % tenanted land is much much higher BECAUSE they had real land reform in aftermath of French revolution

Scottish Parliament just passed the amendment that defines a large landholding with reference to the most complex of registers meaning a connected person is not just someone you can identify IN the register but someone who is REQUIRED to be in. Best of luck with this.

I have published a new briefing for MSPs for the Stage 3 debate on the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill tomorrow (wed 5 Nov). You can download a copy here andywightman.scot/2025/11/land...

I am pleased to publish this thoughtful essay by April Cumming on her recent homecoming to Lochaber from Australia. andywightman.scot/2025/11/duth...