Alasdair Lane

Barren, beautiful, and sparsely populated. Social distancing comes easily on the remote islands of Scotland. Mile after mile of "machair" — windswept coastal grassland — can be strolled without encountering another living soul. For those in need of a little solitude, it's perfect; for a populace determined to keep a pandemic at bay, it's even better. As coronavirus wreaked havoc on the mainland, Scotland's offshore communities acted fast to insulate themselves, halting ferry and air arrivals fo

The soaring slopes of Wales’ Carneddau mountains make for unforgiving pastures. To survive on these alpine grasslands, species need to be as rugged as the wind-hewn hills themselves. Short, stout, and sturdy, Carneddau’s wild ponies are no exception. “They are just so hardy,” said Sandra Roberts, who's been photographing the ponies for almost a decade. Year after year, she ha

How best to describe his employees' mood last week? Mike Padgham, who runs a number of care homes in Yorkshire, doesn't know. After a lengthy pause, he finds the word: "solemn." The specter of COVID-19 had suddenly materialized, killing three of his care home residents in quick succession. To his staff, they were "part of the family." But there's been little time to mourn. Five weeks into the lockdown, Britain's care homes have become a critical front in the coronavirus fight. More than any ot

GLASGOW, Scotland — Cultivating hops is a difficult business. Long before the little cone-shaped flowers are ready for harvest, days of gruelling groundwork must be laid. For hours on end, workers kneel as they intricately thread the infant shoots around lengths of string. “Training,” as the process is known, takes skill, focus and patience. But most of all, it requires manpower — and that’s why Ali Capper is worried. “We’ve already recruited. We’ve got a team of people all hoping to come. They

Eight weeks ago, Chris* was waking to the bitter winter chill of Scotland’s east coast. With nowhere to call home and “absolutely nothing” to his name, he had run out of options, and was living on the streets. “I felt really hopeless, it was so depressing,” recalls the 30-year-old Edinburgh man. But today, he’s feeling a little brighter. “I have a nice room with its own bathroom. It’s restful and I respect everyone here,” Chris says of his current accommodation – Edinburgh’s Old Waverley Hotel,

Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. GLASGOW — From Downton Abbey to Game of Thrones, Star Wars and Batman, their artistry has enthralled millions. But now a group of British costume designers are fulfilling an altogether different public service: making scrubs for medics on the front line of the coronavirus fight. Working from makeshift studios in homes across the country, hundreds of people from the arts are plugging the

In 1940, as German bombers filled the skies over London, parliamentarians fled the historic Palace of Westminster, convening at a less obvious target nearby. Eighty years on, British lawmakers are again uprooting in the face of catastrophe, retreating to a place their predecessors could scarcely have imagined: cyberspace. While the UK remains in coronavirus lockdown, parliamentary business is to be conducted virtually, authorities announced this week. The scheme will see MPs quizzing government

Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. GLASGOW — As British politicians invoke memories of World War II’s “Blitz Spirit” during the coronavirus lockdown, and many are quietly channeling the stoic resolve their elders showed in the face of enormous hardship, some in the nation’s baking community are taking a more direct cue from history. Britain's National Loaf — a nutrient-dense whole wheat bread first produced in 1942 — has

"You're safer at home." In the UK — like other nations affected by the coronavirus pandemic — it's the enduring public health message. But for hundreds-of-thousands of British women, there's no sanctuary to be found within their own four walls. "His emotional and verbal abuse is escalating the longer we're isolated and I'm concerned that mentally I won't survive this." "We are trapped under lockdown and he can turn up at any time." "I'm having to sit in my car to get away." Shut in with thei

Glasgow, Scotland - Non-coronavirus deaths in Scotland have risen since the pandemic took hold, amid warnings of "eerily quiet" hospital departments as vulnerable people miss out on medical care. Scottish deaths in late March and early April were 60 percent higher than the five-year average - with less than half of the increase attributed to COVID-19. • Coronavirus: All you need to know about symptoms and risks • Coronavirus pandemic: Which politicians and celebs are affected? • Don't self-isol

As the worst of the winter weather recedes and Easter approaches, Fraserburgh harbor in northeast Scotland ought to be teeming with activity. Under clear skies, dozens of trawler boats would — in normal times — be setting off for the bountiful fishing grounds of the North Sea, or returning to unload their catch. But these are not normal times, and the port sits silent. A full four-fifths of the fleet is currently tied up, estimates veteran Fraserburgh skipper Mark Robertson. Like businesses the

GLASGOW — In the Outer Hebrides, a remote island chain off the west coast of Scotland, there has yet to be a confirmed case of the coronavirus. But local leaders are worried. An image shared by lawmaker Angus MacNeil paints a bleak picture of preparedness there: a primitive row of camp beds, each with a thin red blanket and blue pillow, sitting empty in a village hall. No ventilators, no

Floundering trade talks. Gunboat diplomacy. Stormy waters ahead. With Brexit and fishing, the puns come easily. But for the fishing industry’s 180,000 European employees, Britain’s E.U. departure is no joke. Its economic significance may be slight—1.6% of GDP at most—but across the continent, fishing sustains whole coastal communities. With London and Brussels at loggerheads over the sector’s future, their survival is in doubt. Britain’s waters—and the creatures in them—have long been a symbol

Karolina Gerlich came to the United Kingdom 12 years ago. Her native Poland had acceded to the E.U. three years earlier, allowing her unfettered access to Britain's job market. She first worked as an au pair, before moving into manufacturing and hospitality. And then she found her calling: social care. Looking after people—in their own homes or at specialized care facilities—is what makes her feel the most “fulfilled and useful”. She has worked hard over the last decade, and can now proudly int

It was billed as a moderate shake-up. A few fresh faces—particularly in the junior ranks—but effectively a continuity Cabinet, one committed to carrying out the Conservatives’ winning manifesto. Did nobody tell Dominic Cummings? Boris Johnson’s tough-as-nails top aide was in no mood for compromise this morning, forcing from office Britain’s second most powerful politician. Sajid Javid—now former Chancellor of the Exchequer—had been given an ultimatum: sack your senior staff, or you’re finished.

To upend a century of two-party rule, it takes an electoral earthquake. In Ireland, on Saturday, one struck. Sinn Féin, a group long shunned for its ties to sectarian terrorists, stormed the nation’s general election, beating both of Ireland’s dominant centrist parties in the popular vote. Now starts a frantic, and likely protracted, spell of coalition-building, as the roaring republicans look to lock their mainstream rivals from government. “Something of a revolution” was underway, said Sinn

In Germany this week—as the nation marks 75 years since the fall of fascism—the spectre of far-right rule reared its head. A startling series of events saw Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), a party of ardent nationalists, play kingmaker in a regional election. The result is likely to be undone—but Germany’s guiding post-war principle, to keep power in moderate hands, has been punctured. The drama played out in Thuringia, an eastern state governed in recent years by the left-wing Die Linke part

Two months, two eerily similar attacks. Late last year near London Bridge; on Sunday, a south London street. Members of the public mauled by knife-wielding young men bent on murder. Two corrupted minds untempered by recent prison terms for terror-related offences. Sunday’s assault on Streatham High Road could have been far, far worse. Tailed by counter-terror cops as he left his parole hostel, 20-year-old Sudesh Amman was shot dead before he could claim a life. In November, Londoners were less

On Friday evening, as the clock strikes eleven, Britain will leave the European Union. More than three and a half years since the EU referendum, during which the country has seen two general elections and much political wrangling, the wishes of 17.4 million Britons will be realised. • What price will the developing world pay for Brexit? But do not expect an end to the drama. January 31 marks a single page-turn in the Brexit odyssey and the next chapter could be just as fraught. A transition p

We’re on the final straight. After four frenzied, fascinating years, on Friday 31st, Brexit will happen. At the stroke of 11:00 p.m., the wish of 17.4 million Brits will be realized. For the first time in four decades, the U.K. will be truly standing on its own two feet. An independent trading nation, bridled by Brussels no more. Well, not exactly. At the end of the month, Britain will indeed cease to be an EU member. There will be no more U.K. MEPs, no British commissioner, no ministers in at