Corrour. Picture: Julie Howden/The Herald FOR many it is a location that will be forever immortalised by the words of Ewan McGregor s character Renton in Trainspotting when he proclaims: It s s being Scottish. The memorable monologue is juxtaposed against the ruggedly beautiful wilds of Corrour, on the edge of Rannoch Moor, as the quartet of Tommy, Spud, Sick Boy and Renton leave behind the drug-addled underbelly of 1980s Edinburgh for a day trip to the great outdoors. Trainspotting – released in 1996 – celebrates its 25th anniversary this month, although there is far more to Corrour than simply a cameo in a cult film.
Tell me more. Lovers of Nordic noir stand by. A dark and brooding six-part Finnish psychological thriller is coming to BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. Man In Room 301 centres on the Kurtti family whose lives are torn apart by the death of their toddler son. In 2007, while holidaying at a cabin in Finland, their two-year-old Tommi wanders off and is shot dead. A 12-year-old boy called Elias Leppo is blamed for the killing.
Then what? The story picks up 12 years later. On a holiday to Greece, the family becomes unsettled by a fellow guest at their resort. A man called Leo, staying in room 301, bears a resemblance to Leppo, fits the age profile, and seems to be acting suspiciously.
Why do you go there? Because it s about as far away as you can get without falling off the edge.
How often do you go? Not nearly often enough. The last time I was there must have been 2007. That was also the last extended family holiday before my parents died in 2008. Growing up, I d go there every year – it was the highlight of our annual summer holiday.
How did you discover it? My distant relatives farmed the land, and my father used to go there as a boy. Despite growing up on a farm in Easter Ross himself, he ended up for a time working in the City of London, and I grew up in North Essex.
Binny Craig, near Ecclesmachan, West Lothian. Picture: Getty THE Bathgate Hills are steeped in stories. This corner of West Lothian – stretching from Linlithgow in the north, to Bathgate in the south and Uphall in the east – may not be as well-known or lauded as some other Scottish landscapes, yet it is filled with beauty, rich history and folklore. Among its striking landmarks is Binny Craig, the impressive crag-and-tail landform – a volcanic sill – that you see in the accompanying photograph. If you squint your eyes, it looks like a lion s head. Binny Craig, near Ecclesmachan, is a legacy from the last Ice Age with its crag of hard rock facing west and sloping tail of sedimentary rock and fertile farmland to the east. It proffers superb views across the Firth of Forth, as well as surrounding West Lothian, Edinburgh and the Pentland Hills.