A trip into Glasgow's underground history, a build-your-own Edinburgh castle, membership of one of the many institutions that keep our historic environment preserved or bring the past to life.... there are many ways of wrapping up a bit of history to give to that special someone. Here are some.
The Real Mary King’s Close voucher
Some say it’s haunted. But you don’t have to believe in ghosts to be fascinated by this underground experience. History, the streets and alleyways buried now beneath the Royal Mile, is brought vividly to life by costumed tour guides. Give them an authentic chill experience.
https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/coffee-house-gift-shop/gift-vouchers/
£15 and £20 vouchers
National Trust for Scotland Membership
A membership of the National Trust for Scotland is one of those gifts that keeps on giving - giving access to over 100 gorgeous places around Scotland, as well as the many more National Trust properties in England. And that money from it also goes to care for Scotland’s most loved places and spaces. Forget about Munro bagging – go castle, house and garden bagging.
https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/membership-the-perfect-gift-this-christmas
£63
Pinewood Conservation Gin
The beauty of this forest gin is it’s made with botanicals foraged from the Mar Lodge estate in the heart of the Cairngorms and money from its purchase goes to support the major pinewood regeneration project in progress on the estate. In a time of climate crisis this gin is helping to do a tiny bit to reforest our landscape. Botanicals from plants found on the estate: bog myrtle, wood sorrel, birch, Scots pine, blaeberries, are what creates its distinctive flavour.
https://www.nts.org.uk/shop/pinewood-gin-50cl.html
£32 for 50cl bottle.
Hnefatafl Viking Game
The Nordic name alone sells it. Hnefatafl ˈne-fə-taː-f(ə)l is a simple Viking game of strategy, roughly translated as “The Kings Table”, and popular since 400AD. For the warmongers of board-gaming. The starting positions say a lot about the game – one player takes the king's side, defending, and the other, with twice as many pieces, attacks.
https://shop.nms.ac.uk/collections/toys-games-games-puzzles/products/hnefatafl-silver-1?_pos=1&_sid=b80745265&_ss=r
£28
National Museums Scotland Gift Membership
One small membership package that opens a whole world. Unlimited free entry to the National Museum of Flight and the National Museum of Rural Life, discounted entry to Edinburgh Castle and unlimited free entry to all their world-class exhibitions – for instance, 2022's big new exhibition, Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life at the National Museum of Scotland.
https://shop.nms.ac.uk/collections/shop-by-theme/products/national-museums-scotland-gift-membership-individual
£46.00
Make Your Own Edinburgh Castle Model
297 LEGO bricks with which to build a version of one of the world’s most famous castles. A limited edition created by Edinburgh-based Warren Elsmore, each box signed and numbered.
https://stor.scot/products/make-your-own-edinburgh-castle-model
£115
Historic Scotland Christmas Gift Membership
Not just a membership, but a whole world of heritage, 5000 years of history, in a gift pack. Skara Brae, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Fort George, Linlithgow Palace. Includes free quarterly members mag and 10 percent discount in cafes.
https://members.historic-scotland.gov.uk/gift/christmas/uk
£58.00
Glasgow Central Tours voucher
There’s a whole other world beneath Glasgow Central Station which most of us do not see, and these tours offer guides to them, Paul Lyons or Jackie Ogilvie, taking the participant down into a subterranean world of vaults and passageway, and telling how the railways helped shaped the history of Glasgow and the world.
https://www.glasgowcentraltours.co.uk/
£13 per adult
RRS Discovery Highland single malt
History with a bottle. Not just a 12 year old single Highland malt whisky, but one that was created to celebrate the men of the 1901 British Antarctic Expedition led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott, and whose label is based on the whisky produced for that expedition. Each bottle comes with a small piece of teak decking from the RRS Discovery.
https://dundeeheritagetrust.shop/products/discovery-12-yo-highland-single-malt-12-yo-40-abv
£52.99
Kingdom Botanica eau de parfum
Top notes of spiced plum blossoms, pink pepper, blackcurrant and pine needle. The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh say this unisex scent was 350 years in the making. It was inspired by Scottish plant hunters of the past and present, and crafted by Scotland’s first fragrance house, Kingdom Scotland, to celebrated the gardens’ 350th anniversary.
https://rbgeshop.org/products/kingdom-botanica-eau-de-parfum-50ml
£125.00 for 50ml bottle
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