Sitting Down on the Job Laid Back Bikes aim to give small groups the chance to do a guided tour in Edinburgh on recumbent bikes, using the city's cycle paths and quieter roads.

www.laid-back-bikes.co.uk

Gael Force 2007 There's more than ever to see and do at GaelForce 2007 with twelve festivals and dozens of events, making this the ideal time to visit Dumfries & Galloway and enjoy the authentic and unique nature of the late summer season

www.gaelforceevents.co.uk

New Vittoria�s on the Bridge Situated at a prime location on George IV Bridge, with a capacity of 225 diners over two levels, Vittoria �On the Bridge� is proving to be a phenomenal success. Offering a classic extensive Italian menu and renowned for high level of service and fresh Italian food, Vittoria is the perfect restaurant to experience a real taste of Italy.

www.vittoriarestaurant.com

Drop a dress size in D&G The Camp is a seven day residential course based at a beautiful country house estate in Dumfries and Galloway whose mission is to help women drop a dress size in a week in a healthy and safe environment.

Run by ex-United Kingdom Special Forces military fitness instructors, the course is run exclusively for women who wish to safely achieve rapid weight-loss and improve muscle tone and fitness. It is the most robust and challenging physical course of its kind in the UK. www.thecamp.co.uk

The woman who ate Scotland eats Edinburgh Nell Nelson will be demonstrating at the Roxburghe Hotel in Edinburgh�s Charlotte Square on Saturday 18 August as part of the Foodies at the Festival exhibition. Nell�s demonstration will include how to prepare the perfect picnic full of delicious summer foods as well as choosing the finest wine and champagne to compliment them.

www.foodiesfestival.com

Scotland on Canvas Scotland on Canvas is an online photo-art landscape gallery that gives you the unique opportunity to browse and buy exclusive, limited-edition fine art, capturing some of the most stunning landscape images from throughout Scotland.

www.scotlandoncanvas.co.uk

Lego Robots and Daring Gamers Invade Dynamic Earth From Monday 20th August, for a one week pilot, children and families will be challenged to use Lego and laptops to program robots that can negotiate a tough Martian landscape created in the science centre�s Stratosphere.

www.dynamicearth.co.uk

World Press Photo Exhibition Following the success of last year�s World Press Photo exhibition, the Scottish Parliament�s Festival of Politics will once again bring the prestigious exhibition to Holyrood from 3 to 26 August.

The World Press Photo exhibition showcases the best of press photography from across the globe. The winning entries are selected by an international panel of independent judges from divergent backgrounds who bring a breadth of experience to the judging process.

www.scottish.parliament.uk

Launch of Thomas Telford Trail On Thursday 9th August, which is the 250th Anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford, the Langholm and Westerkirk Anniversary Committee will launch the Thomas Telford Trail.

A cairn will be unveiled at Glendinning, Westerkirk to the north of Langholm, by Gordon Masterton, former President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The Institution of Civil Engineers will also install a plaque near the spot where Thomas Telford is believed to have been born.

www.langholm-online.co.uk

Scottish Food Fortnight 1st � 16th September An annual celebration of Scottish produce has been backed by some of the country�s leading culinary names. Food columnist and cookery experts Lady Claire Macdonald and Wendy Barrie, along with Michelin star chefs Martin Wishart and Gordon Ramsay have all voiced support for the two week long event, to be held later this year.

www.scottishfoodfortnight.co.uk

HALF LIFE HALF LIFE is a major new landscape work and the first co-production between renowned innovators NVA and the National Theatre of Scotland. Staged around Kilmartin Glen, Argyll, one of the world�s richest prehistoric regions, HALF LIFE offers day and night experiences which reveal the dark but inspiring mindset of Scotland�s early Neolithic inhabitants. By day, you are invited to explore atmospheric installations based around key archaeological sites. In the evening, a powerful outdoor production will be staged in a forest, delving into early beliefs that still resonate through the rock carvings and monuments that define this ancient landscape.

www.halflife.org.uk

A Breath of Fresh Ayrshire Allseasons at the meadows will be an environmentally led tourism development for South West Scotland. Built around a man-made 25-acre loch on a nature reserve there will be a luxury hotel, New England style lakeside holiday lodges, marina with moorings, affordable housing and numerous nature trails and cycle tracks.

http://www.allseasonsscotland.com/

Perthshire on display at Tate Britain Millais at Tate Britain will bring together twelve of John Everett Millais�s remarkable late Scottish landscapes - the largest grouping since 1898, and the first time ever that so many have been seen together in one room.

www.perthshire.co.uk

Enchanted Forest tickets now on sale Perthshire�s renowned Enchanted Forest sound and light show is set to delight the senses when it returns to Faskally Wood near Pitlochry from 19th October � 4th November with a brand new theme.

It is hoped that the event, which has become established as Scotland�s premier sound and light experience since its launch in 2002, will attract a record 20,000 visitors.

The focus of this year�s event will be �Creation�, with spectacular lighting effects being used to illustrate the earth�s history from its early volcanic state, the Ice Age and the Jurassic era right through to modern times.

www.enchantedforest.org.uk Murray Napier

Re-Opening of Pier Arts Centre Following completion of a �4.5 million project The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney re-opened its doors to the public in July..

The paintings and sculpture that form the Pier Arts Centre�s collection are described by leading figures in the art world as outstanding works of exceptional quality. Finding such treasures in what is assumed to be a remote community comes as a surprise to many visitors, for others, they provide a compelling reason for visiting the islands.

Most of the works were created in the 1930s and 1940s by avant-garde artists with links to St Ives, almost a thousand miles away from Orkney. They were gathered together by Margaret Gardiner a close friend and supporter of artists such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth.

www.piersrtscentre.com

Golden Spurtle The Annual World Porridge Making Championships are followed with interest by connoisseurs of the traditional national dish across the globe. Events during the day also include the Cairngorms Farmers Market, pipe band parade of judges and porridge championship competitors, the official Toast to the Porridge, live music, product tastings and street entertainment. Sunday 7th October. www.goldenspurtle.com

-Ends-

For further information please contact:

Gillian Thompson Tel: 0131 472 2024 Email: Gillian.thompson@visitscotland.com