Scottish Islands Explorer Magazine- brilliant! (Scottish Islands Explorer Magazine)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	Scottish Islands Explorer Magazine
Date:	10/11/08 (140 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A wonderful insight into the world of these remote UK places

Disadvantages: None

Are you a lover of wild and remote places or do you dream of one day of escaping to somewhere quiet and serene? -well if so I have the magazine which will take you there from your armchair. I have a passion for The Scottish islands and have visited most of them and was delighted when I saw an advert for a magazine totally devoted to them.

It was the year 2000 and the first issues were being launched from Fair Isle by Linda Grieve and Philip Welch. These were initially in black and white and were little more than a few pages of news and stories. At this early stage there were 50 subscribers.

Fair Isle is a small island between Orkney and Shetland and is home to only 70 people. The launch of this magazine which was little more than a newsletter at first was the beginning of something which was to take shape and to become a widely read glossy magazine a few years later. Surrounded by cliffs, Fair Isle is just 5km long and 3km wide. The islanders live mainly in the south in traditional crofts. Many are crofters, some work for the National Trust for Scotland, which owns the island,others nurse or teach the children at Fair Isle Primary School. Philip was also working as a deck hand on the ferries and was a member of the fire brigade.

Every two months in those days Philip would post a CD of the magazine to a printing firm in Wales, which produces page layouts on screen, these were then e-mailed back for the owners to proof read. When they were satisfied with the finished product, the magazine would be printed.

This is where it all began on windswept Fair Isle in a small workshop in the back of their home. Fantastic!

As the readership swelled the pages became glossy and in colour and a new era of the magazine emerged.


So now the magazine which is the UK's only one devoted to The Scottish Islands is published six times a year in full colour and has 56 pages all brimming with stories of islands. The emphasis is on wildlife, culture, the environment, archaeology, lifestyle, and history and the pages are often overflowing with travel reports. There are excellent illustrations and beautiful photographs adorn the pages.


In 2006 the owners decided to sell the magazine as they wanted to pursue other interests and it was sold to Jeremy Smith who has not only a love for these islands but a 10 year history of publishing. He is currently moving to The Island of Jura in the Inner Hebrides where he is building a house and planning to run the magazine from there.

You can subscribe to the Scottish Islands Explorer for £19.97 a year and the cost for two years and longer falls in proportion to allow for customer loyalty. If you are lucky enough to live in Scotland you may find the magazine on the shelves. I saw it recently in Inverness airport and in South Uist too.

The magazine also welcomes articles on relevant topics to be submitted for consideration and also photographs, and details about the format and so on can be gained by visiting their website.

There is an opportunity if you visit the website to download a copy of a recent magazine which gives you an excellent insight into whether the publication is for you.

I have visited many places having read about them in this magazine and feel very privileged to have been part of the journey from seeing the birth of this new enterprise to the glossy magazine it has become today. It now has a circulation of over 25000. The first copy had only 50 readers! It's a story of success and I think it is a wonderful thing that the new owner from England is taking the publication back to the islands to Jura.

Jura is an island which has fascinated me since I was a child and it is one of the few I haven't visited though with the excellent whisky made there I am sure my husband will put that right! I have always been intrigued by the place as it has a large population of adders which I have to say scare me a bit so maybe I'll need a few whiskies to get me there!

I wish the magazine all the success in the world and will continue to subscribe. It takes you to some very special places and I think it shows great respect for the wonderful communities that live on the edge of Scotland.

www.scottishislandsexplorer.com

Summary: Scottish Islands Explorer Magazine- A Must For Any Island Lover