IAYS OUT
LIST
INGS
This section gives details or selected events taking place in and around the Central Belt of Scotland this fortnight. Events are listed by area and then alphabetically. All submissions should be accompanied by a contact phone number for our information. Days out compiled by Thom oibdin.
BOROERS ‘
I EILOON HILLS ORGANISEO WALK Sun 15. 11am—3pm. Meet at the Tourist Information Centre. Melrose. Free. A ranger-led walk for all the family over the Eildon Hills. returning by Newstead and the River Tweed.
LOTHIANS & FIFE
I MOUNTAIN TOP ASTRONOMY Fri 13. 7.30pm. Royal Observatory. Blackford Hill. 031 668 8405. £2 (£1.50). A talk by Dr Glasse about the UK telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Also a talk on Fri 20 entitled ‘Hunting the Dragon' about violent events in the far reaches of the galaxy.
I TRACKS ANO SIGNS Sun 15. 1.30pm.
Hopetoun House. South Queensferry. 031
1 331 2451. £2 (£1). A ranger-led walk to
i track down some of the winter wildlife in the grounds. No dogs. Meet in the car
3 park in front of the house.
4
I SLEO DOC RALLY Sat 21/Sun 22.
8.30am—3pm. l-leronsfield Car Park. Loch
Morlich. near Aviemore. Free. The
' Spillers Btmio/Siberian Husky club ofGB Sled Dog Rally gets its annual go at a
snow-bound course this weekend.
Normally they trundle round the south of
England on wheels. but with a fair covering of snow the sledges are faster. except you can‘t brake or steer. So expect
' plenty of thrills and spills from the 150 competing teams if the snow falls. As one
( competitor puts it: ‘First we pray for snow - and then we pray for ourselves!‘
' I A.T. MAYS HolloAY nortosrtow Sun 22.
10.30am—5pm. SECC. Finniestoun Quay. Free. Just when you thought it safe to go back to the office. A.T. Mays want you to start thinking about the holidays again. v Sixty-four holiday companies will be selling their wares down at the SI‘ICC.
OS
LISTINGS
Rain or shine, our at-a-glance guide will see you through. Events are listed under outdoors or indoors columns, and then divided by city. kids listings compiled by Thom Dibdin.
Outdoors ramm—
Activities and Fun
I Squirrel Ilunt Drumpellier Country Park. Townhead Road. Coatbridge. Sun 15. 2pm. 0232 422257. Free. With squirrels accounting for 1 per cent of all animal bites in Edinburgh. the Drumpellier rangers will show you how to find those tell-talc signs of the not-so-cute little tree rats.
I An Arty Lark In The Park Gleniffer Braes Country Park. Glen Lodge. Glenfield Road. Sun 22. 1.30—3.30pm. 041 884 3794. Free. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Create a sculpture from natural products found in the park. Warm clothes and stout shoes a must.
I Waymarkers Walk Dalzell Park. Motherwell. (Meet at the Rangers hut in the small car park by Dalzell House). Sun 22. 2pm. 0698 275125. Free. Take a map and follow the trail of numbered markers
through the park.
i I Wildfowl Watch Watersports Centre. Strathclyde Country Park. lV’lOiIlL‘l'WCIl.
(Junction 6 off the M74). Sun 22. 10am. 0698 266155. Study the wide range of
have them.
Activities and Fun
1 I linlithgow loch Wild-fowl Count Meet at the lay-by beside the east end of the ; loch. Sun 15.9am—noon. Free.
Indoors
Film
I Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom (PG). Cannon Clarkston Road. Muirend. 637 2641. Sat 14. 10.30am. £1.50 (Adults £2). Doors open at 10am. The prequel to Raiders oft/re Lost Ark sees Indie off to the Himalayas in search of a magic talisman. with predictably chaotic thrills and spills. See Film Index. I Monkey Trouble (U). Cannon Clarkston Road. Muirend. 637 2641. Sat 21.
wild-fowl on the Strathclyde loch with the help of the rangers. Take binoculars if you
1
with the opportunity to book your break on the day.
I THE CREEPINO TNINO Sat 21. 10am~4pm. Chatelherault Country Park. Ferniegair. Hamilton. Free. Vent your spleen with a bit of the old slash and burn and other rampant destruction techniques on the rhododendrons that run wild and free through the park. to the detriment of all the native flora and fauna. Wear boots and old clothing. Over l5-year-olds only. I THE KELLY CUT ORCANISEO WALK Sun 15. 11am. Meet at the Cornalees Bridge. two miles past Greenock on the A78. 041 848 6643. A ten-mile walk in the Inverclyde Hills organised by the Gay Outdoor Club. Take stout footwear. waterproofs and a packed lunch.
I STAR CAZING Fri 13. 7.30pm. Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. Muirshiel Centre. 0505 842803. Free. An evening of ‘spotting stars. monitoring meteors and counting constellations‘ — and arbitrary alliteration.
This does not look like being a red-letter year for Scotland‘s ski resorts. unless there‘s one almighty freeze. But despite tnore thaws. Cairngorm managed skiing
3 on Christmas Day and over 3000 folk
made it up to the Nevis Range for New Year. If there is skiing. tnost runs remain
. narrow. particularly at the bottom. Phone
your chosen destination to check conditions before leaving home. I Ski Clubs For the social life and post-
: piste piss-ups. your local ski-club can't be
beat. They also organise mini-buses to
slopes on most weekends and can put you ‘ in touch with other people who might
want to car share.
; Glasgow Ski Club meet every Thursday at 1 9pm in The Scaramouche. Elderslie
? 10.30am. £1.50 (Adults £2). Doors open : at 10am. Over-sentimental story ofa
young girl who finds a rogue monkey for
; a pet. See Film Index for further details.
l
= Puppets
I Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre 8
Balcarres Avenue. Kelvindale. Glasgow.
' 041 339 6185. Shows every Saturday at
2pm. Entry £2.50 (£1.50).
The Tailor of Gloucester Sat 14. Ages 3—7. Ian Turbitt returns with a completely new puppet adaption of the classic Beatrix Potter tale.
. The Spider or Spindle Wood Sat 2 1. Ages
4—12. This play by Parable Puppets features a Scottish spider and Kasper (the
' German equivalent of Punch). It blends British and German puppetry traditions in . a captivating story with plenty of audience
participation and Yorkshire puddings.
EDINBURGH Activities and Fun
. .13.,3. ‘
I Playdays live Gyle Shopping Centre. noon—3pm. Free. The Playdays bus will
Street. Details from 041 424 1893 or 041 883 6665.
Edinburgh Ski Club meet every Tuesday from 9.30pm at the Royal Circus Hotel. 19-21 Royal Circus. For an information pack phone 031 220 3121.
I OLENCOE Chairlift company: 0855 811 303. Closed Tue/Wed. The closest resort to Glasgow. Thin snow covering. but fresh falls have made for pleasant skiing with not too many folk on the slopes.
I NEVIS RANGE Chairlift company: 0397 705825. Scotland's newest and hence most modern ski resort boasts the UK‘s only gondola system. The highest pistes in Scotland are at the top of Aonach Mor (4006 feet). Creche facility: three—seven- years. All the upper runs are complete. providing excellent intermediate to difficult skiing. although they have been affected by high winds.
I CAIRNCORM Chairlift company: 0479 861 261. Scotland's most famous ski area. close to the skiing town of Aviemore so there are lots of things to do off-piste. The higher runs have good coverage. but they ‘still need more of that white stuff'. High winds have been causing access problems. I OLENSIIEE Chairlift company: 03397 41320/41343. Edinburgh‘s closest resort. The three valleys of Glenshee offer 38 pistes on 40km of runs and a massive uplift capacity of 18.500 skiers an hour. none of which have been used. as there is insufficient snow to open any runs. despite the resort's own snow-making machine. So it’s fingers crossed and snow dances all round.
I THE LECNT Chairlift company: 09756 51440. Scotland‘s best resort for absolute beginners. with easy green and nursery slopes right next to the car park. Creche facility: over three years. Narrow runs and warm winds have seriously limited the skiing.
be at the Gyle with the Bus Driver and Poppy the Cat giving out balloons and stickers. Everyone is welcome to meet the Playdays characters and find out more about the Playdcrvs Live show which will be at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre. Wed 15—Sat 18 Feb. (Festival Theatre Box Office: 031 529 6000).
I Taking an Earth line For a Walk The Fruitmarket Gallery. 29 Market Street. 225 2383. Sat 21. 10.30am-12.30pm. £5. Over nines. Maps are functional. practical tools to find your way from one place to the next. But the Australian Aboriginal paintings on display at the Fruitmarket. which are also described as maps. chart much more than that. Emotions. dreams and treasured family symbols are depicted alongside symbols for water holes. food and shelter. Sculptor Jeremy Cunningham will take children on a creative journey mapping their personal experiences using coloured earth. sand. wood. shells and stones.
Exhibitions
I It’s a Small World Museum of Childhood. 42 High Street. 529 4142. Until 11 Feb. Mon-Sat. 10am—5pm. Free. Doll’s house furniture and miniatures ranging from precious silver to cheap plastic. dating from early to modern times. Elsewhere in the collection the museum has welcomed two new residents in the form of an 8ft-high painted fibreglass and wood sculpture by Graham lbbeson.
film
I The Mask (PG). Filmhouse. Lothian Road. 228 2688. £1.50 (Adults £2.50). Sat 14. 2.30pm. Stanley is the likeable schmuck who couldn't say boo to a goose until one night he happened across an ancient mask . . . See Film Index
I Custer OI The West (PG). Filmhouse. Lothian Road. 228 2688. £1.50 (Adults £2.50). Sat 21. 2.30pm. An ambitious and spectacular tale of one of the legends of the Wild West. See Film Index.
The List 13—26 January 1995 57