SCOTLAND’S MOST INSTAGRAMMABLE STREETS

AS lockdown eases across Scotland, lots of us are beginning to think about city breaks we can perhaps take this summer. 

And many will want to make the most of beautiful spots after spending a year in the same surroundings.

Scotland at least isn’t short of picturesque spots, but where to go for that perfect post-lockdown Instagram shot? 

Personally we think High Street in Glasgow had a lot going for it but to help you decide which city streets will pick up the biggest engagement on your summer socials, Direct2Florist have revealed the Most Instagrammable Streets in Scotland.

10 Most Instagrammable Scottish Streets

Rank	Location	Street	Location	Area	Instagram # No.
1	Scotland	Stockbridge	Edinburgh	Midlothian	231,679
2	Scotland	Victoria Street	Edinburgh	Midlothian	75,837
3	Scotland	Shoregate	Crail	Fife	41,315
4	Scotland	Ashton Lane	Glasgow	Greater Glasgow	29,355
5	Scotland	Tanhouse Brae	Culross	Perth	19,292
6	Scotland	The Royal Mile	Edinburgh	Midlothian	16,553
7	Scotland	Circus Lane	Edinburgh	Midlothian	13,356
8	Scotland	Back Brae	Tobermory	Isle of Mull	1,412
9	Scotland	Pier Road	Luss	Dunbartonshire	375
10	Scotland	Bon Accord Street	Aberdeen	Aberdeenshire	28

In the wider UK rankings, Stockbridge came second overall: 

15 Most Instagrammable Streets in the UK

Rank	Location	Street	Location	Area	Instagram # No.
1	England	Carnaby Street	London	South East	366,761
2	Scotland	Stockbridge	Edinburgh	Midlothian	231,679
3	England	High Street	Clovelly	North Devon	147,785
4	England	The Street	Castle Combe	Wiltshire	110,522
5	Scotland	Victoria Street	Edinburgh	Midlothian	75,837
6	England	The Circus	Bath	Somerset	48,892
7	Scotland	Shoregate	Crail	Fife	41,315
8	England	Steep Hill	Lincoln	East Midlands	32,947
9	England	The Shambles	York	Yorkshire	32,845
10	Scotland	Ashton Lane	Glasgow	Greater Glasgow	29,355
11	England	Gold Hill	Shaftesbury	Dorset	25,497
12	England	Grey Street	Newcastle	North East	23,783
13	Scotland	Tanhouse Brae	Culross	Perth	19,292
14	Wales	Smithfield Street	Dolgellau	North Wales	17,588
15	Scotland	The Royal Mile	Edinburgh	Midlothian	16,553

Reflecting on the findings, Simon Stirling of Direct2Florist said:

“One of the best things about the UK are the quaint little side streets and beautiful roads which make up some of our oldest and best towns and cities. Some of these streets are world famous, and with travel most likely restricted to the UK this summer, there couldn’t be a better time to get out there and tick these beauty spots off your bucket list.

“With city breaks becoming a bigger focus this year, we wanted to pull together a handy guide of the most beautiful streets to visit post lockdown, and did so through Instagram - on the logic that the more hashtags for the street, the more photogenic and more beautiful it was. These are the perfect streets to visit this summer for a cake and a coffee or a pint.”

Streets were compiled based on newspaper survey data of the UK’s most beautiful streets and ranked based on the total number of Instagram hashtags. 

CHEESE LOVERS WILL LOVE NEW GLASGOW POP UP

IF you like cheese, then theshowbizlion.com has great news for you as the swanky new shop The Cheese Club has opened its doors on Byres Road in Glasgow's West End.

Led by the team behind Six by Nico, The Cheese Club shop takes up temporary residence in the former Fopp Music Store at 358 Byres Road. Stephen Sweet, an award-winning cheesemonger, oversees the day-to-day operations of the pop-up store as well as curating The Cheese Club shops' products and HOME-X's online distribution services.

As well as some of the finest cheese selections you'll find in Glasgow, The Cheese Club shop pop up offers a delicious range of chutneys, crackers, olives, cured meats and a deli counter serving both hot and cold snacks. The shop serves delicious cheese while also highlighting the incredible work, pride, and effort that goes into making beautiful artisan and farmhouse cheeses. A varied and delicious takeaway menu with loaded toasted sandwiches and hearty brunch items is also available at the store.

The Cheese Club Shop manager and Head Cheesemonger, Stephen Sweet said:

"We hope our customers are as enthusiastic as we are about the opening of The Cheese Club shop pop-up. With the goal of providing something different, we want to bring a proper cheese experience here to Byres Road, along with all the necessary accompaniments. We're now open and excited to become a part of the West End community"

The Cheese Club Shop pop-up is now open weekly Wednesday - Saturdays from 9am - 6pm, Sundays 10am - 6pm and the store will be open Easter Monday from 9am - 6pm  as part of opening weekend and Easter festivities. 

Address: The Cheese Club Shop, 358 Byres Rd, Glasgow G12 8AP

Follow The Cheese Club on Instagram for further updates at www.instagram.com/thecheeseclubuk

DEL AMITRI TOUR FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2018

SOME reckon that Nothing Ever Happens during lockdown, but Del Amitri are proving that not to be the case with their new material. 

Puns aside, it’s been 19 years since the Scots band fronted by Justin Currie released a studio album, their current single ‘It’s Feelings’ proves that their flair for crafting melodic rock songs with lyrical bite, soulful comfort and heart-swelling uplift has only strengthened in the intervening years.

 And the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive with the single earning strong support at radio, while early acclaim for its parent album ‘Fatal Mistakes’has come from Mojo and Classic Pop.
 
Now Del Amitri’s return gathers pace with news of their first full UK headline tour since the summer of 2018. Culminating at Glasgow’s iconic Barrowland, the tour also includes a substantial run of dates in Scotland and a major London show at the Palladium.
 
Justin Currie commented: “It’s been nearly 20 years since we toured with a new album, lord knows what took us so long. The prospect of sprinkling our set with a few choices from ‘Fatal Mistakes’ fills us with the sort of excitement that, for some men of our age, might call for light medication. We think the adrenaline will see us through.”
 
The dates are:
 
SEPTEMBER
13th - Cardiff, St. David’s Hall
14th - Southend, Cliffs Pavilion
15th - Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall
17th - Blackpool, Opera House
18th - York, Barbican
20th - Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
21st - Sheffield, City Hall
22nd - Newcastle, O2 City Hall
 
OCTOBER
11th - Hamilton, Townhouse
12th - Aberdeen, Music Hall
13th - Inverness, Ironworks
14th - Perth, Concert Hall
15th - Dunoon, Queen’s Hall
16th - Oban, Corran Halls
18th - Birmingham, Symphony Halls
19th - Southampton, O2 Guildhall
20th - London, Palladium
 
DECEMBER
19th - Glasgow, Barrowland (free show for NHS and key workers)
20th - Glasgow, Barrowland
 
Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday, 9^th April from www.gigsandtours.com,  www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.delamitri.info.
 
Contemporary heartland rock quintet The Byson Family will support on all dates. Fronted by former Temperance Movement vocalist Phil Campbell, the soft release of the band’s debut album ‘Kick The Traces’went straight to #1 on the Independent Breakers chart and to #3 on the Scottish Albums chart when it was released in January. An extended version of the album will receive a full release this summer.
 
Throughout their first chapter, Del Amitri released a succession of hits - including ‘Nothing Ever Happens’, ‘Always The Last To Know’ and ‘Roll To Me’ - which became international radio staples, propelling a career that accomplished five UK Top 10 albums and 6 million sales. They reunited for sold-out tours in 2014 and 2018, when core members Justin Currie(vocals/bass) and Iain Harvie (guitar) began writing songs that would form the foundations for ‘Fatal Mistakes’. The line-up is completed by Andy Alston (keys), Kris Dollimore (guitar) and Ash Soan (drums).
 
‘Fatal Mistakes’ will be released on CD, vinyl and digital formats and is available to pre-order here. The Del Amitri official storeoffers a selection of exclusive formats including coloured vinyl and a cassette plus new merch designs. It also offers the five-track CD ‘Outtakes and B-Sides’, which features five unreleased tracks from the ‘Fatal Mistakes’ recording sessions.
 
In addition, Del Amitri have launched a ‘Making Music’ series of videos. The campaign features a wealth of new content, with weekly videos including track-by-track commentary on the new album as well as Currie’s solo versions of the songs. Fans can access the content by pre-ordering ‘Fatal Mistakes’ or by purchasing an exclusive ‘Making Music’ pass.