Latest news with #Rabbie's
Scotsman
01-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Edinburgh is making history – but success is being taken for granted
A view over the City of London skyline including the 'Square Mile', above – figures show Edinburgh has overtaken London in terms of GDP per capita (Picture:) One of the most remarkable stories in modern UK history broke recently and it was about Edinburgh. You may have missed it, but as council leader Jane Meagher wrote in her Evening News column last week, Edinburgh overtook London in terms of GDP per capita. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... That's a technical phrase, but what it means is that the value of goods and services generated by each Edinburgh resident is now higher in Edinburgh than London. That's not just a remarkable achievement, it's little short of miraculous. London is one of the best and biggest cities in the world. It's been an economic powerhouse in the UK over generations and for Edinburgh to overtake London is stunning. Unfortunately Edinburgh's success is seldom celebrated. Even in the City Chambers where politicians of all parties could take credit for the public policy success that Edinburgh is, there's always more likely to be a row and criticism. Politics, alas, doesn't celebrate success. The constant juggling for position and fighting elections leaves little space for reflecting on what works and why. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 40 years ago – not a long time in the city's history – Edinburgh wasn't a success. It was a dull provincial city, famous for its gap sites. It came alive for the Festival and little else. Edinburgh only had two international flights – Amsterdam and Dublin. City residents had to escape on holiday via Newcastle or Glasgow. Edinburgh now carries more passengers than Newcastle and Glasgow combined. Edinburgh has become a year-round tourism destination on a par with any in Europe, and that extra income and jobs played a key role in Edinburgh's success. Indeed, when some of the most expensive city office space came on the market recently, it was occupied not by a bank or a legal firm, but by a tourism business. Rabbie's is one of the tourism successes that are helping drive up incomes and those GDP figures. The Hawksmoor Restaurant just over the road from my office was in the news a few years back for offering table staff jobs at £32,000 a year. Contrary to popular belief tourism jobs are real jobs and jobs that make good career choices for increasing numbers of residents. That Edinburgh residents live longer, healthier and wealthier lives than ever before is a cause for celebration. Does that mean we can just sit back with out feet on the table? Well, no. As the spate of recent drug deaths in the city centre shows, even Edinburgh faces challenges ensuring that everyone can share in the amazing quality of life that the city has to offer. Edinburgh is a public policy success. It's the engine helping drive growth and prosperity in and across Scotland. Just don't expect that to be understood, let alone acknowledged or often supported – the new supercomputer is a welcome and rare exception. Edinburgh residents should take great pride in what's been achieved. The efforts of ordinary residents working in the council, banks and finance companies, academics and all those who have built year round tourism in a city more than a little off the beaten trail has made Edinburgh successful. History was made this week. Edinburgh isn't just the best city in Britain, now it's the most successful one (pound for pound) as well. And that success was made in Edinburgh. Donald Anderson is Director of Playfair Scotland
The Herald Scotland
24-06-2025
- The Herald Scotland
I found cave homes with a Star Wars vibe on my travels
I could spend my life gazing at the wonders in this treasure house: the wild works of Hieronymous Bosch, Bruegel the Elder, Goya and El Greco. But Andalusia was calling. We were adventuring with Rabbie's Tours - the gem of Scotland's travel industry. Rabbie's sets you up with a personal driver and guide. Read More: It's a unique experience, providing all the coolness and off-the-beaten-track surprise of independent travel, whilst making sure that you don't do any of the hard work. Our guide Violetta was like a charming Google, a personal storyteller dispensing info about local history or where to get the best lunch. Our driver Paolo made sure we were always where we needed to be without even having to think about it. By the end of a Rabbie's tour, your driver and guide feel like old friends and you'll be sad to say goodbye. This Andalusian adventure focused on food, culture and history, taking us from Roman ruins to Moorish monuments via the windmills of Don Quixote and bars and restaurants serving some of the best produce and wine you'll find in Spain. We began by travelling to the magnificent medieval city of Toledo. Set on a stunning hilltop, Toledo commands majestic views of the Tajo River. In the distance, the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada sparkle. One of the great joys of this holiday was staying in Cordoba, full of winding back streets amid whitewashed houses with pretty painted doors. It's home to La Mezquita, a grand and stately mosque, built when Spain was ruled by the Moors. In Andalusia the past constantly crashes up against the present, as Moorish and Christian influences weave together in architecture, music and cuisine. Andalusia (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) From Cordoba you can venture to the mountain fortress of La Mota, like a set from the movie El Cid. It was commanded by Christian forces during the long series of religious wars with Muslim Arabs, known as the Reconquista or the Reconquest. On your travels through Andalusia, make sure to visit the windmills of La Mancha, where Cervantes wrote of Don Quixote battling against modernity. The windmills sit on vertiginous hills overlooking the sprawling Spanish plain, stretching to horizon's end. Granada was the pearl of this tour. We stayed in a stunning hotel, right beside the famed Alhambra Palace. It was like living in a scene lifted from the pages of the Arabian Nights. Read More: It's a place of romance. At night, my wife and I sat on our balcony carved into the mountainside, surrounded by pines as the moon shone through the leaves. Make sure to take a whole day for the Alhambra. You won't be disappointed. It's a Xanadu. In Granada check out Telefonica, near the city's main square, for hip new twists on classic Andalusian food. From Granada we explored the strange little town of Guadix, comprised of caves, dug into the hills, and still inhabited. I spent a curious morning in the home of one elderly resident who saw me marvelling at his cave and invited me inside. The cave homes - which date back to Roman times but have a very Star Wars vibe - maintain a constant cool temperature in summer or winter. Next we ventured to the mountaintop town of Ronda, a place beloved by the likes of Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway. You can see its appeal to Hemingway. At the heart of the town, sits an iconic bullring. I had some of the best food of my holiday here and will be back. I could spend a week in this gorgeous, romantic and historic little town. On our way to Seville, we took a detour to Almazara olive oil farm built by the designer Philippe Starck. The factory is shaped like a Picasso bull. It's an extraordinary place where olive oil is treated with the same reverence as the finest bottle of champagne. I brought a few litres back and it's damn good. Our hotel in Seville overlooked the city's Parliament in the funky Macarena district. This city throbs with life, and the highlight for me was a visit to an authentic back-street flamenco bar. It wasn't some phoney tourist spot, but where folk from Seville go for a night time fix of sexy, sweaty, visceral music and dance. After two nights in Madrid and six spent travelling Andalusia, our adventure was to end in Portugal. We crossed the border and travelled to Tavira on the Algarve. With ceramics so integral to Portuguese culture, you can pick up some gorgeous bargains here. Then it was on to Lisbon, our final destination. I love this gutsy and very real city. It's earthy and honest and as friendly as Glasgow at its best. In Lisbon, please do not leave without trying the food at a little restaurant called Sto. This place has turned food into story-telling. Your Portuguese tasting menu is like an historic and cultural tour of the country. The sardines were stunning. The Vinho Verde the best I've ever drank, and the service impeccable. Like many folk, I've been to Spain a lot, though always as an independent traveller and usually to the big cities like Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid. Andalusia (Image: PA) I thought I knew Spain. I didn't. This tour took me into the real heart of Spain. I met real people in real towns where tourists seldom tread and fell in love with places I'd never heard of but will return to often. My only concern is that I'm becoming somewhat addicted to Rabbie's tours. I want adventure and experience, and I don't want to be near those crowds of tourists all doing the same thing with an iPhone stuck to their face. But here's a confession: I'm now of an age where organising and executing that kind of holiday simply takes too much time. So I just let my mates at Rabbie's do all that for me, while I sit back in the lap of luxury and do what's good for the soul: make wonderful new memories that will last me a lifetime. Neil travelled with Rabbie's Tours. For more information and details of prices go to
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tourist attraction shut nearly as often as open
A Northern Ireland tourist attraction which has received millions for repairs and maintenance has been closed nearly as many days as it has open in the past decade. The Gobbins Cliff Path in Islandmagee, County Antrim reopened to the public in 2015. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has spent about £4.3m since 2017 on repairs to the path, which has faced prolonged closures due to rockfalls, storm damage, planned works and inspections. A council spokesperson said the attraction is "projected to beak even" within five years of of a planned major revamp, which will mark "an important milestone in its long-term sustainability". The Gobbins first opened in 1902, designed by the engineer Berkeley Deane Wise. The cliff walk, made up of a series of bridges, paths and tunnels, had fallen into disrepair by the 1950s but a £7.5m investment saw it open again in 2015. Since 2015 the attraction has been shut for a combined 1,624 days, or about 46% of the time, according to figures released to the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act. The longest closure was for over a year from 19 June 2016 until 30 June 2017. A Scottish based company that offers tours of Northern Ireland said while they promote the Gobbins on their website, they haven't included it on tours due to its "unreliable" opening. Heather Rennie-McGill, director of marketing and sales at Rabbie's, said the Gobbins has "real potential" as a "unique attraction". "If we're selling tours six to twelve months out for customers, and something like this would be a key highlight because the tour lasts two and half to three hours which is a big chunk of a day, we'd need reliability," she said. "We can't include things in our itineraries where it would be taken out at the last minute." The path is currently closed due to a recent rockfall, the cost of repairs for which is not known. Mid and East Antrim Council have said they are not able to provide figures on spending on the path before 2017. The BBC has previously reported that essential maintenance costing £400,000 was carried out to fix the access path after damage caused by Storm Frank in 2015, with an additional £1.6m allocated for scaling works ahead of the 2017 season. This suggests that at least £5.6m has been spent to maintain the tourist attraction since it reopened. Mother and daughter Isabella and Léa Petit Boyer had hoped to visit the path during a week-long trip to Northern Ireland but were disappointed. "It's a shame that we can't see this cliff," Léa said. "We first wanted to do the Gobbins Cliff Path because first of all the coast is really wonderful, [and] it's a great tourist attraction." Stephen Weir, an Islandmagee resident said he and his wife had hoped to visit the path for his 60th birthday but couldn't due to it being closed. "It seems to be a regular occurrence," he said. "Hopefully it will be open and we'll get to do it later on in year but you'd think coming in to the summer season... now would be the time that it would be open." Stephen also questioned the economic viability of the site. "In theory it's a brilliant idea to get round there and see the birds and all that in their natural habitat but I mean especially in the current economic climate, I mean do we really need to spend all that money if it's not working?" Stephen Henry, who also lives in the borough, said he thinks the path is a "waste of money". "The rates are paying for it and it's for a service that's never open." He said that he had been to do the tour on a previous occasion when it was open. "It's nice to look at, there's no doubt about it. "But is it value for money? Probably not." Last year, Mid and east Antrim Borough Council announced an investment in the Gobbins of £13.5m, with £12.6 million coming from the Belfast Region City Deal. The plans include a new 60m-high staircase, a rope bridge and new cliff-top welcome hub. The current visitor centre is located a five minute drive from the path, with tours accessing the path via a shuttle bus service from the centre. The spending also includes plans to create a new virtual reality offering at the existing visitor centre for those who cannot access the path. A council spokesperson said that once completed, "the Phase II development is expected to deliver substantial economic and tourism benefits, including 245,000 cliff path visitor numbers annually, driving substantial growth in the local economy". White-knuckle cliff walk reopens Aerial view of restored Gobbins path Gobbins coastal path closed again
BBC News
12-04-2025
- BBC News
Gobbins path: NI tourist attraction shut nearly as often as open
A Northern Ireland tourist attraction which has received millions for repairs and maintenance has been closed nearly as many days as it has open in the past Gobbins Cliff Path in Islandmagee, County Antrim reopened to the public in and East Antrim Borough Council has spent about £4.3m since 2017 on repairs to the path, which has faced prolonged closures due to rockfalls, storm damage, planned works and inspections.A council spokesperson said the attraction is "projected to beak even" within five years of of a planned major revamp, which will mark "an important milestone in its long-term sustainability". The Gobbins first opened in 1902, designed by the engineer Berkeley Deane cliff walk, made up of a series of bridges, paths and tunnels, had fallen into disrepair by the 1950s but a £7.5m investment saw it open again in 2015. Since 2015 the attraction has been shut for a combined 1,624 days, or about 46% of the time, according to figures released to the BBC under the Freedom of Information longest closure was for over a year from 19 June 2016 until 30 June 2017. A Scottish based company that offers tours of Northern Ireland said while they promote the Gobbins on their website, they haven't included it on tours due to its "unreliable" Rennie-McGill, director of marketing and sales at Rabbie's, said the Gobbins has "real potential" as a "unique attraction". "If we're selling tours six to twelve months out for customers, and something like this would be a key highlight because the tour lasts two and half to three hours which is a big chunk of a day, we'd need reliability," she said."We can't include things in our itineraries where it would be taken out at the last minute."The path is currently closed due to a recent rockfall, the cost of repairs for which is not and East Antrim Council have said they are not able to provide figures on spending on the path before 2017. The BBC has previously reported that essential maintenance costing £400,000 was carried out to fix the access path after damage caused by Storm Frank in 2015, with an additional £1.6m allocated for scaling works ahead of the 2017 suggests that at least £5.6m has been spent to maintain the tourist attraction since it reopened. Mother and daughter Isabella and Léa Petit Boyer had hoped to visit the path during a week-long trip to Northern Ireland but were disappointed."It's a shame that we can't see this cliff," Léa said."We first wanted to do the Gobbins Cliff Path because first of all the coast is really wonderful, [and] it's a great tourist attraction." Stephen Weir, an Islandmagee resident said he and his wife had hoped to visit the path for his 60th birthday but couldn't due to it being closed."It seems to be a regular occurrence," he said. "Hopefully it will be open and we'll get to do it later on in year but you'd think coming in to the summer season... now would be the time that it would be open."Stephen also questioned the economic viability of the site. "In theory it's a brilliant idea to get round there and see the birds and all that in their natural habitat but I mean especially in the current economic climate, I mean do we really need to spend all that money if it's not working?" Stephen Henry, who also lives in the borough, said he thinks the path is a "waste of money"."The rates are paying for it and it's for a service that's never open."He said that he had been to do the tour on a previous occasion when it was open."It's nice to look at, there's no doubt about it."But is it value for money? Probably not." Planned expansion of the Gobbins Last year, Mid and east Antrim Borough Council announced an investment in the Gobbins of £13.5m, with £12.6 million coming from the Belfast Region City plans include a new 60m-high staircase, a rope bridge and new cliff-top welcome current visitor centre is located a five minute drive from the path, with tours accessing the path via a shuttle bus service from the spending also includes plans to create a new virtual reality offering at the existing visitor centre for those who cannot access the path.A council spokesperson said that once completed, "the Phase II development is expected to deliver substantial economic and tourism benefits, including 245,000 cliff path visitor numbers annually, driving substantial growth in the local economy".
