I’ve been in Scotland for three months doing an international artist residency at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Speyside, situated in the Scottish Highlands. My friend Ross Blainey introduced me to curator of the program, Andy Fairgave who has run the program for over 25 years, hosting over a hundred artists including Australian artists including Joan Ross and Stanislava Pinchuk. The distillery has Balvenie Castle right behind it – a very famous ruins site – as well as three Highland cows that attract regular visitors. They have been my neighbours and are always waiting by the fence for a little human interaction.
Where to stay
I’m staying on site at the distillery, but The Craigellachie Hotel in Speyside is a must if you’re in the area. Dating back to 1703, it’s a beautifully put together B&B, and makes an ideal base for anyone exploring the region.
Where to eat
I’m vegan and didn’t do a whole lot of research into what to expect upon arriving. I kept stumbling across lots of different farmhouse cafes mainly on highways – you can’t really visit Scotland without a car. Many of the best food spots aren’t where you’d expect and especially in the Highlands some of the best gems were at Fyvie Castles. This spot also has a really interesting tour, Knockandoo Wool Mill, which has some of the oldest looms in Scotland.
A must visit is The Croft Inn – a Thai restaurant which specialises in homegrown produce and is run out of a home overlooking the most breathtaking Highland Hills.
Another obsession of mine was the sandwiches at Sister Midnight Glasgow, located further abroad in Glasgow. Their cafe is merged with Ripe Mags which has an amazing selection of fashion mags – I bought the new Buffalo Magazine while I was there.
Stereo Glasgow was an entirely vegan restaurant, and every meal here was so delicious and interesting – from banana blossom tacos to salt and chilli enoki mushrooms with gochujang and miso ketchup.
What to do
A highlight for me was visiting the V&A Dundee and seeing their temporary exhibition, Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show, which is on until January 17, 2027.
A scenic spot on the coast of the Highlands is Bow Fiddle Rock, right near a small town called Cullen. The rock and its surrounds are so picturesque and make you feel like you’re in the dinosaur ages – probably my favourite spot to take 1000 photos of flowers, hills, rocks and water.
There is a bunch of antique shops in Cullen, where I bought a bunch of really special brooches and some weird books.
If you’re near Glasgow, a gallery I particularly loved for its architecture was the Burrell Collection – its collection was relatively random but the way it was curated and pieced together made complete sense and also had a really nice cafe to sit down for hours and enjoy the scenic view.
More photos from Gogos' residency, below:
