Columnist

Holyrood Notebook by Ariane Burgess

Readers of the John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier share news and appeals this week.

We all have the ability to make new connections, says our columnist.

LOOKING BACK: There were reports of opposition but 100 years ago the Groat reported how our MP was ultimately appointed unopposed.

Holyrood Notebook: Edward Mountain questions the rush to electrify the nation without fully assessing the damage

OUT AND ABOUT WITH RALPH: A visit to the magnificent Rackwick Bay on Hoy to revisit a classic circuit of the high hills

Peter Evans returns to Glen Torridon to climb one of those ‘missing’ hills that got away

Weather Watch by Keith Banks

Even parenthood can be joyous for many, up to one in five women may struggle with mental health while pregnant, or within a year of giving birth.

LOOKING BACK: A 25lb cod was found in a former seawater pumphouse at the site – but the Groat report from 1999 said it was not a radioactive mutation

Louise Sinclair, vice chair of Caithness Chamber of Commerce and general manager at Sinclair Bay Subsea, reflects on the change at John O’Groats

Holyrood Notebook by Maree Todd

She says ‘I hope that proposed refinancing solutions can ensure the long-term sustainability of the club’.

John Davidson enjoys a weekend of mountain bike leadership learning in Pitlochry as he hones his riding for the future

The Real Mackay by Dan Mackay

Readers of the John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier share their opinions in our letters each week

As well as dealing with the immediate effects of drugs and alcohol we should support the efforts to tackle the underlying causes, says our columnist.

News from the John O’Groat Journal of yesteryear

Heading to Westray’s highest hill on the way to Hoy, it’s a race against the wind and rain

He says ‘the SNP government has spent every one of its 17 years in power trying and failing to address the issue of delayed discharge’.