Hay’s Way: How to sign up to The Scotsman’s rural affairs newsletter

This newsletter tells you stories about rural Scotland through the lens of the people I meet who are living within it. 

I set off in March on Hay’s Way, a walking trip around the country to meet with communities in person, to understand a bit more about the places The Scotsman writes about.

Katharine Hay writes the Hay's Way newsletter each week | NationalWorld

This newsletter, which is free to sign up to, is a bit like a diary about my travels. 

What’s included? 

I include some personal anecdotes about what it’s like walking and camping my way around the country, with the occasional stop over in an inexpensive inn or hostel. 

But the newsletter is mainly made up of a few stories and a picture to illustrate the different places I visit along the way.

As an example, in recent weeks I have been walking and camping along Scotland’s popular tourist route - the North Coast 500 - to hear about what it’s like living near it, and how the influx of tourism is impacting the region, both good and bad. 

Camping near Glencoe | Katharine Hay

Meeting with residents and visitors alike along the route has thrown up conversations and stories about tourism, the environment, travel and the socio-economic challenges rural communities face.

But it wouldn’t be a diary about walking around Scotland without some humour thrown in. A lot of what has kept me going through what has been Scotland’s wettest summer on record - a great year to choose to do this - has been the laughs had with locals along the way, which I also aim to share each week. 

As rural affairs correspondent, I continue to cover this increasingly important topic, from innovative practices in farming, to exclusives on those involved in land management, to how government policy impacts some of Scotland’s rural sector, including forestry and fishing, which you can find on The Scotsman under Hay’s Way. 

But this newsletter has a bit more of a personal touch by bringing stories to you from the people on the ground who don’t always make the headlines, but still give you insight into what goes on in rural Scotland. 

From stories about a gambler-turned Buddhist monk in Dumfries and Galloway, to visiting the world's shortest street in Caithness, to accidentally sleeping on a radioactive beach, to walking through 'windfarm alley', rural Scotland only continues to surprise me every day, which you can read all about signing up here.

It’s really easy to sign up - simply go to the ‘newsletters’ tab on The Scotsman’s website and click on the option to sign up to the Hay’s Way weekly newsletter.