The Inverness to Kyle rail line is to undergo a three week, four-point-five-million-pound refurbishment programme in the autumn.
The line, which is one of the most scenic railway journeys in the country, serves as a vital transport link for remote Highland communities, but is also a key route for tourists exploring the region.
The project will see around four and a half miles of track upgraded between Achnashellach and Strathcarron with worn rails, sleepers and ballast being replaced.
The line will be closed between Dingwall and Kyle for the duration of the works and ScotRail will provide details of alternative transport nearer to the time.
Isaac Baptist, from Gairloch, and Anndra Cumming, from Laide, are two of the talented young musicians set to hit the road on the 2025 Fèis Rois Cèilidh Trail.
They and fourteen fellow musicians have spent this week on an intensive training programme, and will
will now form three dynamic bands touring Scotland, providing a summer of music, song and dance.
A lucky few will also travel to Lorient, France, to represent Scotland at the world-renowned Festival Interceltique de Lorient, sharing Scotland’s vibrant cultural traditions on an international stage.
The tour ends on 9th August with a finale concert at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness.
Extra investment to tackle NHS waiting times is expected to deliver more than 300,000 appointments and procedures this year.
Additional funding of over one hundred million pounds was committed in the 2025-26 Budget and a further four million, specifically for Dermatology, was announced this week.
A proportion of the funding will also support cancer activity and provide critical support services including pathology, diagnostic reporting and pre-assessment.
And in the football …..
Ross County has a home match in the Premier Sports Scottish League Cup against Partick Thistle.
If County wins the match outright, or by way of a penalty shoot-out after a draw, it will finish at the top of its group and will qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament. The match is being televised live on Premier Player.
Inverness Caley Thistle's possible progression to the knockout stages is more complicated because it may depend on the results of other matches, both in its group and in other groups, but it needs to win its away game against Raith Rovers to have any real chance of qualifying.
Both games kick off at 3 o'clock this afternoon.
