Neil McIntosh Editor of The Scotsman

Hello Voornaam,

After the excitement of launching the new-look Scotsman last week, I treated myself to a rare midweek day off and took off up the west coast of Scotland this week, on the Paddle Steamer Waverley (which also featured on the front of last Saturday's Scotsman).

Ahead of that, I wrote a short preview of the trip for our new Passions column, talking about the illicit thrill of taking a "school day" away, and the joy of sailing aboard that fine old steamer. But, even knowing what I was in for, the beauty of the landscapes, as you sail from the Mull of Kintyre up to Oban, still takes your breath away. It was wet and a bit misty further south, but as we headed up through the islands towards the town the weather cleared up, and we were treated to a glorious late evening. We truly are blessed with some spectacular landscapes.

Amid that escape, normal life continued apace, of course. Subscribers this week were particularly interested in John McLellan's column on "signs of realism" from the SNP about a second referendum, and the prospect of a hard border with England. Our analysis of polling data detailing the prospects for the SNP at the next election has also aroused a great deal of interest.

Alexander Brown, our Westminster correspondent, has also been away - he managed to get as far as the US, but his trip there sparked a range of emotions, and the column he wrote on his return has been among our most-read this week. "The extreme and widespread poverty will linger far longer than the bagels," he wrote.

Closer to home, our Scottish state school rankings - released today - are getting a lot of attention. We've got the 18 best-performing state schools in Scotland, and in the days ahead will be offering further analysis of the data we've gathered.

And in tomorrow's Scotsman, alongside the news, analysis, commentary, sport and more, you'll find the usual array of brilliant arts coverage, including Ken Walton's preview of the new Scottish Opera season, Alan Massie on Sally Magnusson's new book, Alistair Harkness on the movies Master Gardener and The Little Mermaid, and Susan Mansfield on the Duncan of Jordanstone Degree Show.

It's a spread of arts coverage which, although a regular in the Scotsman, is entirely unmatched elsewhere. I hope you enjoy that, and your weekend.

Neil McIntosh

Editor, The Scotsman

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