First Scotland atlas for sale

A 362-year-old copy of the first ever atlas of Scotland is expected to fetch up to £7,000 when it goes under the hammer.

The book was published in 1659 and contains 49 hand-coloured maps covering the whole of Scotland as well as six maps of Ireland.

It will be among the highlights of Lyon & Turnbull’s sale of rare books in Edinburgh this month.

Scotland is set to be lashed by hurricane-force winds today as the cold weather eases its grip.

CalMac ferry services will be subject to cancellations or delay as the west coast is hit by winds of up to 80mph.

A weather warning is also in place for mainland Scotland because of the rare phenomenon of “freezing rain”, where downpours turn to ice the instant they hit the ground.

Forecasters say this will produce “treacherous” conditions on some roads and could lead to a spate of accidents.

Becky Mitchell of the Met Office said: “Scotland is in for a very busy day of weather on Sunday. It’s going to be exceptionallywindy on the west coast but even the mainland could see gusts of 40-45mph.

“Then we have the risk from ice for drivers and pedestrians. Freezing rain is not something we see very often in the UK and it can be very dangerous.

“Sunday won’t be cold enough for snow but mild air in the west will meet very cold air in the east, which is why we might see freezing rain.”

But the good news is that a thaw will begin from tonight, with the weather becoming milder into next week.

Tomorrow will be much milder, with a maximum temperature of 10˚C.