Superfast Broadband Reaches Glenshee; Sheep Immediately Start a Podcast
7,600 rural homes now online, ending centuries of residents having to 'just go and talk to each other'.
A Glenshee sheep records episode one, titled 'Grass: The Untold Story'.
GLENSHEE — Faster, more reliable broadband has now reached more than 7,600 hard-to-reach homes and businesses in Perth and Kinross, under the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% programme, and the consequences in some of the region’s remotest glens have already been profound.
In Glenshee, where internet access once required standing on a specific rock while holding a phone aloft “like the Statue of Liberty”, residents have reacted to the arrival of full fibre with a mix of joy, bewilderment, and a sudden interest in true crime documentaries.
“For thirty years, if I wanted to send an email, I drove to Blairgowrie,” said farmer Euan Robertson, 58. “Now I can stream in 4K. I watched a whole series about Icelandic fishermen on Tuesday. I didn’t need to. I just could.”
Local livestock appear to have adapted fastest. A group of Blackface ewes near the Spittal of Glenshee have launched a podcast, Baa-sically Speaking, which has already attracted over 40,000 downloads, mostly from other sheep.
“The episodes are long,” admitted one listener. “Ninety minutes of chewing, followed by a guest segment where they all stare at a fence. But honestly? It’s very calming.”
Elsewhere, the rollout is changing village life. In Dunning, residents who used to gather in the pub to complain about the internet now sit at home and complain about it online. In Errol, the community council’s monthly meeting has moved to Zoom, where it lasted only nine minutes before someone’s camera revealed they were in the bath.
“Connection brings people together,” said R100 enthusiast and Meigle resident Fiona Pratt, 47. “My neighbour and I haven’t spoken in person since July. But we’ve been messaging constantly. Mostly about who’s hogging the bandwidth.”
At press time, the Glenshee sheep had secured a sponsorship deal with a regional turnip supplier.
The real story: R100 programme brings faster broadband to 7,600+ hard-to-reach Perth and Kinross properties (Openreach, Oct 2026)
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