British trees , Latest Feature , Wildlife & Nature The power of the elder June 21, 2019 411 Views 12 Comments A guardian of half-forgotten places, the elder's magic is both old and dark...
History , Latest Feature Looking for the yew of Easragan May 20, 2019 617 Views 14 Comments The quiet shores of Loch Etive have an age-old connection with bow-makers and Bannockburn
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History , Latest Feature The island of Gigha May 12, 2019 740 Views 10 Comments Memories of Viking longships haunt this tiny island of windswept sandy bays and cryptic stones
British trees , Wildlife & Nature Wild cherry: the last snow of spring April 19, 2019 1010 Views 12 Comments One of our most beautiful flowering trees is "wearing white for Eastertide"...
Wildlife & Nature An exciting new project: a book about Britain’s trees January 21, 2019 2499 Views 35 Comments I'm delving into the traditions and natural remedies associated with Britain's trees, as I work on a book to be …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Saddell Abbey – in the footsteps of Somerled January 08, 2019 3141 Views 28 Comments History? Gravestones? Mysterious phenomena? Appalling weather? Time to go squelching around another ancient ruin!
Latest Feature Festive greetings… December 21, 2018 2119 Views 25 Comments Sending you the warmest of wishes on the winter solstice
Carved crosses , Churches, abbeys and chapels , History The secrets of St Cormac November 05, 2018 3030 Views 19 Comments On Eilean Mor in the MacCormaig Isles I found a chapel, a cross, a hermit's cave... and an intriguing mystery
History Rock art at Ormaig October 18, 2018 7668 Views 21 Comments Intriguing symbols and patterns, possibly over 5,000 years old, are etched into a hillside overlooking Loch Craignish...
History , Wildlife & Nature The road to Loch Avich October 06, 2018 3255 Views 14 Comments A back road through glorious autumn countryside... leading eventually to Loch Avich and the 'Castle of the Red-haired Girl'
Wildlife & Nature Back to Ballachuan September 10, 2018 3206 Views 6 Comments Hazel nuts and all kinds of weird and colourful fungi litter the floor of this ancient hazel wood
History The dark mill of Coilebar August 25, 2018 3491 Views 6 Comments A centuries-old mill in the heart of Knapdale Forest... and a refuge for a woman fleeing for her life
Carved crosses , History From Arichonan to Kilmory Oib August 20, 2018 4148 Views 8 Comments Near this ruined village in Knapdale Forest, clear waters run beneath a cross-carved stone...
History Tarbert – the ‘place of portage’ August 12, 2018 5498 Views 8 Comments 900 years ago, Magnus Barefoot saw this quiet harbour as a means to an end...
History Silent voices of Arichonan August 08, 2018 4018 Views 8 Comments Memories linger around this old abandoned settlement in Knapdale
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Kilmartin church and graveyard July 24, 2018 4895 Views 6 Comments In March we braved the wet weather to inspect medieval carved stones in Kilmartin Glen...
Wildlife & Nature Piddocks – anything but boring August 21, 2013 28170 Views 139 Comments Have you ever found a pebble on the sea shore with a perfect hole drilled in it? Do …
Wildlife & Nature The whirlpool of Corryvreckan July 07, 2012 5223 Views 105 Comments Between the islands of Jura and Scarba, a natural phenomenon of the most dangerous kind lies in wait for mariners …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History The Govan Stones April 29, 2015 3723 Views 51 Comments It's hard to believe that Govan, in the centre of Glasgow, was once the heart of the ancient kingdom of …
Latest Feature The Hazel Tree – now on the west coast! January 31, 2018 4193 Views 48 Comments A new home for us, and for The Hazel Tree, on the coast of Argyll
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History An old graveyard near Callander September 09, 2014 3856 Views 45 Comments On the bank of the River Leny is this lovely old burial ground with a hidden and surprising history...
History Scotland’s haunted castles: would you be spooked? October 10, 2013 3264 Views 40 Comments Let's face it - no castle is complete without a spooky tale of the paranormal. Whatever you believe, …
History Culross Palace: glowing with splendour June 14, 2016 2580 Views 39 Comments Its walls the colour of saffron, Culross Palace beckons you into a 17th-century world of cobbled streets and quaint townhouses …
History , Scottish castles Loch Leven Castle November 16, 2014 3868 Views 38 Comments A Scottish queen held captive on a tiny island… hope, fear and loss… and a daring bid for freedom. …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History St Mary’s Church, Grandtully December 15, 2015 2976 Views 38 Comments Looking like nothing more than a cow byre from the outside, this old church holds an unexpected treasure
History , Megalithic sites Temple Wood stone circles, Kilmartin Glen April 25, 2016 2533 Views 38 Comments We might have forgotten what went on there, but we're still drawn to stone circles like moths to a flame …
History , Megalithic sites Prehistoric rock art at Achnabreck April 05, 2016 28983 Views 37 Comments Who carved these intriguing symbols, and why? If there's wisdom in beauty, we can surely glimpse it here …
Wildlife & Nature An exciting new project: a book about Britain’s trees January 21, 2019 2499 Views 35 Comments I'm delving into the traditions and natural remedies associated with Britain's trees, as I work on a book to be …
Wildlife & Nature Autumn colours in Killiecrankie October 18, 2015 1796 Views 34 Comments Lit by the slanting sun, the woods along the River Garry are burnished with bronze, yellow and gold
Geology Ossian’s Cave in Glen Coe November 26, 2015 5486 Views 34 Comments Was a legendary warrior born in this dark and inaccessible cave? Age-old stories woven into our landscape often …
British trees , Wildlife & Nature The Scots pine: keeper of the forest February 12, 2014 3656 Views 33 Comments Continuing my series on British trees, we're heading up into the Highlands to stand beneath a beautiful Scots pine...
Wildlife & Nature The Fortingall Yew: symbol of eternity March 26, 2014 2419 Views 32 Comments This yew tree in a Perthshire churchyard may be 5,000 years old: it's astounding to think how much human …
