Latest Feature , Wild flowers , Wildlife & Nature Meadowsweet August 16, 2019 316 Views 14 Comments Over the centuries, meadowsweet has played an important part in our natural remedies, our traditions and our folklore...
History , Latest Feature , Megalithic sites Loch Nell: the Tomb of the Giants and a Serpent Mound July 26, 2019 430 Views 2 Comments Not another chambered cairn! Yes, but this one comes with a twist...
History , Latest Feature , Megalithic sites Greadal Fhinn – a chambered cairn and a Norse burial July 16, 2019 754 Views 6 Comments On a windswept hillside in Ardnamurchan, this ancient grave is linked in local lore with a Viking ruler
Wild flowers , Wildlife & Nature Enchanter’s nightshade July 04, 2019 550 Views 10 Comments Haunting damp, shady places, this shy woodland flower has a spellbinding beauty
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History St Conan’s Kirk June 27, 2019 715 Views 10 Comments Nestling by the side of Loch Awe, this extraordinary church was the vision of 19th century architect Walter Douglas Campbell
British trees , Wildlife & Nature The power of the elder June 21, 2019 1027 Views 14 Comments A guardian of half-forgotten places, the elder's magic is both old and dark...
History Looking for the yew of Easragan May 20, 2019 1025 Views 14 Comments The quiet shores of Loch Etive have an age-old connection with bow-makers and Bannockburn
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History The island of Gigha May 12, 2019 1176 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 1390 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 2889 Views 35 Comments I'm delving into the traditions associated with Britain's trees for this new book to be published by the National Trust
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Saddell Abbey – in the footsteps of Somerled January 08, 2019 3546 Views 28 Comments History? Gravestones? Mysterious phenomena? Appalling weather? Time to go squelching around another ancient ruin!
Latest Feature Festive greetings… December 21, 2018 2442 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 3439 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 8030 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 3555 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 3538 Views 6 Comments Hazel nuts and all kinds of weird and colourful fungi litter the floor of this ancient hazel wood
Wildlife & Nature Piddocks – anything but boring August 21, 2013 29825 Views 140 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 5368 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 4011 Views 51 Comments It's hard to believe that Govan, in the centre of Glasgow, was once the heart of the ancient kingdom of …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History An old graveyard near Callander September 09, 2014 4182 Views 49 Comments On the bank of the River Leny is this lovely old burial ground with a hidden and surprising history...
Latest Feature The Hazel Tree – now on the west coast! January 31, 2018 4305 Views 48 Comments A new home for us, and for The Hazel Tree, on the coast of Argyll
History Scotland’s haunted castles: would you be spooked? October 10, 2013 3458 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 2727 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 , Megalithic sites Temple Wood stone circles, Kilmartin Glen April 25, 2016 2721 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 , Scottish castles Loch Leven Castle November 16, 2014 4221 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 3177 Views 38 Comments Looking like nothing more than a cow byre from the outside, this old church holds an unexpected treasure
History , Megalithic sites Prehistoric rock art at Achnabreck April 05, 2016 29188 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 2889 Views 35 Comments I'm delving into the traditions associated with Britain's trees for this new book to be published by the National Trust
Geology Ossian’s Cave in Glen Coe November 26, 2015 5990 Views 34 Comments Was a legendary warrior born in this dark and inaccessible cave? Age-old stories woven into our landscape often …
Wildlife & Nature Autumn colours in Killiecrankie October 18, 2015 1904 Views 34 Comments Lit by the slanting sun, the woods along the River Garry are burnished with bronze, yellow and gold
British trees , Wildlife & Nature The Scots pine: keeper of the forest February 12, 2014 3846 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 2587 Views 32 Comments This yew tree in a Perthshire churchyard may be 5,000 years old: it's astounding to think how much human …
