British trees , Wildlife & Nature Wild cherry: the last snow of spring April 19, 2019 370 Views 10 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 1894 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 2555 Views 28 Comments History? Gravestones? Mysterious phenomena? Appalling weather? Time to go squelching around another ancient ruin!
Latest Feature Festive greetings… December 21, 2018 1653 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 2533 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 7176 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 2810 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 2764 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 3059 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 3680 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 5047 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 3583 Views 8 Comments Memories linger around this old abandoned settlement in Knapdale
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Kilmartin church and graveyard July 24, 2018 4399 Views 6 Comments In March we braved the wet weather to inspect medieval carved stones in Kilmartin Glen...
History Walking to the Field of the Heads July 10, 2018 3862 Views 16 Comments A quiet bay, a boggy field, and an ancient battle remembered only in a place-name...
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History The old chapel of Kilvaree June 24, 2018 5184 Views 18 Comments Almost at the end of the Craignish peninsula is this lovely old ruined chapel with links to St Maelrubha of …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History St Bride’s: a history worth saving June 20, 2018 4428 Views 8 Comments Plans are afoot to restore this lovely old McKinlay graveyard by the River Teith
Wildlife & Nature Piddocks – anything but boring August 21, 2013 26052 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 4904 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 3351 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 4055 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 3497 Views 43 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 3046 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 2422 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 2320 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 3391 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 2741 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 28750 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 1894 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 …
Geology Ossian’s Cave in Glen Coe November 26, 2015 4914 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 1685 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 3379 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 2246 Views 32 Comments This yew tree in a Perthshire churchyard may be 5,000 years old: it's astounding to think how much human …
