History Latest Feature Megalithic sites Diarmuid and Grainne: a boar hunt and a tragic love story in Glen Lonan
History , Scottish castles Blackness Castle July 22, 2017 2171 Views 16 Comments There's nothing romantic about this castle on the Firth of Forth: armed to the teeth, with walls 18 feet …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Kilbride Kirk, Lerags July 04, 2017 2359 Views 23 Comments In this mossy graveyard close to Loch Feochan, many generations of MacDougalls have been laid to rest
Carved crosses , History The Lerags Cross July 02, 2017 1287 Views 17 Comments Standing beside the road to Lerags in Argyll is this beautiful late medieval cross
Photography Windows: Dunfermline Abbey March 09, 2017 2085 Views 19 Comments The third in my photo-series is this beautiful stained glass window by Douglas Strachan in the old nave of Dunfermline …
Catkins Purdey's PAWS Awards 2017 – the Results! February 27, 2017 781 Views 5 Comments Who will snatch the Golden Fir Cone this year? The results are in!
History , Megalithic sites Clava Cairns February 25, 2017 2304 Views 0 Comment Rays from the midwinter sunset filter into the deep heart of these passage graves, built 4,000 years ago in northern …
Photography Windows: Old Castle Lachlan February 04, 2017 929 Views 0 Comment Something to brighten a rainy day… the view from a window in Old Castle Lachlan on Loch Fyne. This is …
Photography Windows: Edinburgh Castle January 27, 2017 1602 Views 0 Comment It’s about time I started another photography theme, and the next one I’ve chosen is ‘Windows’. This one is in …
History Culloden: field of sorrow January 23, 2017 1870 Views 0 Comment Remembering a fateful day in Scotland's history, this is one of the most evocative places I've ever been
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Melrose Abbey January 09, 2017 1845 Views 0 Comment Scotland's first Cistercian monastery, Melrose still has an air of faded opulence
Catkins Purdey's PAWS Awards 2017 January 05, 2017 773 Views 0 Comment Which of these talented little starlets will win the coveted Golden Fir Cone this year? It's time to cast …
British trees , Wildlife & Nature The song of the aspen December 05, 2016 1788 Views 0 Comment Fluttering on impossibly slender stalks, aspen leaves whisper a message that seems to flow from the Earth itself
History , Scottish castles Smailholm Tower November 13, 2016 1645 Views 0 Comment A 'peel tower' in the Scottish Borders, basking in the autumn sunshine and remembering a colourful history of reiving
Poetry ‘All nature has a feeling’ by John Clare October 30, 2016 3385 Views 0 Comment These lovely words by John Clare remind us of the true essence of autumn
History , Scottish castles Old Castle Lachlan: loyalty and loss October 23, 2016 2636 Views 0 Comment Ghosts of horses tend to come in different guises, some of them benevolent and some of them more inclined towards …
Photography Autumn in Glen Garry October 20, 2016 839 Views 0 Comment Taken by Colin on 17th October on the road that leads west through Glen Garry to Kinloch Hourn. He …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Dryburgh Abbey September 11, 2015 2045 Views 23 Comments The pink sandstone ruins of Dryburgh Abbey stand in their own little pool of time, listening for the gentle chant …
British trees , Wildlife & Nature The holly bears the crown November 26, 2013 2840 Views 23 Comments Glowing with colour when the year is at its darkest, holly was once thought to symbolise immortality. It's pretty …
Uncategorized What’s this? August 12, 2013 1068 Views 23 Comments This time my quiz is short and sweet – tell me what this is! Extra clues: it measures about 5 …
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History St Brendan and the Garvellachs February 24, 2012 1888 Views 22 Comments St Brendan and the Garvellachs sounds like an Irish folk group… and in a way, that's what they were! …
History , Megalithic sites The Devil’s Arrows: shafts of darkness August 12, 2015 1899 Views 22 Comments The people who put up these standing stones in North Yorkshire were obviously thinking big - but what on earth …
Wildlife & Nature Trees of winter January 02, 2016 1039 Views 22 Comments On a New Year's Day walk, the sound of the wind in the trees reminded me of these words by …
History The Fairy Flag of Dunvegan August 07, 2013 2170 Views 22 Comments It's 1580, you're in an advancing army and you see the MacLeods on the other side start to unfurl their …
British trees , Wildlife & Nature A wand of hazel February 20, 2015 4165 Views 22 Comments For their valuable source of food and their versatile building material, hazel trees have been prized since the dawn of …
History Dunadd: behold the king! June 14, 2015 2350 Views 21 Comments This low rocky hill in the south of Kilmartin Glen was once the setting for royal ceremonies that shaped the …
History , Megalithic sites The Ballymeanoch stones, Kilmartin Glen March 13, 2016 2155 Views 21 Comments Clad in silvery garlands of lichen, these stones have been casting long shadows in Kilmartin Glen for thousands of years …
History Mons Meg: a damsel of destruction December 08, 2015 1673 Views 21 Comments No one could ever accuse James II of being under-equipped. Take a look at the ultimate in big boys' …
Catkins Loving Angels instead July 17, 2013 669 Views 21 Comments Something slightly different this time in Catkins: a heart-warming true story! A year or so ago – it’s hard to …
British trees , Wildlife & Nature The enchantment of the rowan September 09, 2013 2891 Views 21 Comments The mountain ash is one of our best-loved native trees: beautiful in every season, with more than a hint …
History Rock art at Ormaig October 18, 2018 8531 Views 21 Comments Intriguing symbols and patterns, possibly over 5,000 years old, are etched into a hillside overlooking Loch Craignish...
Wildlife & Nature Trespassing February 06, 2018 3188 Views 21 Comments Renewing my love of hazels, and the spells that they weave...
Churches, abbeys and chapels , History Dunfermline Abbey (part 1): echoes of majesty November 13, 2015 1957 Views 21 Comments A powerful king and a devoted queen: these massive walls guard a shrine that lies at the very heart …
