folklore
  • History , Latest Feature , Wildlife & Nature

Remembering the magic of mistletoe

December 08, 2019 217 Views 6 Comments
Mistletoe traditions have been described as some of northern Europe's last surviving remnants of plant magic
  • Wild flowers , Wildlife & Nature

Meadowsweet

August 16, 2019 1294 Views 16 Comments
Over the centuries, meadowsweet has played an important part in our natural remedies, our traditions and our folklore...
  • History , Megalithic sites

Loch Nell: the Tomb of the Giants and a Serpent Mound

July 26, 2019 1378 Views 2 Comments
Not another chambered cairn! Yes, but this one comes with a twist...
  • British trees , Wildlife & Nature

The power of the elder

June 21, 2019 1769 Views 14 Comments
A guardian of half-forgotten places, the elder's magic is both old and dark...
  • British trees , Wildlife & Nature

Sycamore: colonist or custodian?

October 06, 2017 3378 Views 27 Comments
Often seen as an intruder in old woodlands, the sycamore still deserves a second glance for its beauty - and …
  • History , Scottish castles

Old Castle Lachlan: loyalty and loss

October 23, 2016 2674 Views 0 Comment
Ghosts of horses tend to come in different guises, some of them benevolent and some of them more inclined towards …
  • British trees , Wildlife & Nature

The fire of the ash

August 09, 2016 3837 Views 0 Comment
The ash is a beguiling tree, elegant in all seasons, and mother to a host of legends
  • Reviews

Book review: ‘Scotland’s Merlin’ by Tim Clarkson

July 14, 2016 1260 Views 14 Comments
“And in the battle of Arfderydd my torc was of gold…” From ‘Yr Afallennau’ (‘The Apples’), a poem in the …
  • Wildlife & Nature

Lesser celandine: greeting the sun

March 15, 2016 1810 Views 8 Comments
Star-like flowers of pure yellow welcome the first spring sunshine
  • Carved crosses , History

St Adamnan’s Cross in Glen Lyon

February 20, 2016 1406 Views 12 Comments
Who lived in this extraordinary glen, 1300 years ago? One man who did was St Adamnan, and this simple …
  • British trees , Wildlife & Nature

The spirit of the alder

August 23, 2015 4595 Views 30 Comments
Lover of riverbanks and boggy places, the alder forms a close bond between earth and water. No wonder …
  • History , Megalithic sites

The Devil’s Arrows: shafts of darkness

August 12, 2015 1937 Views 22 Comments
The people who put up these standing stones in North Yorkshire were obviously thinking big - but what on earth …
  • Reviews

A new treasure: ‘Trees and How They Grow’ by G Clarke Nuttall

May 25, 2015 895 Views 14 Comments
At a show last weekend I picked up this gorgeous old book from a second-hand book stall.  Written by Gertrude Clarke Nuttall, …
  • History

Glen More and the headless horseman

May 16, 2015 1385 Views 0 Comment
After nearly 500 years, is this phantom rider still trapped in the tragedy of a bitter family feud?
  • British trees , Wildlife & Nature

Hawthorn – bride of the hedgerow

April 25, 2015 3259 Views 0 Comment
With angelic buds and evil thorns, the hawthorn stands at the threshold of the Underworld
  • Wildlife & Nature

Bluebell enchantment

April 16, 2015 3511 Views 0 Comment
As our woods start to shimmer with a heavenly blue haze, I'm looking at some of the folklore attached to …
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I'm honoured to be Writer in Residence at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. This book celebrates the lives of 50 great explorers......
BRITISH TREES
  • A wand of hazel
  • The power of the elder
  • The holly bears the crown
  • The darkness of the yew
SCOTTISH CASTLES
  • Rosslyn Castle – falling shadows
  • Smailholm Tower
  • Dunstaffnage Castle: defiant to the last
  • Falkland Palace: power and glory
MEGALITHIC
  • Clach na Carraig or Diarmid’s Pillar
  • Diarmuid and Grainne: a boar hunt and a tragic love story in Glen Lonan
  • Castlerigg: out on the wild and windy moors
  • Callanish: a ring to rule them all
CHURCHES, CHAPELS & ABBEYS
  • The love of St Dwynwen
  • St Moluag’s Cathedral on the Isle of Lismore
  • Ardchattan Priory: a place of serenity on Loch Etive
  • An old graveyard near Callander
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Copyright Jo Woolf 2019