Scottish castles
  • Churches, abbeys and chapels , History

Saddell Abbey – in the footsteps of Somerled

January 08, 2019
History? Gravestones? Mysterious phenomena? Appalling weather? Time to go squelching around another ancient ruin!
  • History

Tarbert – the ‘place of portage’

August 12, 2018
900 years ago, Magnus Barefoot saw this quiet harbour as a means to an end...
  • History , Scottish castles

Blackness Castle

July 22, 2017
There's nothing romantic about this castle on the Firth of Forth: armed to the teeth, with walls 18 feet …
  • History , Scottish castles

Smailholm Tower

November 13, 2016
A 'peel tower' in the Scottish Borders, basking in the autumn sunshine and remembering a colourful history of reiving
  • History , Scottish castles

Old Castle Lachlan: loyalty and loss

October 23, 2016
Ghosts of horses tend to come in different guises, some of them benevolent and some of them more inclined towards …
  • History , Scottish castles

Loch Avich and the Castle of the Red-haired Girl

May 14, 2016
I knew there had to be a story attached to this; I hope you'll find it as spellbinding as …
  • History , Scottish castles

Rosslyn Castle – falling shadows

April 01, 2016
Gaunt and brooding, the battered fragments of a spectacular fortress stand in the woodlands of Roslin Glen
  • History , Scottish castles

Carnbane Castle and a banquet for a bard

February 16, 2016
On top of a little wooded knoll in Glen Lyon, I felt as if I'd stepped straight into a legend... …
  • History , Scottish castles

In a nutshell: Cardoness Castle

February 13, 2016
Ancient seat of the McCullochs, Cardoness Castle has seen some troubled times. Violence, plunder, feuding... it all went on …
  • Jo's Comments

Six more of Scotland’s haunted castles

October 09, 2015
Scotland will never run short of haunted castles. Since Hallowe’en is approaching, I wondered if you’d like to tiptoe …
  • History , Scottish castles

Dunstaffnage Castle: defiant to the last

July 17, 2015
In the 13th century, no one approached Dunstaffnage Castle without a very good reason. It still fills you with …
  • Photography

Scottish islands: Kerrera

July 14, 2015
Kerrera is the long, low island that sits like a natural storm barrier between Oban Bay and the Firth of Lorn. …
  • History , Scottish castles

Loch Dochart Castle

March 05, 2015
Not the easiest to see, this ruined tower house stands on a tiny island in Loch Dochart. I thought …
  • History , Scottish castles

Loch Leven Castle

November 16, 2014
A Scottish queen held captive on a tiny island… hope, fear and loss… and a daring bid for freedom. …
  • History , Scottish castles

Drumlanrig Castle: unbridled splendour

October 06, 2014
A Renaissance masterpiece, the 'Pink Palace' of Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries-shire was designed to impress - and it still leaves …
  • History , Scottish castles

Doune Castle: seat of power

July 30, 2014
Is this my favourite castle yet? (It might just take the medieval biscuit!) The setting for 'Monty Python …
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New book - 'Britain's Trees'
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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 fire of the ash
  • The song of the aspen
  • The spirit of the alder
SCOTTISH CASTLES
  • Loch Dochart Castle
  • Old Castle Lachlan: loyalty and loss
  • Rosslyn Castle – falling shadows
  • Dunnottar: the last bastion
MEGALITHIC
  • Nether Largie: secrets in stone
  • A folk tale, a battlefield, and a witch’s leap
  • Kilmartin Glen: Nether Largie South
  • Croft Moraig: circle of light
CHURCHES, CHAPELS & ABBEYS
  • St Michael’s Church, Linlithgow
  • Melrose Abbey
  • The love of St Dwynwen
  • Dunfermline Abbey (part 1): echoes of majesty
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