Theme Week Outer Hebrides – Great Bernera

24 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Camas Bostadh beach © geograph.org.uk - Anne Burgess/cc-by-sa-2.0

Camas Bostadh beach © geograph.org.uk – Anne Burgess/cc-by-sa-2.0

Great Bernera (Scottish Gaelic: Beàrnaraigh Mòr), often known just as Bernera (Scottish Gaelic: Beàrnaraigh), is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. With an area of just over 21 square kilometres (8 square miles), it is the thirty-fourth largest Scottish island.   read more…

Theme Week Outer Hebrides – Barra

23 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Kisimul Castle and Castlebay © flickr.com - Tom Parnell/cc-by-sa-2.0

Kisimul Castle and Castlebay © flickr.com – Tom Parnell/cc-by-sa-2.0

Barra (Scottish Gaelic: Barraigh or Eilean Bharraigh; Scots: Barra) is an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of Vatersay to which it is connected by the Vatersay Causeway. The island is named after Saint Finbarr of Cork. In 2011, the population was 1,174. Gaelic is widely spoken, and at the 2011 Census, there were 761 Gaelic speakers (62% of the population).   read more…

Theme Week Outer Hebrides – North Uist

22 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Traditional cottage © geograph.org.uk - Tom Richardson/cc-by-sa-2.0

Traditional cottage © geograph.org.uk – Tom Richardson/cc-by-sa-2.0

North Uist (Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a Tuath; Scots: North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. North Uist is the tenth-largest Scottish island and the thirteenth-largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of 117 square miles (303 square kilometres), slightly smaller than South Uist.   read more…

Theme Week Outer Hebrides

21 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  7 minutes

Kisimul Castle, Castlebay, Isle of Barra © flickr.com - Conor Lawless/cc-by-2.0

Kisimul Castle, Castlebay, Isle of Barra © flickr.com – Conor Lawless/cc-by-2.0

The Outer Hebrides or Western Isles (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan Siar or Na h-Eileanan an Iar or Na h-Innse Gall (“islands of the strangers”); Scots: Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island (Scottish Gaelic: An t-Eilean Fada), is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. The islands are geographically coextensive with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. They form part of the archipelago of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch, and the Sea of the Hebrides. Scottish Gaelic is the predominant spoken language, although in a few areas English speakers form a majority.   read more…

Dumfries in Scotland

5 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

High Street © panoramio.com - cisko66/cc-by-3.0

High Street © panoramio.com – cisko66/cc-by-3.0

Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about 25 miles (40 km) by road from the Anglo-Scottish border and just 15 miles (24 km) away from Cumbria by air. Dumfries is the county town of the historic county of Dumfriesshire.   read more…

Castle Stalker in Scotland

14 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - Markus Trienke/cc-by-sa-2.0

© flickr.com – Markus Trienke/cc-by-sa-2.0

Castle Stalker (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal an Stalcaire) is a four-storey tower house or keep. It is set on a tidal islet on Loch Laich, an inlet off Loch Linnhe. It is about 2 miles (2.5 kilometres) north-east of Port Appin, Argyll, Scotland, and is visible from the A828 road about midway between Oban and Glen Coe. The islet is accessible with difficulty from the shore at low tide. The name “Stalker” comes from the Gaelic Stalcaire, meaning “hunter” or “falconer”. The island castle is one of the best preserved medieval tower houses to survive in western Scotland and is a Category A listed building. It stands in the Lynn of Lorn National Scenic Area, one of forty such areas in Scotland.   read more…

The Jacobite

11 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage Reading Time:  7 minutes

The Jacobite crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct © Daniel Kraft/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Jacobite crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct © Daniel Kraft/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Jacobite is a steam locomotive-hauled tourist train service that operates over part of the West Highland Line in Scotland. It has been operating under various names and with different operators every summer since 1984. It has played an important role in sustaining a scenic route.   read more…

Scone in Scotland

23 February 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  5 minutes

Scone Palace © Gunther Tschuch/cc-by-sa-4.0

Scone Palace © Gunther Tschuch/cc-by-sa-4.0

Scone (Scottish Gaelic: Sgàin; Scots: Scuin) is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The medieval town of Scone, which grew up around the monastery and royal residence, was abandoned in the early 19th century when the residents were removed and a new palace was built on the site by the Earl of Mansfield. Hence the modern village of Scone, and the medieval village of Old Scone, can often be distinguished.   read more…

Cullen in Scotland

26 September 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Clydecoast/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Clydecoast/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cullen (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Cuilinn) is a village and former royal burgh in Moray, Scotland, on the North Sea coast 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of Elgin. The village has a population of 1,300. Cullen is noticeably busier in summer than winter due to the number of holiday homes owned. The organs of the wife of Robert the Bruce are said to have been buried in its old kirk (church) after her death in Cullen Castle. Robert the Bruce made an annual payment to the village in gratitude for the treatment of his wife’s body and its return south for burial. In 2000, the recent non-payment of this sum by the government was challenged and settled to the village’s favour. The village is noted for Cullen Skink (a traditional soup made from smoked haddock, milk, potato and onion) and its former railway bridges, two of which are now part of the national cycle network. These bridges were required, at considerable cost, due to resistance to the railway line being routed any closer to Cullen House. The most westerly (and by far the longest) viaduct is highly photogenic, and often features in tourist guides and Scottish calendars. Near Cullen is the peak Bin Hill, visible from some distance, such as from Longman Hill.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top