The Virgin Mary (& Paul) re-appear in Melrose Four medieval statues – Virgin Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter and Saint Andrew are once again adorning the walls of Melrose Abbey, Scotland. Scots king David I founded Melrose Abbey, the first Cistercian monastery in Scotland, in 1136. The Cistercians were drawn to this fertile spot beside [...]
The Ross Fountain restoration – Edinburgh. Something I have passed on numerous occasions and not really paid much attention to it. However, each time I pas now, I stop and gawp! The £1.9m renovation of the West Princes Street Garden fountain. The renovation was commissioned by the Ross Development Trust, supported by Edinburgh World Heritage. [...]
Prison makeover away in Shetland The prison at Fort Charlotte, Lerwick, Shetland is a wee single storey building, closed for many years – however, there is a plan to attract more visitors. The whole buildings needs tlc, hoping for a late spring/early summer 2019 opening. Fort Charlotte overlooks the strategic Sound of Bressay. It was [...]
Gaels, clans and drams at Lagavulin Bay Dunyvaig Castle sits on a peninsula close to Lagavulin Distillery. Funds for the excavation were raised during the distillery’s 200th anniversary celebrations, which saw the sale of more than 200 rare bottles of Lagavulin generate around £500,000. WELL DONE DIAGEO. The castle was built on the site of [...]
There is no genetically pure or original Scot. There is no common ancestral or genetic heritage that links the peoples of Scotland. Ancient Scotland was made up of four separate groups: Angles, Britons, Picts and Gaels (or Scoti), who each spoke a different language. Kenneth McAlpin (810–858) was not, as is popularly claimed, the first [...]
The Treaty of Perth Our neighbours across the North Sea were not always friendly. Norse Vikings from Norway, as opposed to Vikings from Denmark –had raided Scotland relentlessly for several centuries, both Orkney and Shetland became Norwegian territory. Norway and Denmark often had one and the same monarch – such as Harald Bluetooth. It is [...]
This is not just a blog, it is a lifestyle! A tour of Oban & Mull. Being hatched just along the road fae Oban in Connel, I have a great understanding of the west coast, especially Oban and Mull. Born in Connel, baby-napped at an early age to Liverpool, I always have a pull to [...]
A short tour of Wales and The Lake District - Scots head south to Celtic Wales and English Lakes In October we took a couple of Texan ladies south to the English lakes and to Wales. Of course, they had been to Scotland with us previously, in fact, a good friend of ours also guided [...]
A Canadian family of 18 McLean’s 6-day August tour We had wonderful family from Canada come to see the beauty of Scotland in August. They were travel to some of the best spots that Scotland has to offer, including Lochs, Castles Tuesday: From Glasgow we drove our touring family to Loch Lomond with a [...]
We are not 100% sure how he came to be our patron saint but Paul was told he was a fisherman and one of Jesus' first Apostles. He was sentenced to death by crucifixion by the Romans but asked to be crucified on a diagonal cross as he felt he wasn't worthy to [...]
