Review of 2018
It’s been a very difficult year, but the sadness has been diluted a little with some lovely memories along the way. Here’s to a better 2019.
Published on 16th December 2018
Blog posts about Scotland
Christmas with an iPhone
We spent the Christmas and New Year period travelling to Scotland and back by road again.
Published on 6th January 2018
Loch an Eilein
Jo took me to visit Loch an Eilein, in the Rothiemurchus estate, during one of my first trips to Scotland way back in 2005. I love pine forests and, in particular, Scots pines, so I was in my element there.
Published on 26th December 2017
Fossil hunting on Brora Beach
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Published on 7th October 2017
Duke Of Sutherland Monument, Golspie
George Leveson-Gower, a British Member of Parliament, married Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland, in 1785. The land they subsequently controlled was amongst the largest estates in Europe. A statue to his memory was erected in 1830 on the summit Beinn…
Published on 22nd September 2017
Commando Memorial, Spean Bridge
The Commando Memorial stands above Spean Bridge in the Scottish Highlands, with a commanding view across the former Commando Training Depot to the Nevis range of mountains. The memorial stands for the British Commando units who trained here in the…
Published on 21st September 2017
The Rottenrow
Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital, or to many Glaswegians “The Rottenrow”, was founded in 1834 and demolished in 2001. The Victorian building had fallen into disrepair by the time of its demolition and was deemed inadequate for modern requirements. A replacement…
Published on 20th September 2017
Ben Wyvis
Hiking our first Scottish “Munro”: Ben Wyvis in the district of Ross & Cromarty.
Published on 20th September 2017
Rest in peace, little pooch
Archie Meadies, 2001-2017.
Published on 20th August 2017
Kilmuir Easter Church
The only remains of antiquity that stood in this parish, were last year removed. In the place of Delny, once a principal seat of the Earls of Ross, stood the ruins of a Romish chapel on a pleasant bank surrounded…
Published on 18th April 2017
A place of irregular marriages
The small town of Gretna Green, which lies alongside the M6/A74M on the border between Scotland and England, is one of the most popular wedding destinations in the world.
Published on 7th February 2017
Invergordon, Scotland
Invergordon, a small town on the Cromarty Firth in the north of Scotland, which relies heavily on the local oil industry.
Published on 11th January 2016
Brora beach
A winter visit to the large beach at Brora, in the far north of Scotland.
Published on 9th January 2016
Croick Estate, Scotland
A winter drive along a ten-mile single-track road in northern Scotland led to a remote church and a still, wet, beautiful landscape.
Published on 7th January 2016
Treasure Hunt
Treasure Hunt was a British television show in the 1980s, inspired by an idea from France called La Chasse au Trésor. Presenters Kenneth Kendall and (in the later episodes) Wincey Willis were joined by members of the public…
Published on 14th December 2014
Travel many roads on many islands
A lovely video of a journey on the Isle of Skye by StokedEverSince, posted to Vimeo by Calum Creasey.
Published on 28th November 2014
Danny Macaskill on the Cuillin Ridgeline
“The Ridge” is the brand new film from mountain-biker Danny Macaskill. For the first time in one of his films Danny climbs aboard a mountain bike and returns to his native home of the Isle of…
Published on 15th October 2014
Garvault Hotel, Kinbrace
If you drive up to the far north west of Scotland from Inverness, you'll probably pass the Garvault Hotel: touted as the most remote hotel in mainland Britain.
Published on 10th September 2014
My most popular photograph is for sale
The most popular photo I've posted to Flickr is of Loch Garry, off the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
Published on 22nd July 2014
Travel recommendation for the mid-west of Scotland
I am often asked for ideas what to see and where to visit in Scotland. This route takes in many of my favourite spots in the west and centre of the country and is great for first-time visitors.
Published on 27th March 2014
Review of 2013
With surprising alacrity, it’s time to flick back through my digital album as we approach the end of 2013, and the end of another year behind the camera. Here are a few highlights; a larger set is on Flickr.
Published on 16th December 2013
John o’Groats
The small but widely scattered collection of buildings at John o’Groats has one claim to fame: it’s at the northern end of the longest distance between two inhabited places on mainland Britain. There’s not much there: a few houses, some…
Published on 24th November 2013
To Applecross via the Pass of the Cattle
The winding and bumpy single-track mountain road leading to the hamlet of Applecross, on Scotland's west coast, is quite a thrill.
Published on 1st October 2013
Glenfinnan
The long, narrow valley of Glenfinnan, leading into the vastness of Loch Shiel, is one of my favourite places in Scotland. Situated on the main “Road to the Isles”, between the well-known tourist destinations of Fort William and Mallaig, the…
Published on 6th August 2013
The Old Man of Storr
The older I get, the more I enjoy walking, so holidays and time off are increasingly filled with plans for hiking and getting out into the fresh air. I made plans for a first serious walk in the UK to…
Published on 3rd July 2013
On the western edge
As part of our travels in Britain – in particular since Jo’s parents moved to the northern part of Scotland – I’ve wanted to visit the far extremes of the islands. I’ve decided to make do with the mainland destinations…
Published on 21st June 2013
Against the wobble
Jo commented that the video I shot under windy conditions on Iona was remarkably steady. I did my best to hold the camera as steady as I could whilst filming, but the wind got the better of me and so…
Published on 10th June 2013
Iona: a new favourite place
When we first began planning a visit to the Isle of Mull, off Scotland’s west coast, we decided to stay in the tiny port of Fionnphort. We chose the Seaview bed and breakfast primarily because we’d planned to visit…
Published on 3rd June 2013
Fyrish Monument
Looming over Evanton on the Cromarty Firth is Cnoc Fyrish (Fyrish Hill), topped by the strange construction of the Fyrish Monument. The construction was the brainchild of Sir Hector Munro of Novar, who had it built in 1792 to…
Published on 3rd June 2013
More than just wooden stumps
If you’re heading along the A9 across the Cromarty Bridge in Scotland when the tide is out, you’ll see a number of blackened stumps sticking out of the mud of the estuary just next to the Ardullie roundabout for Dingwall. There…
Published on 2nd June 2013
Beware car rental comparison websites
As I travel fairly regularly, I am no stranger to renting cars. It’s always a slightly nervy moment for me after having so many unsatisfactory experiences over the years; from awful cars to tricky situations involving deposits. The most recent…
Published on 29th May 2013
Glen Etive
Jo and I spent two great weeks in the highlands of Scotland, travelling from the airport up through the Trossach mountains to Rannoch Moor, Glen Etive, Glen Coe and then on to the islands of Mull, Iona and Skye before staying…
Published on 25th May 2013
Over the sky to Skye
…and Mull, and Glencoe, and Cromarty… I’m exceptionally looking forward to flying to Scotland soon, for a holiday during which Jo and I will get to see the west coast of Scotland and the “Western Isles” again. It’s been getting…
Published on 29th April 2013
Up the Aisle
A few selected images from my ever-expanding collection of aisles in places of worship.
Published on 19th April 2013
The Clootie Well
Travelling, even in my own country, has given me much more interest in the places which many pass by, giving them little thought as they are so familiar. A small Forestry Commission car park at the side of the road…
Published on 20th February 2012
The Glory Days
Alness, on the shores of the Cromarty Firth in northern Scotland, has a heritage of floral displays and the town won many awards between 1997 and 2007. Winter is certainly not the most picturesque time to visit, yet…
Published on 2nd February 2012
Dornoch Firth
As the A9 main road winds its way north, along the eastern coast of the north of Scotland, it crosses the Cromarty Firth before winding along to the Dornoch Firth, right at the head of the estuary as the river…
Published on 2nd February 2012
Wild red stags
Driving back from Tongue, on the far north coast of Scotland, our journey through part of the most remote areas of the Highlands coincided with dusk. Wild deer come down from the hills at this time of night to make…
Published on 16th January 2012
The cold north west
I’m back from an extended break over Christmas and the New Year, which I spent with family in Scotland. My photographic goal was to get out and capture the landscape no matter what the weather threw at me, and I’m…
Published on 9th January 2012
Colour me impressed
OK, OK, I know: I'm a city boy at heart. But I defy anyone to be less than impressed when rounding a corner on a lonely road in the Scottish Highlands at dusk to be confronted with a hillside covered…
Published on 16th August 2011
