The Little White Rose
All 69 Scottish Nationalist Party members of parliament wore white roses in their lapels at the swearing in ceremony of the Scottish parliament a few years back and I was recently asked why? The thistle is usually thought to be our national flower. The story...
Blackness Castle, the ship that never sailed
Yesterday was bright and breezy and saw us heading out along the Firth of Forth on Scotland’s east coast to visit the impressive Blackness Castle. Blackness was built in the 1440s by the powerful Crichton family, and was used not as a family residence but...
Feis Ile
Like your whisky? Fancy hearing some trad Scottish tunes? Then we can’t think of a better way to spend a few days than at the annual Festival of Music and Malt – the Feis Ile – on the beautiful island of Islay. The festival was...
Some of the best museums & galleries in Edinburgh
There are some great museums and galleries in Edinburgh, with loads to see from Rodin’s The Kiss to Dolly the Sheep! And best of all, many of them are free 🙂 So whether you are after some culture, some ideas for somewhere to take the kids...
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Bonnie Prince Charlie is revered in Scotland as the romantic, tragic hero of “the ’45”, the failed Jacobite Uprising of 1745. Grandson of the exiled Scottish Catholic King James II, Prince Charles Edward Stuart (to give him his proper title) was born in December 1720...
Glencoe
We found ourselves with a tour party up in Glencoe last week, basking in the glorious spring sunshine, but with still a lot of snow around too and temperatures in single figures! The glen is located in north west Scotland, about half an hours drive...
The Border Abbeys
This weekend we were out and about in the beautiful Scottish Borders area, visiting the Border Abbeys. There are four magnificent (now ruined) abbeys within a short distance of each other, located at Melrose, Dryburgh, Kelso and Jedburgh. These medieval monasteries were built during the...
The Isle of Barra
Scotland has many beautiful islands, and it is often hard to choose exactly which ones to visit if you only have a limited time to spend here. Most of you will no doubt have heard of the Isle of Skye, and also places like Orkney...
The kelpie, Scotland’s mythical water horse
It has been reported in the press today that installation of two 30m high sculptures of the kelpie, or mythical water horse, has begun in Falkirk. Designed by Glasgow based sculptor Andy Scott, these giant beasts will take pride of place in a regeneration scheme...
Derry-Londonderry City of Culture 2013
Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland has been designated City of Culture 2013, so we thought it was time we took another look at this great city!