When on holiday in Scotland one of my favourite things to do is visiting distilleries in the Spey Valley, the Spey Valley is not the only area in Scotland for visiting distilleries, but the advantage you have is there are so many within a small area and touring a few in one day is a possibility. The whisky trail in the spey valley is fed by the great local ingredients like the crystal clear spring waters and abundant supplies of the finest barley, within the spey valley you will more than half of the Scottish distilleries supplying Scotland’s Malt Whisky that is imported all around the … [Read more...] about Chasing Whisky In The Spey Valley
General Wade Military Roads in Scotland
On a cold and frosty morning, 13th of November 1715 the supporters of the exiled Stuart king, known as Jacobites and led by the lacklustre Earl of Mar faced the regimented ranks of the Government Redcoats led by the Duke of Argyll across the frozen morass of Sheriffmuir near Stirling. Over the next few hours the two sides hacked away at each other, neither gaining much advantage nor making any headway; but their objectives were very different. Mar had to cross the River Forth if he was to take his army on to Edinburgh; Argyll had only to stop him. As the sun set over distant Ben Ledi, the two … [Read more...] about General Wade Military Roads in Scotland
The Glen Etive Road
This, at first, may appear a bit strange, doing a review of a road. However, the Glen Etive Road is no ordinary road. If you could capture all of the magnificent points of Scottish scenery and condense them into a stretch of road that is only 12 miles long you would have the Glen Etive Road. As you drive close to the road itself you are surrounded by mountains which have the effect of both putting you in your place as far as nature goes, but also welcoming you home, you feel safe and secure as if watched over by these mammoths that have been here for since the ice age. The road isn't … [Read more...] about The Glen Etive Road
Harris Tweed from the Outer Hebrides
Some fabrics like cotton never really go in and out of fashion, and form the basis of most of the items in our wardrobe. Other fabrics like velvet or linen come and go with the seasons; you’d be hard pressed to find linen trousers in November or a velvet dress in June. Then there is the third category of fabrics which aren’t achingly trendy, but are an integral part of our style and way of life. One of the best known of these types of fabric is Harris Tweed. Harris Tweed Protected Name There are many different sorts of tweeds as the name just refers to the way in which the cloth is woven … [Read more...] about Harris Tweed from the Outer Hebrides
Viking Scotland – The Earls of Orkney
Viking Scotland Part Three - The Earls of Orkney In late 1263 the Norwegian king, Haakon Haakonarsson, and his storm-damaged fleet limped into the sheltered waters of the Orkney Islands: the old man was ailing, and with him the dreams of a Viking empire. Vikings of the Hebridean Islands Earlier in the year Haakon had left Norway and crossed the ocean to stamp his authority over the Hebridean Islands, west of Scotland; which had been assailed and claimed by the Scottish king, Alexander III in 1262. For decades, the Scots had tried to buy the islands from the Norwegians, and time and … [Read more...] about Viking Scotland – The Earls of Orkney
Viking Scotland – The Hebrides
Viking Scotland - Part Two: The King of the Isles It was the summer of 1158, and two rival navies faced each other across the Sea of the Hebrides; one led by Godred, King of Man, the other by his brother-in-law the upstart Somerled, Lord of Argyll. It was yet another clash between warlords in this most contentious of arenas where Gaelic Scotland met Viking empire; but the outcome of this battle would alter the balance irrevocably. For nearly 400 years Norwegian Vikings had first raided and then settled the Irish Sea, Hebrides and the Northern Isles, establishing a substantial territorial … [Read more...] about Viking Scotland – The Hebrides
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