During our spring tour when we travelled Scotland in a Motorhome, we pretty much covered the entire country, we returned south via Beauly and Aberdeenshire. At a campsite in Tarland, east of Aberdeen, we had a nice chat with someone and he told us to if we were to head south to visit the village of Crail, just south of St. Andrews. Now St. Andrews was on our "To Do List" but I had never heard of Crail. So the next day we had quite a long drive ahead, from the campsite at Tarland via Aberdeen and Stonehaven, where we visited Dunnotar Castle, all the way south to Dundee and St. Andrews. We … [Read more...] about The Pretty Village of Crail in East Neuk of Fife
History
Forgotten Railway Trains of Dunaskin
Mark from Abandoned Scotland sent me an email to point out their stunning Youtube channel. They are not the usual Scottish Landscape videos but beautifully edited scenes of former industrial and other sites, the forgotten and abandoned places in Scotland. The video below shows the forgotten railway trains of Dunaskin, not far from Ayr. Mark wrote: "It started life as an Ironworks in 1840 but as the times changed it was uneconomical to keep open and was closed in 1921. It was then used as a brickworks and for coal mining used all the way up to 1988 when the last brick was produced. The … [Read more...] about Forgotten Railway Trains of Dunaskin
Support The Russian Arctic Convoy Museum and See the Enigma Machine
It was in August 2011 that the community around Loch Ewe held a 70th anniversary Memorial Service to commemorate the first of many convoys that set sail from Loch Ewe on their perilous journey taking war supplies to Russia. Between 1941 and 1945 the local Wester Ross community supported this key part of the war effort, and today's local community are now working hard to raise money for a Museum on the shores of the loch. They are determined to create a lasting legacy to the 3,000 men who died and to all who took part in this remarkable story from WWII. The importance of highlighting the … [Read more...] about Support The Russian Arctic Convoy Museum and See the Enigma Machine
Background on Hogmanay In Scotland
While New Year’s Eve is celebrated around the world the Scots have a long rich heritage associated with the event and even have their own word for it – Hogmanay. Theories abound about the derivation of the word ‘Hogmanay’. The Scandinavian word for the feast preceding Yule was ‘Hoggonott’, while the Flemish words – many of which came into the Scots language – ‘hoog min dag’ means ‘great love day.’ Hogmanay could also be traced back to the Anglo Saxon ‘Haleg monath’, holy month, or the Gaelic ‘òg maiden’, which refers to ‘new morning. But the most likely source seems to be the French ‘Homme est … [Read more...] about Background on Hogmanay In Scotland
Dryburgh Abbey
There is something about Dryburgh Abbey in the Scottish Borders, is it the walk towards the Abbey with the majestic trees in the park or just the serene and peaceful feeling one gets when walking over the grounds of the Abbey? Perhaps the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey are not as majestic as the neighbouring Melrose Abbey or Jedburgh Abbey but Dryburgh is even more so a place where the medieval monks lived a contemplative life, perhaps it's that atmosphere one feels when walking towards the Abbey. The ruins stand amidst a wooded seclusion beside the River Tweed. Dryburgh became the premier house in … [Read more...] about Dryburgh Abbey
St Andrews Kirk in North Berwick
Last weekend we visited the lovely village of North Berwick in East Lothian, east of Edinburgh. East Lothian has a lot to offer and is an area that can be easily overlooked by visitors of Scotland. North Berwick for instance is a village very much worth a visit, the sea side is beautiful and it's here where you find the "Scottish Sea Bird Centre", a five stars tourist attraction. Just besides the Sea Bird Centre are the remains of St. Andrews Old Kirk, picture below. This church was founded in the 12th century and was quite an impressive building. All that's left now are the ruined walls and … [Read more...] about St Andrews Kirk in North Berwick
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