Tour Scotland photographs and videos from my tours of Scotland. Photography and videography, both old and new, from beautiful Scotland, Scottish castles, seascapes, rivers, islands, landscapes, standing stones, lochs and glens.
Old photograph of cottages and houses in Kilchrenan, Argyll, Scotland. Kilchrenan is located at the foot of the Munro mountain, Ben Cruachan, near to the end of the B845 road, about a mile inland from Loch Awe.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Old photograph of Pennan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Pennan became famous in the 1980s for being used as one of the main locations for the film Local Hero, and representing the fictional village of Ferness.
Old photograph of houses, shops and people in Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. This Scottish town is also known colloquially as the " Muckle Toon ". The town grew around the textile industry, but is now best known as the birthplace of Hugh MacDiarmid and Thomas Telford. The town was an important centre for the Border Reivers.
Old photograph of Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Old photograph of shops, cars, buildings and people on the High Street, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. The town was first recorded in the 11th century, with the marriage of Malcolm III, King of Scotland, and Saint Margaret at the church in Dunfermline. As his Queen consort, Margaret established a new church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, which evolved into an Abbey under their son, David I in 1128.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Glamis Castle, Scotland. Glamis Castle was the childhood home of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, best known as the Queen Mother. Her second daughter, Princess Margaret, was born there. The most famous of the " legends " connected with the castle is that of the Monster of Glamis, a hideously deformed child born to the family. In the story, the monster was kept in the castle all his life and his suite of rooms bricked up after his death
Old photograph of the Train Station, Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. Opened by the North British Railway in 1890, as part of the approach routes linking the Edinburgh and Northern Railway to the new Forth Rail Bridge, it became part of the London and North Eastern Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The line then passed on to the Scottish Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. When Sectorisation was introduced by British Rail, the station was served by the ScotRail sector until the Privatisation of British Railways. The station has won numerous awards for its gardens. Near the railway station, built in the 14th century sits, Aberdour Castle which had been in Douglas ownership from 1342 until it passed into state care in 1924.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Old photograph of cottages and houses in Milnathort, Perthshire, Scotland. For a small town, Milnathort has a rich history. Settlement in the area can be dated as far back as 2000BC, with two Neolithic standing stones being nearby where human remains were found and dated. Additionally, the remains of Burleigh Castle can still be seen just outside of the town, which is a 15th century castle built for the Balfours of Burleigh to rule over what was then a market town. There is another nearby medieval castle on an island on Loch Leven, the infamous Loch Leven Castle. This castle is known to have been visited by Robert the Bruce in 1313 and 1323, but is perhaps most famous for the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots, in 1567.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Old photograph of Hopeman Beach near Elgin, Moray, Scotland. There are quite a few birds to be found on the beach, such as the herring gull, the great black-backed gull, the black headed gull, the curlew and the oystercatcher. The areas of gorse heathland surrounding the eastern beaches are home to the whitethroat, the robin and the yellowhammer.
Old photograph of a crofter with sheep outside a cottage in Sutherland, Scotland. Crofting was a form of small scale food production unique to the Scottish Highlands and the Islands of Scotland. The name Sutherland dates from the era of Norwegian Viking rule and settlement over much of the Highlands and Islands, under the rule of the jarl of Orkney. Although it contains some of the northernmost land in the island of Great Britain, it was called Suðrland, " southern land, " from the standpoint of Orkney and Caithness.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland June photograph of a Highland Cow in Perthshire, Scotland. I really enjoy shooting photographs of Highland Cows, and this one was no exception.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of the David Douglas Memorial in Scone, Perthshire, Scotland. David Douglas, 25th June 1799 to 12th July 1834, was a Scottish botanist. He worked as a gardener, and explored the Scottish Highlands, North America, and Hawaii, where he died. The son of a stonemason, he was born in the village of Scone north east of Perth, Scotland. He attended Kinnoull School and upon leaving he found work as an apprentice to William Beattie, head gardener at the estate of the 3rd Earl of Mansfield at Scone Palace. He spent seven years at this position, completing his apprenticeship, and then spent a winter at a college in Perth to learn more of the scientific and mathematical aspects of plant culture. After a further spell of working in Fife, during which time he had access to a library of botanical and zoological books, he moved to the Botanical Gardens of Glasgow University and attended botany lectures at the University of Glasgow. William Jackson Hooker, who was Garden Director and Professor of Botany, was greatly impressed with him and took him on an expedition to the Highlands before recommending him to the Royal Horticultural Society of London. Hooker recommended Douglas to London's Royal Horticultural Society, which then sent him on a plant-hunting expedition in the Pacific Northwest in 1824 that ranks among the great botanical explorations of a heroic generation. In the Spring of 1826, David Douglas was compelled to climb a peak near Athabasca Pass to take in the view. In so doing, he became one of the first mountaineers in North America. He introduced the Douglas-fir into cultivation in 1827. Other notable introductions include Sitka Spruce, Sugar Pine, Western White Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Monterey Pine, Grand Fir, Noble Fir and several other conifers that transformed the British landscape and timber industry, as well as numerous garden shrubs and herbs such as the Flowering currant, Salal, Lupin, Penstemon and California poppy. His success was well beyond expectations; in one of his letters to Hooker, he wrote "you will begin to think I manufacture pines at my pleasure". Altogether he introduced about 240 species of plants to Britain.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of the old Parish Church and graveyard in Scone, Perthshire, Scotland. Scottish Church built in 1286 near to Scone Palace. Moved to present site in 1806 using stone from original building.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
The Heritage Trees: Britain and Northern Ireland. Rushing about our lives, we mostly take our trees for granted. Yet they shape the world around us, our countryside, towns and villages, public spaces and private gardens, bearing silent witness to our ever changing world. Some specimens are as important to our heritage as the greatest of our stately homes, and each has its own story to tell. This collection of portraits from around the United Kingdom records 88 individual trees of outstanding cultural and heritage value. Some have traditionally been special meeting places or boundary markers, like the Tortworth Chestnut that sprang from a nut planted during the reign of King Egbert in ad 800, or the wind-blasted hawthorn 'wishing tree' in the wilds of Argyll, encrusted with coins pressed into its bark by generations of superstitious travellers. Others tell a more human story. Rizzio's Chestnut was planted by the Italian lover of Mary, Queen of Scots, not long before he was murdered by her jealous second husband. While the rare layering beech at Kilravock Castle became known as the 'Kissing Beech' after the illicit embraces by a member of the owner's family and a housemaid under its spreading arms. All the trees featured are accessible to the public, from the original Bramley to the loneliest tree in Scotland. Each one has been designated a national monument by The Tree Council, as part of its campaign to gain special protection status for heritage trees. Combining striking full-colour photography with a range of archival sources and illustrations, from the Middle Ages to the present day, Jon Stokes and Donald Rodger bring to life for a new generation the rich history and legends surrounding these 'green monuments'. The Heritage Trees: Britain and Northern Ireland.
Tour Scotland photograph of statues in the gardens of Fingask Castle, Perthshire, Scotland. The garden is renowned for its topiary but also features statues by David Anderson, sculptor, of Perth, of characters from Scots literature. Works depicted include many of the characters from the poems of Robert Burns.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph today of derelict cottage in Perthshire, Scotland. Far fewer farm workers are required to live on the farm these days in Scotland, and thus many of the old cottages that they once lived in are now in ruin.
Tour Scotland photograph today of derelict cottage in Perthshire, Scotland.
Tour Scotland photograph today of derelict cottage in Perthshire, Scotland.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph today of an old farm building in Perthshire, Scotland. Another stunningly beautiful day in Scotland. There are many old farm buildings scattered throughout Perthshire, and they make for great photography opportunities.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of the Reverend David Black gravestone in Kilspindie Churchyard, Perthshire, Scotland. Sacred to the memory of the Reverend David Black. Minister of this parish for 32 years, who died March 13th, 1850, aged 55. Last text. " And deliver them who through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to a bondage. "
The surname was popular in Scotland from the 15th Century. Adam Black of Edinburgh, born 1784, died 1874, was a publisher who acquired the rights to the Encyclopedia Britannica in 1827. No less than ten Coats of Arms were granted to families of this name. Those borne by Gilbert Black, Dean of the Guild of Aberdeen in 1672, depict a black saltire between a red mullet in chief and a red crescent in base, on a silver shield with a black chief. A demi lion proper is on the Crest, and the Motto, " Non Crux, sed lux ", translates as, " Not the cross, but its light. "
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of a Skull and Crossbones gravestone in Kilspindie Churchyard, Perthshire, Scotland. Kilspindie is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is situated on the Kilspindie burn, approximately 5 km Northwest of Errol, 10 km west of Dundee and 10 km east of Perth.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Kilspindie Church, Perthshire, Scotland. Records show there has been a chapel in Kilspindie since 1214, the present church dates from 1670. The union of Kilspindie and Rait Churches took place around 1619. Past history links William Wallace to Kilspindie Church, the west wall between the graveyard and the neighbouring orchard of Kilspindie Farmhouse contains the Wallace Doorway through which he is reputed to have walked to services.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of West Town Chapel, Perthshire, Scotland. This old 16th century ruined church is situated in the centre of its churchyard. In one of the old charters of the estate this is called the Church of the Blessed Virgin of Inchmartin. It was dismantled about 1800, but burials have occurred in the graveyard since then. It has been known in the past as Wast Town, Westown, and West Town.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland Autumn video of Kinnaird Castle, Perthshire, Scotland. Kinnaird Castle is located between Perth and Dundee, built in a place of great defensive strength high on a spur of the Sidlaw foothills, where it looks out across the Carse of Gowrie to the Tay estuary. It is basically an oblong keep which rises 4 stories to the parapet, with an attic floor above that. The original castle on this site was built by the Kinnaird family, although the present building was probably built by the Thrieplands in the 17th century. King James VI stayed here for a week’s hunting in 1716.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of the Parish Church, Kinnaird, Perthshire, Scotland. Kinnaird is a village in Gowrie, Perthshire, Scotland. It is notable for its 15th century castle and early 19th century parish church. In the 18th century, it was the home of the Reverend James Adams, who contributed to the Marrow Controversy in the church of Scotland. It is also the birthplace of the philosopher James Mylne 1757 to 1839 who later taught moral philosophy at the University of Glasgow from 1797 to 1836 and also lectured on political economy. The Threiplands of Fingask were a local Jacobite family. The Carse of Gowrie in which the village is located is a prosperous agricultural district of Perthshire.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Fingask Castle, Perthshire, Scotland. Fingask Castle is located three miles north east of Errol, in the Braes of the Carse, on the fringes of the Sidlaw Hills. It overlooks both the Carse of Gowrie and the Firth of Tay and beyond into the Kingdom of Fife.
Tour Scotland photograph of Fingask Castle, Perthshire, Scotland. Fingask was once an explicitly holy place, a convenient and numinous stop off between the abbeys at Falkirk and Scone. It was later held by the Bruce family, and then by the Threiplands. In the eighteenth century it was a nest of Jacobites and was forfeited. Since 1969 the castle has been a Threipland property again.
Tour Scotland photograph of Fingask Castle, Perthshire, Scotland. The garden is renowned for its topiary.
Tour Scotland photograph today of a rural road in Perthshire, Scotland. Today was a very beautiful day in Scotland with snowdrops starting to line the rural roads.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of snowdrops by the old churchyard gate at Cargill, Perthshire, Scotland. Cargill in 1846. Cargill, a parish, in the county of Perth, 7½ miles North East from Perth; containing, with the villages of Burreltown, Wolfhill, and Woodside, 1642 inhabitants. This place, of which the name, of Celtic origin, signifies a village with a church, originally formed a portion of the parish of Coupar Angus, from which, according to ancient records, it was separated prior to the year 1514. It was for many generations the chief seat of the family of Drummond, of whom Annabella, daughter of Sir John Drummond, was married to Robert III., King of Scotland, and crowned with that monarch, at Scone, in 1390; she was the mother of James I., from whom descended the royal family of Stuart. Stobhall, the seat of the Drummonds, now almost in a ruinous state, came into the possession of the family by the marriage of Sir John Drummond with Lady Mary, eldest daughter of Sir William de Montifex, lord justiciary of Scotland. The ancient mansion, which appears to have been built at different periods, is romantically situated on a narrow tongue of land, on the banks of the river Tay.
The parish, which is in the valley of Strathmore, is about six miles in length, and four in average breadth; the surface is diversified, and bounded on the west and north-west by the Tay, and on the north by the river Isla, which flows into the Tay about half a mile above the village of Cargill. The land rises, by a gradual ascent, from the margin of the river, for nearly a mile, till it attains an elevated plain, varied with occasional eminences interspersed with small glens; the Sidlaw hills form the eastern boundary. The scenery is pleasingly enriched with plantations, chiefly of Scotch fir, with coppices of birch and oak; the native woods, which were formerly extensive, and afforded secure concealment to Sir William Wallace and his adherents from the pursuit of their enemies, are greatly diminished. The soil, along the banks of the river, and on the lower lands, is a humid clay, but fertile, producing abundant crops of grain, and gradually inclines, as the ground ascends, to a rocky marl; towards the base of the hills, it is a light dry gravel, and, on the summit of the elevated plain, partly loam and moorland. The system of agriculture is in an improved state, but much yet remains to be done. The rateable annual value of the parish is £7786. The Tay is navigable to Perth; it abounds with salmon, of which there is a valuable fishery, and with trout and pike, and is a favourite resort for anglers; near the west end of the parish, it flows over a rugged basaltic dyke, where it forms a picturesque fall called the Linn of Campsie.
The substratum is chiefly freestone, of good quality, and of excellent colour, which has been extensively wrought; limestone is also found, but is not much in operation, and rock marl of a reddish colour is abundant, and might be rendered available to the improvement of the moorlands in the upper parts of the parish. The only manufacture carried on, is the weaving of linen for the Dundee manufacturers, which affords employment to a few families. The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Dunkeld and synod of Perth and Stirling; the patronage is in the Crown, and the minister's stipend is £224. 16., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £14. The church is a neat and well-arranged structure, erected in 1832, and situated on the sloping bank of the river Tay. There is a place of worship for members of the Free Church. The parochial school is well attended; the master has a salary of £34, with a house and garden, and the fees average about £15, to which Lady Willoughby de Eresby adds £10, for teaching the poor gratuitously. There were traces, till within the last few years, of a Roman station and road; but under the extension and improvements in agriculture, they have been almost entirely obliterated. Near the Linn of Campsie, was an ancient cell dependent on the abbey of CuparAngus: but only very slight vestiges of it can be traced. Stobhall gave the title of Baron to the earls of Perth, who were lords Drummond and Stobhall, till the forfeiture in 1746.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photographs of an Adam and Eve gravestone in the churchyard at Cargill, Perthshire, Scotland. Within the churchyard there is a side panel from a table tomb bearing depictions of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Isaac and the goat trapped in the bush.
Tour Scotland photograph of an Adam and Eve gravestone in the churchyard at Cargill, Perthshire, Scotland.
Tour Scotland photograph of an Adam and Eve gravestone in the churchyard at Cargill, Perthshire, Scotland.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of a sundial above the churchyard gate at Cargill, Perthshire, Scotland. Old encircling wall, rubble, segmentally arched gate dated 1810, but incorporating earlier fragments, and surmounted by a sundial.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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