Old Photograph Reilig Odhráin Cemetery Island Of Iona Scotland

Old photograph of Reilig Odhráin cemetery on the Island of Iona, Scotland. The cemetery is reputed to hold the bones of sixty kings. An inventory of 1549 recorded 48 Scottish kings, eight Norwegian Kings and four Irish Kings buried here. None of the monuments marking the burial places of the kings has survived unlike those of later medieval clan chiefs. Despite the lack of physical evidence, it’s universally accepted that Reilig Odhráin was a royal burial ground between the 9th and 11th centuries. This was a time of conflict, struggle and union between the Picts, Gaels and Vikings; the period that saw the Kingdom of Scotland formed. The burial ground, and the men who were buried here, help to tell the story of this fascinating period. The ancient kings would have made their final journey across the Sound of Iona, onto the harbour and along Sràid nam Marbh, the Street of the Dead, to Reilig Odhráin. You can still follow the wide cobbled track along which the coffins of kings and clan chiefs were once borne.



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Old Photograph Ploughing Match Perthshire Scotland

Old photograph of a ploughing match North of Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. Before Clydesdale horses were available, garrons or oxen pulled the plough. The Clydesdale is a breed of draught horse derived from the farm horses of Clydesdale, Scotland, and named after that region. Although originally one of the smaller breeds of draught horses, it is now a tall breed. Often bay in color, they show significant white markings due to the presence of sabino genetics. The breed was originally used for agriculture and haulage, and is still used for draught purposes today.



Tour Scotland video of Scottish Clydesdale horses ploughing a field on visit to Luncarty located Norh of Perth, Perthshire, Scotland.

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Old Photograph York Place Perth Perthshire Scotland

Old photograph of cars on York Place in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. The name Perth derives from a Pictish, Gaelic word for wood or copse. During much of the later medieval period it was known colloquially by its Scots speaking inhabitants as " St John's Toun " or " Saint Johnstoun " because the church at the centre of the parish was dedicated to St John the Baptist. Perth was referred to as " St Johns ton " up until the mid 1600s with the name " Perthia " being reserved for the wider area. At this time, " Perthia " became " Perth Shyre " and " St Johns ton " became known as Perth.



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Old Photograph Railway Station Guay Perthshire Scotland

Old photograph of the now closed railway station in Guay, in Strathtay, between Dowally and Kindallachan, ten miles North of Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland. The Inverness and Perth Junction Railway was built to link the Inverness in the Highlands and Aberdeen Junction Railway at Forres and Perth and Dunkeld Railway, ultimately absorbing the latter. The Act of Parliament was passed on 22 July 1861, with the line being opened between Dunkeld and Pitlochry on 1 June 1863, between Forres and Aviemore on 3 August 1863 and the final section to Aviemore and Pitlochry on 9 September 1863. It combined with the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway to form the Highland Railway on 1 February 1865. The line became part of the LMS in 1923. The Aberfeldy Branch was authorised under the original Act of Parliament, being opened on 3 July 1865, just after the formation of the Highland Railway.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Old Photograph Culbin Sands Moray Scotland

Old photograph of Culbin Sands in Moray, Scotland. Nowadays the name Culbin Sands means a beach, but formerly the name meant a large area of loose dune sand desert which is now the Culbin Forest. In its heyday, the dune system was the largest in Britain. This long strip of pristine beach is owned by the RSPB, due to its excellent bird habitat, home to Eurasian oystercatchers, Eurasian curlews, common redshanks and other birds. It is made up of a curious mixture of sand and long grass, but gets muddier further westwards. Much natural driftwood ends up on the sands. Three sand spits enclose a large salt marsh known as The Gut. The largest, known as The Bar, is the largest spit in Scotland. Towards Nairn, the beach is home to a wintering population of the Pale Bellied Brent Goose, one of only two in Scotland. The birds belong to the Svalbard population. In 1888 and 1889, the dunes hosted breeding pairs of Pallas's Sandgrouse, the only time this has ever been recorded in Scotland. The sands had a reputation for shifting, engulfing homesteads. This was due to removal of Marram from the dunes for thatching, as the roots helped to hold the soil together. The Forestry Commission sought to stabilise the dune in much a similar method by planting scrub, before giving the land over to forestry.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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