Tour Scotland Video Lone Piper Playing Bagpipes Highland Games Blairgowrie Perthshire

Tour Scotland video of a lone Piper playing bagpipes music at the Blairgowrie Highland Games in Bogles Field, Essendy Road, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland. This fine young man plays for West Lothians Schools Pipe Band and played when Queen Elizabeth officially opened the Queensferry Crossing road bridge on September 4, 2017.

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

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Tour Scotland Video Strongman Kenny Simm Lifting The Ardblair Stones Highland Games Blairgowrie Perthshire

Tour Scotland video of Scottish Strongman Kenny Simm from East Lothian lifting the Ardblair Stones at the Blairgowrie Highland Games in Bogles Field, Essendy Road, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland. The Ardblair Stones are nine reinforced concrete spheres ranging in weight from 18 to 152kg which is 40 to 335lbs. The Ardblair Stones Challenge involves lifting the stones sequentially from lightest to heaviest onto whisky butts which are 132cm or 52 inches in height). The event is judged on both time and the number of stones successfully completed.

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

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Old Photograph Lovat Arms and Station Hotel Fort Augustus Scotland

Old photograph of the Lovat Arms and Station Hotel in Fort Augustus, Highlands, Scotland. In the aftermath of the Jacobite rising in 1715, General Wade built a fort, taking from 1729 until 1742, which was named after the Duke of Cumberland. Wade had planned to build a town around the new barracks and call it Wadesburgh. The settlement grew, and eventually took the name of this fort. The fort was captured by the Jacobites led by Bonnie Prince Charlie in April 1745, just prior to the Battle of Culloden. In 1867, the fort was sold to the Lovat family, and in 1876 they passed the site and land to the Benedictine order. The monks established Fort Augustus Abbey and later a school. The school operated until 1993. The Caledonian Canal connecting Fort William to Inverness passes through Fort Augustus in a dramatic series of locks stepping down to Loch Ness.



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

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Old Photograph Of Weavers Outside Their Houses in Kirriemuir Scotland

Old photograph of weavers outside their houses in Kirriemuir, Scotland. In the 19th Century, the town was a centre for handloom weaving and jute processing. Former jute factories are now used to manufacture synthetics. Once an important market town, Kirriemuir lies at the centre of rich farm land. The history of Kirriemuir reaches back to earliest recorded times, when it seems to have been a major ecclesiastical centre. Later it was identified with witchcraft, and some older houses still feature a witches stone to ward off evil. In the 19th century, it was an important centre of the jute trade. The playwright J.M. Barrie was born and buried here.



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

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Old Photograph Fish Merchant Newhaven Scotland

Old photograph of the fish merchant in Newhaven, Edinburgh, Scotland. The Society of Free Fishermen of Newhaven, dating from at least 1572, was one of the oldest friendly societies in Scotland. It survived until 1989. Up to the end of the 20th century, pilots of ships on the Firth of Forth traditionally came from a close knit group of Newhaven families. The early pilots provided their own crews and sailing cutters which were regarded as the fastest and most seaworthy available. Between 1572 and 1890, Newhaven was a major port for landing oysters. It also played a role in the fishing and whaling industry.





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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.