Old Travel Blog Photograph Bass Rock And Tantallon Castle Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the Bass Rock and Tantallon Castle, Firth of Forth, Scotland. The rock is currently uninhabited, but historically was settled by an early Christian hermit, and later was the site of an important castle, which was, after the Commonwealth, used as a prison. The island was in the ownership of the Lauder family for almost six centuries, and now belongs to Sir Hew Fleetwood Hamilton Dalrymple. A lighthouse was constructed on the rock in 1902, and the remains of a chapel are located there. The Bass Rock features in numerous works of fiction, including Robert Stevenson's Catriona and The Lion is Rampant by contemporary Scottish novelist Ross Laidlaw.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph Tayside Police Pipe Band Scone Palace By Perth Perthshire Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of Tayside Police Pipe Band on the grounds of Scone Palace, Perthshire, Scotland. Scone was originally the site of an early Christian church, and later an Augustinian priory. In the 12th century, Scone Priory was granted abbey status and as a result an Abbot's residence, an Abbot's Palace, was constructed. Scone Abbey was severely damaged in 1559 during the Scottish Reformation after a mob whipped up by the famous reformer, John Knox, came to Scone from Dundee. The Palace has been home to the Earls of Mansfield for over 400 years. During the early 19th century the Palace was enlarged by the architect William Atkinson. In 1802, David William Murray, 3rd Earl of Mansfield, commissioned Atkinson to extend the Palace, recasting the late 16th century Palace of Scone. The 3rd Earl tasked Atkinson with updating the old Palace whilst maintaining characteristics of the medieval Gothic abbey buildings it was built upon, with the majority of work finished by 1808.



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

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Old Travel Blog Photograph Mary Ann's Cottage Dunnet Caithness Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of Mary Ann's cottage at Dunnet, Caithness. Scotland. Mary's grandfather John Young, built the cottage in this area of the Highlands in 1850, and the croft was successively worked by him, his son William, and finally by his grand-daughter, Mary-Ann and her husband James Calder. Over the three generations the way of life and working practices had continued largely unaltered. Mary-Ann died peacefully on the eve of her 99th birthday in September 1996 in a nursing home in Wick. Dunnet village centres on the A836 and B855 road junction. The A836 leads towards John o' Groats in the east and toward Thurso and Tongue in the west. The B855 leads toward Brough and Dunnet Head point in the north.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph River Dee By Balmoral Castle Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the River Dee by Balmoral Castle, Scotland. Balmoral has been one of the residences for members of the British Royal Family since 1852, when the estate and its original castle were purchased privately by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria. They remain as the private property of the royal family and are not the property of the Crown. Soon after the estate was purchased by the royal family, the existing house was found to be too small and the current Balmoral Castle was commissioned. The architect was William Smith of Aberdeen, although his designs were amended by Prince Albert.



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

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Old Travel Blog Photograph Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry Lochmaddy North Uist Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of a Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry approaching the pier at Lochmaddy, North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. In a report dated 1616 Lochmaddy was described: " Lochmaldie on the coast of Uist is a rendezvous for pirates " it said. The coves and inlets characterising the area around the village were ideal hiding places for raiding ships stocked with fine goods bound for the clan chiefs of the time, and contraband activity persisted until the modern era. Lochmaddy was an important fishing community before the commercial decline of the herring. During the reign of King Charles it was the site of a Royal Fishing Station.



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

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