Old Travel Blog Photograph Dining Room Bowhill House Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the dining room in Bowhill House near Selkirk, Borders, Scotland. Bowhill was built in 1708 by John, Lord Bowhill. His brother William Murray had bought the land earlier in 1690. In 1747, Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch, bought Bowhill for his son Lord Charles Scott who wanted to stand for Parliament in Roxburgh or Selkirk. In 1767, Henry, the third Duke, started to plant forests in the grounds, and in 1800, the 4th Duke Charles started to revamp what was an occasional summer house and turned it into a villa with gallery hall. Walter, 5th Duke, made many changes and, in 1831, moved the entrance from south to north. The building was finally completed in 1876 when it was 437 feet long.


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Old Travel Blog Photograph Murray Arms Hotel Gatehouse of Fleet Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the Murray Arms Hotel in Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. A historic hotel dating back to 1760. The town developed into a centre for industry, particularly cotton mills. The western approach to the town is dominated by the imposing Cardoness Castle. Gatehouse of Fleet is the birthplace of Victorian artist John Faed. The renowned inventor of clockwork mechanisms, Robert Williamson was also known to have set up a workshop in the town in 1778, which burned to the ground and claimed his life in 1794. The town takes its name from its location near the mouth of the river called the Water of Fleet which empties into Wigtown Bay at Fleet Bay, and its former role as the Gait House or the House on the Road on the River Fleet or toll booth of the late 18th century. Hamish MacInnes, the well known mountaineer and pioneer of mountain rescue in Scotland was born in the town in 1930.



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

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Old Travel Blog Photograph Single Track North Ford Causeway North Uist Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the single track road, with passing places, on North Ford Causeway which links Benbecula and North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It took up to 90 workers, many from north east Scotland in the early stages, three years to complete. Before the road, the crossing had to be made by boat or walking across mud and sand banks at low tide. Guides were available to escort travellers, but the walk was about four miles long and the sea only remained low enough to make the crossing for an hour at a time. North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island. North Uist was hit hard during the Highland Clearances, and there was large scale emigration from the island to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. North Uist surnames affected during the clearances were the MacAulay, Morrison, MacCodrum, MacCuish, and MacDonald. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.



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

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Old Travel Blog Photograph Road To Ardenconnel House Rhu Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the road to Ardenconnel House by Rhu village on the east shore of the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The mansion was built by the Buchanan family in the late 18th century, and Ardenconnel was one of the principal estates of the old parish of Row. It was bought in 1899 by the Countrywide Holidays Association, and by 1908 could accommodate 120 guests. The CHA is the oldest walking holiday company in the country, set up in 1893 to encourage participation in, and enjoyment of, the countryside, and to this day, while no longer operating walking holidays, is still working hard to fulfil the vision of founder the Rev T.A.Leonard. During the Second World War the mansion was requisitioned and used as the Sergeants Mess for RAF Helensburgh, which was the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment and tested seaplanes, bombs and other weapons. The mansion was later converted into modern flats.





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

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Old Travel Blog Photograph Park Hotel Oban Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the Park Hotel in Oban, Argyllshire, Scotland. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. The site where Oban now stands has been used by humans since at least mesolithic times, as evidenced by archaeological remains of cave dwellers found in the town Just outside the town stands Dunollie Castle, on a site that overlooks the main entrance to the bay and has been fortified since the 7th century. The modern town of Oban grew up around the distillery which was founded there in 1794, and the town was raised to a burgh of barony in 1811 by royal charter Sir Walter Scott visited the area in 1814, the year in which he published his poem The Lord of the Isles, and interest in the poem brought many new visitors to the town. The arrival of the railways in the 1880s brought further prosperity to local industry and giving new energy to tourism.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.