Old Travel Blog Photograph West High Street Portobello Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of shops, buildings and people on West High Street in Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland. Portobello is a beach resort located three miles to the east of the city centre of Edinburgh, along the coast of the Firth of Forth. The area was originally known as Figgate Muir, an expanse of moorland through which the Figgate Burn flowed as the Braid Burn continuation to the sea, with a broad sandy beach on the Firth of Forth. The name Figgate was thought to come from the Saxon term for " cow's ditch ". However, the land was used as pasture for cattle by the monks of Holyrood Abbey and the name is more likely to mean " cow road " as in Cowgate in Edinburgh. In 1296, William Wallace mustered forces on the moor in a campaign that led to the Battle of Dunbar, and in 1650 it was the supposed scene of a secret meeting between Oliver Cromwell and Scottish leaders. A report from 1661 describes a race in which twelve browster-wives ran from the Burn, recorded as the Thicket Burn, to the top of Arthur's Seat.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph Needle's Eye Kippford Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the Needle's Eye, a natural arch, on the coast by Kippford, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Kippford is is a small village along the Solway coast. It stretches along the banks of the Urr estuary and in places is only one house wide. Kippford is a popular sailing village, with many small yachts moored in the tidal estuary of the River Urr, and events organised by the Solway Yacht Club. Kippford can only be accessed by car from Barnbarroch, passing by Craigieknowes Golf Course. Between Kippford and Rockcliffe lies the Mote of Mark, a hill fort. Victorian Kippford had interests in the granite quarrying industry.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph Vintage Car And Houses Kilcreggan Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of a vintage car and houses in Kilcreggan, Scotland. This village developed on the north shore of the of the Firth of Clyde at a time when Clyde steamers brought it within easy reach of Glasgow. Many Glasgow shipowners and merchants made their summer retreats or even permanent residences there. The majority of the houses look south across the Clyde towards the towns of Gourock and Greenock, and further down the firth towards the Isle of Arran.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph Drawing Room Blairs College Aberdeen Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the Drawing Room in Blairs College near Aberdeen, Scotland. Lying on the south bank of the River Dee, between Kirkton of Maryculter and Aberdeen, the land on which the seminary was built was originally owned by the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem, before passing to the Menzies family in 1542. In 1827 the land was donated to the Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, and the original building, Menzies House, converted into a seminary for 25 pupils. In 1829 Lismore Seminary and Aquhorthies College were merged, then closed and the students moved to Blairs College. The college closed in 1986, but the chapel continues to be used as a place of worship. There is a Sunday Mass in the chapel every week at 9:30 am.


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Old Travel Blog Photograph Muir Wynd Hamilton Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of buildings and people on Muir Wynd in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. A wynd is typically a narrow lane between houses. The name is frequently encountered in towns and villages in Scotland and Northern England. Hamilton is the fifth largest Scottish town, excluding cities, after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld. The town was originally known as Cadzow or Cadyou. During the Wars of Scottish Independence the Hamilton family initially supported the English and Walter fitz Gilbert, the head of the Hamilton family, was governor of Bothwell Castle on behalf of the English. However, he later changed loyalty to Robert the Bruce, following the Battle of Bannockburn, and ceded Bothwell to him. For this act, he was rewarded with a portion of land which had been forfeited by the Comyns at Dalserf and later the Barony and lands of Cadzow, which in time would become the town of Hamilton.



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