We followed “The Pictish Trail” around our area, checking out the Pictish Stones. These highly carved upright stones may have been grave markers, and were carved between about 200-800 AD, mostly in northern Scotland. The Picts are a mysterious group, best known for these distinctive carved stones. They were early converts to Christianity, said toContinue reading “Pictish Stones”
Category Archives: Scotland
The Center of the Highlands: Lairg
We wanted to see what the highlands are about, so we drove to the middle. Lairg is about 50 miles from the east, west, and north coasts of Scotland.The town sits at one end of Loch Shin, surrounded by hills covered with heather and gorse, green pastures filled with sheep and tan fields of barley.Continue reading “The Center of the Highlands: Lairg”
Photo of the Day–Tain Pottery
We stopped at Tain Pottery just because it was there. What an accommodating place! The showroom displays patterns and finished items, but they also have a page with all the shapes and sizes they make, and another with all their patterns. You can order any shape and size in any pattern. They’ll make anything notContinue reading “Photo of the Day–Tain Pottery”
Cromarty, the town at the end of the Black Isle
The Black Isle gets its name from the dark form of the island in winter. When viewed from afar, Inverness, for example, it looks black. Surrounded by water, snow doesn’t stick (they don’t get very much). Cromarty is a small town at the tip of the Black Isle. It has varied and interesting architectural details,Continue reading “Cromarty, the town at the end of the Black Isle”
Our new home in Invergordon, Scotland
This is our third month in Scotland, and everything looks really good. No boredom, no shortage of activities, and the weather is crazily good for early September. Two sunny days and a mostly sunny day–out of three. Our neighborhood is a strip of houses 1-2 blocks wide along the side of Cromarty Firth. Behind theContinue reading “Our new home in Invergordon, Scotland”
Cairns, Rock Art and Standing Stones
We found this hidden gem of Scotland by looking for a place to visit on our way north in the site guide from Historic Scotland. There were so many sites in this one small area that we decided to make an archaeological detour. No one comes to this area without planning, there are direct routesContinue reading “Cairns, Rock Art and Standing Stones”
Hadrian’s Wall
What archaeologist can resist visiting Hadrian’s Wall? Hadrian’s Wall was an attempt by the Romans to protect the northern border of their empire in Britain. Built starting in AD 122, it spans the width of northern England from Newcastle to Carlisle. Walls like this have never been very successful and Hadrian’s Wall managed to monitorContinue reading “Hadrian’s Wall”
Late Summer by the Sea
We drove along the coast until we found a place to walk, and ended up at Nun Mill Beach. Believe it or not, late August has had mostly sunny days and today was another. We ate our picnic by the water and found lots of beach glass. The fields beside the shore are a brilliantContinue reading “Late Summer by the Sea”
Scottish Castles and then some
Southern Scotland is full of castles. How do you choose which ones to visit? After I realized that we couldn’t visit them all, we chose a couple from a range of time periods to see whether we can see any changes over time. What I found is that castles didn’t change much between the 12thContinue reading “Scottish Castles and then some”
Why here? A ten-second economic history
We drive down narrow roads, rarely passing anyone, heading for the shore. Our only company is the landscape and the sheep and cattle grazing. We arrive at the end of the road a few steps from the rocky beach. The tide is out so far that you can’t see the water. This is a hugeContinue reading “Why here? A ten-second economic history”
Llywindatravels 2025 