We have just returned from spending a week near to Hadrian’s wall. The wall was built by the Romans under the orders of Emperor Hadrian in AD122 and runs from coast to coast for 73 miles. This remarkable feat of building marked the northern edge of the mighty Roman Empire. By the late 4th century […]
Some time ago Dr Bruce Durie, former professor of Genealogy at Strathclyde University and a very good friend sent me this article…. Enjoy: Clans and Families Clans are a consequence of the templating of the Anglo-Norman feudal system onto pre- existing territorial holdings, but with certain specific features (such as a military elite), and were […]
Intrinsically linked like bread and butter, whisky and the Clans are about as all things Scot as you’re going to get. Here are our top five links between the water of life and Scotland’s oldest families. 1. Dalmore In 1263, an ancestor of Clan Mackenzie saved King Alexander III of Scotland from being gored by […]
Edinburgh has a rich history of ghosts and ghastly characters, so much so that it is supposedly the most haunted city in all of Europe! Most of the tales and sightings take place around Edinburgh’s Old Town, in particular the Castle, which is said to be home to as many as seven spirits, the vaults […]
#1 Anything in Scotland’s Commonwealth Tartan Scotland’s uniform of for the Commonwealth Games was widely ridiculed. There was even a petition set up which gained hundreds of signatures calling for it to be replaced. The press called it ‘shocking’ lurid tartan. #2 Oh those poor Currie Brothers The Currie Brothers are a popular vocal and […]
Greyfriars Bobby is known around the world as the epitome of man’s best friend, not budging from his masters grave from the day of his burial in 1858 up until his own passing in 1872. The story is well known in Scotland and around the world, through several books and films, particularly the 1961 Walt Disney […]
The Scottish sword dance is found in Scottish folklore, recorded as early as the 15th century, back to King Malcolm Canmore (Shakespeare’s MacBeth). The Sword Dance, or Ghillie Callum is the most well known of all Highland Dances. It is an ancient dance of war of the Scottish Gael. There are a number of sources that […]
A stone discovered by chance in a graveyard on the Isle of Canna in the Inner Hebrides is Scotland’s first known example of a bullaun “cursing stone”, researchers and archaeologists have revealed. The cursing stone dates from approximately 800 AD. Interestingly, these cursing stones are sometimes linked with the earlier forms of Christian crosses. […]
The Highlands have helped Scotland become the number one cinema destination in the world. Readers of American newspaper USA Today and travel website 10best chose the country as the best place in the world to experience the magic of the silver screen, as part of the Best Cinematic Destination awards. A panel of experts picked […]
We have created a very short questionnaire to try and find out a but more about our customers/visitors to our site and our social media presences. It would really help us if you could spend 2 mins and answer the following questions. Think there are only 10 questions. Thank you for your support and help […]
