Place of interest Archive

Broughty Castle – Contested Guardian of the River Tay

Once she guarded the entrance to the mouth of the River Tay. Today Broughty Castle, near Dundee, guards a lovely beach and a few historic treasures instead. Just before the mouth of the River Tay finally opens out to the North Sea, the two banks draw close together one last time. This was exactly the […]

Glasgow Art Club – A Society of Art Lovers

The Glasgow Art Club opens its doors to non-members too. What art you can see there, and when a visit might be worthwhile, is covered here. They gaze down sternly. A circle of old gentlemen with grey beards and cigars in hand. The patriarchy still seems intact here at the Glasgow Art Club – were […]

Auchindrain Township – A Journey Through Time in an Abandoned Highland Village

The village of Auchindrain in Argyll & Bute has survived the turmoil of the centuries intact. Today it’s a very special open-air museum. He was the last one to hold out: when Eddie McCallum left the village of Auchindrain in 1967 as its last inhabitant, it threatened to fall into complete ruin – like so […]

RRS Discovery – From Dundee to Antarctica and Back

In Dundee lies the polar research ship RRS Discovery. On board, visitors learn all about the golden age of British polar exploration. The name says it all. “Discovery” means exactly that – and that was the task of this ship from the shipyard in Dundee: to head for unknown lands and return safely to its […]

Kirkmichael – A Journey Through Fashions in Gravestones

A small chapel with a graveyard guards ancient and beautiful stonemasonry from Scotland. A visit to Kirkmichael on the Black Isle. Edinburgh Castle, Urquhart Castle, Culloden – these are Scotland’s big tourist magnets. Run highly professionally, with equally high entry prices, they keep Scottish history alive. And yet it can sometimes feel like a mass-market […]

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2018 – the Sky is the Limit

Colourful light shows dance across the old castle walls of Edinburgh Castle. On the esplanade in front, pipers line up and unleash their acoustic power. That’s what it feels like to attend the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in August. Every Tattoo year has a theme. In 2018 it was “The Sky is the Limit”. This […]

Hospitalfield House – A historic place for new art

This house has it all: old master paintings, Arts & Crafts, modern art. Hospitalfield House displays all of this in lavish rooms and historic gardens. Because the monks of Arbroath Abbey wanted to offer pilgrims a place to stay, in 1260 they had a “hospital” built on a field – Hospitalfield. Today a house stands […]

Taynish National Nature Reserve – Scotland’s Rainforest

Ancient Atlantic rainforest in Scotland – it has survived on a peninsula in the west. Taynish National Nature Reserve offers ancient trees and wonderful views. There is a piece of Scotland that hardly anyone knows. A piece of Scotland that doesn’t constantly turn up in magazines or on Facebook pages, that hasn’t yet travelled the […]

Ardnamurchan Lighthouse – Egyptian architecture in the west of Scotland

Ardnamurchan Lighthouse marks the westernmost point of the British mainland. But that’s not its only claim to fame. The lighthouse also boasts a very distinctive architecture. Even the drive to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse is an adventure in itself. Along some jagged mountain ridges that form the rim of a huge caldera, the road winds through a […]

Fortrose Cathedral – The Cathedral of the Black Isle

Fortrose Cathedral on the Black Isle in the east of Scotland is a ruin today. Yet once its power reached across to the west coast. Its history, and why a visit is worthwhile. It’s almost a pitiful sight. Not much remains today of the former beauty of Fortrose Cathedral. The nave of the church is […]