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Scotland 2026
  • Ian Smith
  • Margaret Adam
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  • Ian Smith
  • Margaret Adam

Scotland 2026

A 28-day adventure by Ian & Margaret. Read more
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    Rosemarkie
    Scotland 2026

    The Anderson, Fortrose

    3 hours ago in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    According to their website The Anderson is a "small Highland hotel with nine non-luxury bedrooms, each with its own individual character. All rooms are en-suite and rigged up with WiFi, coffee & tea and other 20th Century essentials. Ghosts stay for free."
    It's definitely quirky, with Southern inspired food, and Ian enjoyed a local beer and a trio of tasting whiskey.    Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Culloden Battlefield

    Today in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    Culloden Battlefield is the site of the final clash of the 1745 Jacobite Rising, fought on 16 April 1746 near Inverness, Scotland. It marks the last pitched battle fought on British soil.
    Belligerents: The Jacobite army (supporters of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, or "Bonnie Prince Charlie") fighting to restore the Stuart monarchy versus British government forces led by the Duke of Cumberland.
    The Jacobites numbered roughly 5,000 men who were exhausted, under-resourced, and half-starved. The government army numbered about 7,000 to 8,000 well-provisioned troops with superior artillery and cavalry.
    The engagement lasted less than an hour. Government cannon fire and bayonets decisively routed the Jacobite charge.
    Casualties: Around 1,250 to 1,500 Jacobites were killed or mortally wounded, compared to roughly 50 to 300 government soldiers.    Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Clava Cairns

    Today in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Clava Cairns is a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age cemetery complex located near Culloden and east of Inverness, Scotland.

  • Scotland 2026

    Fort George

    Today in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Fort George is a massive 18th-century artillery fortress located on a spit of land in the Moray Firth near Ardersier, about 11 miles northeast of Inverness. It remains an active British Army military base and is widely considered one of the finest surviving fortification complexes in Europe.Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Ardersier Common

    Today in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    We had an early morning bracing walk around tge Common.

    Stretching across approximately 18.9 hectares of Moray Firth coastline near Ardersier, the site supports a rich mosaic of habitats including coastal scrub, shingle and species-rich grassland, and is noted for its wildflowers and invertebrates. Among its highlights are small blue butterflies — Scotland's smallest butterfly.Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Elgin Cathederal

    Yesterday in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Elgin Cathedral, also known as the Lantern of the North, is a historic ruin. Established in 1224 on land granted by King Alexander II, it was the seat of the bishops of Moray. It replaced the cathedral at Spynie, located 3 kilometres to the north, and was served by a small chapter of eight clerics. By 1226, the expanding cathedral was staffed with 18 canons, a number that increased to 23 by 1242.
    The destruction and eventual ruin of Elgin Cathedral happened over several centuries due to fires, violent attacks, the Scottish Reformation, and structural collapses.    Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Elgin Walk

    Yesterday in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Elgin is famous for its 13th-century medieval cathedral ruins, its role in the Speyside whisky region, and its historic woolen and cashmere mills.

  • Scotland 2026
    Eurofighter Typoon

    Duffus Castle

    Yesterday in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Wind speeds to up to 60mph, gusts up to 70mph were predicted today - we felt this most at Duffus Castle. This castle was a motte-and-bailey castle and was in use from c. 1140 to 1705. During its occupation it underwent many alterations. The most fundamental was the destruction of the original wooden structure and its replacement with one of stone. At the time of its establishment, it was one of the most secure fortifications in Scotland. At the death of the 2nd Lord Duffus in 1705, the castle had become totally unsuitable as a dwelling and so was abandoned.Read more

  • Scotland 2026
    Kinloss Barracks - Duke of Edinburgh planeKinloss Barracks - Duke of Edinburgh plane

    Findhorn Beach

    Yesterday in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    We had a short walk on the beach as it was extraordinary windy. The plane at Kinloss Barracks is a retired aircraft named the "Duke of Edinburgh", a Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR2 (serial number XV244), a famous maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane. The Royal Connection: Prince Philip (the late Duke of Edinburgh) served as the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Kinloss. He personally attended the emotional 2011 disbandment parade of the Kinloss squadrons when the base transitioned from an airbase to an Army barracks. Preservation: Saved from the scrapheap by the local aerospace charity Morayvia. In 2014, with Prince Philip's personal blessing, the aircraft was formally christened the "Duke of Edinburgh". The plane proudly displays his personal name and royal heraldic standard on its tail fin.Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Sueno's Stone

    Yesterday in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Sueno's Stone is a gigantic 6.5 to 7-metre-tall Pictish sandstone cross-slab. Managed by Historic Environment Scotland, it is the tallest and most complex surviving early medieval carved standing stone of its type in the country.Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Dry Bridge

    Yesterday in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    This is the last surviving of three 'old Heilan Line' railway bridges formerly belonging to the village of Drybridge, and one of very few remaining along the length of the line. The construction of skew bridges always required highly skilful engineering. It is of particular interest for its location, at the gateway to the village, spanning the road just a few yards from the centre of Drybridge, framing the settlement. Work began on the Keith to Portessie line of the Highland Railway on 7th November, 1882 and the branch opened on 1st August, 1884. Wartime economies led to closure of the line on 9 August 1915, and in 1917 the track between Aultmore (to the south) and Portessie (to the north) was requisitioned by the Admiralty. The GNSR re-opened the north and south sections of line by 1919, but the Aultmore to Portessie section (passing through Drybridge) was never re-opened and the track was again removed during 1937. Drybridge Station and platform, built in 1885, were both of timber construction.Read more

  • Scotland 2026
    On the way to Fordyce

    Fordyce

    Yesterday in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    Fordyce is a historic inland village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, located roughly 3 miles southwest of Portsoy and about 4 miles east-southeast of Cullen.

    Burgh of Barony: Erected in 1499 by Bishop William Elphinstone of Aberdeen.
    Medieval Street: Retains its historic lanes, traditional stone cottages, and abundant cottage gardens.
    Fordyce Academy: Once known as the "Eton of the North" for its academic excellence; established with roots tracing back to 1592, the main building closed in 1964 and part now serves as the local primary school.    Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Rhymie Churchyard Pictish Stones

    Yesterday in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    The Rhynie Churchyard Stones
    The Largest Stone (Rhynie 5): A 1.3-meter-tall irregularly shaped slab featuring a carved "beast" head (resembling a seal or an otter). Its reverse side has Neolithic cup marks, showing the Picts reused earlier sacred stones.
    Whinstone Class II Stone: Carved with a beast's head, a double-disc and Z-rod, and a mirror and comb.
    Red Granite Class II Stone: Carved with a double-disc, a crescent and V-rod, and a mirror symbol.    Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Gairnshiel Bridge

    October 13 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    The historic Gairnshiel Bridge is a mid-18th-century, Category A-listed stone arch bridge crossing the River Gairn on the A939 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
    It was built: 1749–1753 by Major William Caulfeild as part of a military road system following the second Jacobite uprising.Read more

  • Scotland 2026
    Dinnet GatehouseGunnera often commonly referred to as giant rhubarb, Brazilian rhubarb, or dinosaur food.

    Castle Fraser

    October 12 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Castle Fraser is one of the largest Z-plan tower houses in Scotland, located near Kemnay in Aberdeenshire.
    Origins: The core of the castle dates back to a medieval square tower from around 1450 (originally granted by James II as Muchall-in-Mar in 1454).
    Z-Plan Expansion: Rebuilt and expanded into a grand five-storey Z-plan castle between 1575 and 1636 by the Fraser lairds, featuring work by master masons John Bell and Thomas Leiper.    Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Mither Tap

    October 12 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Mither Tap is an iconic, conical-shaped peak in the Bennachie hill range in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, rising to a height of 518 metres. It features a massive, well-preserved Iron Age hill fort (dating from around 500 BC to AD 500) with stone entrance corridors and terracing.
    Ian made it to the plateau below the summit, Margaret about 10 metres below Ian. We chose not to go to the top as it was dangerously windy and cloudy/misty at the summit.    Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Towie

    October 12 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
  • Scotland 2026

    Tomnaverie Stone Circle

    October 12 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    The Tomnaverie stone circle is a recumbent stone circle set on the top of a small hill in lowland northeast Scotland. Construction started around 2500 BC, in the Bronze Age, to produce a monument of thirteen granite stones including a massive 6.5-ton recumbent stone lying on its side along the southwest of the circle's perimeter. Within the 17-metre (56 ft) circle are kerb stones encircling a low 15-metre (49 ft) ring cairn but the cairn itself no longer exists.Read more

  • Scotland 2026

    Linn of Quoich

    October 11 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    The Linn of Quoich is a scenic waterfall, rocky ravine, and natural pool system located on the Mar Lodge Estate near Braemar in Aberdeenshire. It sits within the Cairngorms National Park.
    •The Punchbowl: A famous, water-sculpted natural pothole in the rock midstream. Legend says the Earl of Mar used it as a punchbowl after deer-hunting trips.
    • Queen Victoria's Picnic Lodge: Also known as the Princess's Tea Room, this historic, restored stone building sits near the site and was a favorite spot of Queen Victoria.    Read more