Date: 25 August 2022
Location: Brora 58.0123906,-3.8428589
Tag Archives: Scotland
Dunrobin Castle
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Dingwall Museum
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Touchstone ‘Maze’, Strathpeffer
Eagle Stone, Strathpeffer
Strathpeffer
Rogie Falls
Date: 24 August 2022
Location: Rogie Falls, Black Water, Strathpeffer 57.5890146,-4.6028459
Further reading:
MacDonald Monument
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Date: 24 August 2022
Location: Dingwall 57.5925309,-4.4289556
"This tower was erected as a national memorial to Major-General Sir Hector Archibald MacDonald KCB DSO ADC AD 1907"
— Inscription above the tower entrance
"Fighting Mac"
"Major General Sir Hector Archibald MacDonald
K.C.B., D.S.O., A.D.C., LLD.
1853 – 1903"
"Hector MacDonald, born 1853, was the son of a crofter from Rootfield in the Black Isle. He left school and served his time in a drapers shop in Dingwall and Inverness. There, at a young age, he joined the Gordon Highlanders, having served first with the local volunteers. He had an outstanding career which took him all over the world from India to Afghanistan, South Africa, Egypt – and the famous battle of Omdurman. During his travels he studied military planning and languages. By the end of his life he could speak over five languages including Arabic, French and Hindustani.
"He rose up through the ranks quickly. He began as a lowly private and became commanding officer of the Highland Brigade during the reign of Queen Victoria. His rise was surprising, as such promotion was granted normally only to those who were from the upper classes."
— Information panel, Dingwall Museum
Further reading:
Glen Docherty
Date: 23 August 2022
Location: Near Kinlochewe 57.5827971,-5.2358696
Inverewe Garden
Date: 23 August 2022
Location: Poolewe 57.7754132,-5.6003555
"Inverewe is a truly mystical landscape, a paradise of unusual, rare and wonderful plants from across the globe – it’s astonishing what we grow here! On the same latitude as Moscow and Hudson’s Bay, we benefit from the effects of the Gulf Stream. A feast for your senses, a peaceful oasis, a labour of love created from a barren wilderness in the 19th century."
— National Trust for Scotland pamphlet
Further reading
Ullapool
Date: 23 August 2022
Location: Ullapool 57.8959064,-5.160107
Letters / Loch Broom
Date: 23 August 2022
Location: Ardcharnich, Ullapool 57.8427866,-5.076627
Corrieshalloch Gorge / Falls of Measach
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Date: 23 August 2022
Location: Corrieshalloch Gorge, Braemore 57.7559953,-5.0218353
"A slot-gorge is an extremely narrow and steep-sided chasm. At Corrieshalloch the gorge was not formed by the river you see today — it is not large or powerful enough to cause erosion on this scale. It was probably cut in the Ice Age (2.6 million to 11,500 years ago) by strong rivers flowing beneath a glacier occupying the Loch Broom valley.
"There are several waterfalls in the gorge, the largest being the spectacular 45m drop of Falls of Measach. Waterfalls occur where layers of rock are more resistant to erosion, preventing the river from flowing smoothly downhill.
"For many, the highlight of a visit is a walk across the bridge above the deep chasm. It was built in 1874 by Sir John Fowler, one of the designers of the famous Forth Rail Bridge. Further along, a cantilevered viewing platform high above the gorge offers unrivalled views (for those who can bear to look) of the Falls of Measach and the bridge above."
— Interpretation panel
Findhorn
Three Distilleries
Elgin: St Giles’ Church & Elgin Cathedral
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Date: 22 August 2022
St Giles’ Church, High Street, Elgin 57.648682, -3.316048
Designed by Scottish architect Archibald Simpson (1790 – 1847), this Church of Scotland parish church was built in 1827 to replace the previous medieval building.
Elgin Cathedral 57.650395, -3.306499
The cathedral dates back to the 1200s and the ruins are in the care of Historic Scotland.
Kessock Bridge
Date: 22 August 2022
Location: Inverness 57.496257, -4.222702
The Kessock Bridge carries the A9 road connecting Inverness and the Black Isle. The bridge crosses the narrows between the Beauly and Moray Firths and has a total length of 1056 m with a cable-stayed main span of 240 m. Construction of the bridge took four years and it opened in 1982. Prior to that, the main route north had to take a 20 mile detour inland. Alternatively there was a small ferry operating between South and North Kessock.
Further reading:
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Inverness Botanic Gardens
Date: 21 August 2022
Location: Bught Lane, Inverness, Scotland 57.462871, -4.240629
Further information:
Airthrey Castle
Date: 20 August 2022
Location: University of Stirling, Scotland 56.148182, -3.913702
"Airthrey Castle was built around 1792 for Robert Haldane who commissioned the design by Robert Adam.
"Adam’s design was influenced by his knowledge of classical Italian landscapes as was the layout of the estate landscape completed by Thomas White in 1798."
— Information plaque
University of Stirling
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Date: 20 August 2022
Location: Andrew Miller Building, University of Stirling, Scotland 56.145710, -3.920178
Information: The University of Stirling was founded in 1967 and its campus is located within the estate of the 18th-century Airthrey Castle. It has a student population of 14,000 and in 2017 was ranked as one of the top 50 universities in the world that were under 50 years old. The 2016 International Student Barometer placed Stirling first in the UK for its campus environment.
The Andrew Miller Building is located centrally in the campus, linking the academic buildings and student accommodation. It houses the university library, Macrobert Arts Centre, study spaces, catering outlets and the Students’ Union. One of the original university buildings, it was fully refurbished in 2021.
Further reading:
GeoTopoi 