Above is a map of the first part of the canal which stretches from Lochrin Basin to Falkirk Wheel over a distance of 32 miles. The remainder of the canal after that goes to Glasgow and turns into the Clyde River. See more detail. Originally opened in 1789, the Forth and Clyde Canal crossed theContinue reading “History: The history of the Forth and Clyde Canal”
Tag Archives: Scotland
Travel: A weekend trip to the medieval town of Linlithgow: History through the mists of time to today
The beautiful burgh of Linlithgow charmed the pants off me when I went there in 2012. The town sits astride the Forth and Clyde Canal (which I’ve written on extensively) which is around half way between Edinburgh and Glasgow. There’s a train link on Scotrail which goes between cities that takes you there, and there’s aContinue reading “Travel: A weekend trip to the medieval town of Linlithgow: History through the mists of time to today”
10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #174
Scottish vocabulary illustrated by Stooryduster I found an extensive and massive online compendium of Scottish words along with compelling and funny illustrations by Stooryduster…an incredible achievement! See more here! A funky neo deep house mix for your aural enjoyment Archangel Michael fighting the dragon (1500) Archangel Michael fighting the dragon . Prayer book of HenriContinue reading “10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #174”
Book Review: The Book of I by David Greig
A joyful, cheeky and big-hearted book set in the year 825 AD that is immediately relevant to now. Highly recommend this unconventional novel about the lives of Vikings and Irish settlers on a remote Scottish island.
Book Review: The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard
The Ghost Cat a curious little novel about a spectral cat haunting an Edinburgh townhouse over several generations — is sometimes enchanting, sometimes discombobulating. #Cats #Fiction #AlexHoward #BookReview #Edinburgh #Fantasy #Books #Book #Review #History
Book Review: The Way of the Hermit by Ken Smith
In The Way of the #Hermit, Ken Smith offers a profoundly #human portrait of #solitude—not the performative kind, but the hard-earned, bone-deep kind that comes from living off-grid in the #Scottish #Highlands for over 40 years. #BookReview #Books #introvert #introversion #nature #Scotland #Biography #Autobiography #Philosophy
10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #140
This week on #InterestingThings: Psychedelic cocktails in Ancient #Egypt, #jazz euphoria, ancient #Italian stairs, how to match #colours in your outfits, why #Vikings never left #Scotland, mesmerising #seashell art and much more #ContentCatnip
The far-flung pillars of imagination
Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home. When I was in my 20’s I became very ill and almost died. Luckily for me I overcame it. However, it involved a step-change in everything I held dear. Suddenly freedom to experience the world because I survived became the focus. So I traveledContinue reading “The far-flung pillars of imagination”
Book Review: Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg
This is a book about the raw majesty of St Kilda as a place, and about the spirit, community bonds and resilience of its people. But it’s also a tragic tale about the devastation of colonialism and 19th century morality.
Ancient Word of the Day: Stravaig
Stravaig derives from eighteenth-century Scots extravage, meaning ‘wander about; digress, ramble in speech’, in turn derived from Medieval Latin extravagari ‘wander, stray beyond limits’. Stravaig, in various forms, is found in a wide range of Scottish texts from the late eighteenth-century onwards. Read more
