Nestled in the Scottish Borders, St Mary’s Loch captivates with its serene waters, historic ties to William Wallace and literary icons like Sir Walter Scott, and endless trails for hiking and watersports
Continue reading →The largest public artworks in Scotland? The Kelpies! You are invited to take more than a look at these two 30 meter tall horse head sculptures designed by Andy Scott, erected in Grangemouth Park, Falkirk, near River Carron, in The Helix, a new parkland project; there are so impressive…!! By definition, the ‘kelpie’ is a supernatural water horse of Celtic … Continue reading →
Having travelled many times around Scotland, I noticed that many Scottish towns have a unicorn carved on the pinnacle of its ‘Merkat’ Cross. Why so?… Because the ‘Mercat’ (market) cross was the traditional heart of the burgh and although we now look at the unicorns as a mythical creature, in times past there were a lot who believed in their … Continue reading →
Which of these two Scottish monuments is taller? The Wallace monument ? The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a tower standing on the summit of Abbey Craig, a hilltop near Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, the 13th century Scottish hero. Source: Wikipedia or The Walter Scott Monument? We delighted watching the cows … Continue reading →
Here fond affection rears its sculpted stone… (from John Henry Alexander’s epitaph – Glasgow Necropolis) “CEMETERIES ARE FOR THE LIVING. Sure, the dead are the permanent residents and the living merely visitors but the Necropolis and every other burying ground in the world were imagined, designed and built for the benefit of other living people. Time, as … Continue reading →
We’re almost there Mairiuna, only a few feet away from Picardy Place where the more than life-size bronze statue of Sherlock Holmes is standing close to the house (No 11) where his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle was born. Sculpted and cast by Gerald Ogilvie Laing at Kinkell Castle in Sutherland in 1989, it is today one of Edinburgh landmarks. The … Continue reading →
The east of new Edinburgh is guarded by a craggy hill, of no great elevation which the town embraces (…)You mount by stairs in a cutting of the rock to find yourself in a field of monuments. (Robert Louis Stevenson – Edinburgh Picturesque Notes – 1878 ) I’m coming Janice ! Didn’t you say Calton Hill was 333 feet high … Continue reading →
Wow….Mairiuna…it was worth the wait ! 🙂 That sword is indeed very impressive…I would not have liked to be pierced through by it…yikes! Not less impressive is Wallace Monument. You can see it from far afield, standing on the summit of Abbey Craig, when you visit the region. Designed by John T Rochhead it took 8 years to complete it. … Continue reading →
