This evening I am posting some images of my recent tour of Skye. These were mainly taken around Isleornsay. Weather and light conditions were in perfect alignment. THE place to be for photographs-and great local people too!!

Labels: isle of skye

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:46 PM  0 comments

Today I am on Isle of Skye. Here is an image of a lighthouse scene at Isle Ornsay. Great Scenery!

posted by Nigel Cole @ 2:59 PM  0 comments

Today I visited Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands. This castle is owned by the Queen. Only the garden, grounds, and ballroom are open to the public. The garden is a Highland garden and well worth a visit.

posted by Nigel Cole @ 3:30 PM  0 comments

Today visited Glamis Castle in Angus. This dates back to the 12th century and has many connections with Britain's Royal Family. An excellent guided tour is provided of this famous castle which has also has notable connections to Shakespeare's Macbeth.

posted by Nigel Cole @ 3:46 PM  0 comments

Here are some images of today's tour of Edinburgh's Royal Mile and Castle.

posted by Nigel Cole @ 8:44 AM  0 comments

This evening I am presenting some images from a recent visit to a small farm on the isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides.

Here is a magnificent specimen of a Highland Cow

Belted, Galloway Cattle feeding.


Greedy sheep. In fact this sheep was a former pet lamb and is used to being hand fed.


Sheep and young lamb
Newly born lamb and mother arrive at farm at dusk.

Labels: Isle of Lewis

posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:34 PM  0 comments

This evening I am presenting some images of my visit today to Paisley, near Glasgow.

Paisley was a boom town in the late 1800s and generated wealth on a large-scale textile industry the remains of which are still evident as in street names such as Gauze Street, Cotton Street and Linen Street.

The sun was shining which was good. The downside was that I had only my cellphone camera, so quality of images is not brilliant.

In the foreground of this image is the museum, art galleries and central library. In the background is the Thomas Coats Memorial Church.

Here is an image looking towards Gilmour Street Station


Here is an image of the Town Hall, a magnificent Victoria edifice reflecting the confidence of the era.

Here is the famous Abbey which dates back to 1163. The former priory became an abbey answerable to Rome in 1245. It is possible the William Wallace was educated at the Abbey.

Paisley is a vibrant place with lots of history and well worth a visit

Labels: Paisley

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:33 PM  0 comments

This evening I am presenting an image of an exposed and eroding piece of archaeology found on a cliff at Galson in the north of Lewis. I have other images of the site but blogger seems very slow and unwilling to publish them. The remains are thought to be iron age. Nearby is believed to be the remains of a Viking settlement.

I will try and upload the other images tomorrow.

Labels: Isle of Lewis

posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:08 PM  0 comments

This evening I am presenting an image from a recent tour of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.

This whale bone arch is situated between two houses in Bragar. The two bones are the lower jaw bones of a Blue Whale and were removed from a beached whale in 1920 together with the harpoon which was still in the whale together with intact explosive charge.

Labels: Isle of Lewis

posted by Nigel Cole @ 2:16 PM  0 comments

This evening I am presenting some images taken at lsle of Great Bernera which is small island connected to Lewis (Outer Hebrides) by a bridge.

At Bosta in the north west, the island has a beautiful beach and an 'Iron Age' village. One of the Iron Age houses has been re-constructed and is open to the public during the summer. These houses are very similar to the 'Black Houses' of Lewis which were occupied by crofters up until the 1970s.

Labels: Isle of Lewis

posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:56 PM  0 comments

This evening I am presenting some images of a recent tour to the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides.

This island is very rich in prehistory. provided below are images of just a few of the prehistoric stone circles with which this island is richly endowed.


The next two images are of Callanish III (Cnoc Fillibhir Bheag). It appears to comprise a double circle with the inner comprising four erect stones and the outer eight standing stones including five recumbents. There is a hint of Pythagorean algebra, long before Pythagoras.



These stones are found within Callanish II (Cnoc Ceann a' Ghearaidh) which stands within site of the main Callanish site discovered next. The stones form an ellipse of seven stones, two of which are prostrate with a ruined cairn near the centre.

The following are images of the famous Callanish stones which comprises one of the most significant megalithic complexes in Europe. The next four images are of Callanish 1 which consists of rows of Lewisian gneiss arranged in a cross shape. At the centre is a monolith and small chambered cairn. Absolutely stunning!





Standing stone at Ballantrushal. This is the tallest standing stone in Scotland and stands some 5.7M (18.7 feet) high. Its purpose is unknown but there is speculation that the monolith could have been a prehistoric sea-marker.


This is Steinacleit, Lower Shader. This site contains the remains of a chambered cairn with upright slabs. In turn, the Cairn sits within an oval some 269 ft (82M) in diameter. The site dates from 5000BC to 3000BC

Overall these sites are fascinating examples of the monuments left by the Mesolithic and Neolithic peoples.

Labels: Isle of Lewis

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:21 PM  0 comments

This evening I am posting some images of a recent visit to Harris in the Outer Hebrides.

Harris is well known for the eponymous Harris Tweed cloth which is still a cottage industry with the wool spun in private houses.

Here is a small shop we visited where the wool is spun on site. I bought some rolls of cloth to have made into trousers (pants). This outlet is set in a superb, remote location and definitely not "touristy"-a genuine traditional operation mainly selling traditional Harris Tweed jackets.

Here is am image of the loom which, unfortunately, was not in operation on the day of our visit.

Here is the inside of the well stocked shop.

Labels: Isle of Lewis

posted by Nigel Cole @ 2:47 PM  0 comments

This evening I am presenting some images from my recent tour of Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

This is the section featuring this unique group of restored thatched cottages which reflect life in a typical crofting township of the early 20th century.

Included is a demonstration of weaving Harris Tweed which still continues to this day in island cottages.

This is a truly fascinating site in an idyllic setting of Carloway (when the sun shines!) and is well worth a visit.

Labels: Isle of Lewis

posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:44 PM  0 comments

This evening i am presenting some images from Isle of Lewis tour . These show a renovated pair of thatched buildings used in the past to convert barley grain into meal using water power.

The buildings reflect the Scandinavian influence on the Western Isles of Scotland.

Labels: Isle of Lewis

posted by Nigel Cole @ 2:23 PM  0 comments

This evening I am presenting some images of a recent visit to Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

Below are images of a 2000 year old iron age Broch which is located at Carloway above Loch an Duin on a rocky knoll. Brochs are unique to Scotland and may have been constructed as combined high status and defensive dwellings. They were built with two concentric walls of stone with a stairway or gallery within the walls, a feature which may have been a very effective climate control system.

Labels: Isle of Lewis

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:21 PM  0 comments

This morning I am presenting some images of a recent visit to Glasgow Green in the East End of Glasgow.

Here is the Doulton Fountain which dates to the 1888 International Exhibition and is a manifestation of Britain's then empire.


Here is the Templeton Carpet Factory, a very unusual design based on the Doge's palace in Venice.

Here is inside of the the Peoples Palace and Winter Gardens (1888). This was built as a cultural centre for the East End population.

Labels: Glasgow Green

posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:08 AM  0 comments

This evening I am posting some images from a recent tour of historic Glasgow which included Provand's Lordship, Glasgow's oldest house.

This property is located on Cathedral Street, in close proximity to Glasgow Cathedral, which reflects is ecclesiastical origins.

Provand's Lordship dates from 1471. The property was originally built as a manse for St. Nicholas Hospital which was established opposite the Cathedral around 1460.

Labels: Glasgow

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:16 PM  0 comments