Category Archives: Scotland

I’ve been fortunate to travel throughout much of Scotland during my tour. I spent four weeks in Edinburgh, followed by six weeks in the Highlands and islands. I was drawn to explore some of Scotland’s more remote areas and learn … Continue reading →

Argyle, the diamond-shaped pattern on your socks, is derived from the tartan of the powerful Campbell clan. They once controlled Argyll, a large chunk of western Scotland, including twenty-five inhabited islands and over three thousand miles of torn and frayed … Continue reading →

They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen, and won their freedom. (Narrator, Braveheart) Thursday is the big day. Scottish voters will decide whether to remain part of the United Kingdom or become independent. Which way will they go? … Continue reading →

Compared to the Vikings, I had it easy. All I needed to hop through the Hebrides was a rental car and a pocket full of ferry tickets. Ferries have provided a lifeline to the remote islands near Scotland’s west coast … Continue reading →

The tall stone, if it cares, has care Beyond the span of our caring. (George Mackay Brown) Hundreds of years before the construction of Stonehenge, the pyramids, and the Great Wall, Stone Age farmers were building towers and homes on the … Continue reading →

In the Shetland Islands at the northernmost tip of Scotland, the place names are mostly in Norse. The majority of the islands’ population of twenty-two thousand have Nordic ancestors. On Norwegian holidays, they fly Norway’s flag. Thank the Vikings. Although … Continue reading →