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  Nevis Range part 1 – Sgurr Finnisg-aig viewpoint

  On a list of my favourite places in the world, the views from the lodge and surrounding areas on Nevis Range are pretty close to, if not, the top. Whether in the depths of summer or the end of winter, in sun or rainy weather, the gondola trip itself is worth the cost and the…

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  Tantallon Castle

  A few years back, I managed to secure some time off that the other half could not, and so I took myself away on a castle-finding adventure to North Berwick. My efforts were hampered slightly by two factors: I had hoped to make it a two-castle day and see Dirleton, but it was completely closed,…

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  Birks of Aberfeldy walk

  The braes ascend like lofty wa’s,The foaming stream deep-roaring fa’s,O’er hung wi’ fragrant spreading shaws,The birks of Aberfeldy. The hoary cliffs are crown’d wi’ flowers,White o’er the linns the burnie pours,And rising, weets wi’ misty showersThe birks of Aberfeldy. Work completely took over my life last week, but thank goodness for Facebook memories, reminding me…

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  Book review – Pathogenesis; How Germs Made History.

  Pathogenesis, by Jonathan Kennedy (London, 2023). I have often found it curious that in the years since completing my PhD, my historical interests have veered away from the topic I studied for so long and towards completely different areas – though actually this may be more standard than not. One of the interests I developed…

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  Falkland Palace Gardens

  Today is overcast with patches of rain (not complaining, we desperately need it), a total contrast from last Sunday when I spent a hot and sunny afternoon exploring the gardens around Falkland Palace. The town of Falkland is a former royal burgh, and has recently risen to fame by standing in as 1940s Inverness during…

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  Glencoe Lochan trails

  Both my other half and I agree that our first weekend away together to Glencoe many years ago remains one of our best trips ever – we went in April and were lucky enough to experience two glorious sunny spring days, warm and completely dry. We stayed at a hotel in Ballachulish on Loch Leven,…

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  Mount Washington Cog Railway – New Hampshire

  When I was young, it was quite common for me to spend time in the White Mountains: cross-country skiing, hiking, camping, and exploring the many rocky rivers that became a love later in life. During our recent trip to New England, I insisted that the other half experience this region and in particular its chief…

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  Dryburgh Abbey

  When it comes to border abbeys, Scotland is spoiled for choice. Many of the names echo in my head from years studying history but also reading excerpts of my roommate’s PhD thesis, but until a few years back I had never visited any of them, usually preferring castles. Then in 2017 we were looking for…

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  Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park walk – Maine

  We have not long returned from a trip back to the States, and are still fighting to get over jet-lag. The motivation was of course to visit family, but also to introduce the other half to parts of New England he had not yet visited. While we have done plenty of exploring around Marblehead, Boston,…

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  My thoughts on – Tudors vs. Angevins

  Full disclaimer: this post should not be considered anything other than pure geeky historian fun. I was trained in Medieval History at St Andrews, where for the most part, the dividing line between Medieval and Modern History was about 1500; in the British Isles, this can be marked by the Battle of Bosworth Field in…

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