Nigel's Photo Blog

  This afternoon, I am reporting on the Raich recumbent stone circle near GlenDronach Distillery in Aberdeenshire, N.E. Scotland. Scotland is well endowed with stone monuments from the Neolithic era of about 5000 years ago. Examples include Ring of Brodgar on Orkney and Callanish on the Isle of Lewis although the people who built the structures are not the ancestors of modern, indigenous British people. In this case what appears to be a jumble of rocks in a field is, in fact, the remains of a small ring which is positioned on an east facing terrace.It may be a transitional form of the 'Four Poster' category. The stones stand on a distinct mound over three feet (1M) high. The site is conspicuous. Although most of the western half has fallen and disturbed two much taller stones stand at the S.E., 4ft 8 ins high, and NNW 4ft4ins (1.3M) in a ring of much lower blocks. Acknowledgement: Technical information sourced from 'A guide to Stone Circles' by Aubrey Burl,ISBN 0-3...

  Introduction This evening, I am reporting on GlenDronach Distillery in the Scottish Highlands . Unfortunately, photography was restricted at time of my visit, hence paucity of visuals. GlenDronach Still House Information on GlenDronach Distillery Landscape view of distillery   ·          History dates back to 1826 and now owned by Brown-Forman Corporation of U.S.A. ·         Located at Forgue, about thirty-six miles NW of  Aberdeen . ·        Capacity is 2.0M litres p.a.         Bonded Warehouses (where the whisky matures)   ·          Equipment comprises one 3.7 litre mash tun, nine washbacks made of larch, two wash stills and two spirit stills. However, an expansion programme is underway. ·          Core range comprises: o  ...

 Buchanan Street Today's Story Today, I ventured into central Glasgow , Scotland to undertake a piece of research at the Mitchell Library (which, incidentally, is a superb resource spread over 5 floors with free entry and a section dedicated to ancestry research).  Upon leaving the library I walked into central Glasgow whereupon I was provided with opportunities  to photograph seasonally affected sites as illustrated in the portfolio of images above and below. Weather was cold, maybe around 5C, but dry with little wind. These conditions being in direct contrast with Storm Darragh which affected many parts of the British Isles today with at least one death reported so far. The storm entailed gusts of up to 93mph which battered some areas earlier causing significant disruption in south Wales, western England and Northern Ireland, with many train services and flights cancelled.  George Square attractions. Building in distance is the Glasgow City Chambers (Town Hall). ...

Introduction This evening, I am reporting on the brewing process at WEST Brewery which is located on Glasgow Green , Glasgow , in the West of Scotland.  WEST Brewery beers Information on WEST Brewery This small brewery is German owned and produces high quality beers brewed in accord with the German Purity Law of 1516 under which ingredients are restricted to yeast, barley, hops and water. The core products are: St. Mungo (4.9pct) WEST 4 (4.0 pct) Heidi Weiss (5.2pct) Munich Red (4.9pct) GPA (4.4pct.)  DRK (4.9pct.) Black (4.6pct) Feierabend (4.6pct) Wild West (4.9pct.) G40 (4.2pct.) Nix (0.5pct.) The name WEST is an acronym made up of the founders’ initials and is not connected with geography. The Brewery, combined with connected restaurant and bar, is located close to the People’s Palace and adjacent to the impressive Templeton Building. Tours cover the basic malting, mashing and fermentation processes which are similar to those used in the production of whisk...

Introduction Tonight, I am reporting on Loch Morar in Lochaber region.   Information on Loch Morar This is the fifth largest loch by surface area in Scotland (26.7 km 2   (10.3 sq mi)) and the deepest body of freshwater in the British Isles with a maximum depth of 310 m (1,017 ft). The loch was created by glacial action around 10,000 years ago. the surface elevation is 9 metres (30 ft) above sea level. Roadside scenery  The loch lies about forty one miles west of Fort William and three miles south of  Mallaig . Only a fraction of tourists navigating along the Road to the Isles are aware of proximity to this magnificent landscape. However, the road around the Loch Morar region is single track and hence not suitable for high traffic volumes. Local landscape More roadside scenery. Note single track road.  There is a legend that the loch is home to a 'monster' but existence of such has never been supported by scientific evidence. More in...