Nigel's Photo Blog

                               (Above image is a capture of the Royal Mile from west to east.) This afternoon, I am focusing on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, a popular visitor site in Scotland's capital city with many and varied places of interest. The Royal Mile is a partly pedestrianised thoroughfare which comprises a succession of streets in the Old Town and stretches between Edinburgh Castle (top) and the Palace of Holyroodhouse (bottom). Summary information on particular sites and places of interest is provided below. Edinburgh Castle, dominating the Edinburgh skyline. The top visitor attraction in Edinburgh. The castle, which is built on an ancient volcanic plug, was first recorded in the 11th century with the present structure evolving over subsequent centuries. Features include: One O’Clock Gun. St. Margaret’s Chapel (1076). Mons Meg Cannon (1449) Half Moon Battery (1574). Crown Room wherein is kept Scotland’s Crown Jewels and the Stone of Scone.

Kinlochleven, Scotland This evening, I am posting information on the remote town of Kinlochleven in the Scottish Highlands.The name translates as 'at the head of Loch Leven'. Kinlochleven lies close to the popular destinations of Glencoe and Fort William but does not experience the same volume of visitor numbers as these places notwithstanding the excellent scenery (lochs and mountains) ion the vicinity. Kinlochleven owes its origins to an aluminium smelter built in 1909 which was powered by a massive hydro-electric scheme using water from a dam created in the mountains, high above the town. The smelter was closed in 2000 after which substantial assets and land were transferred to a local Community Trust. However, electricity generation continues. Kinlochleven is reinventing itself as an outdoor activity centre. The West Highland Way ensures a regular flow of visitors as the town is situated on that long-distance hiking route. Loch Leven and the River Leve

(Above image is a capture of a sign outside the Glasgow Gaelic School , 147 Berkeley Street. ) Today's media carry reports that on St Andrew's Day, November 30th., the free online language learning service, Duolingo will launch a Scottish Gaelic course in relation to which 20,000 people have already registered. By way of background, Scots Gaelic (pronounced 'Gallic') was once widely spoken across the country but Gaelic speakers now amount to only 1.1pct of the population most of whom are concentrated in the Outer Hebrides (Barra, Uist, Benbecula, Harris and Lewis) where about 59pct of the population speak the language. This concentration on the west is probably due to the fact that the language was brought to Scotland by a wave of people movement from Ireland commencing around the 5th century AD. Scots Gaelic is derived from Irish Gaelic with the two languages having a close affinity but are not identical. In recent years there has occurred a small decline

Canongate Kirk Burial Ground, Edinburgh This evening, I am posting information on Canongate Kirkyard in Edinburgh, (Please note the term Canongate has nothing to do with weaponry or entrances. Canon is derived from a term for a church official and gate comes from gait.Canonongate is where the church officials walked in medieval times.) Canongate is located in the bottom section of the Royal Mile near Holyrood. Some visitors find time to admire Canongate Kirk (church) but many would be oblivious of the opportunity to connect with the rich seam of Scottish history from the 18th and 19th centuries as manifested in memorials in the Kirk burial ground. Here can be found the burial places of: Leading academics. A murder victim. A leading poet. Novelists and literary people. Evidence of early immigration from Europe. A proto trade union. A surgeon. More information is provided below using a sample of the memorials. Adam Smith was probably the leading figure of th

Castle Stalker This evening, I am posting information on Castle Stalker, a sympathetically restored castle which has origins in the 15th century. Caisteal Stalcaire (Fortress of the Hunter) is located on the Rock of the Cormorants, an islet at the mouth of Loch Laich,which in turn is  an inlet off Loch Linnhe in the West of Scotland. There is a good viewpoint located off the A828 at Portnacroish, between Fort William and Oban . Location is  about 18 miles north of Oban. This castle has featured in Scottish history, being a host to a king, scene of battles, murders and wars. Here is a historical summary: Built by Sir John Stewart prior to his murder at Dunstaffnage in 1463 by a Macdougall. The murder was avenged in 1468 at Battle of Stalc fought at the Castle’s gates. Played host to King James IV (1473-1513) during hunting (hawking) expeditions in the Highlands. Friction between Campbells and Stewarts 1520-1544 resulting in murders. Fell into Clan Campbell hand

Today's press carries a report that the high street in Kirkwall, Orkney has been voted Scotland's most beautiful high street, just beating it's northern neighbour, Lerwick, Shetland. As will be evident from the above image the street is very narrow notwithstanding which it is possible to drive a car along the route. Quaint Old House St Magnus Cathedral

(Above image is a capture of fishing on the River Spey in the Scottish Highlands) There have been reports in the media of a huge decline in Wild Atlantic Salmon numbers across the U.K. The population has dropped by two thirds over the past 25 years the reason for which is not known with certainty although influences under consideration include water obstacles, predation, water quality, climate change and sea lice. An organisation called the Missing Salmon Alliance has been established to investigate the collapse in numbers. To assist readers' understanding the life span of a salmon is summarised as follows: Young salmon live in the cold headwaters of river systems before migrating to the ocean. The fish then swim long distances to such places as coastal Greenland where they grow into adults. After maturity the fish run a gauntlet of obstacles to return to their birthplace to spawn and the cycle starts all over again. The fall off in numbers has negative implications fo