Nigel's Photo Blog

Arthur’s Seat, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland. This evening, I am posting information on Arthur’s Seat, an elevated hiking destination in Holyrood Park , Edinburgh , Scotland. Arthur’s Seat represents the core of a 350m year old, extinct  volcano. What remains is called a volcanic pipe (agglomerate) as most of the covering cone structure has been eroded. The summit is 251 meters or 889 feet high, a prominent feature in the Edinburgh landscape. Persons reaching the summit are, subject to visibility, rewarded with excellent views of Edinburgh, Leith and Firth of Forth. Origin of the name is opaque. It may refer to the legendary King Arthur or represent a corruption of ‘Archers Seat’ dating back to the times when archery practice was mandatory for able-bodied men. More information on Scotland’s geology can be foun d here. Landscape view of Arthur’s Seat, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. Trail to Arthur’s Seat at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland. ...

River Clyde and Helensburgh from Greenock This evening, I am reporting on Greenock, a town with population of 44,000 which is located on the south bank of the Firth of Clyde (River Clyde Estuary) about twenty-five miles west of Glasgow in the west of Scotland. This post has been prompted by a recent press report that, using official government metrics, Greenock town centre now ranks as the most deprived community in Scotland, scoring just one out of ten for all indicators except access to amenities. Paradoxically, about 100,000 visitors each year pass through Greenock but this is because of visiting cruise ships (over fifty each year) which berth there and disgorge their guests on short trips into Scotland. Greenock has a recorded history of at least 500 years but came to prominence during the industrial revolution with emphasis on ship building. James Watt, who improved the steam engine which in turn powered the industrial revolution, was actually born in Greenock. ...

View of River Clyde from Still Room at Clydeside Distillery. This evening, I am posting information on Clydeside Distillery which is situated on the North bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland between the Riverside Museum and the Hydro music venue. The Distillery commenced production of spirit in November 2017 consequent on which it will be late 2020 before the first distilled spirit can be technically classified as whisky owing to requirement for minimum three years maturing in an oak cask. Clydeside is the first new whisky distillery in Glasgow for over 100 years and provides an interesting link with Glasgow’s shipping industry past in that the Distillery has been housed in a former pump house which operated the swing bridge entrance to the now defunct Queen’s Dock. The distillery cost GBP10.0m to build and has production capacity of 500, 000 litres per annum. The new facilities include a shop selling a wide range of Scottish single malts, cafe, tasti...

Reconstructed entrance. This partly reconstructed fort is located at the eastern end of  Hadrian’s Wall, overlooking the mouth of the River Tyne in N.E. England. Key facts: Probably built around AD 161-180 to replace an earlier fort in the vicinity. Site extended from 1.7 to 2.1 hectares after AD 200. Rationale was to extend capacity as a supply base in support of strategy to conquer northern Britain. The site was extended to include 22 granaries, to hold vital food supplies for the troops. After abandonment of the northern campaign Arbeia acted as a supply base for Hadrian’s Wall, no doubt aided by its strategic location with access to the sea. Around AD 300 the site suffered a disastrous fire. Final HQ building was a re-build following the fire. This site sits somewhat incongruously surrounded by residential housing. The site is run by Tyne and Wear Museums and includes an on-site museum. There are replica barracks, Courtyard House and Entrance Gate which,...

Introduction This afternoon, I am providing information and images relating to the extensive legacy of elaborately carved stones left by the Picts. Pictish Stone from National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh    Information on the Picts The Picts,were a people indigenous to Scotland and who dominated the country before arrival of the Scots from Ireland around the 5th century AD. They were finally subsumed by the Gaelic speaking Scots by around the ninth century AD.   Detail on Pictish stone from Aberlemno in eastern Scotland  Other than the carvings and place names dating from the Pictish era, we have  little knowledge of these people. The Romans came in contact with the Picts in the 3rd century AD and named them  Pictii  or painted men (from which we get the modern word ‘picture’). Place names today beginning Pet or Pit usually signifies an early Pictish settlement, e.g. Pittenweem , Pitlochry , Pitcairn, Pitmedden and Pitnacree....

                                         (Above iumage is a capture of the Cliffs of Moher.) This evening, I am posting information on the major Irish visitor site known as the Cliffs of Moher. These form part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark situated in County Clare in the west of Ireland. Location is almost diametrically opposite Dublin on the east coast. Each year about 1.0m people visit the site to facilitate which a large visitor centre has been built into the landscape. The Cliffs extend for 8 km (5 miles) and reach a height of 214m (700 feet) above the Atlantic Ocean. To the N.W. can be seen the Aran Islands. Cliffs of Moher At the site can be found  O’Brien’s Tower which was built by a far-sighted, eponymous landowner in 1...