Nigel's Photo Blog

 Introduction This evening I am reporting on yesterday's trip to Dumbarton Rock on the Firth of Clyde . Location is about 20 miles NW of Glasgow .   Information on the trip to Dumbarton Rock We aligned our visit to coincide with predicted good weather, which, thankfully, proved accurate.This facilitated some useful landscape photography which benefited from the high elevation (250 ft ) platforms. This site is sometimes known at Dumbarton Castle. However the ancient volcanic geology lends itself to defence, latterly a cannon platform, and hence the site is devoid of conventional castle defences with thick masonry walls and towers. The site has a 1600 year history as a power base and military function which I will elaborate on tomorrow.    View north with the town of Dumbarton in the foreground and famous Ben Lomond (mountain) in the distance.The moorings and defunct shipyards point to a history of shipbuilding in the past.This harbour links with the river Clyd...

(Above provides a landscape view of the River Clyde looking N.W. with Dumbarton Rock in the middle distance on the left.) This evening, I am reporting on today's visit to Dumbarton Rock which sits on the north bank of the Firth of Clyde in S.W. Scotland.(Firth means bay or estuary and indicates where the River Clyde empties into the Irish Sea/Atlantic Ocean.) Visit was deliberately timed to coincide with an unusually sunny morning benefiting from low angle winter sun. View of Rock with Governor's residence. Geology Dumbarton Rock is actually a basalt plug at root of a long-extinct volcano dating to the Carboniferous period, about 330M-340M years ago. Etymology The name Dumbarton is derived from dun breatainn which means 'fort of the Britons' on which more below. These people were Brittonic (Welsh) speaking. History Evidence suggests the Rock has been used as a strategic defensive position since the Iron-Age, about 2000 years ago. During the 5th...