Nigel's Photo Blog

  Ardbeg malts. This evening, I am posting an update on  Ardbeg , one of nine working whisky distilleries on the island of Islay , off the West Coast of Scotland. In 2021 two new wash stills and two new spirit stills were installed in the new still house. As a consquence of the enlarged capacity up to 2.8 million litres of alcohol can be produced each year. The old distillery is no longer in operation. (To put this increase in perspective, the capacity at Glenfiddich is about 14.0m litres p.a.) Ardbeg Distillery Summary information: Current distillery founded in 1815 by a family of  MacDougalls  although distilling on the Port Ellen site can be traced back to 1794. The name translates as ‘little height’ or promontory. Subsequent to its founding, the distillery underwent many changes of ownership and intermittent closures until acquired by present owner,  Glenmorangie   in 1997. Both Glenmorangie and Ardbeg have been owned by luxury brand owne...

This afternoon I am posting a collection of images recording my recent return trip from Orkney (off Scotland's northern tip) to Glasgow in the south west of Scotland. Overall transfer time was about nine hours. With exception of image no 1 (taken from the ferry) all the images were taken from a moving/static train with a cellphone. Hopefully, the contents of this post will provide the reader with an appreciation for some of the more remote parts of Scotland well away from the tourist trails.  Holburn lighthouse near Scrabster in the far north   Northen landscape    Northern landscape       Northern landscape    Brora  Brora   Duke of Sutherland Monument near Golspie Whisky warehouses at Glenmorangie Distillery. The black external covering is due to a harmless fungus which lives on the evaporating alcohol. Resting oil rig near I nvergordon. This is actually held in a large body of water known as the Cromarty Firth .   ...

Two days ago I was on one of the islands comprising the archipelago of Orkney. Key reason was to witness an extensive archaeological site dating to the Neolithic period of around 3000BC. This site visit was reported in this blog post. By way of a quick rehearsal: Orkney comprises an archipelago situated about ten miles north of the district of Caithness in northern Scotland. In all, Orkney comprises about seventy islands of which twenty are inhabited. The islands have been inhabited for about 8500 years starting with the Mesolithic, the Neolithic and then the Picts. In 1472 the islands were ceded to Scotland from Norway, hence there is a lingering Scandinavian heritage. The climate is relatively mild. With soil extremely fertile most of the land is farmed and agriculture is the most important sector of th economy. In terms of latitude, Orkney is about 60 degrees N or further north than Labrador in Canada. On the day I transferred by taxi from the town of Stromness to the heart of the...

This evening I am in the ferry port of Scrabster in the far north of Scotland at end of an eight hour rail journey from Glasgow in the S.W. This post provides a portfolio of images taken during the trip which I hope wiill provide the reader with a 'feel' for Scotland's landscapes and scenery.  The images have an unusual dimension in that they were taken at speed through glass which sometimes results in reflections and other distortions. Central Scotland River Tummel at Pitlochry This includes the railway viaduct near Culloden Battlefield Moray Firth near Inverness Oil rig and sheep More oil rigs-and ominous dark clouds Wildflowers Hilly landscape More sheep     Mountains in the distance

Over the years I have noticed that the place name Ecclefechan triggers a smile on the face of some of my American friends. To assist understanding of this unusual name's origins and the village generally I provide below summary information, viz: The village (pop 880) lies in the valley of the Mein Water (river) just eight miles north of the English border. Located near Lockerbie in the county of Dumfries and Galloway and eighty miles south of Edinburgh. Most famous personage associated with the village is the historian and social refermer, Thomas Carlyle (1785-1881). The name has religious origins beign part Latin ('Eccle' as in ecclesiastical) and part Gaelic with 'Fechan' derived from a 7th century Irish monk, probably of the Celtic Church. Arguably, the most famous product associated with the village is the Ecclelfechan Tart four of which items I purchased this morning.  Information on this delicacy (as sourced from the producer;s (Walkers) website) is provide b...