A place as breathtaking as Bosta Beach on the island of Great Bernera, looking towards the small islands and Little Bernera. The sun, the sea, and the cry of seagulls in the wind. Whites, greens and pinks in warm summer sands, the waves peaceful tidings of an unknown future. To bury the dead in a... Continue Reading →
The Battle of the Shirts – Blàr nan Lèintean
Shirts or Swamp Maybe 15 July 1544 was an exceptionally hot day. The heat would have been the reason why those men who fought the brutal battle here took their plaids off and continued in their shirts. These half-dressed combatants gave the battle its name: The Battle of the Shirts. Maybe. Maybe the second theory... Continue Reading →
Scotland For Quiet Moments – a graveyard-inspired journey to Scotland’s soul
Scotland for Quiet Moments is not a standard travel guide. You’ll find no references to the main tourist destinations or opening times. Rather, it leads you to largely unknown, quiet places. In its pages, you will find a plethora of historical, strange, romantic and funny stories from across the centuries, which will lead you to... Continue Reading →
Out now! A Graveyard-Inspired Travel Guide to Scotland
Scotland is a country full of history, stories and secrets. Often, the three cannot be separated. That is what makes this country so wonderful and unique. These stories have been discovered and gathered for Erkenbach’s blog, Graveyards of Scotland, over many years. Her main sources were historical travel guides from the 18th and 19th centuries,... Continue Reading →
Chapel of Sand
Chapel of Sand or chapel of Sand of Udrigil, is an almost forgotten but somehow mystic place in Torridon, tucked away between a caravan park, a river, and the sea, close to the village of Laide. In the 18th century the chapel was still in use, then worship came to an end at the chapel... Continue Reading →
mothers and sons
Chiefs of the Clan Grant were the Lairds of Grant, who succeeded to the Earldom of Seafield and to the extensive lands of the Ogilvies, Earls of Findlater and Seafield. The coat of arms of Ogilvie Grant Earl of Seafield can be seen on the mausoleum closer to the church but not on the second... Continue Reading →
stables and steeples
Banffshire was one of the few regions in Scotland that remained Catholic after the Reformation. This also applies to the regions of Barra, South Uist and Moidart. Today, about one eighth of the Scottish population is Catholic. In most cemeteries, the separation is not really obvious, there are some, where it is and there are... Continue Reading →
a holy well and generous offspring
One thing seems to be peculiar about places in Banffshire: they tend to change names over time. This applies to Macduff and Gardenstown as well as to Botriphnie. The name of the village is of Pictish origin (Both Draighnigh), locals still use it to denote the parish. The place itself is now called Drummuir wich... Continue Reading →
one holy and two frightened men
The year 566 is long, long gone. So long, one can no longer imagine what people's lives were like back then. But every now and then, often in very surprising places, Scotland gives us a little look back in time, such as in Mortlach (Dufftown). A small, inconspicuous place in the middle of never ending... Continue Reading →
sactuary stones
You need to know what you are looking for to be able to find the two stones in Dailly that prove to be various things, sanctuary, measure of strength, and indication of ownership. Old Dailly Church They lie within the ruin of the church of Old Dailly. Her long history of religious worship came to... Continue Reading →
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