Yet still the blood is strong, the heart is Highland, And we in dreams behold the Hebrides: (Canadian Boat Song) Calgary Bay, Isle of Mull. It looks west, towards Canada, whose Calgary took the name from the one on Mull. And it took the people, who used to live here. Like human waves going out... Continue Reading →
Out of the darkness they come, hungry and greedy, on silent paws, green eyes staring cold circling their prey, a dangerous, ravenous beasts, a killer. Feeding on carrion, too. Sheep, seagulls, deer. Sharp fangs tearing rotting flesh and a howl at night, out in the wild. The wolf in Scotland threatened life and livestock alike.... Continue Reading →
This broken tombstone marks the grave of a man, who was hit by the force of tragedy so strongly, that he found it impossible to go on. Alexander Robertson died not long after disaster stuck his hotel on Loch Maree and was buried in the ancient burial ground of Isle Maree, the very place where... Continue Reading →
To be remembered is its major purpose; a graveyard has one central aim: to preserve the memory of loved ones gone. Its nucleus, heart or core or whatever you want to call it, is memory. If the last trace of those buried there is gone, a graveyard has lost its innermost purpose. Forgotten graves! It... Continue Reading →
The sun shines bright on the grey headstones of Old Kilmore graveyard in Drumnadrochit. It is an early morning on a hot summer’s day on the shores of Loch Ness. The old graveyard at the back of the little Highland village is just a ten minute walk from the main road that runs along the... Continue Reading →
Movement is essential to man, has been throughout history. On the ground, efficient movement, transport and travel, requires roads or paths, connecting and distancing people and places. The Romans zigzagged England with their roads, changing a people by changing its lifestyle. Scotland is very different in that respect. Even to this day roads are few... Continue Reading →
Urns were en vogue in the 19th century, not only in Scottish graveyards. It was common in the United States to decorate the grave with an urn. These urns were quite independent from the crematory aspect as they rarely contained ashes but were used as symbols only. An urn is reverential, sombre, elegant and has... Continue Reading →
I close my eyes and a smile lights my face. Light lights my face and warms my skin. This is bliss. A blackbird is singing, the air is full of chirp and twitter, I can hear the burn nearby gurgling happily towards the sea that sends a warm salty smell from the bay. After so... Continue Reading →
The cross might have been the very first symbol man used. A line and another line crossing it – a saltire (the Scottish flag to this day); like a cross to mark a spot or to draw attention to something. The cross must have been the first stage of written communication man has developed. A... Continue Reading →
The Isle of Skye, Scotland’s beautiful wild island, where the majestic Cuillins loom and where the old tell tales of days long gone. An ancient place, mythical and magic. The northern, windswept part of the island is called Trotternish, a place-name that tells of Norse invasions long before our time. The village of Dunvegan is... Continue Reading →
Lindisfarne graveyard on Holy Island, Northumberland, symbolizes centuries of faith and history, overlooking Lindisfarne Priory’s ruins. A significant site since the 7th century, it holds the remains of islanders and clergy. The graveyard fosters reflection and connection to St Cuthbert, attracting visitors seeking inspiration and tranquility amid a sacred legacy.
Bamburgh, with its dramatic coastal setting and rich history, has revealed yet another fascinating chapter of its past. Decades of dedicated research by the Bamburgh Research Project and Durham University, in collaboration with the Bamburgh Castle Estate, have shed light on the lives of Anglo-Saxons who inhabited this area over a thousand years ago. The […]
Grace Darling, born in 1815, became famous for her courageous sea rescue of Forfarshire survivors in 1838. She passed away in 1842 and is buried in Bamburgh, where a monument marks her legacy. Celebrated in literature and art, her story inspires future generations, symbolizing bravery and compassion.
Graveyards of Scotland 
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