Month: May 2024
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Burn o’Vat
As the world grew warmer at the close of the last Ice Age, powerful rivers coursed beneath the melting glaciers. Boulders and gravel tumbled along these currents, scouring the riverbed with relentless force. The water, under immense pressure, surged through fissures in the harder rock, forming powerful whirlpools akin to a giant plughole. Over centuries,…
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Tap o’Noth
Yesterday we climbed to the highest hillfort in Scotland, Ben Griam Beg. Today we ascended to the second highest, Tap o’Noth, on the edge of the Grampians. Here the similarities end. Least of all the weather. Though the hillfort was first excavated in the 19th century, archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen have recently uncovered…
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Ben Griam Beg
Ben Griam Beg and Ben Griam Mòr, though neither Munros nor Corbetts, are distinguished by their remoteness and prominence in the flat expanse of the “Flow Country.” This view is taken from Ben Griam Beg — “little dark hill” — looking towards its taller sibling, Ben Griam Mòr — “big dark hill” — which surpasses…
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Ruins of a Sweep Net Salmon Fishery
Another unexpected gem discovered on our daily exercise is the remains of a Sweep Net Fishery station. The site, nestled at the mouth of the River Naver, boasts an ice house, a ruined dwelling, and a storehouse. The structures date from around 1811, coinciding with the Clearances, though salmon fishing here has been documented since…
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Baile Mhargait
As I cycled the steep climb into Bettyhill, my mind drifted back to our recent walk from Torrisdale, skirting the coast of Druim Chuibhe to Baile Mhargait, or Margaret’s Town. This region, as the map reveals, is abundant in prehistoric features. I stopped to take this photo. On that walk, we found a large gravelly…
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Ruins on the Promontory: Borve Castle
Borve Castle, a relic of medieval intrigue, draws attention today with its storied past. Tradition holds that it was built by Torquill, a Norwegian, and later became the residence of the MacKays of Farr. The castle met its fate in 1544, 1565, or 1655—dates vary—when it was besieged and demolished by the Earl of Sutherland.…
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Kirtomy Bay
In a stretch of coast with no natural ports of refuge, this harbour, the most quaint imaginable, is accessible by a zigzag path descending the steep cliffs from the landside, and from the sea through a narrow channel in the rocky reefs, which looks easily navigable at low tide and in calm seas. In 1910,…
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Caisteal a’ Bharraich
Castle Varrich is steeped in enigma. Was it the ‘Beruvik‘ where Thorfinn waged a sea battle in the eleventh century; a residence of medieval bishops; an early stronghold of the Mackays; or a reconstruction on much older foundations? This area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and the imposing wooded rock on which Varrich stands…
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Caisteal a’ Bharraich
Castle Varrich is steeped in enigma. Was it the ‘Beruvik‘ where Thorfinn waged a sea battle in the eleventh century; a residence of medieval bishops; an early stronghold of the Mackays; or a reconstruction on much older foundations? This area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and the imposing wooded rock on which Varrich stands…
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Dubh-Sgeir Mhor — The Black Rock
Breathe in that salty air! This view is across the narrow channel separating Eilean a’Chaoll from the Talmine mainland. The rugged foreshore displays vibrant yellow lichen and delicate pink thrift clinging to the rocks. Beyond, the Atlantic Ocean extends towards the distant Eilean nan Gaill, or Rabbit Islands. But in between, there lies the foreboding…