We've just come back from a week in Scotland with many photos to post, of which this shot of Bass Rock is the first.
The Bass Rock is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. Over a mile offshore, and three miles north-east of North Berwick, it is a steep-sided volcanic rock, 351 ft above sea level at its highest point, and is home to a large colony of gannets. The rock is currently uninhabited, but historically has been settled by an early Christian hermit, and later was the site of an important castle, which after the mid-1600s was used as a prison. The island belongs to Sir Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple, whose family acquired it in 1706, and before that to the Lauder family for almost six centuries. The Bass Rock Lighthouse was constructed on the rock in 1902, and the remains of an ancient chapel survive.
The "stars" in the sky are in fact hundreds of seabirds circling the rock.
Tags: Scotland Firth of Forth East Lothian Bass Rock islands
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North Berwick (not to be confused with Berwick on Tweed) is a delightful seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east north east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East (or Milsey) Bay - pictured here - and the West Bay, and continues to attract holiday makers to this day.
Tags: Scotland North Berwick beaches coast rock pools East Lothian
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Loch Earn (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Eire/Loch Éireann) is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling. The name is thought to mean "Loch of Ireland", and it has been suggested that this might derive from the time when the Gaels were expanding their kingdom of Dál Riata eastwards into Pictland. It is a long narrow loch, 17 km west of Crieff and is approximately 10.5 km long, 1.2 km at its widest point and at its deepest point (approximately halfway along) about 87 m. Lochearnhead village is situated at the western end of the loch and St. Fillans village at the eastern end. From here, the River Earn flows eastwards from the loch, through Strathearn, and eventually joins the Firth of Tay some 75 km away.
Loch Earn has a special meaning for me as this was the first loch I visited, some 45 years ago, when my best friend at school got married to a Scots girl and held the reception at Lochearnhead.
Tags: Scotland Loch Earn lochs lakes autumn Central Highlands landscapes
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Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me when we visited Edinburgh, so had to rely on Judy's i-Phone. This was shooting virtually straight into the sun, so I've tonemapped it in Photomax to try and bring out some of the colours.
Edinburgh Castle, which stands on the plug of an extinct volcano, is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city. Archaeologists have established human occupation of the rock since at least the Iron Age (2nd century AD), although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. There has been a royal castle on the rock since at least the reign of David I in the 12th century, and the site continued to be a royal residence until 1633. From the 15th century the castle's residential role declined, and by the 17th century it was principally used as military barracks with a large garrison.
Tags: Scotland Edinburgh Edinburgh Castle Princes Street Gardens castles fortresses
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On the first day of our week's holiday in Scotland we called in at Dunbar to find the stormiest seas that I have experienced for quite some time. Dunbar is on the south-east coast of Scotland, some 28 miles north of Berwick on Tweed.
Tags: Scotland Dunbar East Lothian coast stormy seas
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