Scotland's Stories

If you're visiting Scotland this year, then be very careful. The wild haggis are particularly dangerous at the moment, I think it's got something to do with them being riled up after a very wet, stormy winter. They're hungry and they may well bite if you're not careful. Trust me, as somebody who bares their legs all year round, you don't want to experience a haggis bite. If you see one coming towards you on a hill, remember that they've got one set of legs shorter than the other to keep them steady on the slope. All you have to do is get it to turn around so the legs are on the wrong side and it'll tumble down to the bottom of the hill! If you are unlucky enough to be bitten by a wild haggis, have a large dram of whisky as quickly as possible and rub some neeps on the wound. Hopefully you'll survive... Don't say you weren't warned. #Scotland #VisitScotland #ScotlandIsNow #Haggis #DontGetBit

No visit to the Isle of Arran is complete without seeing the incredible Machrie Moor Stones. Don't be fooled into thinking it's just these 3 iconic, sandstone monoliths though. The remains of six stone circles have been uncovered on the moor, in a landscape dotted with burial cists and hut circles. Some had been completely swallowed up by layers of peat, so who knows how many more are out there waiting to be found. It's clear that this whole area of Arran was sacred for a very long time. 6500 years ago, there were simple timber circles here. Between 5500 and 3500 those wooden posts were replaced with the stones we find today. The enormous red sandstone pillars were originally part of circles and stand between 4 and 5 metres tall. One of the fallen pillars lies on the ground in pieces after somebody tried to carve it into a millstone. Whoever did it got pretty far along, even creating the central hole but something stopped them. It might have been their conscience, but then maybe the fairies of Arran had something to say about it. One story claims that these fairies were responsible for creating the stone circles. They would sit on the hills surrounding the moor, throwing or flicking boulders down in competition with each other. Judging by the size of these rocks, they must have pretty strong fairies on Arran. I wonder if whoever started defacing that standing stone found out just how strong for themselves...

This is the ominously named Well of the Seven Heads. You need to keep your eyes open as you drive along the shore of Loch Oich or you'll miss it, but once you're here, take a closer look at the top. Yep, the obelisk is crowned with a hand holding a dagger and 7 heads... In 1663, Alexander and Ranald MacDonald of Keppoch, the clan chief and his brother, were murdered by their cousins the MacDonalds of Inverlair. Nobody knows what started the fight, but Alexander had just come back from France and some think he was now acting a little too continental for the Highlands. The government said they would do something about the crime but for two years, nobody saw justice. Clearly the murderers had too many influential supporters in the area, so they were just keeping their heads down until it all blew over. Unfortunately for them, legendary Gaelic bard Iain Lom MacDonald was a kinsman of the victims and he refused to let the matter lie. After several petitions, he was eventually granted a "letter of fire and sword" from the government, legally allowing him to seek revenge. With 50 men from the MacDonalds of Sleat, Iain hunted down the seven killers at Inverlair and dealt them swift and brutal Highland justice. Legend says he cut the heads off using the same dagger that had killed his clan chief. Iain held more than just the murderers responsible though, he felt that Lord MacDonnell of Invergarry should have been the one to punish the criminals. Time to make a statement and deliver the heads as a gift to MacDonell, but to make them more presentable, Iain stopped at this well to clean them up a bit. The name has stuck ever since and in the 19th century, to try and prove that the story wasn't a tall tale, a burial mound at Inverlair was excavated. Seven headless skeletons were found inside. The monument was constructed in 1812 and if you do stop to visit, take the stairs down to the left and you can walk through a short tunnel leading to the well itself. I promise there weren't any heads bobbing around inside when I was there... #Scotland #YourScotland #ScottishHighlands #visitscotland #ScottishHistory

This was a brilliant campaign to be part of, taking the #JourneyToCampbeltown to visit Glen Scotia Whisky and this film by Wandern House brings it to life perfectly!

This is the view of Invermoriston Falls from the wee summerhouse built by local lairds, the Grants of Glenmoriston. You can find it around 3/4 of the way down Loch Ness and it's far more than just a scenic viewpoint! Invermoriston is an important junction in the road today, where travellers make the difficult decision whether to continue along the Great Glen between Fort William and Inverness or turn off towards Glen Shiel and Skye! In the 1600s, an Inn was built at Invermoriston, but this was the quieter side of the loch up until the 1800s. When General Wade constructed a network of military roads through the Highlands, it was the other side of Loch Ness that was chosen for traffic to avoid river crossings like this. The first bridge to open up this route was built by Thomas Telford in the early 1800s, although it took 8 years due to "idle workers." You can see its two arches just on the other side of the higher 1930s replacement. Today, you can still walk right out onto Telford's Bridge and gaze down into the tumbling series of falls. Be wary though - in 1951, a particularly high flood saw trees blocking the arches and enough water pouring over the top to sweep the parapets away! The wee summerhouse that gives you this spectacular view was part of the estate centred on Invermoriston House. Sitting on such an important route through the Highlands and with the Grants of Glenmoriston traditionally Jacobites, it's not surprising that the current mansion is the fourth version to sit on that spot. During the 1745 rising, Patrick Grant was off fighting with Bonnie Prince Charlie when a group of MacLeod and MacDonald government soldiers came marching through the Glen. Patrick's elderly mother was forced to accommodate the officers in Invermoriston House, knowing they would burn it to the ground in the morning. Fortunately, two of the MacDonalds were her great-nephews and it's said that they smuggled out family heirlooms through the night to a safe hiding spot. While the house was destroyed, at least the Grants of Glenmoriston didn't lose everything to the flames! #Scotland #VisitScotland #ScotlandIsNow #SimplyScotland #ScotlandTravel

Since things are far too busy for new blog articles at the moment, here's one from the archives for you to enjoy! Some of the less visited or more unusual things to do in Edinburgh!

Well, it's that time of year again when I'm up to my ears in sheep, helping out with lambing at my partner's family farm in the Angus Glens. That means 6am starts, 11pm finishes and the most eagerly anticipated meals of the year. So if you're waiting on a reply, it might take me a little longer than normal... I tell lots of stories about farmers, from cursed cows to brilliant Brownies and if you spend just a little time on a farm, you'll quickly realise how much they rely on the whims of the weather alongside their own hardwork. Here's a tale about a farmer who had another thing to deal with. They had fairies on their land and the smart thing to do was to work with these little creatures rather than against them. They had a mutually beneficial system in place. Every year, once all of the grass had been cut by the farmer, he would leave them out in the fields. Fairies would then come from every corner of his farm, gather the grass up and stack it neatly for him. All it cost was a few of the best fleeces when it came to sheep-shearing season. That was a small price to pay for the fairies labour and to keep those mischievous creatures busy and happy. But the farmer's son wasn't so smart. When he took over the farm, he resented the payment to the fairies. Instead, he ordered his farmhands to gather and stack the grass themselves. The next day, he found the grass scattered to the wind. Every time that it was gathered back up, the fairies would come and ruin their good work in the night. The farmer had finally had enough. Taking his plough, he pulled it through every fairy ring and dug into every fairy knoll. If these little beasts were going to mess with his farm, then he would mess with their homes! Within days, all of the farmer's sheep started to get sick. Whatever was wrong with them, it spread like wildfire and they were dropping like flies. Eventually, the farmer himself was lost while returning from town one day. He must have made the journey 1000 times before, but something had lured him into a bog and he was never seen again All because he didn't want to pay the fairies a few fleeces for some honest work! #Scotland #VisitScotland #ScotlandIsNow

The next time you're exploring the East Neuk of Fife, don't miss St Fillan's Cave in Pittenweem. It's tucked away from the pretty wee harbour up the appropriately named Cove Wynd, behind an elaborate metal gate. St Fillan is one of the many Celtic missionaries who spread the gospel around Scotland, believed to have lived in the 7th century. From the stories of Fillan, he was either very well travelled or more likely a combination of a few different Fillans. You can find a village called St Fillans at Loch Earn as well as a Strathfillan and some think Killin might come from the church of Fillan. This cave at Pittenweem is one of the places with the strongest association, where the saint retreated to live as a simple hermit. To ensure that he could still read the scripture down in the darkness, God granted him a miraculous glowing arm! That arm became an important Scottish relic, so revered that King Robert the Bruce requested it to be brought before the Scots army at the Battle of Bannockburn. The Abbot in charge of Fillan's arm wasn't so confident that Robert was going to win though. Scared that it might be lost to the English after the battle, the Abbot brought an empty reliquary box for the King to pray over. However, Robert demanded to the Abbot open the box so he could see the bones for himself. The Abbot was in trouble... Not brave enough to stop the King, he could only watch as Robert reached for the latch. Suddenly, the reliquary began rattling and shaking...when the lid was lifted, the Holy relic had miraculously appeared inside! It was a sure sign that St Fillan was on their side and Robert the Bruce led the Scots to victory that day. Unfortunately, after the Reformation in the 16th century, the bones were lost like most relics in Scotland. If you want to explore St Fillan's Cave like Molly and I, then head to the Cocoa Tree Cafe in Pittenweem, just up the hill. It cost us £1 per person to help keep with the upkeep and electricity for the lights. They do an excellent coffee and even better chocolate while you're there! #Scotland #VisitScotland #ScotlandIsNow #WelcomeToFife #Pittenweem #SimplyScotland #ScotlandExplores #YourScotland

It's National Unicorn Day today and in case you weren't already aware, this majestic creature is Scotland's National Animal! That might come as a surprise, but if you keep your eyes open, you will see them all over the place. Unicorns sit atop mercat crosses in Royal Burghs, they're on the Royal Coat of Arms and one even stands guard here at the University of Aberdeen. Unicorns weren't always thought to be mythical. 1000 years ago, when much of the world was unknown to Europeans, it was very much assumed to be real. Due to a mistranslation, Unicorns were even mentioned in the Bible! Merchant's selling narwhal tusks as unicorn horns muddied the water even more. It was believed that a unicorn's horn could remedy all poison, so those tusks were ground into powder or made into protective amulets. When James I picked the Unicorn as Scotland's animal in the 15th century, they weren't thought of as cute and fluffy with rainbow tails. Instead, this was the ultimate symbol of strength, purity and masculinity. Legend has it this was the only animal strong enough to beat the Lion - maybe it's just coincidence that had been England's choice... You might notice that depictions of the Scottish Unicorn have a crown around its neck connected to a chain. It's the same on the current Royal Coat of Arms while the English Lion doesn't. Don't think that this is some kind of slight against Scotland, it's actually the complete opposite! The Unicorn has always been shown like this, from well before the Union of Crowns purely because it was so dangerous. Only the King was strong enough to capture a Unicorn, but it could never be truly tamed. The beast was so wild and powerful that it had to be chained for everybody's safety. Keep that in mind if you ever do spot a Unicorn out on the hills. #Scotland #Unicorn #NationalUnicornDay #VisitScotland #ScotlandIsNow

Have you ever heard of the Cù Sith? Translated from Gaelic as Fairy Dog, this terrifying creature is the size of a small cow, with a dark-green shaggy coat and it silently stalks the Scottish Highlands and Islands in the dead of night. Paws as large as a farmer's hand, eyes as fiery as the Devil and a long, curly or braided tail, this isn't something you want to see coming out of the mist towards you. Fortunately, their appearances are rare, although you're much more likely to hear them than see them. Its deafening bark carries for miles and one old lady on the Isle of Tiree heard it while gathering driftwood on the beach. Paying no attention to the noise, she carried on with her work until her neighbour appeared. Just then, a second unearthly noise crashed over the beach. When the old lady remarked that she'd already heard a noise just like that, panic filled her friends face. Grabbing her arm and throwing the driftwood to the floor, the woman was quickly dragged home and the door heavily barred. Her neighbour had just saved her life. Hearing the Cù Sith bark or howl is a terrible sign. It means the hound is coming for you and the clock is ticking. Anybody who hears that sound three times before they can lock themselves safely in their home would die of sheer terror! New mothers were thought to be targets for the Cù Sith, not to kill but to steal away into the other realm and produce milk for the fairy folk. No matter who you were, if you do catch sight of these enormous hounds, it's a harbinger of doom and a terrible omen. These creatures make their home in rocky crevices, so if you ever see a pair of burning eyes in the shadows, then you might want to walk that little bit faster in the opposite direction. Fortunately, Molly is far too small and definitely black, so you can't confuse her with a Cù Sith. There is a strong chance that she might lick you to death though... #Scotland #Folklore #ScottishFolklore