The Daily Scrawl

Fordyce Castle

Fordyce Castle, in the village of Fordyce sits nestled inland from the Moray coast between Cullen and Portsoy. The castle was built by Thomas Menzies of Durn in 1592 and a cottage bears his name. Located in the centre of the village, the castle is part of the community which seems to have grown organically with no obvious plan. A quaint, interesting place to detour off the main road to spend a while. – Christine

Ghosts of a Future Never Born

Having grown up in the Highlands and not leaving them often, when I first moved to Edinburgh of course all the tourist destinations were on my to do list, the Castle being at the top. Hidden multiple times through history to protect the sovereignty of the country, the Scottish ‘Honours’, or regalia, are now displayed in Edinburgh Castle as the oldest regalia in Britain. To view them you must walk through hallways lined with history and artwork tracing their story and those of the people who handled them. Far off the glens of my home stretch their limbs in Scottish…

Loch an Eilein

Near Aviemore, in the forest of Rothiemurchus, lies Loch an Eilein, or the loch of the island. It is a magnificent place, surrounded by pine trees and mountain views. You can explore the area by accessing it from the car park, or by a walk of 3 miles along one of the best walking paths in Scotland. The trees around the loch are part of one of the last remaining fragments of the Caledonian Pine Forest, with some of the pines estimated to be several hundred years old. The ruined castle on a small island in the middle of the…