2025 I can’t believe it’s February already and I haven’t written my review of last year. So here it is. It was a good year. I had writing plans and didn’t manage to stick with them, though I did manage to produce some work. It happens. I suspect it’s the same every year. I blogged … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 190
The Wallace Monument Revisited In blog post number 91, I featured the Wallace monument. I recently made a return visit and this time took to the stairs to the top. I don’t make the climb every time I go – it’s not free – but recently I chose to go early morning, but unsurprisingly I … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 189
Whisky Revisited In Part 154 of this blog series, I wrote about my first visit to 28 Queen Street, a four-storey Georgian building, home of the Edinburgh branch of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. I was fortunate to be invited back for another networking dinner, consisting of a five-course taster menu accompanied by five whiskies, … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 188
Kelburn Castle Having visited four castles in twenty-four hours, on the way back there was time to take in a fifth. Heading north up the west coast towards Largs – see blog post 151 in this series for a previous visit – there is Kelburn Castle and Estate. The castle is quite spectacular, due to … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 187
Portencross Castle Having had decent weather while on the Isle of Bute, on reaching Portencross Castle it was cold, wet and windy, but that didn’t dampen my excitement on seeing this impressive structure perched right on the coast. It was closed for the season now and won’t be open again to visitors until next year, … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 186
Rothesay Castle Next castle on the list involved catching a boat from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. I had visited Wemyss Bay earlier this year and had noted in part 153 of this blog that I had this trip on my list of things to do. The crossing took around thirty-five … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 185
Ardrossan Castle In complete contrast to the beautifully restored Dean Castle, the next one to visit on my list was Ardrossan Castle. To get there, you have to drive into town, and then take a side road and it’s situated on the outskirts on a hill, overlooking the Firth of Clyde. There is a small … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 184
Dean Castle Took a trip down the West Coast and managed to visit four castles in twenty-four hours, with a fifth on the way back the following day. I will blog about each one in turn, starting with the first on route, Dean Castle. Set in a country park in Kilmarnock, this 14th century castle … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 183
Kinderdijk Windmills Last leg of the Rhine journey on way to Amsterdam and a flight back, allowed for a stop in Kinderdijk in the Netherlands. In previous posts I have mentioned some of the windmills I’ve visited in Scotland and noted these in Part 110 and Part 135 of this blog series. This time I … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 182
Wish You Were Here In Part 76 of this blog, I wrote about seeing the Australian Pink Floyd during the 50th anniversary of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ album. I noted I hoped to see them again, and I did just that the other week. 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the ‘Wish You … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 181
The Fiction Factory 