Isle of Cumbrae Great Cumbrae (Scottish Gaelic: Cumaradh Mòr) is the larger of the two islands known as The Cumbraes in the lower Firth of Clyde in western Scotland. The island is sometimes called Millport, which is the name of its main town. You can hop aboard, or even take your car, onto the Caledonian … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 152
Largs On the West coast in North Ayrshire, overlooking the Firth of Clyde is a small town called Largs. The original name comes from the Scottish Gaelic (An Leargaidh) which means, the slopes. Popular with tourists, it is a busy place especially when the weather is nice. Scotland is experiencing one of its driest spells … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 151
Newark Castle Heading out to the West coast, I stopped off at Newark Castle. A little confused at first when I entered the details into Google maps as there are in fact two castles in Scotland with the name Newark. One in Fife, overlooking the Firth of Forth, the other in Port Glasgow, next to … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 150
Edinburgh Castle There is so much that could be said about Edinburgh Castle, I’ve decided to put down some random thoughts instead, rather than trying to outline its history. I’m a member of Historic Scotland again, having been with the National Trust over the last year, so visiting Edinburgh Castle and then for example Stirling … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 148
The King I met King Charles III. Spoke a couple of words and shook hands. Very surreal. It was well known he was making a visit to the next town down from me, but as a result of knowing someone who knows someone who was in the village community centre when police and what was … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 141
Cupar Next stop was Cupar, a small town of nearly fourteen thousand people. This was chosen as a stopping off point on the way home, and is good for a coffee and stretching the legs. It may sound like a random place to visit, and it is, but you never know what you may come … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 138
Kilconquhar Next stop after Elie was Kilconquhar, which I appreciate isn’t the easiest of place names to pronounce. It isn’t on the coast but only a short drive inland. The estate provides a range of bed and breakfast accommodation along with self-catering properties set in a large wooded area. There is also an on-site restaurant … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 137
Elie Next stop after St Monans was Elie. This village curves around a stretch of golden sand and is a very popular destination. One of the highlights is Lady’s Tower, built for Lady Janet Anstruther, the daughter of a Scottish merchant in 1770. This was put in place to provide her with someplace to change … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 136
St Monans Next stop on my journey down the East Neuk was St Monans, a small fishing village with a population of approximately 1100. I noted in part 110 of this blog that Scotland did have windmills, and the one at St Monans which was used to power the salt industry has survived. During the … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 135
Pittenweem Next stop on my trip around the East Neuk was the fishing village of Pittenweem. I had visited Anstruther before so due to time decided to keep driving after leaving Crail and make a stop at Pittenweem. This location is very well known for its August arts festival. Local residents open their houses to … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 134
