Crail Due to taking a break from writing at the end of the year I didn’t finish up my posts about the East Neuk, so I’m now playing catch-up. The next stop on the journey down the East Coast of Scotland from St Andrews was Crail, a small, historic fishing village, with a population of … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 133
St Andrews I decided to take in part of the East Coast of Scotland and opted to begin in St Andrews before heading down the coast and around what is known here as the East Neuk. I visited St Andrews on countless occasions, but always look forward to it. There is nothing to compare with … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 131
500 Subscribers When I logged onto WordPress this morning, a popup appeared alerting me to the fact five hundred people have now subscribed to this blog. I didn’t imagine making that milestone and I’m so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to have these random posts delivered to their in-box. Thank you. This … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 129
Cold War Scotland The National Museum of Scotland is running a free exhibition until the end of January next year called Cold War Scotland. This provides a fascinating insight to a recent aspect of Scottish history and it’s important that it’s documented and understood. The term Cold War describes the political situation after the end … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 127
Alloa Tower Revisited I blogged about Alloa Tower in Part 90 of this series. The tower wasn’t open that day, but I managed to go back and take advantage of the Open Doors Day. It’s been awhile since I was last inside the tower, and I was pleased to see how well the restoration work … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 126
Clackmannan Tower I managed to book a slot during the Doors Open Days for Clackmannan Tower. Part of European Heritage Days, the Doors Open is a national programme, encouraging folk to visit places of cultural and historical interest and to promote the excellent and vital ongoing work to preserve these sites. Places tend to go … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 125
The Georgian House The National Trust for Scotland maintain the property at number 7 Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, providing visitors the opportunity to see what a property looked like during the eighteenth century. It was built in 1796 for John Lamont, designed by architect Robert Adam. The square was part of the first phase of … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 121
Gladstone’s Land With my National Trust membership expiring soon, I wanted to make time to take in Gladstone’s Land at the top of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. This property has been in in operation as a commercial and social hub for more than 500 years. There is a real sense of stepping back in … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 120
The Melville Room Regular readers of this blog will know I’ve visited a number of the many sites that were featured in the filming of the Outlanders series and this week has been no exception. I was in Glasgow twice, my first trip for a cyber conference and the second taking advantage of an invite … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 118
Hill of Tarvit I shouldn’t be surprised at the number of hidden treasures located around Scotland, but again I was surprised. The estate known as Hill of Tarvit, near Cupar is a fascinating place, for both the interior collection in the mansion house and the surrounding countryside. What we see today is the product of … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 117
The Fiction Factory 