Linlithgow Palace Revisited I’ve renewed my membership for Historic Scotland which means I now have free entry into Linlithgow Palace. When I visited last year I walked around the grounds which is free, but this time I took the car all the way in and parked up in the grounds and spent time wandering around … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 155
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society This was a real treat for me. I had never been inside this establishment in the New Town in Edinburgh, though I had passed by it during my walks around the city. I have a novel almost ready to publish, which features a dystopian take on the city, and has … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 154
Wemyss Bay On the way back from Largs I stopped off at Wemyss Bay. This was a quick visit simply to see the train station. I have spent decades commuting by train and have written millions of words while travelling, so it’s a fair question to ask why would I spend time at a station … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 153
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
GOMA I managed to take in the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art or GOMA as it’s known. I hadn’t been back since the Banksy art exhibition in the autumn of 2023 (details can be found in Part 60 of this series). Fewer crowds this time, but still busy. I was pleased to see the statue … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 149
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
Edinburgh Gin I visited the new Edinburgh Gin Distillery, which is located at The Arches, East Market Street, just along from Waverley Station. Great location, with a gift shop and a bar that provides a good view of the Martyrs of Reform Monument and Governor’s House. I managed to take a video of a steam … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 147
Vaccine The National Museum of Scotland is hosting a free exhibition called Injecting Hope – The Race for a Covid-19 Vaccine. It’s been five years since the UK went into its first lockdown, as we found ourselves into a global pandemic. The exhibition tells the story of that time and how less than a year … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 146
Scotland’s Photography Collection I made a point of visiting the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh (due to being close to the Royal Society which I blogged about in part 142) and it was one of those random last minute decisions that paid off. The collection totals over 55,000 artworks with a remit of collecting … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 145
The Fiction Factory 