Torridon and Applecross

This past weekend, we hit the west coast with a group of friends to go hillwalking. We climbed a mountain at Torridon on Saturday (Mullach an Rathain, for those are interested).  It would have been two peaks but the weather was against us. Then on Sunday Nicole and I drove around the spectacular Applecross peninsula…

Above and below Auld Reekie

I am all too rarely able to make it along to the monthly gatherings of the Highland Literary Salon, and last night was one such occasion. It was a “slam night”, which, far from being a chance to practice ones wrestling moves as I first speculated, was in fact a chance for participants to sign…

Stornoway

Con Air

Today, I was in Stornoway on the sunny isle of Lewis, my first flight out west since Flybe took over the Loganair franchise. However, most interestingly, joining the usual motley crew of overweight, balding public sector middle managers (I discount myself, naturally) on the early flight out this morning were two security contractors escorting a…

Necropolis

City of the Dead

In the east end of Glasgow, serenely resting in between the Tennent’s brewery and the M8 motorway, is the Necropolis. Dating from the 1800s, it’s effectively a posh man’s graveyard, full of extravagant, bombastic and beautiful memorials of those members of Victorian Glasgow society who could afford them. I’ve been meaning to take a wander…