Photoblog

We had a visit to Glen Lyon and ended up at the Ben Lawers hotels for a late lunch. The hotel looks over onto Loch Tay and today it was dull and overcast, unusual for Scotland on the last day of June. The view is spectacular and I can image this is a digital photographers dream location - to photograph the mountains, Ben Lawers and Loch Tay during different seasons must be a magic experience. Online Map of Highland Perthshire and Loch Tay

Below is a photo of Ben Lawers farm taken from the Ben Lawers hotel.

Larger copy of the digital photo of the farm sign

The Loch is beautiful, fairly narrow as many Scottish lochs are and long. Fishing is by permit only.

You can see a larger image of Loch Tay if you wish.

The area around Aberfeldy in Highland Perthshire is simply full of surprises and we came across many little hamlets and villages, many with interesting architecture - traditional Scottish buildings. I plan to go back soon to take more photographs of the area. Hopefully it will be a little sunnier.

Near the Ben Lawers hotel at Tollhouse we stopped at the Horn Carver shop and workshop, this is owned and run by John Lacey and you can contact John by phone on +44 (0) 1567 820561 if you have any requirements for horn based gifts. My wife bought a small Scottie dog brooch for less than a fiver. Some of the other gift items are more intricate and expensive.  If you are wanting to take a day trip out then go to Loch Tay and stop off at the Horn Carver shop.

Click for a larger digital photo of the gifts available from John’s shop in Highland Perthshire.

The shop has parking off the narrow road, just take care when slowing down or other cars may run into the back of you - sorry driver behind me when I stopped rather sharply!

Ok I can hear you - another larger picture of the Horn Craft shop showroom

I know there is streets everywhere called Ramsay Street, however I did not expect to come across one in Edzell.

Larger photo of Ramsay Street - Scotland

Brechin Cathedral and Brechin Town

The Cathedral in Brechin is as many of our church buildings simply marvellous, I love the architecture of churches, it is sad when you visit Scotland that you now find many in disrepair or having been sold and turned into “private” houses or shops, or worse. Fortunately this is not the case for the Brechin Cathedral that should be on everyone’s Scottish tourism trail. I love the stained glass windows; a picture of them is shown below.

Brechin Cathedral and Tower - Larger image of Cathedral Window

Larger digital photo of Cathedral and tower

I think Brechin is a lesson for any Scottish Government – SNP or whatever flavour of politics, an important one that I am sure the SNP appreciate, that we need to spend money on Scotland, especially the small rural towns such as Brechin. Why do I say this? Well visit Brechin and you will find a town that needs a bit of love and care, it has some lovely and important historical buildings, it is on the “Scottish tourism trail”, yet the tourist locations such as the Brechin Railway Station is only open at weekends and looks a little run down (the Railway is run by volunteers - why not give them a grant by the Lottery Fund to have full-time staff, it would generate local jobs and a lot more visitors to Brechin), the same with the high street, it has a lovely character (I love the Brechin Butchers shop - so traditional) just not enough shops catering to visitors.

Larger image of the Brechin Butcher shop

Now lets get something straight, I am not running down Brechin, I love the place, it has so much character and has interesting shops, it just needs a few million pounds spent on it, some thought spent by the planning department of the region / council and start up grants to people to move to the area and start craft based or high tech Internet businesses.

A very short distance out of the town is the Brechin Castle Centre, coffee shop and garden centre and Pictavia Centre with information on Scottish ancient Pictish tribes. That is fine and well, yet the same amount of effort needs to be spent bringing new life and shops into the town’s high street. We did find a brilliant antiques shop called “Treasures” at the far end of the high street, it is well named as it is full of collectables that made my wife want to get my wallet out. If you want an interesting place to visit in Scotland this weekend get out and go to Brechin and drop into this antiques shop.

I do have a message to the Scottish tourist board and planning departments, if you want people to visit Scotland then you should work together to make all our small towns beautiful, have a look at the picture below, I love this building, the architecture is interesting, yet we have a bus stop, a huge street light and a No Entrance sign stuck in front of it – is this planning or visual vandalism. There must be a better way.

Larger photo of Brechin - lets start looking after our towns and get the planning sympathetic to the built environment.