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Marvellous Migvie Kirk and Pictish Stone
Migvie Kirk, near Tarland in Aberdeenshire, is misleadingly unimposing when you first see it. The present structure, now deconsecrated, dates from 1777, though there was an older medieval church there from at least the 12th century. That was as much as I knew about the Kirk when I visited the kirkyard to see the Pictish stone, so what transpired was all rather delightful. The Migvie Stone This…
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Culsh Earth House
The Culsh Earth House is an Iron Age souterrain near Tarland in Aberdeenshire. Built about 2000 years ago, at the time of Roman occupation in parts of Scotland, this particular earth house is beautifully intact and safe to enter. You have to crouch or crawl to get in, though, the entrance being very low. The ceiling gets higher as you progress, and you can finally stand up in the curved end of…
The Battle of Auldearn and Dead Man's Wood
The Battle of Auldearn The Battle of Auldearn took place on the 9th of May, 1645 as part of the wider Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought between a Scottish Covenanter army who were aligned with the English Parliament, and the Royalist forces of Charles the 1st. The Royalists won the battle despite being hugely outnumbered 4000 to 1500. It was a long and bloody day, and the fighting took…
First draft done. Through the sky window I go, towards the greenwood. #writing
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Writing a Coherent Novel Among Blue Flowers
Is it possible to write a coherent novel when the primary research source, that I’ve become so deeply embroiled in, is anything but coherent? And how was that for a non-coherent sentence? The witchcraft confessions of Isobel Gowdie are extraordinary. And strange. And mixed up in many ways, so it seems to me. Here’s a quote from Confession 2, not translated by me, slightly translated by Robert…
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Pink Flowers, Blue Skies and Magical Hares
Camellia There’s pink flowers a many in the garden, and the sun is bright. But, wow, it’s cold! Frosty mornings are standard just now. The cherry tree is in full bloom, undeterred by low temperatures. Writing Update After spending over a year obsessing over the extraordinary witchcraft confessions of Isobel Gowdie, and studying everything I could find about associated people and places, and…
It's all getting a bit Springly out there...
Springly. Springtime. It’s happening! Which is good, because my immune system has being doing its very strange dance again. A new one this time. Hopefully it’ll settle down soon, but in the meantime I’ll look at flowers… Flowering currant in the garden above. Daffodils and Bossier’s glory-of-the-snow in the woods. Bergonia Beethoven or elephant’s ears by the pond. Marsh marigolds and…
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10 Mystical and Magical Sites in Aberdeenshire
This article of magical sites in Aberdeenshire was originally published on the official tourism site for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in 2019. Years have passed, and now the original version is here with added links to more detailed posts on the places mentioned. Magical Sites in Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire has a rich and colourful history, made up of fascinating people, mysterious events and…
Woodpecker Folklore from Scotland
In the garden… The garden and woods are full of the sound of woodpeckers at the moment. That rapid, hollow tapping echoes through the trees. It’s lovely, and the echoey quality makes it feel somewhat mystical. And there’s a little woodpecker folklore to go with it. Woodpecker Folklore Some of the lore focuses on the prediction of rain, but let’s not go there. The sound of a woodpecker is also…
A Carpet of Snowdrops at Aden Park
A carpet of snowdrops. Snowdrops as far as the eye can see. There’s always a wonderful show in Aden Park at this time of year. Let’s dance along this snowdrop-lined path! There’s snowdrops down by the river. And underneath a log. We walk past the old doctor’s lodge and see snowdrops in the sun. Through the play park we go. There have been enormous improvements made here. I love the wooden…
The Witches of Inshoch Castle
Inshoch Castle is a ruined 16th century Z-plan tower house near Auldearn in the Highlands of Scotland. It’s situated in a private garden, so I am really grateful to the owner for allowing me access for novel-research purposes. Inshoch Castle’s connection to ‘witches’ The castle is connected to Isobel Gowdie in a few ways. In 1662, the year of Isobel’s famous witchcraft confessions, it was home…
January: snow, swans and being on the radio
The story of January January is truly the longest month of the year, isn’t it? And it’s still going on. Like the snow: it went on for a bit too. It did rather brighten the dark days of the first half of the month, though. The loch was misty after that. BBC Radio 2 Then I was on the radio! In the middle of the night! I asked OJ Borg questions about the ancient Scottish fire festival the…
On the 9th Day of Snowmas...
On the 9th day of Snowmas, my true love gave to me… an overnight frost (-12) and a small sprinkling of snow. Seriously. It has snowed on every day of the year so far. The Tale of Snowmas At first there were pink skies and a thin covering of snow. And the odd whiteout. Young oak trees held on to their leaves as the sky turned darker. There was more snow, and then a hint of gold appeared on…
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The Haunted Library of Delgatie Castle
Off we go to Delgatie Castle in Aberdeenshire to visit the haunted library. Delgatie Castle History The castle dates from 1050 and has been added to many times over the centuries. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed there for three days after the Battle of Corrichie in 1562. The Hay family bought the castle fifty years ago to save it from ruin. The castle and estate are now run by a charitable…
Trip-trap over the Brig o' Balgownie
It was a grey day when I set out to see the Brig o’ Balgownie in Old Aberdeen. Down a narrow cobbled street I travelled to visit one of Scotland’s oldest bridges. But then, there was light! I’m not sure why some of the lights on the bridge were on; maybe it was just such a dark day that they automatically activated. Or maybe they knew I was coming 😉 Anyway, trip-trap, trip-trap, over the…
Snow at Hazlehead Park in Aberdeen
I ran around in the first snow of winter at Hazlehead Park yesterday. History of Hazlehead Park The park is one of the oldest historic sites in Aberdeen, once part of the great hunting forests of Stocket, and was gifted to the city by Robert the Bruce in 1314. I only had a short time there, due to a dental appointment, but I made the most of it! There were lovely big trees with the odd autumn…
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Auldearn Stone Row in the Scottish Highlands
Holly and ivy growing around one of the stones of the row… I visited Auldearn Stone Row recently during a research trip for the next book. It’s beautiful, tucked away among trees by the side of a driveway. Stone rows are ancient, like stone circles, and we don’t really know much about them. The six stones at Auldearn leads away from – or to? – a cairn, the mound you can see below. The mound…
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