360 no 33

    Entry for August 27, 2007, 360 import, The Reaper
Aug 27, '07 3:18 PM
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This is 'The Reaper', a fife sailing herring drifter which not a million years ago sailed the North Sea in pursuit of plentiful fish stocks. This weekend she was moored up in Arbroath as a visitor attraction during Seafest weekend. Once Arbroath harbour, along with many other small fishing towns and villages along this stretch of coastline, was full of boats just like her. They braved the cruel North Sea and brought back holds full of white fish. Sometimes I look across the harbour at the many shiny new leisure craft moored on the new purpose built pontoons and picture the harbour 100 years ago full of these brown sailed fishing vessels brimming with their white fish catch. What a sight that would have been. Today no white fish are landed at Arbroath harbour, today the only catch to be landed here is crabs and lobsters. There are still some small fishing boats registered to Arbroath but nothing like as many as there were 100 years ago. The Reaper represents the most popular design of fishing vessel used through out the 19th and early 20th century. She was built in Sandhaven near Fraserbrough in 1902, almost one of the last of her kind. She is also one of the biggest of her kind. She is a 70 foot, two masted lugger, usually berthed at Anstruther and oft found at exhibitions and tourist attractions through out the UK. She has had a bit of a chequered career; used first as a fishing vessel registered in a variety of places in Scotland, she was then requisitioned by the Admiralty during the war and post war she was used as a cargo vessel in Shetland. She is now the property of the Scottish fisheries Museum in Anstruther. All in all I think she is my all time favourite of the Seafest.
I have quite a few photos of her, some are in the set of 'Seafest' photos and some are old ones in a 'Reaper' set. She is worth having a look at so please just check her out, she is amasing.
Tags: 360 import, environment, boats, sailing ship, sea, seafest, arbroath, arbroath harbour, scotland
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360 no 32

Entry for August 26, 2007, 360 import, Arbroath Seafest 2007
Aug 26, '07 5:53 PM
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This weekend was the Arbroath Seafest, an annual celebration of the local seafaring traditions held in and around Arbroath Harbour. We were so lucky, the weather was just about the best it has been so far this summer, hot, dry and very sunny mmmmmmmmm!!
A lovely day out was had by all. I've just posted all my seafest photos and as soon as I have time I shall be writing more, untill then just check out this band..........very different and very celtic.
http://www.thetrybe.org
http://www.myspace.com/trybalrecords
Oh heaven, sun, sea, boats, fluffy white clouds, the distinct smell of Arbroath Smokies wafting on the sea breeze, and all this while lounging on the grass watching these guys perform. I don't quite know what to say about them.........unique I guess, and good.
Tags: 360 import, seafest, arbroath, scotland, environment
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360 no 28

Entry for August 08, 2007, 360 import Sight Seeing
Aug 8, '07 7:47 AM
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I feel as if I have been away from here for ages, apart from the odd test, quiz or to answer a message or something I just don’t seem to have really sat down and ‘blogged’ so to speak. Oh I’m going into withdrawl so here goes!
I’m sure it can’t really be as long as it seems. Those of you who know me also know all about my dodgy knees; the knees belong to a body which is rapidly nearing it’s sell by date and certainly wouldn’t pass its MOT. The thing is; the knees, along with the rest of the body, are driven by a brain which foolishly refuses to acknowledge the passage of time and persists in the delusion that it’s forever 25 (ish). Now, as you can imagine, this does cause a bit of a problem at times. For the last couple of weeks or so the knees have protested if made to sit at the computer for any length of time, they just don’t like the position they are forced to adopt and they are certainly not knees to shut up and suffer in silence, all of which partly explains my absence. But only partly; As coincidence would have it, at the very same time as the knees refuse to fold neatly under the computer, a friend who I just don’t get to see that often unexpectedly turned up and offered a weeks worth of sight seeing in the car. I duly consulted the knees and they assured me that stretching out full length in a plush, air conditioned, sat navigated, all singing/ all dancing car was totally acceptable whereas bending double in the cramped confines of under computing table was absolutely not. So……well what choice did I have but to drag myself along on this sight seeing tour? Just prior to the sight seeing tour, my family, who had already noticed I was just a wee bit down, depressed and stressed out had included me in several ‘fun’ family days out.
And that just about sums up the longer than usual absence from these pages. Inconsiderate and uncooperative knees, a brain which refuses to acknowledge the passage of time, family who are observant enough to recognise rising stress levels, and the unexpected arrival of a god-send of a friend with a car. Oh and then there are the photographs of course. Sight-seeing = multiple photo shoot opportunities = loads of photos to download, sort, save and put online, a time consuming task as yet unfinished. I could only do little bits at a time as and when the knees permitted.
Where do I begin? At the beginning I suppose, 8th July.
One daughter + one daughters’ partner + his daughter + their son + another of my daughters’ son + me, all took a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas is a REAL steam train and visits the Caladonian Railway in Brechin once or twice every year!! We met Thomas and all of his friends, we talked to the man on stilts wearing stripy trews and juggling balls, the children took rides on the fairground carousel and everyone went away clutching Thomas flags. The 25 year old brain thought it was great fun, the aged knees did nothing but complain but the sad and depressed spirit fleetingly lifted and sored.
http://www.caledonianrailway.co.uk/
Then there was Blair Drummond Safari Park, 12th July,
God-send friend + all singing all dancing car + youngest grandchild + me, all spent the day there. Child cuddled a Lama, clapped at the penguins, shyed away from the pacing Bear, rode on a ‘tea-Pot’ ride, half ate his packed lunch and finally peeded his pants in the sand pit and went home wearing bright red tiger pyjamas hurriedly bought from the shop. Think that adds up to a good time when you’re just two.
http://www.safari-park.co.uk/faqs.php
There followed a weekend of ‘events’ in our own little town.
On Saturday14th July,
WE had the ‘Seafront Spectacular’, an annual event held on the park next to the beach. With customary grandchild in tow I watched the Fly Past of three antiquated aircraft, all looping the loop and sending out streams of coloured ‘stuff’ (smoke?, Steam?, dunno exactly what it is). We watched the skydiving, all done in the name of some local charity, the grandchild climbed in, out and over and under a fire engine while wearing a REAL yellow fireman’s hat. I watched while the child inspected a steam roller, a whole row of very large motor bikes and what seemed like hundreds of circling Minis. Then, oh joy of joys…………the grandchild spotted the helium inflated, Thomas balloon floating in the sky, well he just had to have one. I was reliably informed he slept with this oversized, helium inflated Thomas balloon for the next week or until it was so deflated it posed a health hazard and had to be forcibly removed from his tiny, tightly closed fist. I think that operation also involved much screaming and stamping of feet but fortunately I wasn’t around to witness the final sad demise of Thomas, or the wrath of the child.
http://www.seafront.org.uk/
Saturdays Seafront Spectacular was followed on
Sunday 15th July,
by another local event arranged by one of the town pubs and named, rather tongue in cheek, ‘Tooties in the Park’. ‘Tooties’ is in fact the name of the organising pub, and the ‘Park’ is the park next to the pub where the event is held; But, the name itself (rather obviously) is a ‘take’ on the infamous ‘T in the Park’. Seemed to be hundreds of kids everywhere, daughters kids, daughters friends kids, kids belonging to neighbours, friends of friends, nephews, nieces, cousins, just kids, kids, kids and more kids where ever you looked. There were stalls, rides, marching bands, military bands, Radio DJ AND……the star attraction! A Crain whose top seemed to disappear into the clouds. At the very top of this Crain was a little platform from which people threw themselves off! And all in the name of charity, of course. Bungee jumping is, I am reliably informed, a totally ‘cool’ way to earn respect & cash for your chosen charity, It just looks bloody scary to me but each to his own I suppose. Guess even brain realises it’s not 25 sometimes.
MONDAY 30th JULY.
Then on with the sight seeing tour. Monday was the Falkirk
Wheel, a feat of contemporary engineering, with astounding mechanics, absolutely second to none. Monday dawned a fine, bright and sunny day perfect for our visit (no kids today) to the wheel and surrounding docks, barge boats and countryside. I managed some dramatic and almost abstract photography of the wheel, all of which are now stored in my flickr photos so please just go take a look. The Falkirk Wheel is the spectacular centrepiece of the £84.5 million ‘Millennium Link', the UK’s largest canal restoration project, developed by British Waterways to reconnect the Union Canal with the Forth & Clyde Canal, re-establishing east to west coast access for boats.
http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/
TUESDAY 31st JULY.
Tuesday was a late afternoon visit to Barry Mill just outside Carnoustie, Angus. We arrived too late to actually get into the Mill but …… another great photo opportunity, just go look at the photos and see what a great sky there was that evening. The Mill itself is a pretty interesting little place which we will return too later. This 19th century meal mill works on a demonstration basis. Records show that a mill has occupied the site since at least 1539. The present building was rebuilt in 1814 following a fire. Barry Mill was the last water-powered meal mill to work in Angus, producing oatmeal until the late 1970s and animal feed until 1982. The whole ‘visitor’ experience highlights the important place the mill held in the community.

http://www.aboutbritain.com/barrymill.htm
WEDNESDAY 1st AUG.
Now Wednesday really was an OUTSTANDING day, rated on a scale of 0-10 on out little sightseeing tour it’s right up there at 10++++. We travelled all the way North to Oban, known as the ‘Gateway to the Islands’. Oban lies on the North West coast of Scotland and is the major ferry port to many of the outlying Islands. The journey up there took us past hills, lochs, villages and scenery just out of this world. On the way we stopped briefly at Loch Earn, 87 meters deep, 10.5 km East to West, 0.8 km width at widest point, all set to a backdrop of hills, villages and water foul.

http://www.strathearn.com/op/lochearn.htm
Just before Oban we passed the Connel Bridge, built in 1901 over the entrance to Loch Etive and near to the ‘Falls of Lora’. This is a relatively small Cantilever bridge but quite an impressive one, anyone who likes bridges and engineering projects just check this one out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connel_Bridge
Once you get into Oban you can see why it is called ‘The Gateway to the islands’, that’s exactly what it is, a town that completely revolves around its little harbour. The town is full of people waiting for, embarking, disembarking, booking, or almost missing ferries all bound for one of the islands off the West Coast of Scotland. This is another of Scotland’s towns which once boasted a large, successful fishing fleet but in order to survive has had to ‘diversify’ as they say. Fortunately for Oban, it’s just the most amazing place for tourists so their future is assured, pity the same can’t be said for many more of the little fishing towns all along Scotland’s coast whose livelihoods have been decimated by ‘fish quotas’ and suchlike.
Dominating the skyline above the town is a Collosseum like structure built by Banker, (yes that is a B) John Stewart McCaig, a wealthy Victorian philanthropist. He designed the structure and built it by employing local unemployed stone masons throughout the winter months. It dominates the skyline, giving the impression that Oban is overshadowed by a great ancient monument that would rival the best that ancient world has to offer. All false of course, it’s just another example of the Victorian obsession with Ancient Classicism. BUT…… it offers views to die for, now these photos you have to check out
So here’s a bit of the history; The tower is also known as "The Crown of Oban" and is built on Battery Hill, which, as the name suggest was previously the site of gun emplacements. It’s approximately 190 feet in diameter and is essentially another Victorian ‘Folly’. The tower was built, like so many other "follies" to provide work for local stone masons. Whatever the reasons behind the building, or the inspiration, the tower has provided Oban with another attraction and this one is never, EVER forgotten. The views from the tower are stunning. It's position is perfect as it looks out over the harbour, Kerrera Island and the whole bay. Originally the wealthy philanthropist planned a tower, museum, art gallery and chapel all to be built at the site, but none of that actually happened. The likeness of the building to Rome's Coliseum has prompted suggestion that the tower was modelled on Rome's famous landmark, you can understand why, like I said, check out the photos. The tower is now owned by Oban Town Council who have added floodlights and maintain the property. The floodlights have ensured that the tower dominates the town at night. And we will just have to go back to see the tower at night!!
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/oban/oban/index.html
http://www.robinwilson.net/mccaigstower/mccaigstower.html
THURSDAY 2cd JULY.
Thursday and half way through our weeks worth of sight seeing already. Thursday’s destination was a place I had visited before but always wanted to return to. Amongst other things, (buildings, bridges, Victorian engineering projects, etc) I have a love of boats and ships. So Thursday’s destination was the Glenlee, One of only 5 Clydebuilt ships remaining afloat today. She was built in Glasgow in 1896 and used as a long haul cargo vessel. And what a very beautiful vessel she is! Apart from anything else, she’s just another great photo opportunity. The Glenlee was built at the Bay Yard in Port Glasgow and was one of a group of 10 steel sailing vessels built to a standard design for the Glasgow shipping firm of ‘Archibald Sterling and Co ltd’. She is a three masted barque, with length 245 feet; beam 37.5 feet and depth 22.5 feet. The Glenlee first took to the water as a bulk cargo carrier in 1896. She circumnavigated the globe four times and survived ( not easy in those days, though not without incident) passing through the fearsome storms of Cape Horn 15 times,(wow 15!!) before being bought by the Spanish navy in 1922 and being turned into a sail training vessel. The ship was modified and served in that role until 1969. She then operated as a training school until 1981 when she was laid up in Seville Harbour and largely forgotten. Untill she was rescued, brought home and restored to her former glory, don’t you just love a happy ending.

http://www.glenlee.co.uk/
FRIDAY 3rd JULY
And then it was Friday, the last day of the sight seeing tour in the plush, air conditioned, all singing/all dancing, sat navigated car. Also time for me to start calculating my unusually large eco footprint for the previous week……………..I’m gonna be turning off lights, recycling mine and every body else’s rubbish and letting even more of my garden grow wild for the next year to compensate for the oh so deliciously extravagant all singing/all dancing automobile excursion. But oh!..... it has been enjoyable. So Friday, well that turned out to be an odd day. We aimed for Loch Levan, it looked like a picturesque loch with a ruinous castle on an island in the middle of the Loch, only accessible by a boat ride. Oh…. It sounded an ideal way to end our week, so we set the sat nav, sat back and enjoyed the scenery.
www.kinrosshouse.com/lochleven_touristinfo.html
Unfortunately we asked her (sat nav) to take us to Leven, not LOCH LEVEN, seems the loch is not the same place as the town and the town turned out to be not that exciting. It’s quite a sad, kinda run down little sea side town, which has the cheek to ask 30p to go to the not so special loo on the sea front! So we sat in the car, drank coffee, looked at the sea and decided what to do. And what we decided was to just drive up the coast and have a look at the picturesque villages along the way. We passed St Monans, Pittenween and Anstruther.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Monans
www.scotland-flavour.co.uk/pittenweem -
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/anstruther/anstruther
And this rather impromptu and unexpected tour of some of Scotland’s best kept secrets along the Fife coast was just such a high to end out sight seeing on. These are traditional Scottish fishing villages at their best. I haven’t quite finished downloading all the photos from my camera so the pictures from Friday have yet to go online, but all the others are there and these will follow just a.s.a.p. The only village we actually managed to park in and get a good look at was St Monans, and it was beautiful. St Monans is a town in the East Neuk of Fife named after the legendary Saint Monan. It’s approximately 3 miles west of Anstruther this small picturesque fishing community rests on a hill overlooking the Firth of Forth Estuary, with views over to North Berwick, the Bass Rock and the Isle of May. St Monans contains loads of historically important buildings, most notably the now defunct Windmill that once powered a salt-panning industry! There is also a 14th century church that perches precariously on the rock face cliffs above the water on the western side of the village. Approximately 1/2 mile west of St Monans, are the remains of the once great Newark Castle, a 16th century manor that has since fallen to ruin through cliff erosion and disrepair, another one to add to my ‘must see’ list. In 2002 with the permission of Historic Scotland, an attempt to restore the castle was made however for whatever reason was unsuccessful (if anyone knows why please feel free to add that in).
Parish Church
St Monans church, still within its kirkyard is just to the west of the village on the very edge of the sea. It’s rumored to be the church nearest the sea in the whole of Scotlands The church, one of the best Middle Ages Church in Scotland was built by King David 11Bruce (1329-71), initially for a small house of Dominican Frias. It later became the Church of Scotland parish church. The church has never been properly finished (it lacks a nave), it has many features of architectural interest, notably the fine stone vaulting in the choir and the simple but handsome ‘sedilia’. Internally it is white-washed throughout and is in a style that seems to dominate in this small Fife costal area.
Major restoration to the windows and masonry was completed in March 2007. The church is open to visitors daily from April – October, for some reason not open while we were there! And so ended our grand tour. From there we traveled up the coast intending to grab a coffee in St Andrews before setting off for our final destination….home. What we didn’t take into account was the ‘Ladies Open’, (important Golf for those of you who like me, are completely disinterested!), in full swing in St Andrews, and which consequently led to every parking place and coffee shop being full, full, full. Dehydrated, tired and homeward bound our weeks sight seeing finally came to an end. And after all that I’m sure you can see why blogging has taken a bit of a back seat for a while.
..
Tags: 360 import, environment, seafront spectacular, arbroath, scotland
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360 no 23

Entry for July 25, 2007, 360 import, House of Dun
Jul 25, '07 6:03 PM
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ONE WEEKEND,
ONE GRANDAUGHTER, ½ DOZ CROSSANTS,
AND THE HOUSE OF DUN
Oh, it just seems so long sinse I did a 'real' blog I just thought it was about time I did one, so here it is, AND there SHOULD be a complete album of photos of 'The House of Dun' in my photo's to go with this blog.

A Couple of weeks ago I stayed over with my daughter and granddaughter, Great Weekend!!. I have the privilege of sleeping in the granddaughters rooms on a futon when I stay there. The Futon’s nice and comfy but there’s not much chance of a lie in with a bouncy, excited 6 yr old peering over the top of her fairy princess bed, grinning her toothless grin, and all at the crack of dawn. True to form she was up with the birds and therefore so was I. We decided to allow her mother the unaccustomed pleasure of a Sunday morning long lie in bed, while we amused ourselves with a leisurely stroll to the shops. We bought the Sunday Newspapers, fresh orange juice and chocolate croissants for breakfast.
Mmmmmmm, yum yum, nice breakfast.
Croissants devoured, newspapers now sticky with chocolate croissant remains were strewn across the floor and we decided to go visit The House of Dun.

House of Dun on AboutBritain.com
This beautiful Georgian house, overlooking the Montrose Basin nature reserve, was designed by William Adam in 1730.
http://www.aboutbritain.com/houseofdun.htm
THE HOUSE OF DUN was designed by architect William Adam and is described as one of his best if not THE best surviving, modest sized, country houses in Scotland today. Adam was commissioned sometime in the early 1730’s by David Erskine,13th Laird, Judge of the Scottish Court of Session, to build a new, grand, fashionable house on his estate, overlooking the Montrose Basin. The house stands half a mile north of the basin on a pleasant, green and decidedly 'non-floodplain' piece of land. Delving a little into the history I immediately stumbled across something I would like to know more about. It seems the Dun estate was purchased in 1375 by Sir Robert Erskine from Renfrewshire and during the 16th and 17th century his descendents happily inhabited a Scottish Tower house situated approximately ¼ mile west of the present house. All that remains of this once noble and traditional Tower House is a ruinous archway in the old walled Garden. Now maybe I just haven’t looked very hard (very possible) or maybe there really isn’t much evidence or information out there on the original ‘Old Castle’, but; for what ever reason, I have drawn a blank!! My only lead to information about this now vanished Tower House is that it is mentioned in Vol 3 of the antiquated 19th century series of books; Angus & Forfarshire’ by A. G. Warden. A source of information I fully intend to investigate at a later date. But for now, if anyone knows anything of this now vanished Tower House please, please share your information with me. I would most especially like a picture of it, or some detail on its design and layout. Most original architectural drawings of these buildings are long lost, I would not be so foolish as to expect the original, or accurate copies of the original drawings to turn up. BUT; something must be known of this old tower house by someone, somewhere. It must have stood for the best part of 200-300 years at least, and it’s difficult to believe that in all those years a passing painter didn’t record it, or journey man didn’t stay there and write a letter about it. The one piece of information relating to the original Tower House to be found in the official ‘National Trust for Scotland’, guide book is that it was completely destroyed in 1723. The actual quote is from Alexander McGill, the official Edinburgh City Architect who was originally employed to survey the estate and provide plans for a new house. He is recorded as saying that the old castle (Tower House) was ‘Raze’d Dow’n to the Ground’. How, (accidental or otherwise) it was raised down to the ground the quote didn’t say but I’m pretty sure that much at least must be known by someone. Anyway, I digress, since I don’t know anything about the original Tower House this little blog was supposed to be about the grand palatial and impressive House of Dun as designed by William Adam.

A Couple of weeks ago I watched a BBC programme about the way Scottish Architecture has developed over the centuries, it was called ‘Building Britain’, presented by David Dimbleby. The eminent and much respected Mr Dimbleby presented the public with ‘Kinross House’
http://www.kinrosshouse.com/
as the very first grand country house in Scotland NOT to be built as a ‘Castle’, (his description not mine). Kinross House was designed by William Bruce and completed in 1693, although the interior had not been completed to Bruce’s designs by the time of his death in 1710. Dimbleby positively gushed over Kinross House, he admired the design of elegant classicism as opposed to the traditional Tower House design, he admired the comfort and space classicism offered and he spoke admiringly of the European influence of space, light, height and classical proportions. In conclusion to his obvious enthusiasm for the new and precisely proportioned Kinross House he said cuttingly ’what a relief’! Meaning I assume; that the peoples of Scotland were surely thrilled to do away with their old dingy Tower Houses in favour of this new breed of building. Much as I admire the eminent Mr Dimbleby I most certainly do not agree. If you want comfort and sumptuous surroundings go visit ‘Argyll’s Lodgings’, an intact, if developed Tower House just down the road from Sterling Castle. Or, if you want to see how light and the modernism of the time were adapted into Tower Houses go look at the enormous windows incorporated into Edzel Castle. What I am trying to say here is that for me, the demise of the traditional, vernacular, Scottish Tower House in favour of the classically proportioned, palatial box adorned with imitation Greek columns and other assorted embellishments, remains a tragic loss to this country. Mr Dimbleby may casually remark ‘oh what a relief, I just hope he doesn’t think his opinion is universally accepted.’
AND, yet again I digress; I am supposed to be talking (blogging) about ‘The House of Dun’. The reason for this digression is because;
Despite acknowledging ‘The House of Dun’ as a bloody fine example of what it is, (designed by William Adam you would expect that). Still, my steadfast and unfaltering preference lies with the starkly, almost forebodingly powerful, rubble built, harled, traditional Tower House, over a palatial, classically proportioned, mathematically perfect box of columns, finials, portico’s and triumphal archways.

As for the House of Dun itself, it was every bit as beautiful as you would expect. To say it was designed by William Adam is not exactly the whole truth. Its design was in fact the result of architectural consultations, plans, drawings, general chit-chat & argy bargy at a distance, between the original designer, Alexander McGill, Edinburgh City Architect, William Adam, Architect and entrepreneur and John Erskin, Lord Mar, gentleman architect and notoriously exiled Jacobite kinsman to Lord Dun. The key word there is ‘exiled’, which accounted for the consultations taking place ‘at a distance’, AND over time. Much of the original design was in fact Mar’s with a triumphal arched front centrepiece added later. Adam’s greatest contribution to the project was that he acted as what would today be called ‘site manager’. He held the post of ‘Mason to the board of Ordinance’ and as such directed the project. The house, once built, was elegant and symmetrical with a grand stair way leading to the megalithic arched entrance at the front of the house. The rear of the house is equally elegant and symmetrical with external stairs leading into the grounds which extended all the way to the waters edge. The famous jacobite connections of the family were celebrated with the flamboyant, extravaganza of allegorical jacobite plasterwork carried out by Joseph Enzer in the Saloon. The saloon being the principle room of the house, the room used for entertaining, was situated on the ground floor with spectacular views out over the grounds and down to the water. The placing of the principle room on the ground floor was just another move away from the traditions of the tower house where the Grand Hall or principle room was always situated on the first floor. The plasterwork is unequivocally the best to be seen, ANYWHERE, except maybe at Arniston House which also has plasterwork by Enzer. There is a stucco ceiling, Bas-reliefs of Neptune and Mars that dominate the two fireplaces, heraldic lions, armoury, shields; there is Minerva, Medusa and a whole menagerie of dolphins, dogs, stags and horses tethered to warrior led chariots. Whole books could be written about this plasterwork. What it actually depicts in ‘real’ terms is mostly in keeping with the new classicism, depictions of ancient Greek Mythology. But; woven into that is the thinly disguised pro Jacobite theme of victory and the ensuing peace under the victorious jacobite rule. On top of the clever politics, it is stunningly beautiful.
Having glazed over in awe at this mind boggling plasterwork I had to metaphorically smack myself in the face, tell my feet to move and head out to investigate the rest of the house. And I have to say, it was pretty dam good, highly recommended as a smart place to visit for anyone who happens to find themselves in the general vicinity of Montrose, especially if, like me you happen to be somewhat obsessed with antiquated buildings.
AND……. The icing on the cake for me was….. my six year old granddaughters apparent genuine shared interest in these old and dusty rooms. This is poetic justice indeed for the times I have tried valiantly but in vane to generate the smallest spark of enthusiasm from my daughter (her mother) in our built environment, in the heritage of our buildings. Alas my daughter has not the slightest interest in such things, but it seems her 6 year old daughter does!! Now, that really did make my day.
Tags: 360 import, dun house, montrose, scotland, robert adam, architect, architecture
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360 no 8

Entry for June 08, 2007, 360 import, One for 'EdTrain', Caladonian Railway,
Jun 8, '07 9:15 AM
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This is one just for you EdTrain.
Unfortunately the last time I rode on this old train I didn't have a digi camera, just an old APS and I don't have a disc with any of my photographs on. BUT..... as my daughter now lives in Brechin I think I may just pay her a visit pretty dam soon and take a trip on the wonderful CALENDONIAN railway, and when I do, rest assured, I will be bringing loads of good pics back with me and putting them right here for all to see. Until then, this is a mega quick scribble with a link to the site so you can have a nice little read and wait with bated breath in anticipation for me to go ride and bring back stories and pictures. Be sure to check out the photo gallery on this web site, great pics of old steam trains. Like I said Ed, this one's for you
www.caledonianrailway.co.uk
Tags: 360 import, environment, caladonian railway, steam trains, brechin, scotland
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360 no 7

    Entry for June 07, 2007, 360 import, Seaton Cliffs
Jun 7, '07 3:15 PM
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No buildings today, no Castles, no Tower Houses, no ancient stairways, no gun loops and no vaulted cellars. Instead, a vast prehistoric deposit of rich red sandstone, 350 million years worth of the stuff. And this is the basic building material of all those castles and fortified houses in and around Angus. Travel further north or down to Edinburgh and the castles are built from Granite, stone local to that area, but here it is red sandstone, found in abundance around this, the astoundingly beautiful North East Coast of the cruel North Sea.
These cliffs, caves and stacks are the result of relatively recent and ongoing erosion of the soft sandstone deposited so long ago. The cliffs are reached from the far end of Victoria Park, Arbroath at the end of the promenade, less than half a mile from the centre of town. The whole area from Victoria Park right along the Cliff top pathway is a designated 'Site of Special Scientific Interest', or SSSI as it is known. This is on account of the spectacular rock, stack and outcrop formations AND the vast numbers of nesting seabirds AND the numerous rare flora and fauna prevalent in the area. In fact, it has just about everything anyone could possible want for a nature loving day out.
If you follow the cliff top path from Whiting Ness at the north end of Victoria Park you reach the start of the reserve near a sandstone arch known locally as Needles Eye. Beyond that is Dickmonts Den, Devil's Heid and Carlingheugh Bay and then Seaton Den. You can stop and just sit a for while in perfect peace,just gazing out to sea, sometimes you get to see dolphins jumping and diving as they swim north where they breed. Always there is the sound of the sea birds screeching overhead and the sea crashing against the foot of the rocks. Sitting at the top of the cliffs gives a peculiar view of the swooping, soaring birds, very often they are actually flying lower down the cliff face than where you are sitting. Sometimes you're just sitting on top of the cliffs taking in the beauty, mesmerised by sun light sparkling on the blue water, when suddenly a bird will appear from below the edge of the cliff and sore up and up above you. There are Gulls, Gannets, Fulmars, Rock Doves, House Martins and my favourite, Puffins, with their bright red beaks. I especially like to see the Puffins, like little painted birds who imitate clowns. At low tide the waders come and poke around in the pools left behind by the sea.
Other people go to see the variety of wild flowers, some of the flowering plants are quite rare. There are tiny little wild pink orchids that I see sometimes, not sure exactly what they are called but they are very pretty. I think one of the most amazing things about this place is it's age, it gives a sense of continuity. For thousands, who knows millions of years, people have been living here. There are some very ancient cart tracks that show where the ancient people mined the sandstone from the foot of the cliffs and dragged it up by the cartload. This Red Sandstone has been the basic building blocks for all buildings in and around this area for all time, for as long as people have been erecting buildings around here this sandstone has been used.
The peace found up here is akin to sitting way up in the eves of a medieval cathedral. It offers that kind of peace and tranquillity, and yet it is far from silent with the crashing sea, the screeching birds and sometimes the howling wind. Beautiful, ancient, peaceful yet full of history and full of life. Oh how I love this place, if I were to give it a visitor rating it would have to be ****************************************************************
Tags: 360 import, environment, walking, seaton cliffs, arbroath, scotland
Prev: Entry for June 03, 2007360 import, Elcho Castle
Next: Entry for June 08, 2007, 360 import, One for 'EdTrain', Caladonian Railway,

360 no 6

    Entry for June 03, 2007360 import, Elcho Castle
Jun 3, '07 5:22 PM
for loretta's contacts


Another day dawns with the dreaded harle swirling around my garden, this is low lying cloud taken to extreme. My poor dog got lost in its murky mist. Poor wee thing, she only has one eye to start with, and that eye doesn't see too well at the best of times so submerge her in this particularly Scottish weather phenomena and she doesn't stand a chance. You wouldn't think my garden was big enough to get lost in even for a half blind, partially deaf and increasingly senile dog, you'd be wrong, she did. Low lying cloud be dammed, cause of mortal danger to small unsuspecting dogs in its path.
Heard a small piece about Elcho Castle on the radio today, reminded me of my visit there last year. Not the most well known of Scotland's little treasures but totally wonderful place to visit. It's quite well hidden, not that easy to find, not that well signposted and very easily missed!! Worth finding though.
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/perth/elchocastle
NB Warning!! Alert!!, please don't do as I did and go rushing up the many narrow stairs and then hang over the top of the highest tower to take pictures IF, as I was, you are accompanied by an asthmatic who gets vertigo at anything over first floor level!! ...... oops silly, silly me.
What can I say, another of Scotland's beautiful Tower Houses. As Red Castle must be one of the most ruinous tower house left, Elcho Castle is one of the most intact and original. Elcho Castle has stairs, floors, passageways, vaulted basements, everything in its original state with the exception of the roof and windows which were replaced in the 1830's. The building of this Tower House is thought to have started round about 1550, once all the lands of Elcho had been consolidated under the ownership of the Wemyss family. The Castle was the main residence of the Wemyss family. The first record of the land of Elcho is in the 'Register of the Great Seal' when Easter Elcho was granted by James III to John of Wemyss, BUT, there is mention of a 'place of strength' called 'Elkok' in Blind Harry's epic tale 'Wallace'. It is thought that this was some sort of earlier structure that stood on the site of or close to where Elcho Castle stands today. There is no exact parallel to Elcho in any other Tower House in Scotland, it incorporates round towers, square towers, some genuinely defensive elements and some decorative elements of castle architecture. It was built just at the beginning of the period when country houses were springing up in the traditional 'Castle' style, but with many of the defensive elements of the older castles imitated as decorative rather than functional elements. The skyline of this building is fascinating, it has round corbelled turrets, square corbelled turrets and aspects of European architecture blended with traditional Scottish architecture all to produce a very distinctive skyline . When it was built it was of the 'latest fashion'; rather than having an external stairway to the first floor that could be removed if under attack, as was the fashion in earlier defensive Tower Houses, Elcho has a grand stone stairway running from the ground floor to the grand hall on the first floor.
Think what I would like to do is to visit first Red Castle, then Edzell Castle and finally Elcho Castle, it would be like visiting a building site and seeing Tower Houses under different stages of construction, only of course in reality they are at different stages of decomposition. Buildings like these you can 'read', it's like peeling an onion and looking inside at the different sages of build. Fascinating, or it this just my rather unique way of looking at things.
Elcho, a totally fascinating, amazing, interesting and absolutely 'worth a visit' piece of Scottish history.
Tags: 360 import, environment, elcho castle, scotland, architecture
Prev: Entry for June 02, 2007, 360 import, Kelburn Castle,
Next: Entry for June 07, 2007, 360 import, Seaton Cliffs

360 no 5

Entry for June 02, 2007, 360 import, Kelburn Castle,
Jun 2, '07 4:11 PM
for loretta's contacts
 
Have not written anything for a few days, been feeling a little unwell. BUT.......saw this in to days newspaper and just had to have it.
www.kelburncastle.com
The story is this, like many of our historic buildings Kelburn Castle has at some time been rendered in concrete rather than the traditional Lime rendering. The concrete causes damage to the stone work and if the buildings thus affected are to be saved the concrete rendering must be removed. In this case the removal of the concrete rendering is scheduled to happen in 2009 as part of a £1 million restoration project.
BUT..... before this happens the current Earl of Glasgow, Patrick Boyle employed four Brazilian graffiti artists to transform the old tower of the castle. It is hoped that this will attract more visitors which in turn will generate more money toward the restoration of the castle.
Dunno 'bout you but I think it's quite amazing and I'll defiantly try to see it before the restoration work tears it down.
Tags: 360 import, environment, kelburn castle, scotland, architecture, art, graffiti art
Prev: Entry for May 29, 2007, 360 import, Red Castle,
Next: Entry for June 03, 2007360 import, Elcho Castle

360 no 4

Entry for May 29, 2007, 360 import, Red Castle,
May 29, '07 1:34 PM
for loretta's contacts
 
Fun day at work today!! well actually not, my turn to accompany 7 15 year olds on a visit for the day, oh what fun that was, least said the better me thinks. As always vast majority of the kids are great but you always get one gobby little git who ruins the day for every one else. This particular gobby little git has a bit of an entourage, those who are prone to follow mindlessly. Needless to say; said gobby little git will not be going back for a second day and without her the sheep like entourage may begin to understand the fundamentals of group work. Fortunately gobby little git plus sheep like entourage are almost 16, oh the joy, this means we are not obligated to take her (or the gobby little gits in training) back next term. Do all 15/16 year olds have the propensity to imitate embryonic psychopaths or are we just lucky, lucky, lucky to have found so many??
However, now that work is over and I am de-stressed sufficiently to contemplate the more pleasant things in life, my thoughts turn yet again to the beautiful ruinous buildings, tower houses and castles of Scotland. And my choice for today is RED CASTLE.
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/montrose/lunanbay
Over looking Lunan Bay on the North East coast of Angus, Red Castle is just over 2 miles north east of Inverkeilor. Another ‘Castle’ which was actually a Tower House but this time it’s position does indicate that it was built with defence in mind. In a position like this a building would not need to be a full blown ‘Castle’ to deter would be attackers and assorted enemies. This Tower House is completely ruinous and will, in the very near future, totally disappear down the side of the sheer cliff where it's now perched most precariously, it's hanging in there by its fingernails. The ruins of this Tower House, built with the local red sandstone date from roundabout the 15th Century. The lands of Inverkeilor, on which the ruins of the Tower House stand, were granted to Walter de Berkeley, the royal chamberlain of William The Lion. On Walter's death in 1194, the property passed, via his daughter, to the Balliol family the probable builders of the first stone dwelling on that site. During the Wars of Independence the castle was granted to Donald Campbell who sold the lands on to the Stewarts, and it was the Stewarts who built the Tower House, the ruins of which we are left with today.
,Red Castle overlooks Lunan Bay which is just south of Montrose, somewhere between Boddin Point and the Lang Craig. Lunan Water flows out to the bay just near the tiny village of Lunan and here the beach is absolutely owe inspiring, there is just nothing to compare. Puffins nest up in the cliffs and the beach is this immense expanse of white sand edged by dunes and cliffs. It’s a bit of a hike to get up to the castle but oh is it worth it. Anyone intending to pay it a visit would be well advised to go sooner rather than later as it really can't hang on to that cliff edge for very much longer.
Tags: 360 import, environment, red castle, lunan, scotland, architecture
Prev: Entry for May 28, 2007, 360 import, Edzell Castle
Next: Entry for June 02, 2007, 360 import, Kelburn Castle,

360 no 3 Edzel Castle

Entry for May 28, 2007, 360 import, Edzell Castle

May 28, '07 3:59 PM for loretta's contacts

Here I am again at the end of another longish, coldish, dismal(ish) day, and still not solved the problem of uploading photos, which is (as opposed to 'uplifting photos') apparently the correct terminology for getting them from wherever they are to here. Thank you for your advice re photos and correct terminology, shall do as you suggest and wait for Yahoo to provide a download transfer link and for now just upload a few here and there. Thanks, all advice appreciated.
The dastardly ECDL was OK, passed another module and am now left with the tantalising choice of doing Database or Spreadsheets next, wow, exciting or what?? how lucky am I?
IF and I do mean IF I manage to upload the photo of choice for today it will be a rather nice view of Edzell Castle, situated in the delightful Angus countryside. This one was taken a while ago with my old APS, this was prior to getting my trusty little digi that now goes everywhere with me. So if the quality isn't that good, well that's why. Should really go back this summer and get some better pics.
What to say about Edzell Castle, well for a start it's not a castle, it's a Scottish Tower House, my favourite type of building. Scottish Tower Houses, the traditional and vernacular residence of the Scottish Nobility. Beautiful, strong, impressive, stone rubble built tower houses harled in white with brightly painted detail. These days they are mostly all devoid of their original harling. Some due to the ruinous state of the building and some because the ignorant owners thought the building would look better if the stone was uncovered. The living accommodation in a tower house is organised vertically rather than horizontally. The ground floor usually consists of vaulted storage areas and/or kitchen ranges, the first floor is where the main entrance is and usually where the grand hall is found. The upper floors are bedrooms and guest apartments. That is a very, very basic outline of what a Scottish Tower house is and not all of them will conform exactly to that rather crude formula. But you get the idea.
Edzell Castle was the ancestral seat of the Lindsays, they acquired it in 1358 and at the time the house was an earthwork-and-timber motte
http://www.castlewales.com/motte.html
www.castles-of-britain.com/castlesa.htm
thought to have been built some time in the 1100's. The old building stood about 300m South-West of the present building. The Lindsays built the first stage of the present building and started living in it from the early 1500's. Over time new ranges were added by the lindsays and their descendants but their greatest achievement was the garden. This was a first class renaissance walled garden complete with stone built summer house and a boundary wall covered with unique carved stone panels and tiny alcoves for plants. The carvings depict Arts, Virtues, Planets, Gods, everything you would expect from a true Renaissance building.
The last Lindsay Laird was deeply in dept and sold the estate to the Earl of Panmure in 1715 BUT..... because the said Earl of Panmure joined the 1715 Jacobite rising he forfeited all of his estates, including Edzell. The new owner began stripping Edzell of its assets and soon the place fell into disrepair. THEN..... in the 1745 Jacobite rising a bunch of hardy Argyll Highlanders moved in and occupied the castle for a while. The final death blow to the Castle was in 1764 when it was gutted for building materials. What a bloody sordid end to such a spectacular piece of Scottish renaissance architectural history.
I just do so love Scottish Tower Houses, this one in particular.
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edzell/edzellcastle/index.html

Tags: 360 import, environment, edzell castle, edzell, scotland, architecture

Prev: Entry for May 27, 2007, two blogs in two days!!, 360 import.
Next: Entry for May 29, 2007, 360 import, Red Castle,

Brave.................just what I needed, a little lighthearted entertainment

And on a lighter note, I saw a great film today, a happy, fun, lighthearted film for every one.



And the music is good too.

St Andrews beach on a sunny day

It was a very sunny day, probably the sunniest and warmest day so far this year. Days like this are worth waiting for. :-))

St Andrews sailing boats

A visit to St Andrews on Friday, the weather was fantastic and the sailing club gave a memorable performance. Plenty of artistic inspiration here with so much colour every where.

Old Ruined Mill Building

Somewhere way up in the glens lies this ancient ruined mill building. I only realised it was originally a mill when I walked round the building and saw the old water pit and the space where the wheel once was. Sadly there is no wheel there now, its been taken away. The inside of this building is strewn with debris and the outside is unstable..........but it sits in the landscape perfectly and takes you back in time a hundred years or more. We were there for at least an hour, and in that time not one person or car passed us. Utter peace and tranquility.

Arbroath Harbour this afternoon.

I've never seen this boat moored in the harbour before, I'm not sure why it was there today, probably just visiting. Very nice two mast sailing boat, just wish I had been there when the sails were up instead of folded away.

East Haven Beach this afternoon.

It was a bit cold, and at times it rained, but it was still good to get out. And its sooooo much better than it was this time last year.

taken over the last week.

I've been trying to look for something nice in every day, and if I can't think of any thing then I go out and try to find something that looks good. One morning every thing was covered in frost. Another morning the light in my bedroom took my eye as I woke up. Then of course there is the sky and sea, always good for photos. I've not really done a lot of night time photography, my camera isn't good enough, but on that night it was raining so hard all the lights were reflected in the wet road. The last one is my little nest of rocks, pebbles that caught my eye on the beach and before that; a garden decoration which so far, I've not put in the garden. It was bought in a discount store, cost me very little but caught my eye. I like it indoors so much its not made it outside yet.

Pictures taken last September

Just been doing a bit of a tidy up on the computer and came across these. I'd forgotten about them. This is just what I needed, it makes a pleasant change from the brown earth, grey sky and silhouette trees.

Scottish Independence

http://home.scotland.gov.uk/home

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Scotland


http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/HCOU-4UCGGJ

http://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/the-2012-olympics-and-the-barnett-formula-an-end-to-the-row/

http://www.nfus.org.uk/farming-facts/what-we-produce

WARNING;
THIS IS A PRETTY LONG READ,
AND FOR SOME PROBABLY A BIT BORING,
 BUT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I THINK SCOTLAND
SHOULD GAIN INDEPENDENCE
READ ON

Scottish Independence is THE hot topic of conversation again and the question most people ask is ‘could Scotland survive on her own? My answer to that………oh yes.
The assumption seems to be that Scotland would be more vulnerable and less economically viable as an independent Nation. It’s a common belief that England subsidises Scotland financially and without those subsidies Scotland’s economy would collapse, taxes would rise and living standards would fall. My standard response to that is ‘’Independence is not primarily a matter of economy it’s about national Identity and the right of a Nation to self determination’’.  And I do believe that, but I also believe Scotland would flourish politically and economically as an Independent Nation. There’s not one single reason why an Independent Scotland should fail.
To put it into some sort of perspective compare Scotland with Norway
Scotland has a population of 5.2 million, Norway has a population of about  4.9 million.
Norway has extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, fresh water, and hydropower. Norway, is a net exporter of energy.
Scotland has some of the best energy resources in Europe, and is a net exporter of electricity. At present it has a generating capacity of 10.1GW primarily from coal, oil and gas with some nuclear generation. This is supplemented with an ever increasing amount of renewable energy.
Gas and oil
The great majority of the UK's oil production and around half of its gas production comes from fields based in the continental shelf around Scotland, and mines in Scotland are responsible for around a quarter of the UK's coal production.
Fossil fuels are a finite resource which is why Scotland's ability to produce renewable energy is so important but; while the UK still has fossil fuels most of it is produced off the coast of  Scotland. Considering Scotland has a population of only 5 million compared to the total UK population of almost 70 million, Scotland has a huge advantage when it comes to energy production and energy potential.
Renewables
Scotland has been identified as having vast potential for the development of renewable energy.  There is potential wave, tidal and wind power in abundance. Scotland's wind and seas hold some of the most concentrated potential not only across the UK and Europe, but in the world, with an estimated 25% of Europe's offshore wind and wave potential and 10% Europe’s tidal capacity.
Scotland accounts for around nine per cent of the UK's total energy consumption, but is rich in energy resources. Around 20 per cent of the electricity generated in Scotland NOW is exported to the rest of the UK, as the renewable energy becomes more available, Scotland’s energy excess will increase leaving more and more energy available for export. With nearly 7 gigawatts of renewable energy now either, installed and producing, or in the pipeline, Scotland is expected to meet its target for renewables to generate 100 per cent of gross annual electricity demand by 2020, just 8 short years away. I would say that any nation with the potential to be self sufficient in renewable energy by 2020 AND  have the capacity to export energy,  is not a nation that need worry about its economy.
Wave and tidal energy
Scotland possesses a huge wave and tidal energy resource; the potential exists to generate far more electricity than would ever be needed from wave and tidal energy sources in the waters around the Scottish coast. Wave energy is intermittent but relatively predictable, whereas tidal current energy is intermittent but largely predictable. Some of the best resources in the world for wave energy are located off the north-west coast and northern tip of Scotland - the world's first commercial wave energy device continues to produce  power on the shoreline at Islay.
 Wave and tidal energy will make a very important contribution towards meeting  future demands for electricity; that is why  Scotland  helped fund the construction of the European Marine Energy Centre on Orkney. This Centre is a world class facility for the development, testing and accreditation of marine energy generation and delivery systems.
Biomass energy
Apart from fossil fuels, biomass is the only other naturally-occurring, energy-containing carbon resource large enough to be used as a substitute for fossil fuels. Biomass includes plant matter, vegetation and trees, as well as waste biomass such as municipal solid waste (MSW), municipal biosolids (sewage) and animal wastes (manures), forestry and agricultural residues, and certain types of industrial wastes. Unlike fossil fuels, biomass is renewable in the sense that only a short period of time is needed to replace what is used as an energy resource. Biomass is also held to be "carbon neutral", in that the amount of carbon it absorbs while growing is the same as the amount it produces when burned. Scotland has a potentially huge wood fuel resource arising from its forests and associated timber resource. Biomass energy could be extremely valuable in Scotland, given its lack of intermittency, its ability to meet local and small-scale energy needs and its potential to provide and sustain jobs.
Solar energy
Scotland’s long hours of summer daylight and demand for heat and hot water even when it's sunny makes it a prime candidate for the development of solar energy technologies. Solar applications are usually small scale and can supply electricity or heat on a domestic scale which is probably why solar panels on the roofs of houses are becoming a common sight across Scotland.
The energy industry is big business in Scotland, Aberdeen is the oil capital of Europe. This puts the country in the unique position of already having the business expertise, infrastructure and work force ready willing and waiting for the industry to diversify into renewables as the North Sea Oil and gas becomes scarcer.
Water
Scotland has an abundance of fresh pure water. In Scotland, public drinking water and sewerage services are provided by a public sector corporation, Scottish Water, which is accountable to Scottish Ministers and through Ministers to the Scottish Parliament. In England and Wales these services are delivered by private profit led companies.
Scottish Water operates within a regulatory framework established by the Scottish Parliament in which Scottish Ministers, acting on behalf of the people of Scotland, set the objectives for the industry to be delivered at least cost to customers.
The water industry contributes to the Scottish Government's Strategic Objectives, specifically the objective ‘’ A wealthier and Fairer Scotland’’
Unlike other parts of the UK Scotland has more water than it will ever need, in fact there have been suggestions that water could be exported from Scotland to England.
BUT;
important though they are, a country can’t survive on energy and water alone.
The Economy of Scotland
The Scottish labour market has performed better than the UK as a whole during the last year (2011). Over the year employment in Scotland has risen by 14,000 while unemployment has fallen by 14,000. Scotland's employment rate is higher than in the UK (71.2% vs. 70.2%), and unemployment is  lower (8.0% vs. 8.3%).
There is a slow recovery in the Scottish economy which is continuing, but along with the rest of the world, recovery is fragile. This says more about the world recession than it does about Scotland’s ability to survive in the world independently. The very fact that some progress has been made is encouraging.  Output in Scotland grew by 1.1% last year.
The economy of Scotland is closely linked with the rest of the UK and Europe. When assessing the economy of Scotland; the revenue from North Sea oil and gas is never included, but all monies passed from Westminster to Scotland are, which makes it appear as if Scotland’s outgoings are greater than its incomes. However, it’s widely accepted if North Sea revenues were included in the equation, as they would be in an Independent Scotland, Scotland would have a small budget surplus. In 2011-12, North Sea oil and gas is forecast to generate £13.4 billion in tax revenue, a record high in nominal terms. And over the five years from 2011-12 to 2015-16 it is forecast to raise £61 billion in tax revenue, 35 per cent more than during the previous five years. And under the present system of administration ALL  of that revenue goes directly to Westminster and bypasses Scotland.
The Scottish timber industry and Scotland's timber resources
Scotland’s forests are the most productive in the UK. They make a significant contribution to Scotland’s economy through jobs in the wood processing industry, forest management, wood haulage and associated industries.
At the start of the 20th century, Scotland (like the rest of
the UK) depended almost entirely on imported wood.
This led to supply problems during the naval blockades of WW1. At the time the shortage of wood for pit props threatened the UK’s main source of energy, which at the time was coal. In 1919 this led to the founding of the Forestry Commission with the specific aim of ensuring sufficient supplies of home grown timber. Since then, nearly 10,000 km2of new forest have been created in Scotland – and almost half of this was planted between 1965 and 1990. Presuming that average consumption per person in Scotland
is the same as in the rest of the UK, the total consumption in Scotland is about 7.5 million m3 wood. This compares with Scotland’s annual wood harvest of 5.5 million m3, this leaves Scotland 73% per cent self sufficient in wood as a raw material..
In practice, Scotland imports more than the balance of 2 million m3, but also exports large amounts of wood, especially to the rest of the UK
In 1980, just over 1.5 million m3 of wood was harvested from
Scotland’s forests; by 2000 this had reached 5.5 million m3 per
year. Since then production, the associated industries and exports continue to increase. Scotland's managed forests are entirely sustainable and as the newer forests mature, the wood harvest will continue to grow, approaching 10 million m3 per year by 2020 which is estimated to exceed Scotland’s demand for wood.
Fishing Industry
Scotland's main sea fishing opportunities are regulated as part of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy and every year there are ongoing arguments about quotas and time at sea.  The aim of the regulations is to preserve fish stocks and ensure sustainability, regulations are needed to protect fish stocks and fishermen recognize this, but that doesn’t make the quotas any easier. Despite quotas and regulations, Scotland remains one of the largest sea fishing nations in Europe and the Scottish Government is an integral part of the UK team negotiating fishing opportunities with other countries. The Scottish fleet is responsible for landing 66 per cent of the total UK volume of fish. You only need remember the difference in the population size between Scotland and the rest of the UK to realize Scotland catches far more fish than (within the UK as a whole) it consumes.
Agriculture in Scotland
Some 75% of Scotland’s land mass is under agricultural production, making the industry the single biggest determinant of the landscape we see around us. Scotland’s farmers, crofters and growers produce output worth around £3.0 billion a year, and are responsible for much of Scotland’s £400 million food exports, rising to £2.4 billion if whisky exports are included. Around 65,000 people are directly employed in agriculture in Scotland. Best estimates suggest that for every worker employed in agriculture another three workers are employed elsewhere. These jobs are largely in agricultural supply, and in food and drink processing.
Beef;
Scotland has almost 30% of the UK herd of breeding Beef cattle and 4% of the EU herd. The UK beef herd is the second largest in Europe, after France.
Dairy
Scotland has approximately 9% of the UK dairy herd. The UK has the third largest dairy herd in the EU after France and Germany, and the largest average herd size.
Sheep
Scotland has more than 20% of the UK breeding flock. The UK has the largest sheep flock in the EU – over a quarter of the total EU flock.
Pigs
Scotland has almost 10% of the UK pig herd. There are over 1000 holdings with pigs in Scotland and a third of these holdings are in the North East of Scotland.
Cereals
Over 454,000 hectares of cereals are grown in Scotland. Scotland’s main cereal crops are barley and wheat. More than 12% of the UK cereal area was grown in Scotland. The UK is the third largest cereal producer in the EU after France and Germany.
Other crops grown in Scotland include potatoes, oil seed rape and fruit. Scottish producers produce over 2400 tonnes of raspberries and over 4600 tonnes of strawberries per annum.
Soft fruit production tends to be concentrated in fertile areas of Tayside and Angus which has some of the best quality land in the whole of Europe. Other fruits, such as rhubarb are also grown in certain areas as are field vegetables such as carrots, peas, beans and turnips are also grown, sometimes for animal feed and sometimes for human consumption.
If you look at the percentage of UK agricultural production that comes from Scotland and then you look population percentages of Scotland compared to the rest of the UK its hard to understand how any one could say Scotland would not prosper as an independent nation.
Financial services
Scotland is already internationally recognised as the most important UK financial centre outside London and the South East. Edinburgh offers international services including global custody, asset servicing, banking, investment management, corporate finance, general / life assurance and pensions. The very word ‘Bank’ is a dirty word these days, but (unfortunately some may say), in a developed country financial services are an essential part of life. Edinburgh is already an established financial centre which is poised to serve an Independent Scotland and make the transition from devolved country to Independent country as smooth as possible.
The latest data available from the Business Register and Employment Survey show the financial industry in Scotland employs over 94,000 people with more than half of these working in banking.
Tourism
Tourism is one of Scotland's largest business sectors. It provides direct employment for 200,000 people and generates visitor spending of more than £4.5 billion a year. In the height of the summer Scotland is full to bursting with Americans tourists looking for their ancestral homes and wanting to buy their clan tartans, and Japanese tourists photographing castles, hills, bagpipes and men wearing kilts.
Even during recent years tourism in Scotland has continued to grow. Tourism has become an important part of Scottish life every where, from major cities to rural areas, many of which depend on the industry for jobs and infrastructure.

And all of this is just the tip of the iceberg, Scotland is so much more than this. Already Scotland offers a more comprehensive health care system than England, no one pays for prescription drugs and residential care for the elderly is free. Our Education system is completely different to that of the rest of UK and unlike other students, our students do not have to pay tuition fees. To generalise; the political ideology of Scotland tends to be more socialist than that of England. Scotland tends to favour a more collectivist, less private type of society than England. When schools across the UK were given the option of opting out of local authority control there was a glut of English schools clamouring to opt out, but to date only one Scottish school has opted out. Scotland WANTS its local authorities to be responsible for providing good education and it DOESN’T want schools to opt out and become part of the private sector. In Scotland, public drinking water and sewerage services are provided by a public sector corporation, Scottish Water, which is accountable to the Scottish Parliament. In England and Wales these services have been privatised. Water companies in England and Wales are private profit led companies but when water privatisation was suggested in Scotland, there was such popular rebellion against the idea that is simply never happened. The mass protest across Scotland against the unfairness of the poll tax led the way for the rest of Britain until finally this Maggie led atrocity was abolished. In discussion about Scottish independence some one recently said to me ‘’ It’s just that people also need jobs, education for kids and access to affordable medical care’’, my response to that is………….yeah I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t be a problem.




 

Roscobie Loch december 2011

Another day out with my friend. The weather was much better than the previous day when we drove around the glens.