Tour Scotland photographs and videos from my tours of Scotland. Photography and videography, both old and new, from beautiful Scotland, Scottish castles, seascapes, rivers, islands, landscapes, standing stones, lochs and glens.
Tour Scotland photograph of the William Taylor gravestone, Howff graveyard, Dundee, Scotland. Born in Dundee, he died in New York, USA, on March 23rd, 1811, aged just 21.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Photograph Afflictions Epitaph, Howff graveyard, Dundee, Scotland. The cemetery has been in existence since around 1564 when Mary Queen of Scots granted the town the lands of a former monastery and its orchard for use as a burial ground.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Broughty Castle, Dundee, Scotland. This is a historic Scottish castle in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Scotland. It was completed around 1495, although the site may have been first fortified in 1454 when the fourth Earl of Angus received permission to build on the site. The main tower house forming the centre of the castle with four floors was built by Andrew, 2nd Lord Gray who was granted the castle in 1490.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of a Skewbald Shetland Pony on the Shetland Islands, Scotland. Shetlands can be almost every colour, including skewbald and piebald, called pinto in the United States, but are mainly black, chestnut, bay, grey, palomino, dun, roan, cremello, and silver dapple. Shetland ponies were first used for pulling carts, carrying peat, coal and other items, and plowing farm land. Then, as the Industrial Revolution increased the need for coal in the mid 19th century, thousands of Shetland ponies traveled to mainland Britain to be pit ponies, working underground hauling coal, often for their entire, often very short, lives. Coal mines in the eastern United States also imported some of these animals. The last pony mine in the United States closed in 1971.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Dun Carloway Broch, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. A Broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created. This is a broch situated in the district of Carloway, on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Dun Carloway was probably built some time in the 1st century BC.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of the Spear Thistle in the Highlands of Scotland. The thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland since the reign of Alexander III (1249 to 1286) and was used on silver coins issued by James III in 1470. According to the legend, an invading Norse army was attempting to sneak up at night upon a Scots army encampment. During this operation one barefoot Norseman had the misfortune to step upon a Scots Thistle, causing him to cry out in pain, thus alerting Scots to the presence of the Norse invaders. Some sources suggest the specific occasion was the Battle of Largs, which marked the beginning of the departure of the King Haakon IV, Haakon the Elder, of Norway who, having control of the Northern Isles and Hebrides, had harried the coast of the Kingdom of Scotland for some years. Which species of thistle is referred to in the original legend is disputed. Popular modern usage favours Onopordum acanthium, perhaps because of its more imposing appearance, though it is unlikely to have occurred in Scotland in mediaeval times; the Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare, an abundant native species in Scotland, is a more likely candidate.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Old photograph of people and houses in East Wemyss, Fife, Scotland. East Wemyss was traditionally one of several coal mining communities along the south coast of Fife. The pit was its main employer for many years until it was closed in 1967 due to a fire which resulted in the deaths of nine men.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Wemyss Caves, Fife, Scotland. About 6,000 to 7,00 B.C. the sea formed a series of caves in the sandstone cliffs at Wemyss. The name of the Parish of Wemyss comes from the Gaelic " Uiam " meaning a cave, which changed through the Old English form " Weim " to " Weem " and finally to its present " Wemyss ". Several caves have engravings, which tell us something about the time they were used by Bronze Age man.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Loch Druidibeg, South Uist, Scotland. Loch Druidibeg Nature Reserve at sunset, with Hecla, Ben Corodale and Beinn Mhor in the background.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of the 18th Century Tolbooth in West Wemyss, Fife, Scotland. Simple two storeyed building with arched pend and projecting lofty bell tower. Two panels commemorate the builder, David, 4th earl of Wemyss, born 1678, died 1720.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Ben Ledi, Scotland. Ben Ledi is a mountain in Perthshire. It lies about four miles North West of Callander, near the village of Kilmahog. It is situated in the Trossachs hills, which are often regarded as having some of the most romantic scenery in the Scottish Highlands. Ben Ledi is particularly well known through Walter Scott's poem Lady of the Lake. Supposedly in ancient times, Beltane rites were observed on the summit. In 1791 the Rev Doctor James Robertson being minister of the parish at the time, was required to write a description of the parish for the First Statistical Account of Scotland. In his report he mistakenly, due to the similarity to le dia, took the name Ben Ledi to mean " hill of god " which suited the purposes of the kirk of the day. The name is in fact a corruption of Beinn Leitir which translates to " the Hill of the Slope ", which is a very suitable description of the long south shoulder used to access the summit.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland video of The Dunmore Pineapple, which is a remarkable folly situated in Dunmore Park, north west of Airth and south of Dunmore, Stirlingshire, Scotland. One of the architectural wonders of Scotland, the building was built in the grounds of Dunmore House as a garden retreat and hothouse in 1761 by John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore. Murray later left Scotland and went on to become Colonial Governor of Virginia in America. It is known that pineapples were grown at Dunmore, assisted by the furnace-driven heating system that circulated hot air through cavities in the wall construction of the adjoining hothouse buildings. After discovery by Christopher Columbus on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in 1493, the pineapple became a rare delicacy in Europe, and was symbolic of power, wealth, and hospitality. The pineapple was adopted as a motif by architects, artisans and craftsmen, being sculpted into gateposts, railings, weather vanes and door lintels. The motif also featured prominently in interior decoration, fabrics and furniture. The Dunmore Pineapple is perhaps the most spectacular architectural use of the motif. The ground floor of the building is of classical Palladian form, and the intricately carved stone pineapple adorns the top of a hexagonal cupola, providing light to a central garden apartment below. The pineapple and cupola are around 14 metres high and constitute a stunning example of the stonemason's craft, being a remarkably accurate depiction of a pineapple. Each of the curving stone leaves is separately drained to prevent frost damage to the delicate structure. Above the south entrance are designs from the Douglas-Hamilton coat of arms, adorned with the motto Fidelis in Adversis. This commemorates the marriage, in 1803, of George Murray, the 5th Earl of Dunmore, to Lady Susan Douglas-Hamilton, daughter of Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton. The identity of the designer of the folly is uncertain, but it is often attributed to Sir William Chambers who designed similar fanciful structures at Kew Gardens.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of The White Hart Inn, Grassmarket, Edinburgh, Scotland. This Scottish Inn located in the Grassmarket, was established early in the 1500s. It stands a few hundred steps from the place where public hangings were held, and was popular among spectators. Robert Burns and William Wordsworth were among its notable visitors, and body snatchers and resurrectionists Burke and Hare found some of their victims here.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Cramond Causeway, Edinburgh, Scotland. Cramond Island, in the Firth of Forth, has WW II fortifications and is linked to land by a causeway with a line of concrete pylons on one side, constructed as a submarine defence boom. At certain low tides sand extends to the island, tempting visitors to visit the island, though occasionally some are stranded by the incoming tide.
Photograph of Cramond Causeway, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Photograph of Cramond Island, Scotland.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
February 18th photograph of Swans on the River Almond at Cramond, Edinburgh, Scotland. Cramond is a seaside village now part of suburban Edinburgh, Scotland, located in the north-west corner of the city at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of the Kirk and cemetery in Cramond, Edinburgh, Scotland. Cramond Kirk, constructed in part with stones from the Roman fort which lies beneath it. The present building dates mostly from 1656, with nineteenth century additions although the tower is the remnant of a much earlier building.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
February 18th photograph of the harbour South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, Scotland. The town is named after Saint Margaret of Scotland who used to cross the firth by ferry from "Queen's Ferry" to visit her chapel in Edinburgh Castle. She died in 1093 and made her final journey by ferry to Dunfermline Abbey.
February 18th photograph the harbour South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, Scotland.
February 18th photograph the harbour South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, Scotland.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of a walker near the summit of Beinn Sgulaird, Scotland. A Scottish mountain located between Glen Creran and Glen Etive in the southern highlands. The mountain takes the form of a long ridge which runs from south west to north east, three kilometres of which lie above 800 metres.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of a walker on the summit of Foinaven in Sutherland, Scotland. Foinaven is a mountain in Scotland, situated in the far north west corner of the Scottish Highlands. Like many of the monolithic mountains that surround it, the mountain is within the Moine Thrust Belt and is made up of imbricated layers of Cambrian quartzite which overlie the older Lewisian gneiss basement. The quartzite, being tougher, stood firm when all the surrounding rock was eroded away, leaving the huge mountain isolated. Its highest point is named Ganu Mòr.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of Toll an Lochain Scotland. Toll an Lochain is one of the most magnificent corries in Scotland, its loch encircled by the serrated pinnacles of An Teallach and Corrag Buidhe.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of the Medieval burial ground and chapels at Howmore, South Uist, Scotland. The village is of Howmore is well known for its remarkable collection of ruined churches and chapels. The most striking remains are of the Teampull Mor, the Large Church or St Mary's, of which only part of the east gable remains. This church probably dates back to the 1200s and it was used as the parish church.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of The Maiden Stone, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Maiden Stone, also known as Drumdurno Stone after the nearby farm, is a standing stone near Inverurie. The name is derived from a local legend which states that the daughter of the Laird of Balquhain made a bet with a stranger that she could bake a bannock faster than he could build a road to the top of Bennachie. The prize would be the maiden's hand. However, the stranger was the Devil and finished the road and claimed the forfeit. The maiden ran from the Devil and prayed to be saved. The legend finishes by saying that God turned her to stone, but the notch is where the Devil grasped her shoulder as she ran. Based on the mixture of Pictish and Christian symbols on the stone it is most likely that the stone marks a preaching site during missionary trips to the Picts.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Tour Scotland photograph of mappies in Perthshire, Scotland. For some unknown reason in old Scotland, there were a number of creatures, where to even mention their name was a sure sign of impending disaster. This led to many names being changed and the rabbit became a “ fower-fitter ” or a “ mappie ”.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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