Cawdor Castle

Stirling Castle

Serial killers Burke and Hare used these Edinburgh vaults to stash bodies in the 18th century.  Those who are brave enough to go down today have witnessed bulbs smashing for no reason and have seen a ‘shadow man’ in a mirror inside one of the rooms.

Mary King's Close

Annie is the ghost that lives within the close, it is said that she tugs on your hand when down there.  She died of the plague at a very young age, and now it is a tradition that if you enter Annie's room you must bring a toy for her to play with.

Fyvie Castle

A more sinister ghost calls Fyvie Castle home, The Green Lady.  Formerly the wife of Alexander Seton, Dame Lilias Drummond had given Seton 5 daughters but he wanted a male heir.  He started to wander to other women and locked Drummond in the tower where she inevitably starved to death.  When Seton had chosen a new bride, on their wedding night they discovered “D. Lilias Drummond” carved on the wall, it can still be seen today.  It is thought whenever the Green Lady is seen, a tragedy happens in the family.

The Forest of Ruthiemurchus

It is believed that the Chief of Clan Shaw challenges those who wander far into the forest and if you show courage and accept, you’ll live to see another day but if you are cowardly and run, you will never be seen again. 

Culloden Battlefield 
It was here in 1746 that the Scottish Army were slaughtered by Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.  It is said that even today you can hear the clashing of swords and that the dead walk by their graves.

Greyfriars Kirkyard

Home to one of Edinburgh’s most famous stories in Greyfriar’s Bobby, but also home to something a lot darker and a lot more sinister.  Namely, the Mackenzie Poltergeist, who was responsible for many killings back in the 17th century, Mackenzie was awoken in 1998 as a homeless man was looking for shelter, broke into the Black Mausoleum and opened one of the coffins.  Since then there has been 500 recorded incidents of biting, pushing, kicking, burning and nausea sensations in the kirkyard.

The area of Perthshire, known as Big Tree Country, is the ideal spot to see this transformation, with an abundance of lochs, forests and mountains all within touching distance of roads and trails, making it a popular area to visit. With over 200,000 acres of woodlands, you have a variety of viewpoints, areas and places to discover in Perth and with the added touch of colour it’s well worth travelling to at this time of year. 

Below are some of my favourite pictures taken in Perthshire during these months, including shots from Garry Bridge and Loch Faskally. Let me know if you have been before or have any other suggestions of places to visit here!

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Are you planning a trip to the Outer Hebrides? Well, how about a road trip with a difference?

The Western Isles are more than the home of Harris Gin, the Gaelic language, the famous Callanish standing stones and Norseman tales. This summer I went on an an incredible trip ferry hopping across the islands in a campervan - and kayaking, wild swimming and horse riding along the way.

Here is how you can get outdoors in the Outer Hebrides

• GO HILL WALKING - Harris’s hills include the mighty Clisham, a Corbett at 799 m (2,621 ft) and neighbouring Uisgneabhal Mor, Teileasbhal and Stuabhal - climb them for views across the whole Outer Hebrides.

• MOUNTAIN BIKING - the Scaladale Centre will load up their mountain bikes for you and take you out into the hills - try the 12-mile Urgha and Maraig circuit above Loch Mharaig which includes 840m of descent.

• WILDLIFE WATCH - Take a boat trip out with Fish 'n' Trips from Keose harbour on Lewis to spot sea eagles, dolphins, seals and bonxies.

• COASTEERING - at Hushinish Beach on Harris, the Scaladale Centre run coasteering sessions. Grab a wetsuit, a life jacket and helmet and then see how high you are willing to jump… brilliant fun.

• WILD CAMPING - Fancy sleeping outside? Thanks to Scotland's access laws you can pitch your (small) tent on the Machair above Hushinish Beach. If you plan on wild camping in the Outer Hebrides follow the outdoor access code and remember to leave no trace of your visit.

• HORSE RIDING - fancy horse riding on a white sandy beach in the Outer Hebrides? Uist Community Riding School caters for all sizes and abilities, you might even be able to persuade your horse to go for a paddle in the water!

• WILD SWIMMING - The beaches off the Outer Hebrides are perfect for swimming, with soft sands, and shallow depths and thankfully the temperature off Benbecula in summer is just about bearable - and you will certainly feel refreshed!

• KAYAKING - There can’t be many more places in the world more spectacular than Kisimul Castle to go kayaking. Clearwater Padding hire sea kayaks so you can explore the bay or head further afield along the coastline of this beautiful part of Scotland.

• SNORKELLING WITH SEALS -  try snorkeling in Scotland with Barra Surf Adventures - along with friendly grey seals - plus you can put your flippers down at any time, the water is so shallow!

• WALK OR CYCLE THE HEBRIDEAN WAY - up for a challenge? The Hebridean Way is a 155m route finishing at Lews Castle on Stornoway taking in 10 of the Outer Hebrides islands - Vatersay, Barra, Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula, Grimsay, North Uist, Berneray, Harris and Lewis.  Phew.

Photo above courtesy of Outer Hebrides Tourism 

You can read the full post and watch the video of our trip on my blog Love, from Scotland.

Have you got up to anything outdoors in Outer Hebrides? What would you recommend?

Karl had brought along plenty of locally sourced food for our evening in the Bothy and it was wonderful being able to simply sit and take in the surroundings of the place, get to know the area and most importantly: slow down. That evening we were taught how to fly fish with two of the Ardtornish Estate Workers on a Loch right next to the bothy; another highlight for me as this is something I’ve never got to experience before! Our first evening of the trip consisted of relaxing by the open fire in the bothy, having a hearty locally sourced dinner and slowing down in a quiet comforting place looking out to the sunset. A perfect start.

The second day of the adventure we awoke to our quiet secluded surroundings and were made another wonderful locally sourced breakfast by Karl, there is nothing better than a home cooked breakfast in the cosy shelter of a bothy! It was then onto the next part of our trip, walking back through the inspiring surroundings and hills far and wide to the main quarters of the Ardtornish estate to have a rustic and locally sourced picnic provided to us by the Ariundle Centre which we enjoyed right on the side of the water, another welcome opportunity to relax and take in the surroundings.  

Full of energy and being spoilt after another local home-made meal it was then time to get into our canoes and have a paddle adventure on the peaceful shores of the estate. This had to be my favourite part of the trip, being on the water always gives you a new and fresh perspective of the place and the views down the water over to Mull and the sheltered tranquillity of the estate was perfect. It was made even better by the fact that we had the area to ourselves, just us and our canoes, a fantastic way to get to know a place, disconnect from the stress of everyday life and for me personally; to learn a new skill!

We had some time then to check ourselves into the second accommodation of the trip, this time in the magnificent South Wing Victorian Apartment of the Ardtornish Estate, a well earned luxury after the rustic evening previous spent in the bothy! I really loved the contrast of where we stayed on this trip; the bothy beckons you to slow down and enjoy the simple things, the warmth of the fire and the immersive experience of being in the wild, and the Estate accommodation allows for that little bit of extra luxury with stunning views everywhere you look and many activities right on the doorstep.

On our second evening we walked down the lovely path along the shore to the notorious award-winning Whitehouse restaurant (it won the good food guide local restaurant of the year 2017 among many more) located in Lochaline. Now this place was something! I honestly have never sampled food like this before! The Whitehouse serves a daily changing taster menu of up to six courses. The menus reflect the seasons and the ingredients that have been foraged and sourced locally. We all obviously decided to go for the full six course! The full set dinner was incredible; all locally sourced cuisine made in such a dedicated and thoughtful way, taking into consideration all different sources of the local food in the region and allowing us to really sample all aspects of the location, enjoy the surroundings and have such a wonderful dining experience. This was one of my favourite parts of the trip; a true highlight and a perfect way to end our second evening before we rested well in the luxurious south wing full of character and charm.

On our last morning we had another local breakfast to start the day then it was time for us all to go our separate ways. What I really enjoyed about being able to enjoy this Foodie Pedal and Paddle adventure was the various activities we got to take part in over the course of just two days. The adventure contrasted with the slowing down and the bothy evening to the luxury of the apartment. It was also an added extra getting to know the Morvern Peninsula a bit better, an area unknown and undiscovered to me whilst being able to sample all local cuisine from all local businesses and take some time to truly appreciate an area and get to know it in depth, a unique adventure that I would urge anyone to go on! Thanks again to Karl and everyone at the estate for looking after us so well and putting so much thought and dedication into the package and the carefully thought out activities provided in the trip. I'll be back as soon as I can, until then I'll look forward to having even more adventures in one of the most varied and inspiring areas of Scotland. 

For full details on the adventure and to book please go to: www.otter-adventures.co.uk/FPP

Here are all the links to the businesses that work with Otter Adventures on this exciting experience.

https://ardtornish.co.uk/ 

https://www.thewhitehouserestaurant.co.uk/ 

http://ariundlecentre.co.uk/ 

www.slowadventure.scot

A long time ago in a shire far away ... the 18th century Loans Smuggling Company was the most successful in Scotland. Goods like tea, brandy, wine, rum and tobacco were bought tax free from the Isle of Man and shipped to Troon. Local men with their horses would gather on the beach to quickly carry these inland. One route was through Dundonald Glen.

Let me take you on this journey in just over four minutes. Follow the footsteps and hooves of the past. Points of interest include:

Eilean Donan Castle

Glen Shiel

The Isle of Skye

Loch Leven

Coming from the central belt, to get to Arisaig you pass through Fort William, the starting point for many hikes and adventures north, and then by Glenfinnan. Made popular by Harry Potter, the viaduct in the village attracts thousands of visitors, both young and old, each year. The Jacobite steam train runs from Fort William to Mallaig daily through three seasons each year and for any Harry Potter fanatics you really can't miss it!

I waited patiently beside many other tourists and locals to see the iconic steam train travel over the viaduct. For anyone who grew up with the books and movies, it brings back many good memories and is well worth seeing if you come to Scotland. 

After Glenfinnan, I made my way up the west coast and stayed overnight in the village of Morar before the kayaking the next day. I woke up early and drove to the little village of Arisaig, situated on the shores of Loch nan Ceall, which has spectacular views of both land and sea. Unfortunately the weather this weekend took a turn for the worse after a few months of beautiful sunshine here in Scotland. It was a dark, dreary and rainy start to the day for our kayaking session at the Arisaig Sea Kayak Centre. 

Our guide Kate met us at the centre with our 6 fellow kayakers, where we layered up for the unpredictable Scottish weather before making our way to the waters edge. This was only the second time I had every kayaked in Scotland, but for some in the group they had never done it before, so we were taught some basics before jumping in and heading out to explore the Lochaber coastline. 

Paddling on the loch between the skerries (rocky reefs and islands) was very calming, even with the cold conditions and the rain coming down which made visibility hard and views of the mountains difficult to pick out with the low clouds. Wildlife is one of the main attractions of kayaking around this area and we were fortunate enough to see plenty of seals with their pups lazing on the shores whilst we paddled beside them: the rare otters and porpoises were not to be seen this time around.

We kayaked for most of the morning and afternoon, stopping for lunch on a remote beach and enjoying the fresh air and quietness of having no one else around us. The contrast between the busy viaduct the day before and the kayaking was huge, considering how close in proximity both areas are. 

We returned to the centre tired and wet but full of enthusiasm and excitement from exploring the coastline and seeing the views from a different perspective. If you are looking for a company to go kayaking with in the west coast of Scotland, I can’t recommend the Kayak Centre in Arisaig highly enough. 

If you are lucky to get bright skies and sunshine, the landscapes in Arisaig would make a perfect backdrop for photographs and water activities: I’m hoping to get back up to this area of the country when the weather clears up this year!

Have you kayaked in Scotland before, or been to Arisaig or Glenfinnan? Let me know in the comments below!

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These photos were taking first thing in the morning as the haar drifted in from the cold North Sea, I found myself just sitting perched on top of one of the cliffs with no-one in sight soaking it all in.

Find out more about Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve here