Hoddom Castle in Dumfriesshire is one of those places that have a special significance in our families own history. It was here that my mother and father first met while both were stationed there at the end of World War II when the castle was used a a military camp. The castle was never occupied […]
While camping on the Isle of Arran we visited Brodick Castle which is on the east coast of the island. A castle owned mainly by the Hamiltons, it was used recently as a hunting lodge. In front of the castle, right by the cafe stands a small wooden house with a Heather roof. It’s very […]
Lochranza Castle on Arran was built in the 13th century. It passed to the Stewarts of Menteith and became a royal castle when Robert Stewart became King in 1371. In the 1450s the Tower House was granted to the Montgomeries. They held the castle for the next 250 years. In the 16th Century the castle’s […]
On Saturday the ScotClans team went up to the Highland Games at Lochearnhead to hold a stall for Clan MacLaren. The weather was glorious and it really highlighted the beauty of that part of the country. There were a lot of events, ranging from the usual dancing, heavy events, and clan parade to a hill […]
The well known ballad “Mary Hamilton“, or “The Fower Maries” is a sixteenth century song about Mary Hamilton awaiting execution and telling the story of her downfall. Mary was a lady-in-waiting to a Queen of Scots who goes on to have an affair with the King. She becomes pregnant and has a baby, but kills […]
Sitting at one of the great junctions of Scotland and guarding the road north to the Highlands, is Stirling Castle – towering high on an extinct volcano and dominating the lower reaches of the River Forth. Known as the Brooch of Scotland, it has from time immemorial been a key strategic location securing the kingdom; […]
While sitting on the steps outside Edinburgh’s ‘Dynamic Earth’ visitor attraction the other day our family were admiring the view over to the Scottish Parliament building. My wife pointed to the older whitewashed building that nestles in the heart of the new parliament complex and asked me if that was part of the parliament too. […]
Well done to Kevin McIntyre from Cambridgeshire who won our Treasure Hunt to find the The Lost Chalice of Alba, winning the beautiful stag head prize. A big thank you to all 400+ of you who entered, and we at ScotClans hope you enjoyed it and had a good time testing your Scottish knowledge.
On a hill overlooking the Cromarty Firth is a striking, most un-highland monument. It is a replica of the gates of Negapatam, a port in Madras (now Chennai) in South East India. Negapatam was originally a Dutch colony, but it was won by the British in 1781. Responsible for this success was Sir Hector Munro, […]
The Clach na Bratach is considered to be the most precious relic of the Clan Robertson. It is a rock crystal charm stone and was unearthed when the chief’s standard pole was pulled from the ground while on the march to Bannockburn. Since then the stone has been carried into battle by every Robertson chief. […]
