Scotland

Nearly every time I travel in Scotland I seem to travel through Fort William. Sometimes I stop for a short while but, more often than not, I tend to just follow the road barely glancing at the town itself but maybe this year I will allocate a little more time to enjoy some of the “touristy” things that Fort William has to offer... Read More

Nottingham is the largest city in the East Midlands. Over the centuries it has been home to many different races and cultures. During Anglo Saxon (600 AD) times The Saxon chief (called Snot) gave the town its name at the time - Snottingham. Later, in the 9th century, the town was home to the Vikings and it was one of the 5 major towns they held. .. Read More

The town of Swindon is to be found in the county of Wiltshire, England and can be easily reached by road or railway.  It is about forty miles from both Bristol and Reading. It is also around 80 miles from London. .. Read More

Eastbourne is a town in East Sussex, on the southern coast of England. The British have been taking vacations in Eastbourne for many years. However, it’s popularity really started to increase when the railway system first ran to the town in Edwardian times. .. Read More

Hello & welcome to Tartan Gems’ blog about Scotland.  Nearly all of my posts (those by WickermanXXX) are about Scotland and while I try to be as informative as possible I can tend to be a little “political” in some of my news items. Please do not be offended, if you do not agree with me please feel free to say so in the comments .. Read More

Year Round Grand Canyon.. Read More

Inverness is one of Europe’s fastest growing cities and has the finest quality of life out of most of the cities in the UK (ranked fifth by the Telegraph). Although Inverness is a thoroughly modern city, like many others in Scotland, it has a long and, sometimes, turbulent history dating back to the time of St Columba and the Picts. One of the most terrible times for the city was during the Jacobite Rising of 1745 and especially around the time of the Battle of Culloden (1746) when many fleeing Jacobites sought refuge in there (Culloden Morr is not too far away)... Read More

April this year saw the astonishing revelation from the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) that Scotland’s Higher Music exam is failing pupils. You may have read my other blogs, about this very serious issue, on this site already but I have just discovered that you can NOT sing Scottish songs in the vocal element of the said exam - how disgraceful is that?.. Read More