Buchan+Bain in 2025

 Many will be wondering what was the best toilet in Scotland, as visited by me. Although it was suggested to have a rating system, I really can only go by overall impact. Two stand out, both for their evocative approach. The first contender was at Kilmartin Museum, in the heart of the prehistoric Argyll area. After a modern but simple and engaging museum, the toilets did not let me down. The passage ways were big boulder design, and the cistern and walls were very attractive, Even the fittings were made of freshly hewn and rugged wood . Very atmospheric. Well it does not look as good in the pictures for sure. The next contender was the Mary King Close toilets. This was a tour into the closed off buildings under the new council buildings some time in the 1800s, leaving a rabbit warren of rooms in an area bounded by four ‘closes’ or passageways.  Another criterion might be the ready availability of the facility when needed in a hurry, and so this award goes the Museum of the Isl...

 The first, and hopefully only confession, I was 4kg over the baggage limit for British Airways, so will be the same with Singapore unless I can do some fancy repacking tonight. One kilo over they might wave me through but not four. I was also hauled in for added carry on bag check, and would you believe is was my back pack of souvenir guide books, somehow they looked suspicious. They got tested for narcotics! Edinburgh is getting pretty busy. I successfully got the £7 tram with 2.5 hours before lift-off, which is delayed as it turns out. I just hope they don’t bump any passengers as they said it was a very full flight. But I did not want to put my lovely new leather and tartan backpack in the luggage hold. It is too new. I suspect delays here. I wanted to buy a snazzy Scotland themed bag cover but only remembered it here in the airport, where as all the luggage outlets are in the city. But very successful day. I had 230 death certificates to transcribe, and although I did not find...

 Nearly a month ago now, while I was hiring a car, I drove to Galashiels. Part of my reconnoiter of the train station I needed to get to to for later journeys. The town was the home of the Great Tapestry of Scotland. This was a great concept, and beautifully presented.  The idea was to get embroiderers from around Scotland to bring to life the theme they were allocated in any way they liked. There were 163 panels, and it was like reading my Pocket Book of the History of Scotland. I thought I could use them to illustrate talks, blog posts etc, so I photographed them all. As always it was the little details that really capture you. It is on line, if this post inspires you. Here are some of my favorites:

A few myths to dispel.Firstly that, like somewhere else we visited, MacBeth ala Shakespeare lived centuries before Cawdor Castle was built, and he was never Thane of Cawdor. Our medieval lunch was not at all. Carrot and chilli soup and then risotto, was not very Scottish even. But, I did at last taste IRN-BRU, the national soft drink.  Iron brew or Own brew, you decide. Formulated over a century ago, you will be glad to know that they are moving with the times, with special edition flavors shown below: It was quite bright orange in colour, and a bit too sweet for most people. I liked it. It was the only soft drink I was prepared to have, since scotch and coke was not allowed if you didn’t like wine. Wine and gin and whisky were the special subject of our tour manager, Klemen. The only man on the tour would have a beer.  I liked this one we had a great guide, an older man. Another lived-in castle, the countess does the flowers we were told.  Pretty gardens were the main fe...

  S kye, the largest of the Isles with a rugged and wild beauty complemented by its rich history. On arrival, we visit the ruins of Armadale Castle – once the stronghold of the most powerful clan in Scotland, Clan Donald. In the Museum of the Isles, situated in the grounds of Armadale Castle, we will uncover the history of the Highlands and Islands through the epic story of Clan Donald, from the Lords of the Isles, through the tumult of Jacobite risings, to the hardship of the highland clearances. We finish our day by checking into our unique and beautiful accommodation on Skye. This is a commercial image of the famous ragged peaks of Skye. But I never got the see them. We arrived in the afternoon after visiting Eilean Donan Castle where I bought a ham, cheese and egg sandwich. I was drawn in by the Orkney cheese. My mistake. We were in the Museum of the Western Isles, a small and competent museum when I got abdominal pain, and soon after, you can guess. I will say there was never ...

 Walking through Edinburgh on a sunny, late spring morning must surely be a favourite activity judging by the people there by 9.30 in the morning. By the afternoon there were twice as many. There are some ‘must see’ locations, and we saw them. The Mercat cross is a 19th century replacement of the medieval timber one. This is where town criers delivered the news of the day, including the most recent announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. No-doubt it needed replacing with time, but I think the widening of the street was also important. Where it used to stand there is a lovely brick-formed heart.  Sir Walter Scott, who I read about at the Writers Museum the next day, was so disturbed by the destruction of the old town, that he was moved to write a book called The Heart of Midlothian, which was about the Edinburgh Toll booth and mercat cross. There is a section of the old town wall, just visible in the distance, and I did not get a chance to revisit it. The wall was requ...

 Edinburgh has two amazing underground places. Read about the vaults elsewhere.  Mary Kings close came about from a different sort of building project. In the 1800s the council wanted to build a brand new Law courts edifice. They decided on an area encompassing four closes, being the narrow alleyways between buildings, often only one metre wide. But there were buildings to be demolished. They decided to merely slice the top few storeys off at ground level, and level all the buildings that were going downhill to  the North Loch in site. Just build right over them. There was some foundation building, but one close was left pretty much intact - Mary King’s Close. It was named after a women who sold cloth, and clothing and who was a burgess following the death of her husband. The top stories were just cut off Our guide was a man who stood 4 foot 10 inches, and he presented himself as a tanner’s apprentice of the 1700s. Best joke of the tour: at the end he confesses he lied to...

 This was our last event of the tour, and they had saved the best till last. We had a private tour of  Holyrood Palace, home of King Charles for one week a year in the summer (of course). It was AWESOME. We started in the gift shop, as it is at the entrance after all. I went to buy my souvenir guide book, to be told we get a complimentary one at the end. I turned my attention to other purchases. You’ll see. Definitely me. So our your tour guide Logan, doing his first private evening tour, was engaging and humorous but not cracking jokes. No need, because he had to walk us through 17 rooms, several not usually open to the punters. Also we got to walk on the carpets, whereas the punters walk along the edge behind a rope. Some rooms had lovely new carpets. Also no photos inside. There was another guide behind us, ostensibly to answer any other questions but really to make sure we took no photos I suspect, or cut into the fabrics. This is me just before going inside, where no phot...