The fourth best rated landmark in UK

 

And I'm surprised it was so high.

Not a patch upon the Norfolk Alps Ski-Lift and Ski-Jump Facility.

Yes, this is Edinburgh Castle.

Bonus - Keeping it classy in Wales... Woman used fart selfies to harass partner's ex

The Dingwall Acropolis

 

Few people are aware that Ancient Greece had control over norther Scotland until the events of 76BC. But, here's the evidence.

Just outside of Dingwall,  the remains of Plato's Acropolis...remain. Ignored by most NC500 drivers, and remembered only as the name of Dingwall's Gyro and Kebab Takeaway.

Worth a visit.

Bonus - Interactive Double Pendulum Playground

Arrochar and Loch Long

Yes, from my recent holiday up north.  A calm Monday morning.

Bonus - 

 

Inverary-On-The-Loch

 

That Looks Familiar

 

Something familiar from my childhood.

Yes, I know what you're thinking - Isn't that St Giles' Church Of Scotland, on High Street, Elgin, Morayshire.

And you're right. And there's a very similar shot here, even down to the Two Timspons. 

But the eagle-eyed will notice a difference. The feature at the top of the tower has been removed between the two images.

Bonus - Match the music review to the rating. "Reads Like A Five"

The Peebles Bull-Ring

 

People usually associate bull-fighting with Spain, Mexico or France, but are often surprised to know of the Scottish experiment with bull-fighting.

The sinking of the Armada on its attempt to sail back to Spain left many Spaniards ship-wrecked and marooned in Scotland. So, adapting to the economic climate, some started Bull-Fighting.

This was the Bull-Ring at Peebles in 1966. By 1970, the bull ring was un-used, and the structure was bull-dozed to create space for another 18-hole Golf Course.

Bonus - North Korea accused of sending balloons carrying excrement into the South

Loch Tulla 1965

 

I'm glad that this slide had some information on it, otherwise it would have taken a LONG time to figure out which of Scotland's lochs this was.

Instead, it was quite quick to figure out where and which direction this view is of. Hello Google Streetview.

And fine reminder that there are some picturesque slides amongst the dross.

Bonus - Even after death... 

Two Weeks Ago...

 

...I met Benny the Harris Hawk.

Top Bloke.

Bonus - 

Branch Manager and Assistant to the Branch Manager

A Highland Coo

 

Gasp... It's not from a 35mm slide!

As some of you may know, this time last week I was travelling the North Coast 500 with my family, and had an Excellent time.  Weather, Scenery, Roads, Food, Accommodation, Company ... all of them Tip Top.

Arnold Clark, on the other hand....Meh.

So, this lovable lump was found at the roadside at The Croft Cafe 

A712 X A713

 

Yes, the return of RoadSigns Of Britain.

Written on this one - "Kirk... sign nr New Galloway (on A782)  March 1976".

I was in the region a few weeks ago, and I should have tried to track down that sign...but Google Streetview suggest that it's been replaced by boring modern signage. 

Bonus - Yes, I'm still recovering, and improving.

Bonus 2 - 

      

A Nice Spot for Lunch

 

You'll be stunned to know that there's no info on this slide.

But, the empty polythene contained seems to be Barr's Orange Drink, and with Barrs being a scottish drink company, I expect that this is somewhere in Scotland. And that matches up with Shorts and Sunshine.

Bonus - Also from Scotland - Ambient Beats with interlaced Scot-Rail train announcements.  Try it, ot's Great.

Holiday in Dumfries

 

As some of you know, I've had a short break from work, and headed up to Dumfries for a few days. Schools were back, weather was turning chilly and the lockdown shackles were loosened until the next panic.

Enjoyable, and rather non-touristy. Had a couple of jaunts to the sea shore, including Kirkcudbright on a sunny day.

I may return.

(Note. Image above is almost certainly not of Dumfries and Galloway. Possibly Paphos. )

Bonus - 

Sweetheart Abbey, New Abbey, Dumfries

 

I'm just back home after a few days away in Dumfries. A charming, quiet, farming area of Scotland, with not many real tourist traps.

So, this slide was an apposite choice. If I'd thought about it, I would have done a Before / After comparison, but ... I didn't.

The Abbey of Dulce Cor, better known as Sweetheart Abbey was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1275. 

Bonus - 

(Not) From the Scottish Tourist Board.

 

No information on tis slide, but the can of Tartan Special in the driver's footwell makes me think it could be Scotland. And the possible demolition site ahead of the lovely lime green car makes me wonder if this is/was Ravenscraig  Steel Plant.

But ... it could be anywhere.

Bonus - Imigongo. an art form popular in Rwanda traditionally made by women using cow dung

Bonus 2 - Isatai'i    Comanche medicine man Kwihnai Tosabitu (White Eagle), told his warriors that his medicine made them invincible to the white man's bullets. When this medicine failed and they were massacred in the Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874, he was renamed Isatai'i (Coyote Vagina).

It's A Sign

 

Ha!    You were expecting a Christmas or Boxing Day themed slide, weren't you.

Well, that's not how my brain works.

And to be honest, I don't like the modern road signs as much as the old ones.

Bonus The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist

Live action original - and the animated remake.

The StayCationer Sagas

Dear BBC SitCom Department.
I have this brilliant idea for a sitcom.   You take one of the Icelandic Sagas, and you re-write it for a couple of middle-aged, semi-retired swingers, touring Britain i their caravan...in the late sixties.

Instead of pitched battle with the invading vikings, they can have disagreements over who gets that last remaining caravan pitch at Cleethorpes Caravan Park.   The comedy just writes itself.

Bonus -

Main Street, Fort William. ?

I'm slightly stumped by this one.  The slide is marked as "Main Street, Fort William", and the building style seems right for the west coast of Scotland, ...but...

Fort William doesn't have a "Main Street."     It does have a main street, and on the left is a street sign for Bank Street but I just cant reconcile this view with the current arrangements of streets. I suppose that a lot changes over the past sixty years.

Bonus -

The Garden of Unearthly Delights

or,  187B Glebe Terrace, Perth, to give it it's formal name.

The middle of summer is clearly the wrong time to do some planting out in the garden, but CoronaVirus has robbed 4 months from my usual horticultural calendar. So, today some plants arrive (I'm trying to help the struggling plant nurseries) and hopefully, some will "take" and provide luxurious growth like this slide.

Bonus - How big is Vietnam?   Bigger than your probably think.

Back from my Holidays

Yes, you probably hadn't noticed any break in service, but I've been "Up North" on holiday.

But now I'm back.

...and I'm ready for a holiday.

Bonus -

A Top Muppet -  pictured with Elmo.

Bonus 2 - How to dance like Morrissey

The Drum, Edinburgh

Architectural scholars (Hi Kathy) will recognise the classical lines of William Adam, and yes, this is The Drum, just south of Edinburgh.

Nice.

Bonus - An auto de-featherer for birds