Whether you come or your ancestors came from the North, South East or West of Scotland there is no doubt it is a very enchanting Country for the wayfarer, the holiday maker, the sight seer, the painters or the poets, people that love golf or fishing, and I admit right now I have huge ties to my homeland suffering a little of that `homesickness people talk about, hence all these writings.

To the likes of me, the exiled Scot beyond the seas, the Glens and Straths still wait in silence, many...

You have heard me often enough-Edinburgh is a must on tour and the Castle, Scotland’s number one tourist attraction, welcomed  205,832 visitors  in August this year, making it the highest number of paying visitors to the Castle in a month since records began.  This is an eight per cent increase in comparison with August 2010.   This is a good sign that the tourist siude is picking up.

Fiona Hyslop, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs said:  “Edinburgh Castle is a ...

Well just as I was about to read an article in the Scots magazine someone bought one of our Tea Towels with all the sayings on it so I guess I should write about my thoughts as well?

I can remember somewhere in the depths on my brain learning the song at school at a very early age. Maybe my teacher was a bit of a patriot or maybe with 2 Wallace’s in the class she thought it a good song to learn.

I should have written some time ago on this because when I was oer in Franc...

Yes good old Nessie, She`s a great friend of mine, I seen her several times but sadly I was not sober at the time. I have swam in the loch, sailed on a very little lugger, the Cameron’s youth club watermobile,  in a yacht, in a canoe and on each occasion I have to admit there is something  eerie about the whole feel of loch ness and the area tween the hills.

Yes that certain long necked monster is without doubt the Lochs greatest attraction, and was for me always a bit of a pull. It’s wi...

Hadrian’s Wall- Was it a military failure?

In about 5 weeks’ time I will be 4 back again standing at the wall, this time with fresh eyes, having digested a lot more information about the early would be conquerers,the Romans, would be coz they never made Scotland Caledonia) part of their Empire.

The then tribes of Northern Scotland must have been a tough lot I reckon, and I believe the wall was built to keep them in not to keep them out, if you know what I mean. Aside that of course ...

Field Marshal Montgomery take first place at Cowal Games
here we go with STV offering on last week’s Cowal Championships. I have said it before, you have the Worlds and all the other Competitions but Cowal takes it all. Wonderful  performance from Field Marshall. have a look at the link below

But it’s not for the piping, the drumming, see it’s the atmosphere, I personally guarantee you the time of your life at Cowal, and if you hate the bagpipes I still defy you not to be blown away by th...

You know I do miss the Highlands, the feeling of open space and standing on those mist-shrouded mountains looking down on some the most beautiful lochs in the world, just breath-taking.

But these same areas have seen the hardest of winters, also some of the bloodiest battles ever fought. I have stood on these hills, many of them” Munroe’s” (hills and mountains over 3000`), and wondered what our ancestors must have been doing. I never stood on the edge of a cliff though for I have fear ...

Yes I am glad to say I been there, played in it, in many ways, Edinburgh that is.  After my home town of Inverness, Edinburgh is the best city in the World, period.

Just nothing can compare for me the thrill of being in Edinburgh, although I have been in New Zealand 11 years, every time I go home, I often head to Edinburgh first to swallow up the atmosphere.

What better way then is to come with me, yes me, on one of our tours to Scotland, explore the rough country, my part of the World,...

We will soon be celebrating St Andrews day, the 30^th  of November, a date  less known than St Patrick’s day which has become something of a world icon.

But St Andrews day is growing in prominence every year but have you wondered why he is the patron Saint of Scotland at all??

He is the patron Saint of 3 very diverse nations, Scotland, Greece and Russia. And while the reason for this choice in the other 2 cases in fairly clear, they are the parts of the world where Andrew carried out all ...

www.celticconnexionstours.com

I was reading about Dalry in Ayrshire the other day and the student times I spent there as we made weekend escapes from Edinburgh. Sigh seems like yesterday but its 40 years.

Near Auchinskich, in a romantic and sylvan dell, is a natural cave about 183 feet in length and 5 to 12 feet in breadth. This caves, or maybe there caves stretch into the bowels of the earth and is one of the greatest natural curiosities in Ayrshire. There are accounts of this area bei...

First we start at Houston, every time I hear about Houston I immediately think of the USA city, as for the life of me I cannot get my head around a Scottish town of that name, even though I have been there many times.

There was a castle and the remains are still visible in the city`s conservation area and it is possible that possible that Lord Darnley, the ill-fated husband for a time of Mary, Queen of scots resided ...

Fort George rings in my ears. no wonder I am from Inverness and I rememebr being very young the first time dad took me there, and the fascination with this monster that the Government built to supress the Highlanders has haunted  me ever since. So we have this soon- this will be on our tour intinery to have a look at on our Scotland tours.

Celebration of the Centuries returns to Fort GeorgeHistoric Scotland’s largest event of the year is returning to Fort George, the mightiest artillery ...