Photos and the City

Tag: movie location

movie or tv show location

The airport in Barra

An airport that actually uses the beach as a runway? That´s the airport on the Isle of Barra – and there are actually three runways marked in the sand, so the planes can land no matter from which direction the wind comes.

View over Traigh Mhòr towards the airport buildings. The planes come in from Glasgow twice a day and I definitely wasn´t the only one doing a bit of plane-spotting!

Barra Airport is one of the world’s most distinctive airports with its globally renowned beach runway. Since the airport was built in 1978, passenger numbers have almost doubled from around 7,500 in the late 70s to about 14,800 pre Covid-19. (Barra Airport)

Barra Airport is unique, being the only one in the world where scheduled flights use a tidal beach as the runway. With its schedule governed by the ebb and flow of the tide, Barra is a breath of fresh air compared to other more conventional airports – and its spectacular scenery is second to none. (Barra Airport)

Barra Airport was constructed in 1936 and was officially opened on August 7th, 1936 providing a gateway for residents of the island of Barra who needed an alternative to marine travel which was at the time the only means of accessing the mainland. (worldatlas.com)

Logan Air, the Scottish Airline connecting the islands started their flights to Barra in 1974 and now also runs the airport.

Barra Airport is comprised of three runways (one more than the runways at London’s Heathrow) with wooden poles placed at their ends for marking. The airport has one small terminal. (worldatlas.com)

And the plane is off again….

Traigh Eais

While most plane-watcher left after the plane took off again, I turned around and walked over the dunes to Traigh Eais on the other side. A stunning beach, that was almost empty and perfect for a long walk.

Later on, I learned that otters also love that beach, but more during the winter when it is even less busy.

Traigh Eais was also featured in the British movie “Whisky Galore!”, I think most of the movie was shot in Barra, mainly in Castlebay.

Looking back to Barra Airport from the dunes.

12/06/2023
Saturday in Lerwick

I left my car parked near Loch Clickimin and walked along the coastline to the city centre of Lerwick. Today Lerwick is the capital and biggest city of Shetland, but until 1830 Scalloway used to be the capital and sheep used to graze the land that is today’s Lerwick.

The name Lerwick comes from the Old Norse word “Leirvik”, meaning muddy or clay bay. In 1625 the back then small settlement of Lerwick was burnt down after an edict from Scalloway, because

of the lawlessness seen in the area, including, drunkenness, theft, prostitution, assault and murder… (Northlinkferries.com)

The town was built on smuggling (like many other places in Shetland). Danish fishermen started to arrive from the 1600is in the summertime for the summer herring fishery. Locals started to trade them fresh goods, wool and other goods.

In exchange, brandy, gin and tobacco were bartered and smuggled ashore in a series of underground tunnels that ran the length of Commercial Street. As a result, small trading booths sprang up along the shore for both legal, and illegal trade. (Northlinkferries.com)

The Lodberrie – the home of the fictional Detective Jimmy Perez from the TV show “Shetland”. But this house is also connected to the smuggling trades.

This building, dating to about 1772 was one of 21 lodberries that lined the foreshore in Lerwick by 1814. The word lodberry comes from the Old Norse hladberg and means ‘a landing place, or a landing stone’ and describes the type of use these utilitarian – yet beautiful – buildings were designed for. (Northlinkferries.com)

These houses used to be trading booths, their foundation built in the sea, boats were offloaded, legal goods sold right there on the streets and the illegal goods were taken in the tunnels under the town.

No one planned the old town it just grew organically until the Victorias tried to get some order into the maze of alleys and close. They also laid out a new town with spacious villas and public parks beyond the Hillhead.

28/12/2021
Ardvreck Castle

On the shores of Loch Assynt lies Ardvreck Castle, a ruined castle dating from the 16th century – the former old stronghold of the MacLeods of Assynt.

The castle is said to be haunted by the weeping ghost of one of the daughters of a MacLeod chief, who threw herself out of one of the windows after being promised to the Devil, as well as the ghost of a tall man, clad in grey. (The Castles of Scotland)

Ardvreck Castle dates back to about 1490, a time when the land was owned by the Macleods of Assynt.

It only entered the history books once, in especially inglorious circumstances. On 27 April 1650, the Marquis of Montrose, fighting for the Royalist cause even after the execution of Charles I lost the battle of Carbisdale to a much smaller Covenanter army. His flight brought him, two days later, to Ardvreck Castle, where he sought sanctuary with Neil Macleod of Assynt. (Undiscovered Scotland)

But there isn´t a happy end for the Marquis, Neil wasn´t at the castle, but his wife Christine tricked Montrose into going in the dungeon and sent for the Government troops. Montrose was executed in Edinburgh in May.

Adrvreck castle was attacked and captured by the Mackenzies of Assynt in 1672. In 1726 they replaced it with Calda House, also on Loch Assynt. They even seemed to have used stones from the castle to build it. But Calda House burned down in 1737 and the Crown punished the Mackenzies for being on the wrong side of the 1745 Jacobites uprising and took away the land.

In 1758 the land and house were sold to the Earl of Sutherland.

Calda House

Calda House

Built in 1726 by the Mackenzies as their new home to replace Ardvreck Castle.

The family were said to have held riotous parties, and soon became short of money. The house was plundered and torched in 1737, perhaps deliberately by the Mackenzies as they were in debt. (Castles of Scotland)

Calda House is also said to be haunted, by a pipe player and again a woman.

A sudden change of weather and it started raining cats and dogs!

19/05/2020