Photos and the City

Tag: travel

  • Dunadd – Dùn Ad

    Dùn Ad – fort on the [river] Add

    dunadd, scotland, argyy, bute, uk, historic scotland, birthplace, fort, my british summer, roadtrip, river add

    Discover the Gaelic Kingdom of Dál Riata and the royal centre of Dunadd – a stunningly beautiful hill fort in modern day Argyll, where a footprint in the rock marks the inaugural spot where the Gaelic kings were symbolically married to the land they were to rule – a consort to the female nature spirit which the Gaels worshipped from pagan times. (BBC)

    dunadd, scotland, argyy, bute, uk, historic scotland, birthplace, fort, my british summer, roadtrip, river add

    I discovered Dunadd more or less by accident, the night before at Bellanoch I was browsing the Historic Environment Scotland looking for something else when I realised that Dunadd was just a few miles away from me. When I arrived at the tiny parking at the foot of the hill, I had it all for myself.

    dunadd, scotland, argyy, bute, uk, historic scotland, birthplace, fort, my british summer, roadtrip, river add

    It´s a short but sometimes steep path uphill be careful when it´s raining or the rocks are wet.

    dunadd, scotland, argyy, bute, uk, historic scotland, birthplace, fort, my british summer, roadtrip, river add

    Dunadd became the capital of the Gaelic kingdom of  Dál Riata founded in the early centuries AD after the Romans had left the area and Irish settled in western Scotland. It might have been an island until the sea levels went down in the 6th or 7th century and left the fort open to siege and seizure.

    dunadd, scotland, argyy, bute, uk, historic scotland, birthplace, fort, my british summer, roadtrip, river add

    Already occupied in the Iron Age it became the seat of the Gaelic kings, it´s known for “unique stone carvings below the upper enclosure, including a footprint and basin thought to have formed part of Dál Riata’s coronation ritual.” (Wikipedia) It was mentioned as a fort, seat of the kings and important place until the 16th century.

    dunadd, scotland, argyy, bute, uk, historic scotland, birthplace, fort, my british summer, roadtrip, river add

    Dunadd Fort rises proudly from Moine Mhor – the ‘great moss’ – an expanse of bog that carpets the southern end of Kilmartin Glen. It was home to a fort 2,000 years ago, and a royal power centre of Gaelic kings in the 500s to 800s AD.

    Below the mighty fort site are some extraordinary features carved into the rock, including two human footprint shapes – similar to a pair found at Clickimin Broch. (Historic Enviroment Scotland)

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    dunadd, scotland, argyy, bute, uk, historic scotland, birthplace, fort, my british summer, roadtrip, river add

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  • Bellanoch

    crinan canal, bellanoch, scotland, argyll & bute, summer, my british summer, travel, walking, path, water, loch, sea

    I finally arrived at my stop for the night, a lovely  Airbnb room in Bellanoch, right at the Crinan Canal. After all these hours behind the wheel, I was up for a walk and my host recommended me to walk along the canal towards Crinan.

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    The canal opened in 1801 and is about 9 miles long, connecting Crinan and Ardrishaig and providing a route between the Clyde and the Inner Hebrides.

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    Thanks to Queen Victoria travelling on the canal in 1847 it became a tourist attraction.

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    Arriving at Crinan, I had hoped for a cup of tea or coffee but everything was closed already so I just headed back.

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    Approaching my home from the other side and then having some tea with this window view!

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  • Auchindrain – Achadh an Droighinn

    Auchindrain, croft, township, village, museum, scotland, argyll, uk, my british summer, cottagesAuchindrain, croft, township, village, museum, scotland, argyll, uk, my british summer, cottages

    Auchindrain lies near Inverary in the Scottish Argyll and Bute – it´s only crofting township that has survived substantially unaltered and serves as a museum today. There used to be hundreds of these settlements in the Scottish Highlands before the Highland Clearances of the late 18th and 19th centuries.

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    The first documentation of Auchindrain dates from the early 16th hundred when it already seemed an established township, like thousands of others spread across Scotland. In 1776 the Duke of Argyll reacquired the township, an early enthusiast of agricultural improvements.

    A plan was made in 1789, by the surveyor George Langlands, for the township to be rebuilt and reorganised into crofts as many of the other townships in were. In Auchindrain this was never implemented, possibly because the investment required would not have justified the financial return. (Wikipedia)

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    Queen Victoria visited the “primitive villages” of Auchindrain and Achnagoul in 1875 when she stayed at Inverary Castle.

    Auchindrain, croft, township, village, museum, scotland, argyll, uk, my british summer, cottages

    The last inhabitants of Auchindrain moved out in the mid-1960s and shortly after The Auchindrain Trust built a visitor centre and opened the open air museum.

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    Township:

    Traditional Scottish townships were based around low-quality hillside and mountain grazing land known as ‘outruns’. Near the houses was an infield, where crops like barley, oats, beans and peas were grown. The infield was divided into thin strips called rigs. One-third of the rigs were rotated between the tenants annually through the drawing of lots, which in theory allowed everyone an equal opportunity to farm productive land. (Britainexpress.com)

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    Visiting Audrichain is like stepping back in time. The museum is open daily from April to October and on most days during the winter season. Find more information on their website!