27 Items Tagged

Scotland

John McLeish, chair of the Scottish Tartans Authority; curator James Wylie; and Peter MacDonald (right), STA tartan historian (left to right), examine the Glen Affric tartan.

objects of intrigue

Scotland's Oldest Tartan Rose From a Peat Bog

The 400-year-old fabric extends the iconic pattern's history in Scotland by over a century.

Roxanne Hoorn November 16, 2023

Stretching between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Scottish witch trials were among Europe’s longest and most deadly.

Isobel Gowdie and the Untold History of the Scottish Witch Trials

Some experts estimate as many as 3,000 people were accused and executed for witchcraft in Scotland.

Sarah Durn October 31, 2023

Uncovering Edinburgh’s Hidden Victorian History—One Doorway at a Time

A new project delves into the stories of forgotten Edinburgh residents and the places they called home.

Sukhada Tatke September 6, 2023

Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians played "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight on December 31 for almost a half a century. Lombardo became known as "Mr. New Year's Eve"—but the song always reminded him of Easter.

Do Americans Sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ Because of a Frat Party?

Or maybe it was the cigars that gave us this New Year's Eve staple.

April White December 29, 2022

Kirkhill Astronomical Pillar

Broxburn, Scotland

Kirkhill Astronomical Pillar

In the 18th century, the Earl of Buchan mapped the universe on this stone pillar.

Wallace stands looking out over a slightly different angle of Scott's View.

Melrose, Scotland

The Sir William Wallace Statue

This massive, 30-foot-tall statue of the famed Scottish knight overlooks a grassy knoll.

Castle Semple Collegiate Church

Lochwinnoch, Scotland

Castle Semple Collegiate Church

The ruins of a small church belonging to a powerful Scottish family still hold the remains of its patriarch.

Won't you be my neighbor?

These Seaweed-Munching Sheep in Scotland Need Someone to Fix Their Wall

The small island of North Ronaldsay is looking for someone to repair the dyke that keeps the flock close to the shore.

Jessica Leigh Hester June 25, 2019

Like the Winskill Stones, pictured here, Riggs Moor sits around Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The Most Remote Places in Britain Are Still Pretty Close to Roads

It's a reminder that there are vanishingly few places on Earth that don’t carry the traces of humans.

Jessica Leigh Hester June 4, 2019

Argyll and Bute, Scotland

The Drovers Inn

Nestled amid the peaks and lochs of the Scottish Highlands, this inn and pub has played host to outlaws and ghosts.

These women weren't just dropping by. See the trowel in her hand?

The Female Archaeologists of the Scottish Orkneys Were Hiding in Plain Sight

The women in this century-old photo weren't visitors—they were probably scientists.

Jessica Leigh Hester March 27, 2019

The circle is much, much younger than archaeologists thought.

It Turns Out That This 'Millennia-Old' Stone Circle Is Actually Only as Old as Millennials

It's a recent riff on an ancient Scottish tradition.

Jessica Leigh Hester January 23, 2019

Fetlar, Scotland

The Hjaltadans Stone Circle

On a remote island, legend has it that a fiddler and his wife were turned to stone.

Peacefully grazing cow—or the next victim of an elf attack?

When Sick Cattle Were Alleged Victims of Arrow-Wielding Elves

For centuries, farmers suspected their sick livestock had been "elf-shot."

Abbey Perreault December 27, 2018

Edinburgh, Scotland

Inverleith House

Once home to a Scottish baronet, this 18th-century historic house doubles as a legendary art space.

Steps leading up to Peden's Cave.

Failford, Scotland

Peden's Cave

A historic cave in Scotland once served as a hiding place for a famous Covenanter.

Haggis Ice Cream

Batches of this Scottish flavor get a bagpipe escort into the parlor.

When water and wind carve a path throw deep banks of snow, the effect is otherworldly.

What Is a Snow Tunnel?

Up in the Scottish Highlands, you can stand inside two seasons at once.

Jessica Leigh Hester April 23, 2018