Tag: beach

  • A Fortnight in Fife

    A Fortnight in Fife

    I’ve recently returned from an amazing holiday in Fife with my family. I say holiday… I ended up working throughout, but in my defence it was the perfect opportunity to do some research for an upcoming project that I have to keep under my hat for now! We’ve been holidaying in this particular cottage for…

  • A Breath of Icy Air

    A Breath of Icy Air

    I’m currently writing my first book. It’s a Slow Travel Guide to northeast Scotland, which will be published in spring 2023. The book covers Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Cairngorms National Park, so basically a huge chunk of the country! My daily routine has become a contrasting blend of emailing accommodation providers, walking, writing copious notes…

  • Salty Paws

    Salty Paws

    As diluted sunlight comes streaming through the window I’m awoken by the squalling of gulls – a tangled symphony of disgruntled burbles, high-pitched cheeps and open-throated cackles from chimney top perches. The weather in the Scottish Highlands is always a lucky dip. Some days I wake up to driving rain and moody skies. Today the…

  • A Biotope Weekend

    A Biotope Weekend

    Friday The trains to Glasgow and Largs and the ferry to the Isle of Cumbrae were all fine. It was when I boarded the bus to the Millport Field Centre that it dawned on me: what on earth had I let myself in for?! I’d booked onto a weekend course run by the Field Studies…

  • Success!

    Success!

    I was back on Bryher today, having another go at finding the elusive dwarf pansy. As was becoming a daily ritual, I engaged in friendly conversation with my fellow passengers on the Seahorse as it made its leisurely way out of St Mary’s Quay. “That’s a fancy bit of kit you’ve got there,” one man…

  • Exploring Bryher

    Exploring Bryher

    When I arrived on Bryher I was reminded of how scarcely populated the 1½-mile long island was. After an initial buzz of human activity at the quay, tourists and locals dispersed and I suddenly found myself completely alone, except for the ever-present wrens of course. One was perched high against the skyline only a few…

  • Burghead: Day Three

    Burghead: Day Three

    On our last day, we drove out of Burghead into Hopeman, a nearby seaside village. Once again, the sun was shining and the sky was almost cloudless, coating the sand in a shimmering golden glow. Jas couldn’t contain herself, and pulled eagerly on the lead to get down to the seafront. I began snapping immediately.…

  • Nairn Trip Away

    Nairn Trip Away

    With my second year of university done and dusted, I was really looking forward to celebrating the start of summer by doing very little. When Kerr had a few days off in a row, we decided to head up to his parents’ house in Nairn, a quaint seaside town in the Highlands of Scotland. I can’t…