The Scottish Highlands is a truly majestic place with endless miles of nothing but nature at its best, a place where you can relax your busy city mind and simply feel connected to Mother Nature around you. The Highlands is also home to a number of wonderfully diverse species, from birds of prey and land animals to sealife on the coasts. One of those is the Feral Goat, a descendant of the domestic goat, now a truly wild animal. They usually roam the hills in small herds and mate in the Autumn. They are quite timid creatures and usually walk off if you are lucky enough to approach them. These magnificent animals are a reminder of the area's turbulent past, as they descend from the livestock abandoned by Highlanders during the turbulent Highland clearances. They were first introduced in these lands around 5000 years ago by Neolithic farmers, and used as farmyard animals. Nowadays, they are widely distributed but often quite difficult to spot because of the way their coats have bred back to dark colours and their preference for grazing on steep and broken craggy hill ground. Some of the best spots to see them are at the wild goat park in Galloway Forest Park, Rum National Nature Reserve, Creag Dubh near Newtonmore, South Lochness-side, Ardgour, Mull, Ardnamurchan, North Morar, Strathfarrar and Dundonell, Kerrera off Oban, the Oa on Islay and Colonsay.
There is nothing quite like the soft feeling of cashmere against your skin. Wearing a cashmere jumper or scarf makes you feel like you are wrapped in a fluffy cloud of softness and tenderness. However, what usually puts people off buying a cashmere item is it's price. Let's find out more about where cashmere comes from and why it is so expensive. Cashmere is made from the hair of cashmere goats and one of the reasons why it has such a steep price tag is because the demand for it is much higher than its production. It is also finer, stronger, lighter, softer, and more insulating than sheep wool. Cashmere goats produce a double fleece, a soft undercoat and a coarser outer coating. In order to process the underdown, it must be de-haired, which is basically a mechanical process that separates the coarse hairs from the fine ones. However, not all cashmere products are the same, which is why texture and prices can vary. Whiter cashmere, which obviously requires less dye, is softer as the fibres were not damaged as much during the colouring process. The region where the wool is originally collected from also influences on the quality of the product as not all goats have the same diet or are bred in the same climatic area. They are, however, mainly found in a region called Kashmir in China, Mongolia, India and Pakistan and it can take up to four years for a goat to produce enough wool to make a single pure cashmere jumper! Altough it is not cheap to buy, I would personally recommend investing in a cashmere item as it will last for years, will keep you warm and looking elegant, and make you feel like you are cuddling a soft puppy all day!
Author Ian Fleming spent most of his childhood holidays at his Scottish grandfather's estate in Arnestdale in the Highlands, a place where he undoubtedly took inspiration from when writing his novels about the famous British MI6 spy. It is believed that 007 was based on Sir Fitzroy Maclean, a Scottish soldier, politician and writer. In the novel, You Only Live Twice, it is revealed that Bond is the son of a Scottish father, Andrew Bond, of Glencoe. During his teen years, Bond is sent to Fettes College in Edinburgh, his father's school, to study. The Bond movies have also numerous Scottish connections. Sean Connery comes to mind as the most obvious one of course! Connery was born in Edinburgh and comes from a working class family. He starred in Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever. He received a Lifetime Achievement award at the 1996 Golden Globes and was knighted in 2000. The enchanting Eilean Donan Castle, located in the Western Highlands, can be seen in The World Is Not Enough, when it became "MI6 headquarters, Scotland" after the organisation's London base was damaged in an explosion. Glencoe was featured briefly in Skyfall as Daniel Craig and Judi Dench escaped north in an Aston Martin DB5. Other Bond Scottish locations include Gare Loch in The Spy Who Loved Me and Loch Craignish in From Russia With Love. The name's Bond, pet. James Bond.
When you first catch a glimpse of Dunnottar Castle, you instantly feel like you are stepping back in time. This clifftop fortress is perfectly placed between the green and peaceful countryside and the wild and stormy North Sea. United Kingdom, UK, Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Travel Destination, Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven town This spectacular castle was besieged by William Wallace, it was once guardian of Scotland's crown jewels and was caught inumerous times in battles between English and the Scottish people. It is also often described as one of the most haunted in Scotland. The most famous ghostly inhabitant is a girl dressed in a green tartan dress, the Green Lady, who wanders around the brewery and has been seen by numerous visitors... The dramatic rock in which Dunnottar stands was once connected to the shoreline by a natural causeway, the Fiddlehead. However, to protect the castle from attack, the natural pathway was deliberately destroyed and a new, narrow access route was cut into the cliffs with blind corners which made it easy for archers to attack any unwanted visitors. As you climb up, the view becomes more and more spectacular, the coastline is wild and free from any traces of modern life. As you walk through the grounds of this magical castle and start thinking of all the events that unfolded throughtout the years, your imagination starts running wild and for a few hours you go back to being a child thinking of knights and princesses, medieval battles and dark stormy nights. No wonder Dunnottar Castle inspired Disney Pixar’s movie Brave.
The Battle of Culloden 16th April 1746: The last battle to take place on British soil. The battle of Culloden was fought to reinstate the Stuart Monarch back on to the throne over the Hanover family. The throne for Scotland Ireland and England was lost to the Stuart family in 1714 with the death of Queen Anne who was succeeded by King George I of the House of Hanover. Anne’s father James II and VII was over thrown in the Glorious Revolution 1688 as his strong Catholic views were not popular however his older brother whilst king insisted Anne and her sister be raised Anglican thus allowing her to take over from her father. James II and VII son James III and VIII tried to take back the thrown numerous times before his son who received the names ‘the Old Pretender’. The Jacobite cause are named after Jacobus which is Latin for James. Charles Edward Stuart often known as ‘the young pretender' or ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’. Came to Scotland in 1745 to take back the thrown. Initially the Jacobite army had a victorious start just outside of Edinburgh and took over the city allowing the young prince entry to his ancestral home of Holyrood Palace. The Army then marched south across the border but with forces coming from multiple directions they were forced to retreat to Inverness where 1500 – 2000 Jacobites lost their lives. The Bonnie Prince had been warned not to choose Culloden as the battle site but did not head the warning. If he had,, perhaps the outcome would have been very different. The Jacobite army were outnumbered by over 2000 men. The highland army were exhausted and weak from hunger after a failed raid on Cumberland's army the previous night. As a result the battle lasted under an hour. Those that were injured or ran from the field were killed or jailed for treason: with few exceptions. Cumberland's army chased any fleeing Jacobite down this led to Cumberland's well known nickname as the Butcher. The French soldiers that fought with the Jacobites were the only ones to be treated as prisoners of war. As for Charles Edward Stuart he evaded capture for 5 months eventually sailing to the Isle of Skye dressed as a maid before gaining passage to France, previously the Stuarts greatest ally. The young pretender’s flight was one that was acknowledged as of legendary scale as with £30,000 for his head the young prince had many Scottish accomplices helping him to gain safe passage. Even those that were not strictly Jacobite supporters. The popular song Skye Boat song commemorates Charles escape from Cumberland’s army. This was the last Jacobite Rebellion and led to the disempowering of the chieftains of the highland clans as well as the banning of traditional dress worn, as it was considered a sign of support for the Stuart family. This final battle led to a changing Scotland. Keep in mind that not all fighting in the Jacobite Army were Scottish and not all in Cumberland's army were English. The young pretender died in 1788 aged 67 and 19 years later the Stuart line became extinct with the death of the pretenders younger brother Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart – though both the old and young pretender had illegitimate sons that continue the male line