Memories and Impressions
Scotland inspires me. It always has.
My grandmother came from a small town in North Yorkshire but her claim to fame was that her grandmother was a Scot— a Hannah Langdale Bruce…yes, that’s right. The same clan as The Bruce, King of Scots (1306-1329). Or so Nana used to boast, and boast very proudly. She also used to boast about a great great—not too sure how many greats—uncle, James Watt.
Yep, the steam engine guy.
Or so Nana, again, proudly said.
I have no documents to prove either of these claims—but a Scottish heritage of a sorts was enough for me, and I fell in love with Scotland at the age of ten.
Not just tartan and bagpipes.
But castles.
Caerlaverock Castle, Galloway
Oh, how I love castles!
And still do (as those of you who read my novels will discover).
And the mountains…And the accent…I could go on.
I would like to share, in the following blogs, some places in Scotland visited and well-remembered (and even lived in) that have provided the settings for my novels.
I will show the scene, then relay the place, and briefly my experiences there.
I trust that you, dear reader, will indeed read on.
Here’s a wee snippet from Saving Time: Community Chronicles Book 3. Just some thoughts of Rory’s inspired by my days (many years ago) of Munro Bagging (climbing and ticking off on my list).
Loch Maree in the distance
‘On top of this Munro, the peaks of lower mountains, those less than three thousand feet, surrounded Rory and his crew. The fresh wind blew the grass flat over grey rock-covered hills and funnelled its way down to Loch Maree, which reflected the bright blue sky and nestled itself between the elevations of the Finnach mountain range. Rory gazed out at this land—his place on this planet—took a breath of the Highland air and smiled to himself.
This was where his soul sang. Whatever went on in the wild world out there, he was content to be here—and nowhere else.’
- I must give credit to author Chris Hall (who also writes as Holly Atkins) for this idea. She blogs Location, Location, Location on her website https://lunasonline.wordpress.com