Welcome to The North Atlantic Arc, journals and photographs of my
travels across the North Atlantic, from the valley of the St Lawrence
River in the west to the shores of the Baltic Sea in the east, with
particular emphasis on Scotland. I first traveled to Scotland in 1998,
and returned yearly, with side trips to other places in northwestern
Europe, until 2019. (Stuff happens.) My primary interests are history,
archaeology, Celtic and Nordic culture, and the natural world, as well as
cask-conditioned ale, Scotch whisky, and convivial pubs. I am not an
expert in any of these fields (well, maybe pubs), but learn more with
every trip. My hope is that this website will entertain the casual visitor,
and pique the curiosity of a few.
This site has been designed to be viewed on a large screen, ideally your
home desktop. A laptop or tablet will do, but if you're reading this on a
phone, I suggest you put it aside until you have a chance to give it a
proper look. (If you really have no choice but to view it on a phone, the
photos will look a lot better in landscape orientation.) There's a lot
here, and I don't expect many people will read it from beginning to end.
Below are outlines of each year's trips, so you can pick out what
interests you. The later journals (and photographs) are, in my opinion,
better than the earlier ones. If you are particularly interested in
Iceland, read the 2017 journal; if you're curious about the Faroe
Islands, check out the 2016 journal. The 2012 journal, which begins
with a visit to the Canadian Maritimes (including some personal
genealogy) and the Magdalen Islands, and continues with some of the
best walking I've done in Scotland, is a favorite of mine.
This is a work in progress. The text for the journals from 2015 to 2019
is not complete...I'll get to it, I swear. (The photos are all there.)
Other features are in the works.
2024aNothing Like The Sun. Pt 1:Magog, total eclipse, St-Jovite, Ottawa, Rideau Canal, Westport, North Hero. Pt 2: Dingle, Tralee, Edinburgh, Den Burg, Texel, Hoorn.
2023tPrince Edward County and the Rideau Lakes. Gananoque, Kingston, Picton, Wellington, Sandbanks Provincial Park, Westport, Bastard Township, Wolfe Island, and a whole bunch of Rideau Canal locks.
2023fReturn to La Gaspésie. Fredericton, Carleton, Percé, Grande-Vallée, Matane, Rivièere du Loup, Tadoussac, île d'Orléans, Magog.
2023sDingle Dunquin & The Great Blasket. Eleven nights in Dingle under the guidance of Bobby, with visits to various archaeological sites, insights into Bobby's family history, and a memorable trip to the Great Blasket.
2022fSlow Boat to Lofoten. Rainy Keflavík, Bergen, tram, Bergenhus Bryggeri, Henrik Øl & Vinstove, Fløibanen, Nordnes, Byparken, disco at Joe & the Juice, delayed departure, MS Nordnorge, Richard With and Hurtigruten, Hjørundfjord; Ålesund, Molo Brew, Aksla, bacalao, the great fire, Aalesunds Museum, ferry/bus/ferry; Ona, northern lights, Husøya, Steffågarden, Storsanden, three ferries and six buses, Molde, Atlanterhavsvegen, burrito in Kristiansund, Smøla; Veiholmen, morning walk, no restaurants open, RIP QEII, bus/ferry; Trondheim, Habitat, Gamle Bybro, Bakklandet, Den Gode Nabo, aquavit, Nidarosdomen, Archbishop's Palace, regalia, King Haakon VII, Trondhjem Mikrobryggeri, MS Polarlys, Havila, Arctic Circle, the children of Ørnes, Neptune, Bodø; Svolvær, Bacalao, rorbuer, shopping; Henningsvær, Tobiasbrygga, footy pitch, the lady of the light, Rambergstranda, Reine, Å, Anita's, Lofotr Viking Museum, Hauklandstranda, Leknes, Trevarefabrikken, Trollfjord, Håvard Svendsrud and Øivind Farmen, Stokmarknes, Sortland, farthest north, flight south; Bergen, Bryggen and the Hanseatic League, Bergenhus Festning, Stølen, Art Themis, Vetrlidsallmenningen, bad news from home, Fløibanen again, tram/flight/tram; Edinburgh, Bow Bar, BrewDog; Seahouses, the Olde Ship, walk to Low Newton, Ship Inn, walk to Bamburgh, wet floor at the Castle Inn, Craster Arms, bug bites; Edinburgh, the Ox, National Museum of Scotland, Mark and Willie at the Jolly Judge, Kays; Glasgow, Shilling Brewing Company, a cosmopolitan evening at the Pot Still, Glasgow Subway, the Bon Accord, the Flannan Isles.
2022sSix Ways To Fundy. Portsmouth, New Hampshire taphouses (Liars Bench, Loaded Question) with Scott; Saint John, New Brunswick, Bigtide Brewing, the siege of Fort La Tour, Dave Shoots Bookseller, Picaroon's General Store, the Fundy Rose, Digby Loyalists; Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Fort Anne, Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Brewing Company, Rose Fortune, Melanson Settlement, Port Royal Habitation, dubious routing, Shore Road, Bridgetown, Annapolis Valley; Wolfville, Church Brewing Company, looking for Seamans, Grand-Pré, le Grand Dérangement, Horton, Evangeline Beach, Horton Ridge Grain & Malt, Cape Split trail, Borden Brook, Wayfarers Ale Society, Port Pub and Bistro, The Odd Book, Wolfville Old Burial Ground, Windsor, Schoolhouse Brewery; Halifax, Tusket Falls Beer Project, Good Robot Brewing Company, Narrows Public House, dead battery, pointless drive to Peggys Cove, Halifax (condo tower) explosion, Argyle Street, generic sports bar, the Old Triangle, Historic Properties, Duc d'Anville Expedition, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax Explosion, Dartmouth, Brightwood Brewery, Battery Park Beer Bar & Eatery; Parrsboro, Bingo night at Two Islands Brewing, view of Cape Split from West Bay, Advocate Harbour, Cape Chignecto Provincial Park, Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Beaubassin and Fort Lawrence National Historic Sites, revisiting Shy Ben; Moncton, New Brunswick, Tide & Boar Gastropub, Happy Craft Brewing, tidal bore, Bouctouche, Irving Eco-Centre, Pump House Brewpub, Riverfront Park, Settlers Landing, Matthias Sommer, Cape Enrage; Alma, Holy Whale Brewery, Hopewell Rocks, Alma Lobster Shop, dandelions, St Martins; St Andrews, the Algonquin, William Cornelius Van Horne, Ministers Island, Saint Andrews Brewing Company.
2021Out Of Springfield. First trip post-pandemic. Montreal, T Westcott Used Books, pub crawl with Marc, Ottawa pubs, Rideau Canal, the O Train, Byward Market, Doug after all these years, Mackenzie King estate in Gatineau, Merrickville, Burritts Rapids, Almonte, Dr James Naismith, Kilmarnock, Perth.
2020
A winter week in Quebec City, with the shadow of Covid looming.
2019From La Gaspésie to the Mull of Kintyre. Brewpubs galore in Québec:
Chambly, Sutton, Quebec City, Tadoussac, Rimouski, Ste-Anne-des-Monts, Rivière-au-
Renard, Percé, Île Bonaventure, Bonaventure, Gîte du Mont-Albert, Carleton-sur-mer,
Rimouski again, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Grosse-Île, Quebec City again.
Scotland: Workin' on it.
2018From the Baltic Sea to Loch Indaal. Under Construction.
2017Friends In Three Countries. Two weeks in Iceland with Marc: Reykjavík, pub
crawl, Gullfoss, Strokkur, Þingvellir, the tourist hordes, shopping for rain pants,
National Museum, Kaffihús Vesturbæjar, lost phones, Snæfellsnes, Kirkjufellsfoss,
Stykkishølmur, ferry Baldur, Flatey, Patreksfjørður, gas station burgers, Látrabjarg,
Brunnar, Breiðavík, the road to Kolsvík, Rauðasandur, Northern Lights, the
Westfjords, Dynjandi, Hrafnseyri, Vestfjarðagöng, Ísafjørður, Húsið, Hølmavík,
Hvammstangi, Sjávarborg, pasta disaster, Hvítserkur, Borgarvirki, Sauðárkrókur,
Siglufjørður, Ólafsfjørður, Akureyri, R5 Micro Bar, Eastfjords canceled, Goðafoss,
Mývatn, Hverir, Dettifoss, The Road To Destruction, Rub 23, winter tires, Grábrók,
Borgarnes, return to Reykjavík, Bryggjan Brugghús, lazy day, drive and ferry to
Vestmannaeyjar, exploring Heimaey, Brothers Brewery, stranded tourists,
remembering Tiff, the Heimaey eruption, Stórhöfði, Eldheimar, dance on a volcano,
Kerið, Garður, farewell to Marc, charmless Keflavík, early morning airport rush.
Scotland with Ron, England with Win, under construction.
2016Return To Føroyar. Medical issues and delayed departure, WOW, Base Hotel,
Reykjavík, too long in Micro Bar, Bryggjan Brugghús, Skúli Craft Bar, flight to
Føroyar, rental cars, Tórshavn, Hotel Streym, Írska Pubbin, Café Natúr, ferry to
Suðuroy, smørrebrød, Tvøroyri, Sandvík, Hvalba, Pubbin, Sinklars Visa, walk to
Hvannhagi, t-shirt weather, Beinisvørð, Akraberg, Fámjin, Kirkjubøur, Tørshavn,
Burger King, Tinganes, Tórshøll, TUTL, Tjørnuvík, Risin og Kellingin, Saksun,
Vestmanna, Oyggjarvegur, Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins, Norðoyatunnilin, Viðareiði, Kunoy,
Klaksvík, Klakkur, Eysturoy, Shetland tunes, Eiði, Gjógv, Funningur, Oyndarfjørður, the
National Museum of the Faroe Islands, pew ends, the grindadráp, Gásadalur, Bøur,
flight to Edinburgh, Sula Sgeir. UK segment under construction.
20152015 From Saguenay to Øresund. Part 1, Québec: Lake Champlain, Hero
Islands, Richelieu River, Chambly, cidreries, Sorel ferry, le d'Orléans, Sue, Marc,
Charlevoix, Le Massif, Baie-St-Paul, Isle-aux-Coudres, Fjord Du Saguenay,
Chicoutimi, Saguenay flood, fjord cruise, La Petite Maison Blanche, Lac St-Jean,
Tadoussac, whale watch, north shore towns, Baie Comeau, ferry to Matane, Reford
Gardens, Rimouski, Le Bic, the Empress of Ireland, Rivière-du-Loup, south shore
towns, ferry to Quebec City, the long drive home; plus seventeen (count 'em)
seventeen brewpubs and many, many pints of beer.
Part two, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, England, Iceland. Under construction.
2014A Year in Scotland and Incidental Passages. Chester, journals, Flight to
Brussels, Bruges, Belgian beer, moules et frîtes, 't Brugs Bertje, De Garre, canal trip
to Damme, gin joint, jazz bar, 't Poatersgat, canceled trip to France, train to
Amsterdam, Caf 't Smalle, Gollem's Proeflokaal, hat search, Vondelpark, ferry to
Newcastle, Seahouses, the Olde Ship, beach walking, Warkworth, Church Hill,
Alnmouth Beer Festival, rain day, shopping in Edinburgh, Stirling, Cambuskenneth
Abbey, the Portcullis, Stirling Bridge, Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle. Ron arrives;
Firth of Clyde, Inveraray, Glen Coe, Plockton session, Calum's seal trip, Raasay,
Brochel Castle, Screapadal, Calum's Road, Old Man of Storr, the Quirang, ferry to
Harris, Tarbert, Harris tweed, Rodel, Harris beaches, MacLeod's Stone, Lewis,
Stornoway, Tolsta, the Bridge to Nowhere, Lord Leverhulme, Dun Carloway, Callanish,
Uig Sands, Lewis chessmen, Abhainn Dearg, glimpse of St Kilda, Callanish again, Cross
Inn, Skigersta, Ness, the Butt of Lewis, St Moluag's Church, the sea god Seonaidh,
Steinacleit, Clach an Truiseil, the Iolaire, crossing to Ullapool, Kylesku Hotel, Sir John
A Macdonald, Dornoch Castle Hotel, the Clootie Well, Fortrose, the Fairy Glen, the
Anderson Hotel, Fort George, Dalmunach, Craigellachie, the Highlander, Gorm and
Big Mac and Ian Logan, the Speyside Way to Aberlour, the Penny Brig, the new Quaich
Bar, Cairngorms National Park, Braemar, Anstruther, Cellardyke, Anstruther Fish Bar,
Crail, Queensferry, Forth Bridges, Edinburgh, the Bow Bar, Willie and Bud Light and
Gorm and Big Mac, the Cumberland Bar, a year in Scotland, hazy day in Edinburgh,
Glasgow Botanical Gardens, Byres Road, Tennent's, Kelvingrove Park, Inn Deep, the
Sanderling, flight to Iceland, Reykjavík, Microbar, Nora Magasin, Dillon Whiskey Bar,
National Museum of Iceland, suburban mini-mall, Hallgrímskirkja, Harpa, Þufa, hot pink
panties, Caf Loki, flight home, ode to Chester.
2013From the Border Lands to Snæfellsnes. Boundaries, Icelandair, Edinburgh,
Scotland Street, pub crawl, shopping day, Willie in the Bow, New Town ramble, the
Stockbridge Tap, Musselburgh, Soutra Aisle, Kelso, the Cobbles, Kirk Yetholm, the
Border Hotel, Town Yetholm, St Cuthbert's Way, Wideopen Hill, Morebattle, the
Plough Hotel, Cocklawfoot, Dere Street, the Pennine Way, Chew Green, darkness and
blisters, sandwiches at the Plough, three border crossings, the Kielder Water,
Corbridge, a creepy B&B, the Angel Inn, lazy day at the Golden Lion, laundry in
Hexham, Allendale, Allenheads Inn, Saturday night in Corbridge, Wall country,
Morpeth, Newbiggin-by-the-sea, Alnwick, the John Bull, Barter Books, session at the
Fleece, Alnmouth, the Sun, the Red Lion, Rothbury, the Armstrongs, Seahouses, the
Olde Ship, the X18, a walk from Alnmouth to Low Newton-by-the-sea, the Black Swan,
a walk to Bamburgh, the Lowther Hills, Moniaive, the Craigdarroch Arms, the George,
Sanquhar, Wanlockhead, Glasgow, Byres Road, the Lismore, Brewdog, Inn Deep, Òran
Mór, Kelvingrove Park, Kelvingrove Gallery, Peter Gabriel, the Ubiquitous Chip, the
Battlefield Band, Gourock-Dunoon ferry, Glen Coe, rain in Fort William, Plockton,
Skye, Glen Brittle, Lochcarron, Bealach Na Bà, Lochcarron Hotel, Commando Memorial,
more rain in Fort William, Glasgow, Tennents, the Red Sox win the Series, last pint in
Scotland. Win meets me at Keflavík, West Fjords lost, Reykjavík, MicroBar, Iceland
Airwaves, Cafe Babalú, Hallgrímskirkja, Maritime Museum, Harpa, Dillon Whiskey Bar,
Þingvellir, Vík, Halldórskaffi, glaciers and stuff, loads of scenery on the Ring Road,
Jökulsárlón, Reynisfjall, Dyrhólaey, Hvalfjörður Tunnel, Borgarnes, Snæfellsnes,
Stykkishólmur, Kirkjufell, Saxhóll, Laugarbrekka, Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir,
Reykjavík again, farewell party, a lot of down days and way too many naps.
2012
From the Gulf of St Lawrence to the Sea of the Hebrides. Part 1, Canada:
Canadian reverie, the Airline Road, border improvements, Île Sainte-Croix, St
Andrews-by-the-sea, the Algonquin, reversing falls, Saint John, the Acadian
Princess, Digby, Brier Island, Joshua Slocum, Margaret Davis, Lavena's Catch Café,
Balancing Rock, crossing Nova Scotia, Lunenburg, the Bluenose II, bumps, St John's
Anglican Church, Ironworks Distillery, Burncoat Head, Pictou, the Hector, Myriad
View Distillery, ferry to les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, an awkward start, Cap-aux-
Meules, Belle-Anse, L'Étang-du-Nord, À l'Abri de la Tempête, Aux Pas Perdus, Red
Josée, Île du Havre aux Maisons, Dune-du-Sud, Île Boudreau, Grande-Entrée, Plage de
la Grande Échouerie, Plage de la Pointe aux Loups, the Ivan Quinn, Entry Island, Big
Hill, Craig Quinn, the Corfu Island, Île du Havre Aubert, La Grave, Café de la Grave,
election night, Musée de la Mer, Pointe des Canots, Dune de l'Ouest, Bassin, ferry to
PEI, East Point Light, Prince Edward Distillery, Charlottetown, Pilot House, Japanese
girls, St Dunstan's Basilica, The Bookman, Port-la-Joye/Fort Amherst, Confederation
Bridge, Cape Jourimain, Bayfield Cemetery, Baie Verte, Shy Ben, Sackville, Fort
Beauséjour, Tantramar Marshes, Riverview, St Martins, Lubec.
Part 2, UK: Hexham Abbey, Hadrian's Wall, Seahouses, the Olde Ship, a long walk to
Craster, missed taxi, Ketley Ridge, Duddo Stone Circle, Edinburgh, a literary pub tour,
Calton Hill, Scott Monument, perpetual tramworks, Coda and Cadenhead's, Willie at
the Bow, Win departs. Oban, Ferry to Coll, Coll Hotel, Hogh Bay and Ben Hogh, CalMac
vs RSBP, Sorisdale, Dùn Morbhaidh, Tràigh Garbh, Breachacha Castles, Crossapol,
Feall Bay, Arinagour, ferry to Tiree, Dùn Mòr, two chapels, two hotels, the Tiree
Wave Classic, Millton, the seal of disapproval, Balephuil Bay, MacLean's Cross, memory
loss, fallen stones, a string of beaches, Kilkenneth Chapel, Oban again, memory
regained, Eilean Donan at twilight, Plockton, Plockton Inn session, Skye, Elgol, Cill
Chriosd, Suisnish, Boreraig, Ullapool, the Hector again, the Seaforth, Ardvreck
Castle, Kylesku, ascent of Quinag, Sandwood Bay, Tongue, the Strathnaver
Clearances, Grummore and Grumbeg, Rosal, Lairg, Bonar Bridge, Craigellachie, the
Highlander, the Speyside Way, Aberlour, the ubiquitous Mr Telford. Amsterdam,
Vondel Park, pub crawls, Hurricane Sandy, döner kebab, les pas perdus.
2011
From the Great Fen to the Rhinns of Islay. Late tomatoes, blitz tour of Paris,
Notre-Dame, St-Germain-des-Prés, Northampton, the Unthanks, Ely Cathedral, C57,
the Fens, the Boston Stump, roomless in Lincoln, Lincoln Cathedral, Strugglers Inn,
Lincoln Castle, Beverley, York, Brigantes, the Shambles, River Ouse, Wharram Percy,
Hovingham, Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, Reeth reverie, Seahouses, breakfast
at last, Beadnell, Low Newton-by-the-sea, Ship Inn, Olde Ship Hotel, Bamburgh Beach,
Budle Bay, Edin's Hall Broch, Edinburgh, Bud Light, Bow Bar. Ron arrives, squalls at
the Stockbridge Tap, Jolly Toper whisky tasting, Coda, Cadenhead's, Bow Bar,
Tatsuya, Café Rouge, Irn Bru on the train, Good Spirits Company, Milngavie, Martin
Carthy solo, the Singing Conductor, Glen Lyon, the Fortingall Yew, Fortingall Hotel,
Kingussie, Craigellachie, Highlander Inn, Aberlour, Findhorn, Burghead, stalking
Tatsuya in the Muckle Cross, Spynie Palace, Duffus Castle, dinner with Ian Logan,
Lochcarron Spar, Lochcarron Bistro, Strome Castle, Plockton, Raasay, Dun Caan, The
Creags, Dubh-Àird, session at the Plockton Inn, Mike's 50th birthday, Mallaig,
Inverie, Old Forge, the Seven Men of Knoydart, Camusdarach, stranded in Oban,
Oransay lost, Colonsay Hotel, Colonsay Brewery, two nights' bill, inaccessible Dun
Eibhinn, Kiloran Bay, Dun Cholla, Port Charlotte Hotel session, Islay brewery,
Bridgend cemetery, barnacle geese, Kilchiaran Chapel, Bruichladdich webcam,
Finlaggan, Keills, An Tigh Seinnse, Knapdale, Keills Chapel, Tayvallich Inn, Ardfern,
Galley of Lorne Inn, Loch Awe, return to Edinburgh, Deacon Brodie's Tavern, Willie in
the Bow Bar, Ron departs. Calton Hill, Cadenhead's again, the Bow Bar again, Café
Rouge again, Stockbridge Tap again, Portobello, Chricton Castle, Carter Bar, Hexham,
one time too many at Wetherspoon's, Tap & Spile, lazy birthday, Novemberland,
Warkworth, North Sea farewell, Hadrian's Wall, Amsterdam, multilingual dinner, Café
't Smalle, early blizzard and a week in the dark.
2010
From Holy Island to the Isle of Iona. Delayed start, Hexham, Hexham
Abbey, Hadrian's Wall, Blanchland, Coldstream, Craster, Dunstanburgh, Lindisfarne,
Flodden Field, Yetholm, Dere Street, Woden Law, Denholm, Jedburgh Abbey,
Dryburgh Abbey, Smailholm Tower, Union Chain Bridge, Berwick-upon-Tweed,
Coldingham Priory, St Abb's, Edinburgh. Scott and Win arrive: the Standing Order,
Kathryn Tickell, Edinburgh Castle, St Giles Cathedral, Cadenhead's whisky shop, Win
plays the pipes, Arthur's Seat, the Bow Bar, ferrying across Argyll, Tarbert, Kilmartin
Glen, Inveraray, dinner at the George, Kilchurn Castle, Glen Coe, dolphins at Chanonry
Point, the Anderson, Fortrose Cathedral, Urquhart Castle, Glenelg brochs, Kylerhea
ferry, Plockton, Ben Tianavaig, Portree, the Quiraing, Plockton Inn session, Eilean
Donan Castle, Beauly Priory, Craigellachie, Pennan, Gardenstown, Crovie, Aberlour, the
River Spey, the Mash Tun, Huntly Castle, the Maiden Stone, Easter Aquhorthies
Recumbent Stone Circle, Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, dinner with Andy at the
Marine Hotel, Scott and Win depart. Collieston, Peterhead, Memsie Cairn, Fortrose
again, Dornoch, Càrn Liath, Helmsdale, Wick, Pulteneytown, Pulteney Distillery,
Camster Cairns, Wick Historical Museum, Castletown, St Mary's Chapel, Dounreay,
Bettyhill, Strathnaver Museum, Farr Stone, Lochinver, the Caberfeidh, looking at
Suilven, Ardvreck Castle, Kylesku, the road I had no business being on, Dun Dornaigil,
Balnakiel, Plockton again, HMS Astute aground, the Haven Hotel, passed-out naked fat
chick, Dubh-Àird, Camusdarroch, Acharacle, Mull, Calgary Bay, Fionnphort, Iona,
Camus Cùl an-t-Saimh, Iona Abbey and Nunnery, St Columba Hotel, Matryrs Bay Pub,
Lochbuie Stone Circle, Moy Castle, Tobermory, Tobermory Distillery, Park Lodge
Hotel, Edinburgh, the Bow Bar, Dr Willie Jackson, folderol, Stockbridge Tap, layover
in Amsterdam, and gallons upon gallons of Cullen skink.
2009From the Wick of Skaw to the Golden Valleys. South Queensferry,
Anstruther, Pittenweem, Fife Coastal Path, Crail, St Andrews, Arbroath Smokies,
Arbroath Abbey, Stonehaven, aimless afternoon in Aberdeen. Ron arrives; Huntly
Castle, Craigellachie, Glenglassaugh distillery, Portsoy, Inverness, Rosemarkie, the
Titfield Thunderbolt, Fortrose, the Anderson, flight to Shetland, Jarlshof, Ness of
Burgi, Lerwick, Culswick Broch, Staneydale Temple, Unst, Herma Ness, Muckle Flugga,
the Wick of Skaw, angry twitchers, Bordastubble Stone, St Olaf's Chapel, Muness
Castle, Baltasound bus shelter, Yell, the White Wife, back to Lerwick, St Ninian's
Isle, Quendale Mill, Clumlie broch, Croft House Museum, not Mousa again, Scalloway
Castle, Clickimin Broch, Shetland Museum, Esha Ness, Sullom Voe, Fort Charlotte,
Trondra and the Burras, session at the Plockton Inn, the Old Man of Storr, Bodega,
the long drive to Edinburgh, the Cambridge Bar, the Oxford Bar, David Hume, the Bow
Bar, the Cumberland Bar, Craigmillar Castle. Ron departs; Two Days of the Zombie,
farewell to Nick, Bladnoch distillery, Isle of Whithorn, Logan Botanic Garden, the
Mull of Galloway, Dave Broom, the Lake District, Coniston, Mr Fathead Whiskywriter,
Hardknott Roman Fort, the Old Man of Coniston, the Peak District, Castleton, the
Devil's Arse, g'night m'love, Edale, the Old Nags Head, Mam Tor, Stratford-upon-Avon, John Kirkpatrick, Shakespeare sites, the Dirty Duck, the Cotswolds, Chipping
Campden, Banbury, the Battlefield Band, Rollright Stones, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stroud
and (almost) the Golden Valleys, Cirencester, three old gents, Uffington White Horse,
Oxford, the Unthanks, University, Castleton again.
2008
From Hadrian's Wall to the Isle of Ewe. The Borders, Hexham, Allendale,
Hadrian's Wall and associated Roman sites, Corbridge, Durham, Whitby, Robin Hood's
Bay, Runswick Bay, Staithes, North York Moors, York, York Minster, Yorkshire Dales,
the Battlefield Band in Reeth, the Tan Hill Inn, memories of Fremmie, Isle of
Whithorn, Inveraray, Oban, Plockton, Ben Tianavaig, the brochs in Glenelg,
Applecross, Shieldaig, Mellon Charles, the Loch Ewe Distillery at Drumchork Lodge,
Achiltibuie, Fortrose, the Anderson, Glenmorangie distillery, Tarbat Discovery
Centre, Craigellachie, Macallan and Glenfiddich distilleries, the Moray coast,
Edinburgh, the Danes in the Bow Bar, Dunfermline, Linlithgow Palace, Rebus'
Edinburgh, and many, many more abbeys than at which can be shaken a stick.
2007
From Salisbury Plain to the Butt of Lewis. Stonehenge, Silbury Hill, Avebury,
Lacock, Salisbury, Salisbury Cathedral, Sion in Bristol, Caerphilly Castle, Penderyn
distillery, St Davids, Pentre Ifan, Llandudno, Anglesey, Holy Island, Din Lligwy,
Caernarfon, Conwy, Chester, Yorkshire Dales, Dent, Castlerigg Stone Circle,
Caerlaverock, Cairnholy, Isle of Whithorn, Inveraray, Knoydart, Talisker, Plockton,
Kenny and Jill in Crieff, Edinburgh, Kenny and Nick in the Bow Bar. Ron arrives; the
Vaults, Dunnottar Castle, Craigellachie, Gordon & MacPhail, Aberlour, distilleries with
Ian Logan, Moray coast (Pennan, Gardenstown, and Crovie), Parker's Whiskies. Bobby
arrives; Loanhead of Daviot, Glenlivet with Ian Logan, Fortrose, the Anderson,
Ullapool, Stornoway, Callanish, Carloway, Clach An Truiseil, the Butt of Lewis, Dun
Eistean, Harris, MacLeod's Stone, Rodel, North Uist, the Westford Inn, Langass,
Teampull na Trionaid, Barra, the Cockle Strand, Cille Bharra, Kisimul Castle, Oban,
Glen Coe, the Clachaig Inn, Bidean Nam Bian, Glasgow, Nick and Ian in the Pot Still.
2006
From Gretna Green to the Brough of Birsay. Isle of Whithorn, Bladnoch
distillery, the Mull of Galloway, Carlisle (England), Caerlaverock Castle, Cairnholy, the
Machars, St Ninian s Cave; then Ron joins me for Plockton, Talisker, Dun Beag,
Applecross, Loch Ewe distillery, Ullapool, and a trip to Orkney: Stromness, Orphir,
the Tomb of the Eagles, the Italian Chapel, the Brough of Deerness, Kirkwall, St
Magnus Cathedral, archaeological sites along Rousay's West Westness Walk, the
Broch of Gurness, The Bishop's Palace, Maes Howe, Stenness, Brodgar, Skara Brae,
the Broch of Borwick, Stromness again, Birsay, Yesnaby. Back on the mainland,
Duncansby Head, Camster Cairns, Fortrose, Urquhart Castle, Craigellachie, the
Speyside Cooperage, Aberlour distillery, Chivas Brothers international brand
ambassador Ian Logan, the Highlander Inn, Glenlivet and several other distilleries,
Edinburgh, Nick and Kenny at the Bow Bar, Royal Botanic Gardens, the Vaults (Scotch
Malt Whisky Society). Ron departs and I visit Arran, the Goat Fell, Lochranza, Arran
distillery, and Skipness Castle, before ending the trip with five days in Islay:
Bowmore/Bruichladdich/Lagavulin distilleries, Port Charlotte Hotel, the Big Strand;
and an evening in Glasgow.
2005
From Muckle Flugga to the Mull of Galloway. My first full trip diary,
although the trip was cut short because of my father's death. Return trip to
Shetland, then Craigellachie, Glenfarclas and Balvenie distilleries; then Ron and Bobby
arrive for the Falkirk Wheel, the Antonine Wall, Edinburgh, encounters with Nick and
Kenny, Doune Castle, the Clachaig Inn, ferry from Oban to Islay via Colonsay, Caol
Ila/Jura/Laphroaig/Ardbeg/Bruichladdich distilleries, the Port Charlotte Hotel bar,
Portnahaven, Finlaggan, Kilmartin Glen, Inveraray, and the Mull of Galloway.
Boreraig, Isle of Skye
Across The Arc
These short early pieces, created before this website existed for different purposes
and in different formats,
illustrate my nascent conception of the North Atlantic Arc, as I traveled in reverse
the route of the Norse explorers and settlers: from Norway to the Northern Isles of
Scotland, to the Faroe Islands and Iceland and beyond. Greenland and Newfoundland,
long on my wish list of destinations, are yet missing.
Iceland 1999
This is the original seed of this website. I copied it onto Zip discs and passed it out to friends.
Faroe Islands 2001
A single-page overview of my first trip to the Faroes, revisited in 2016.
Shetland 2000
Another single-page survey, assembled from a series of emails I sent
to friends as I prepared to take my second trip to Shetland in 2005.
Orkney 2002
This was written as a travel article, and still reads that way.
Ceremonial Markings of a type found throughout the British Isles and northwest Europe. Their specific meaning and
usage are unclear, although they may be connected with passage rites. The Cross of St Reet (center)
and its variants are often found near the junctions of important trading corridors. Continental
versions of the Triskell figure (left and right) invariably feature arrows pointing anti-clockwise.