Tag: Scotland

A very different kind of day out

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A couple of weeks ago I had a very interesting day, volunteering on an archaeological dig just a short walk from the campsite. The dig was organised by the National Trust for Scotland, along with the University of Glasgow. I saw the advert on Facebook and immediately signed up.

I have never done a dig before, but Ellen, my daughter, has been involved in a few through her work at the National Trust, and I thought it would be a very nice way of spending one of my days off.

The dig was at a site that has been excavated before, the previous ones being the basis for the recreation of the 17th century turf house that is now at the visitor centre.

We were quite lucky with the weather, although rain was forecast all day it was only light, though we did get very muddy!

Our dig took place over two days, and on my day there were about 10 volunteers and 8 staff. The introduction was really interesting, talking about all the small settlements up this valley, and what happened to the area in the late 1600s.

We were digging in the garden area of the previously excavated cottages. There were 10 trenches excavated, and there were a few interesting finds, mainly pottery fragments.  Sadly not in our trench, but we did find evidence of a fire, so that may have been another smaller dwelling as there were a lot of stones around the charcoal deposits.

This was our trench after we had been working on it for a while.

And this is how it ended up.

The finds box from the previous day had all been labelled, but this was found in the next trench to ours.

These two pictures are from the Glencoe Folk Museum’s Facebook Post about the dig and show the most exciting find, the top of a pottery bottle.

It is fascinating to think about the people who lived here looking up at this same view, watching the clouds change as I do now. The fact that they probably never moved far from where their homes were all their lives, such a contrast to my life.

It was brilliant meeting the other volunteers as well, I was working with a woman who moved to Scotland a few years ago from Somerset, and now works for Nature Scotland.  It was nice to spend time chatting about starting over and making new lives, and we both agreed that Scotland is magical!

It was really good to get to know more about the history of the area as well. Not much survives in terms of architecture. There are a few older cottages in Glencoe, such as the ones below, but most are modern buildings.  After the Highland Clearances the main centre of population here was Ballachulish, because of the slate mine.

A fascinating way to spend my day off and something I would love to do again if I get the chance.

We have had another really hot spell, thankfully there is cooler weather now, as we are really full again, which means lots of running around the campsite,  not good in 28 degrees! 

I am not sure yet of plans for next week, I would like to go further west, but that is weather dependent.  Meanwhile I am having a crafting day today after a little woodland walk by the River Coe to Invercoe yesterday.

Hope you are having fun whatever you are doing, take care and thanks for visiting.

The Devil and the detail

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I have visited some very strangely named places in my time, but The Devil’s Beeftub, near Moffat is very unusual.  It is a depression in the hills, where four peaks join and is so called as the Johnstone clan, referred to as, ‘Devils’ by their neighbours, used to hide stolen cattle here.

It is a very beautiful walk, and it was lovely to be out on a wintery March day with such beautiful views.

A couple of days later I visited two places that have been on my wishlist for a while.  The Great Polish Map of Scotland is in the grounds of a hotel between Moffat and Edinburgh. This photo is from the hotel website.

It was created from granite as a tourist attraction by a Polish war veteran, Jan Tomasik,  who married his wartime nurse, and settled in Scotland.  He later became a successful hotelier and in 1968 bought the Barony Hotel.

The map was created over six summers between 1974 and 1979, mainly by Poles living in Scotland,  assisted by hotel staff and Polish exchange students.

It fell into disrepair after the hotel closed,but was restored from 2014.

It is an amazing piece of craftsmanship in stone, and it must have been so challenging to create.

The same is true for my second visit that day, the gorgeous Rosslyn Chapel.  Made famous by its inclusion in the Dan Brown novel, ‘The Da Vinci Code’, this is a stunning piece of church architecture.

There are no photos permitted inside the Chapel , these two come from the official website, but the carving is incredible, arguably the best that I have ever seen.

This is the Apprentice Pillar, and the detail in the carving is amazing, and so consistent!

The Chapel was built in 1446 by William St Clair, and later extended.  It fell into disrepair and in the late 1990s restoration began with a roof erected over the Chapel to start to dry it out.

The inclusion of the Chapel in the 2003 book, and subsequent 2006 film meant that visitor  numbers increased and raised more money for restoration which is fantastic. It really is an amazing place, I was so lucky to visit on such a sunny day as well.

I am currently sitting in the shade at the back of my caravan, we are having a mini heatwave and the awning and caravan itself are too hot! It is going to get up to 28 degrees here, which is a bit warm for working really, so the shorts and natty sun hat will be out again.

It has been a little quieter in terms of campers over the last few weeks, partly due to a long spell of rain again, but it gives us all a chance to catch up with jobs that we don’t get time for otherwise. 

We are now just over halfway through the season, with lots more adventures planned for the next few months. I am really enjoying being here, and am so lucky with the location and my team.

Last week Cath and I had an impromptu shopping trip to Oban, stopping off at this cafe overlooking Castle Stalker on the way.

I am so loving life in the Highlands, even if the weather is unpredictable! Hope you are all having a great time and thanks for visiting. 

Happy birthday to me!

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Today is my 64th birthday, and I am not only celebrating that, but also 5 years of retirement from my teaching career. It doesn’t seem like five years ago that I left the university and set off on this path, not really knowing where I would end up, but I am so grateful and happy to be here.

To be able to explore places like Glen Etive, a walk a did a few weeks ago now, is truly wonderful. The walk up the valley is beautiful,  and the the Buachallie Etive Mór mountain is just so awe inspiring to see.

It is raining today, with a lot more forecast for the rest of the week, so I am going to spend a very happy day in, knitting another couple of reindeer for a fundraiser, and counting my blessings.

We are having a team social tomorrow, a games night and a Chinese, and tonight will be some tapas from the local Co op and a nice bottle of wine!

When I started this blog coming up for 19 years ago, I had no idea that I would end up here, living and working in Scotland, and having such an amazing life. My plans took an unexpected diversion six months in to blogging, and at that time the future looked very uncertain. 

However it has truly been wonderful last 18 years, if a little wobbly at times, and I am so blessed to be able to be here and enjoy all this wonder.

Last week, like most of the country, we were quite warm, and I went on two great walks.  I have wanted to do both of these for quite a while, they are only just five minutes from the campsite, but I was saving them for a great day.

The first was the footpath from Loch Achtriochtan to the Three Sisters mountains. This is one of the most iconic views of Glencoe, and as such it is virtually impossible to park anywhere near.

However,  there is a little car park, hidden from view, just off the main road, and from there you can walk to the mountains.

On my list is to park the other side and walk back towards them, another amazing set of views that I will show you later in the summer.

Not far from there is An Tor and Signal Rock, another National Trust for Scotland places. I had briefly visited with my friend on a walk along the Greenway, but wanted to go back and do the other trails.

There are three here, so I did the blue one to the rock, and the black one round the whole hill. The rock was apparently a clan meeting place and used to light warning beacons in the 1600s.

The walk starts with a river crossing and stunning views up the valley.

It was beautiful, although quite challenging and steep at times, especially in 25 degrees, but I made it to the rock, pictured below.

I truly love forest walks, there is something so magical about them, that sense of calm with the sun shining through, and mountains just visible through the trees. 

I still can’t believe I have been lucky enough to not only get this brilliant job, and to have had two such amazing sites to work at. Speyside last year was just so lovely, and Glencoe is beyond amazing. To see this every morning,  even on the wet ones, is truly magical.

Even the fact that it rains most of the time, I am often damp all day, doesn’t alter the fact that I am having a wonderful life.

I hope you are enjoying yourselves too, whatever you are doing. Take care and thanks for visiting. 

Stops along the way, Spring 2026 edition

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I love trying out new stopping places with Katy, and on my recent return to Scotland stopped at some which have been on my map for ages, as well as a few favourites from last year.

The first was Moorside Farm Aire, just outside Market Drayton, a useful halfway point between Ellen’s and my friend in Wales.

The aire costs £10 a night, payable by cash and I rang to book ahead. There is a large grass field for campervans, and a toilet available. It was a very peaceful and enjoyable night’s stay before heading for Attingham.

After I left my friend I headed for the Rhug Farmshop, I have been here before and it is basically just the car park, however it is very good value and they have a great deli and Cafe, as well as toilets open during the day.

My plan was then to get to somewhere nice in the Lakes via a couple of Trust garden visits,  however torrential rain on the M6 meant that I ended up spending the night at Kendal Cricket Club, in their car park. They ask for a £10 cash payment, and there are facilities when the bar is open. Not a brilliant view but a much appreciated night near to all the supermarkets.

I was heading for Moffat, to a static caravan on a beautiful little site just outside the town. The Camping and Caravanning Club have a campsite there as well bit I thought that early March was a little too cold for camping!

The site was built around a small lake, and as well as statics had some lovely lodges and lots of wildlife areas.

After a week of luxury in my beautiful caravan, plans had to change as my caravan tower changed dates, so I ended up driving to Edinburgh to buy a new tent, and pitched on a hardstanding at our Scone Campsite for a week.

It was a little cold, dropping to minus 2 a couple of nights, but I had lots of fleecy blankets, and appreciated the chance to spend more time on the trail of Mary Queen of Scots. More about that in a later post.

I went back to one of my favourite park ups before Scone, this is the third time I have stayed at the Kelpies, now £15 a night which includes a coffee. It is only the first time I have seen them lit up at night though, as the first time they were down for maintenance, and last time it was torrential rain!

After Perth I stopped off at the National Trust spot The Hermitage, near Dunkeld, for a little walk. The recent rain meant that the waterfall near the building was in full flow, the noise was incredible. This is an area that I want to spend a lot more time in, as it’s so beautiful.

Many stopovers offer their services for free if you eat or drink there, and my next stop was one of those. The Apiary is a gorgeous little cafe at Dalwhinnie in the Cairngorms. I forgot to take any photos of the inside, but it was another lovely peaceful night, and very welcome after the rain and sleet of the journey. 

My final one before reuniting with Lotte the caravan at Lossiemouth was the gorgeous Findhorn Aire, run by the community and bookable online for £17, it is definitely one of my favourite places in Scotland.

I am really looking forward to some more overnight adventures soon. I have been busy with friends visiting the last three weeks, but am planning to explore more of this area soon. I want to head over to the west, around Arisaig and Mallaig, so have been busy adding pins to the map.

Meanwhile it has been another mainly wet week, we did have a dry Sunday where we ran around with the mowers, but it is back to mixed weather this week. I am still loving life here, more rain means bonus waterfalls and keeps the midges away, so it is not all bad!

Hope you are all enjoying life whatever you are doing, thanks for visiting and see you soon.

Welcome to Glencoe!

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I thought I would start off my series of posts about life here with a little overview of the site, and tell you a bit more about my routine this year.

‘Welcome to Glencoe’, is what we always say to people as they pull up to the entrance to our campsite. 

If you have been following this blog for a while you’ll know that last year I worked at the Speyside campsite, so I had to concentrate really hard to get my greeting right for the first week or so!

Usually people are very excited when they get here, as the drive in either direction is through some of the most stunning scenery in the UK.

I will show you more of that in future posts but you might either come past the gorgeous Loch Leven, or past Buachallie Etive Mór, a very distinctive mountain on the A82.

The site is next to the National Trust Visitor Centre, a busy hub for the area, with lots of great information about the history and the geology here. They have a fascinating exhibition on the history of mountain rescue, and a recreation of a 17th century turf house, with amazing views.

This is also the start of the newly opened Glencoe Greenway, a 13km bike and walking trail that goes around the two valleys here.

If you are lucky you’ll get to see the Visitor Centre Highland cows, or coos, as they are called here in Scotland. 

As I have mentioned before the site itself is very different to Speyside, being a much more natural environment.  We do have lots of lovely planters at the entrance, and have all spent time making our staff pitches look pretty, but the rest of the site is very much a natural environment. 

In the middle of the site is, ‘The Mound’, which has amazing views, we have a couple of picnic benches up there and keep the paths mowed, but everything else natural. 

Our camping fields are the same, large stretches of grass, with amazing views while you are mowing!

The site is one big loop around this Mound, with a couple of small dead ends into the road nearest the facilities block, and one into an area with a great view of one of my favourite hills. When it rains this one has some great waterfalls running down it.

It is also the view from my caravan door! I love sitting in my new awning on a sunny evening watching the clouds.

I have been busy getting things to make my little caravan feel like home, particularly for the outdoor space.

My pitch at Speyside was a lot more of a natural environment, so I didn’t need as much, but here I have now got an awning,  a storage unit donated by my manager’s wife, and lots of lovely pots and planters, as well as many solar lights! The tins are my ones from Katy.

We have had a great start to the season, the weather has generally been good, with a very hot week where I got to wear my lovely uniform sunhat!

It has been so busy, we have been fully booked for weeks, with an average of 35 arrivals a day, so most of the afternoons are spent here, greeting campers.

Mornings vary, I have two early starts, on duty from 8am, doing site checks and office admin, checking arrivals and manning Reception. 

My two later starts I go straight to cleaning duties, this year that is very different as well as I clean as part of the team. Everything is in the one facilities block, at the end of the site.

This means I only clean the toilets once a week,  the other three days I am on showers and basins, or what we call, ‘outers’, which is dishwashing, laundry and the chemical toilet disposal.

I am enjoying the fact that the toilet block is newer and has smooth shower walls, rather than all that grouting I cleaned last year!

We have also had a couple of social events since we started, including two bbqs! They are such lovely people to live and work with, and I am really enjoying the experience. 

I get two days off a week, so have been doing some exploring. There is such to see and do here, both near and further afield, I am really excited to spend the summer here, still can’t believe that this is my life.

Hope you are having a great time whatever you are doing. Have fun and thanks for visiting. 

Coorieing in on the campsite

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The Scots have a phrase, ‘ to coorie in,’ which means to nestle, or snuggle in, which is what I am doing today.

I am having my first days off, now we are all on our normal rotas. Yesterday I did lots of cooking, and today I am cozied up under one of my new fleece blankets, with my heater on and a cup of tea in my Highland Cow mug. It is going to be a crochet day I think.

I am very glad that I did buy the lovely fleecy duvet set that was on sale in Asda at Inverness. I was in two minds as I already had a van full of stuff, but it has been so cosy!

As it is the end of the first week of normal work here in Glencoe, I thought I would give you an update on that, and go back to my London adventures next time.

I was originally planning to be here on the 12th March, however the towing date had to be changed, so Lotte and I set off from her winter home at Lossiemouth on the 17th. She had been parked next to a boat. She was a little green, but otherwise in good condition externally.

It was a beautiful day, starting with a gorgeous sunrise at the park up at Lossiemouth beach.

I was so happy to be back on the road with her, and thankfully there was no internal damp, and all my stored stuff was fine. After checking everything the day before we set off bright and early in the sunshine.

Although it was wet when I arrived here, the next few days were also brilliant sunshine, and we got so much groundwork done.

The site has been closed for winter, and there were lots of sticks to pick up, one of my constant jobs last summer, pitch markers to put back, and toilets to clean!

The weather has been really varied, after the sunny first three days we have had hail, strong winds, rain and blue skies, usually all within the same hour! I have loved taking pictures of how the mountains change, when you can see them of course 😉

The photo above is the view from my caravan door.

One of the main differences about this year’s role is that I am part of a team of 5, rather than 3 as last year. We have already had a couple of team socials, and they are an excellent bunch of people. 

My manager is a new manager this year, as at Speyside last year, but he was a site assistant last year here, so knows the site well. My other 3 colleagues are new to the role this year.

We will be much busier than Speyside ever was, opening last week we had the same number of arrivals as our busiest summer days there and we are full this coming Easter weekend. 

We also get a lot more just one night stays, from people touring Scotland, and a lot of hire vans.

After our hard work getting the site in order, we then went to Perth, back to the Scone Campsite for a day’s training on our new IT system for bookings.

We will be using tablets this year, which we take out with us to book people into pitches. That will take a bit of getting used to, but we have all now completed the on site training and have used them with customers.

On the way back from training I stopped to get a quick shot of the Mirror Man at Loch Earn.

We are also getting used to where things are here, it is a much larger site, with 60 hardstanding pitches, and a large tent field, which is rather soggy at the moment! We have had a few intrepid backpackers pitched there already.

The site also looks very different,  rather than lots of well cut grass, it is mainly hardstanding pitches around what is known as, ‘The Mound’, a raised area with paths mown through it, with the most amazing views.

Of course the main draw here are the amazing mountains. You can see from this photo of the map all the red contour lines around us.  We also have the gorgeous Loch Leven just down the road.

I am so looking forward to exploring more over the next few months.  This is an area that I have been to a couple of times before,  but have only ever visited briefly. I have so many smaller walks planned, along with just staring in awe at the mountains.

Just over 18 years ago, when I first started this blog, I wrote my, ‘About me’, page and I include the lines, ‘I love camping, and am happiest in a field, preferably with a view of the mountains, ‘. Therefore I can safely say that I think I am going to be very happy here!

It is a very dreich day, as the Scots say, this is my current view from the van, and sadly all those people coming for the weekend have a bit of a mixed forecast to look forward to. However, I have tested my waterproof trousers already, and am good to go!

Hopefully I will be back soon, so see you then.  Thanks for visiting and have fun!

Moral dilemmas

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The world of heritage and history is full of dilemmas. What should be displayed, how should stories be told, and how do we deal with the past that doesn’t fit current sensibilities?

I have been to many museums that have tried to address these things, the Pitt-Rivers in Oxford being a particularly good example. Often they will adopt the approach of explaining why these things were popular or acceptable at the time.

Whilst we were in Salamanca we came across a small museum that presented us with small dilemma.  The museum was dedicated to bull fighting. Always a contentious subject, but a very large part of Spanish culture. Should we go?

In the end we did, I knew that it would be full of the most amazing embroidery, and I am not of the opinion that things should be ignored because they are difficult. I would never go and watch a bull fight, but was interested to know more.

The displays of matador costumes were stunning. Spain does embroidery and gold work for costumes, such as the Moors and Christians, and the Semana Santa festivals, to such a high standard. 

It is particularly impressive as these costumes would be seen from a distance, rather than close up. The level of detail is amazing.

It was also notable that most of them were really small. There were costumes dating back to the 1940s, and they reminded me a lot of the stature of horse racing jockeys.

It was a very unique experience.  As with visiting historic houses and their stags,  the mounted bull heads were sad to see,  but the overall interpretation was very good.

It did address some of the contention around bull fights, and was very interesting in terms of learning more about the history, and the particular role of bull fighting in Salamanca. 

We also visited a nearby palace owned by the Dukes of Alba. As palaces go it was very much a liveable family home, the sort of place you could imagine, or dream about being in. It had beautiful views over the city from the living quarters as well, and a lovely bell tower.

There was also the most gorgeous tiled bathroom, complete with fully tiled toilet!

Salamanca is definitely one of my favourite cities. It has such a quiet charm, with so much to see. I know there are many other stunning Spanish cities to visit, but this one comes highly recommended.

Mum and I will hopefully be doing another city break in December, all will be revealed nearer the time, as this is somewhere we have tried to go before, and failed!

I am now safely installed at my new site for the 2026 season at Glencoe. Have had a fantastic few days working with my new team, and am really looking forward to the campsite opening next week.

I have lots to share about my Scottish adventures so far, but this is a little taste of where I will be spending the summer.

Here is Lotte the caravan in her new home, and this is the view from the campsite. It has been beautiful weather so we having been having lunch on this bench.

You can understand why I am so happy, given that mountains are my favourite things!

Thanks for visiting, and see you soon.

From Speyside to Deeside

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Although I could have stayed at the Tarland by Deeside campsite as part of my welfare weekends, I had already booked six nights there in September, so I ended up staying as part of my tour of the north east of Scotland after I finished my contract. This is an absolutely stunning area of the country, with the Dee similar to the Spey, a beautiful shallow river spanned by many Victorian iron bridges, with lots of pretty little towns and villages around it.

It is also castle country, so on the way there, and while I was staying I visited a few of the ones I have previously blogged about. I didn’t have time to visit all of the ones in the area, so am hoping to see a few more on my way up to my caravan storage this year.

The campsite is gorgeous, very similar to Speyside as it is very wooded, with shaded pitches and views of the hills.

The village with some lovely shops and cafes is within walking distance, and the first day I was there they had a food a drink festival, so I got to go and see some more fantastic pipe bands.

There are also the Tarland Trails near the campsite, with lots of purpose built mountain bike trails, and part of these are in Drummy Woods, which is right next to the site. I had a short walk through the woods after the food festival, and met some very nice cows!

As well as a couple of lovely chilled days sitting reading, stitching, and enjoying the peace and quiet, I also ticked off somewhere that has been on my bucket list for a long time. Several of the people I follow on Instagram have done this walk and it looked fantastic. Ciss Outdoors, who I have followed on Instagram for a while, has just set up a fantastic website full of useful information about hiking in Scotland and beyond. Sam Culley has a You Tube and Instagram that I have used when planning lots of my adventures in places like the Peak District and Yorkshire.

The walk was on the Balmoral Estate and covered visiting some of the memorial cairns built for Queen Victoria’s family. The royal family were there at Balmoral when I visited, so I couldn’t do the full trail, but did get to see Princess Beatrice’s and the famous Albert Memorial, which is a pyramid overlooking the edge of the Cairngorms.

This was an amazing moment, it is quite a steep climb, but so worth it, and a very emotional one for me. Those of you who have been following me for a long time know that I have had a number of issues with my mobility over the years.

For about five years before I retired I was struggling to walk, and needed a stick even to walk short distances in the last years, which was partly why I took early retirement. To be able to do all the things I do now, especially after a season of tough physical work, is amazing, and standing up there looking at these views is something I will never forget, and be eternally grateful for.

The following day I visited the nearby Muir of Dinnet, a nature reserve with trails up through the woodland, and around Loch Kinnord. It was a beautiful day, the views were stunning, and I had a quiet picnic by the loch, just thinking about how lucky I am.

If you get a chance to visit the area, please do. It is so beautiful, and a real undiscovered gem of Scotland.

I am on the final two days of life here in La Marina. It will be sad to leave, I have had a fantastic few months, but am SO EXCITED to be going back to the UK and to Scotland!!! I still have to pinch myself that this is my life, it really does keep getting better and better.

There will be a quiet couple of weeks, blog wise, as I am visiting friends and family, but then am having a couple of weeks of caravan life where amongst some outdoor activities, I will be mainly writing. I have been very disciplined this week and have gone back to the first novel, in an effort to finally finish it this year. The last few chapters are the most difficult, but really interesting, as they are the ones set at Hardwick Hall in the 1940s, so I have been doing lots of interesting research.

So until I see you again, have fun, and thanks for visiting.

Empty places

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Although I love visiting historic houses and castles full of textiles, and all of the possessions the owners have accumulated over the centuries, there is something really powerful about visiting those places that are ruined, either though the ravages of time, or single events that destroy the place.

I have visited a few of these in the last few years, and what strikes me about them is the ability to give a glimpse into how these places must have looked as they were being constructed. Bare walls, no roof, the stone or bricks the most important feature, without the distraction of tapestry hangings and wallpaper.

There is also the way that the light works in these buildings, often without windows and curtains to filter it, and the blinds to preserve the delicate fabrics from decay. There is a magical quality to the way the light illustrates the bare bones, the way that you see shadows, rather than wallpaper.

I recently visited somewhere that has been on my wishlist for a very long time. The birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, Linlithgow Palace, is just one of the many places that I have yet to go to, on my quest to know more about this fascinating woman. If you have been here for a while you may know that I have visited many of the places that Mary stayed, either by plan, or suddenly finding myself there. I have been interested in Mary for so many years, sparked by seeing her needlework at Hardwick Hall.

My first novel, which I am hoping to complete sometime this year, is centred around Hardwick, and I have really enjoyed the research for this, including reading more about Mary and her stitching. A couple of years ago I bought this fascinating book, which delves into Mary’s relationship with textiles, both her clothes and her needlework.

This was a different type of visit, to the empty palace where it all begin. Before she became a young widow, an exiled queen, and ultimately a prisoner, stitching alongside her companion Bess of Hardwick, gradually losing hope that Elizabeth would meet with her and grant her freedom.

It was a particularly significant day to visit, although I didn’t know when I was planning the trip, but this notice was on display in the entrance of the palace.

Such a beautiful and atmospheric place to spend a morning, and I am exceptionally glad that I was able to get there on this trip, as in the gift shop I found this wonderful book.

We have often joked as a family that everywhere we went, Mary seemed to have stayed, or slept, and this is going to form a large part of my planning for other Scottish visits this year, as there are many I was not aware of.

A couple of weeks later I visited Seaton Delavel Hall, on my way back to Yorkshire to catch up with friends. The hall was destroyed by fire around 200 years ago, so what remains to visit is a scarred and empty building, with the most wonderful architectural details to see. I loved the stairwells, the way the light streamed into them, and the fact that you could see the melted railings in the upper floors, recreated to ensure that visitors could access them.

Even though it was a dull day, the light was beautiful, and so were the gardens, with their displays of blossoms in my favourite colours. A beautiful place, and I am so glad it is still cared for and accessible.

I am at the start of my last full week here, so that means lots of last meals out and events with friends. I am very lucky to have such a great social life here in Spain, and this week will be out virtually every night. My poker skills have been improving, I even won a tournament a couple of weeks ago, coming second out of eight people, so am very happy about that, and have enjoyed learning the game a lot. This week also means the all important task of sorting out my projects for the coming year, and deciding which crafting stash is coming with me, based on that.

I will have time for one more post before I leave, have just returned from a marvellous trip here in Spain but will leave that for a while as I need to finish the Scottish and Yorkshire adventures first. So will see you all here next week. Hope you all have a very happy week whatever you are doing, and thanks for visiting.

A different kind of textile heritage

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Although I love visiting historic houses such as the many castles in Scotland, I also really enjoy industrial textile heritage as well. I have posted before about some of the textile heritage that is represented in the Great Tapestry of Scotland, and mentioned Dundee in particular, celebrating the city’s nickname of, ‘Juteopolis’.

I have friends from Yorkshire who have lived near Dundee for many years, and on my second visit to them this summer I took the chance to see some more of the things that they had been telling me about. Dundee was famous for three Js, Jam, Journalism and Jute, and on my last visit we went to Arbroath and saw the many strawberry greenhouses there, that go to make the famous jams. This time it was the turn of the jute production.

The Verdant Works is a fascinating museum, in the heart of the city, it is housed in an old jute factory. The name suggests greenery, somewhere lush and beautiful, and this is anything but. A beautifully restored building, but you can only imagine how dirty and dusty it was when production was at its peak.

What I love about textile heritage, is that it permeates every aspect of our lives. You’ve probably never thought about jute, but it was once one of the most important materials for making the bags that transported everything. At its height in the late 1800s the industry employed 50,000 people, and brought many migrant workers to live in the city.

What was particularly interesting about the museum was the focus on the engineering. A lot of the displays are video based, so I don’t have much in the way of photos, but it was fascinating seeing all of the stages of jute production, and thinking about the many engineers that were needed to build and maintain these machines. The main hall is given over to reproductions of some of the earliest engines that helped shape the Industrial Revolution.

As with most industrialised textile production, it was a female dominated workforce in terms of the labour handling the many bobbins and weaving machines needed to produce the jute, and male dominated for the engineering and foremen. This led to Dundee having a reputation for being led by strong women, with lots of links to early equality campaigns.

I loved the many pictures of the women who worked there, in their jute aprons and flowered overalls. Just sobering to think about the very hard lives that they had, a world away from the women embroidering the gorgeous needlepoint cushions at Fyvie Castle!

There were also links with the Empire, as the jute was imported from India, and you may remember this beautiful panel from The Great Tapestry celebrating those links as well. A really fascinating museum for anyone interested in social history, and I would really recommend a visit.

While looking for background information for this post I came across another tapestry, this time just concentrating on the history of Dundee, the exhibition was at the V and A in the city, and has sadly finished, however there is another fantastic representation of the industry in stitches here.

Being the first post of 2026, and having missed my blogaversary in December, and my all important 1,000 post celebration as well, I thought I would end with a little reflection on Stitches of Time. This is post number 1,024, over the last just over 18 years. My 1,000 post was actually one about travels in Spain, published in Feb 2025. The very first post, as I think I have mentioned before, was about Christmas ornaments, published in Dec 2007.

My most viewed post every month is usually the one about my tablecloth jacket, which is lovely as it is one of my all time favourite makes, and has been worn so many times.

It is difficult to gives stats for how many people have visited my blog since it started, as there was a change in the way the figures were collected in 2021, but since then I have had 89,100 visitors, which is absolutely amazing! My top three countries that visitors come from are the USA, UK and Australia, but I actually have had visitors in that time from 165 countries, which is incredible :-0

So a huge thank you to all of you for your visits, likes, comments, and general appreciation of my sharing my life and loves. Hope that you have a very good 2026 and that you and your loved ones are safe, well and happy.

Until next time, thanks for visiting, each and every one of you lovely people!