Passing Places Around Scotland

A short boat trip to visit the magical island of Inchcailloch just off the eastern shores of Loch Lomond adjacent to Balmaha. A wonderful day trip or even just for a few hours to walk in the woodlands. There is a small camp site at the south end of the island which must be booked in advance. Boat services are available from Balmaha and Luss as well as Lomond Shores in peak season. Many people visit the island in their own boats or canoes too. [codepeople-post-map]

Just a short piece of audio to let you know that Passing Places Around Scotland will be back with new episodes as soon as we are re-listed in iTunes.

Our clocks are back to GMT and the long dark days of winter are upon us. Visiting Scotland in the winter though can still be a really positive experience especially if you enjoy your winter sports like skiing and hill walking. Star gazing, renting cozy cottages with open fires, enjoying city breaks for Christmas shopping or celebrating Hogmanay can all be included as good reasons why you might want to visit Scotland this winter.

Motorhome essentials & Scottish hill walking A conversation with a Passing Places listener Iain Gillepsie all about motorhomes, campervans, hillwaking , munro bagging and long distance footpaths in Scotland. It was great to catch up with Iain and to share some thoughts on how best to travel around Scotland and suggestions on essential equipment and places to go in Scotland. So if you would like to be a guest on the podcast please don't hesitate to get in touch. Equally if you would like more information on where to go in Scotland or what to do on your Scottish adventure then get in touch with the podcast.

Out geocaching & finally seeing the Northern Lights This week I'm out rediscovering the very enjoyable pastime of geocaching with Caitlin during the school half term holidays and finally after chasing potential sightings of the Northern Lights all over mainland Scotland and the islands I finally catch up with them in a local field by my home!

Out on the Rob Roy Way I have enjoyed some great walking over the past week or so not only out on the Rob Roy Way where I had the chance to look at the Corrie Aqueduct, part of the Loch Katrine water supply infrastructure to Glasgow but I also visited the Loup of Fintry waterfall near the village of Fintry next to the Campsie Fells. It was well worth a visit as the recent rainfall had really swollen the river levels. We are finally giving up the fantastic weather and Scotland is now moving on and into the Autumn so at least we have the colours of Autumn still to look forward to.

The Rob Roy Way and also the Carron Valley The past two weeks have been great in terms of the weather and I have been out building up my basic walking fitness every day. In this weeks episode I have audio from the Carron Valley and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. I also spent a weekend at Strathyre and walked along the Rob Roy Way along the side of Loch Lubnaig. Skid (my Jack Russell) has been picking up ticks on our recent walks so I discuss the Scottish tick, some of the issues and how to remove them.

Hill Walking near Glasgow and visiting Glasgow Parks Enjoying some late summer sunshine this week as I wander the Kilpatrick hills above Glasgow and then pay a visit to Bellahouston Park, the site of the famous Empire Exhibition in 1938 and now home to the Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed House for an Art Lover which was completed in 1995 from original plans produced by Mackintosh in 1901. Glasgow has a large number of public parks, far more than many cities and the majority of them well worth a visit.

Outdoors in Scotland Lots of audio clips from Balmaha, Duncryne Hill and around Stirling as I spend a week counting steps in the great outdoors. I'm using my fitness tracker and local walks to see if I can get back to some form of fitness. Walking in Scotland especially in fine weather is a real pleasure. September is a great month as summer comes to end and the first signs of Autumn appear. I spend time tracking down a few memories of Tom Weir as well as tackling some local forest paths.

Another visit to the East Neuk of Fife to one of the coastal fishing villages which is now popular with tourists. Don't forget to pop into the Fishing Museum. I stayed at the Silverdyke Caravan Park in Cellardyke and enjoyed the walk into Anstruther through the fishermens cottages past Cellardyke harbour and enjoyed a coffee and some people watching opposite Anstruther harbour. Would suggest you consider taking a boat trip out to the Isle of May to see the seabirds and seals or take the new boat service over to North Berwick for the day. All the boat trips are seasonal so check online.

Flanders Moss nature Reserve Its great to be back in front of the microphone (yet another new one) after being absent for many months. I make a few visits to Flanders Moss a national nature reserve near Stirling, some audio from the Western Isles and I update listeners on up and coming developments in the Passing Places podcast.

A real wander around Scotland in this episode. I have spent a fair amount of time in recent weeks clocking up some serious mileage all over Scotland including Angus, Fife, Stirlingshire and the Highlands. As always I'm chasing the weather, the northern lights and the quieter more remote parts of Scotland. In this episode however I also spend a few days in the busy harbour at Peterhead as well as few great nights at Cruden Bay.

Visiting Skye & appearing on The Motorhome Podcast I'm finally back in front of the microphone. In this weeks episode I cover some of my recent trip to Skye as well as giving you some idea of where I have been the past two months. I have also included an excerpt from my recent appearance on The Motorhome Podcast. Finally I also include some musical audio from the Mull of Kintrye.

East Neuk of Fife and Kirriemuir Angus A great few days on the east side of Scotland. Some days spent adjacent to the wonderful villages on the Fife Coastal Path. The coastal villages of St Monan's, Anstruther, Elie, Earslferry, Pittenweem and Crail are often referred to as the strings of pearls. Its a wonderful location for walking and enjoying the very best of the Kingdom of Fife. The second half of the podcast is based in the small town of Kirriemuir in Angus. I mention J.M. Barrie and his famous novel Peter Pan. I also reflect on my imminent trip to the the Isle of Skye.

On The Mull of Kintyre at Easter The ten days or so I spent on the Mull of Kintyre delivered some great weather, magical sunsets on glorious beaches and a number of starlit nights watching the International Space Station tracking overhead. I also enjoyed a brief stop at Butter Bridge in Glen Kinglas on my way home. It was a lovely day and a great spot to have a break, take in the views and paddle in the river. The Mull of Kintyre is almost a hidden gem, shunned by many of the tourists in their rush to head north to the more famous locations of Oban, Fort William and Inverness. It really is a special place and remarkably quiet even on an Easter bank holiday week-end.

Interview with Glen Moyer from Louisana USA I'm on the Mull of Kintyre in my van talking to a new friend living across the pond about his impending visit to Scotland. It's also a birthday week and I'm enjoying being away for my birthday and finally again introducing new voices to Passing Places. It's great to see technology linking the wider Scottish diaspora to each other and finally rejoining all the Scottish connections across the globe. The internet is bringing people together so check out Glen's blog A Glen in Scotland and for the motorhome and caravan folk I also cover one possible way how you could possibly connect to the web using your mobile phone. I'll be back next week with more details of my current travels in the motorhome. I'm back on the road travelling around Scotland.

Culloden & Glasgow's Link to Slavery A busy week on the podcast wandering from London to Glasgow. I share some thoughts on the Commonwealth Games and the current controversy around the permission to allow a private housing development on the Culloden Battlefied outside Inverness. Please checkout the current planning decision about Culloden. It is a site of international importance and one which has been failed by the current planning regulations in Scotland.

It is now spring in Scotland and I visit Aberfoyle and the Loch Ard area of the Trossachs and for the first time provide an update on the buzz which is being created around the Scottish vote on independence which will take place this September.

The Hills north of Glasgow Whilst Glasgow unfairly has a reputation merely as an industrial city, it sits in a most beautiful location with some wonderful hills minutes away from the city. In Passing Places this week I visit The Campsie Fells and mention the exodus of Glaswegians in the 1900's and beyond, as they escaped the smog and discovered the magic of the Scottish countryside. In particular I talk about Tom Weir one of the the most influential men of his time in his ability to share his passion for Scotland. He is remembered by most, for his STV series Weirs Way but he was much more than that. He was a naturalist, acclaimed climber, prolific writer, photographer and a fantastic ambassador for the wild places of Scotland. I hope to produce an episode of Passing Places this year all about Tom Weir and the current campaign to erect a statue in his memory on the banks of Loch Lomond.

Balmaha Rowardennan Conic Hill & Ben Lomond In the podcast this week I discuss the merits of visiting the East side of Loch Lomond and taking in a boat trip to some of the many fifty plus islands. I also talk about climbing Conic hill, walking the West Highland Way and bagging Ben Lomond perhaps your first munro? The area is beautiful and as well as walking and water sports there are two campsites on the east side of Loch Lomond. Finish your day in either the Rowardennan Hotel or the Oak Tree Inn at Balmaha.