The south of Scotland is a region very dear to my heart; it is here that my home city of Edinburgh lies, and here that I have dwelt for most of my life. It is often overlooked in favour of the Highlands to the north, both by visitors to the country and by Scots themselves – but it contains some landscapes and locations that are the equal of any on offer elsewhere. I have come to know it very well, both through my hiking trips and through researching my book, and I hope to be able to use this site to showcase some of the finest things the region has to offer.
South Scotland formed the northern half of the ‘Old North’; the land of the Celtic Britons who inhabited northern Britain before England and Scotland came into being. The culture of this Old North is the subject matter of my book, and exploring it has allowed me to see the landscape in a new light; to seek out some adventures that I would never have encountered otherwise. I will steadily publish details on more of these on this page – and do have a look at the Northern England page too, as a great many of the narratives connected to the Old North criss-cross the border. I hope the articles below will prove fascinating reading…
The White Stag – the Lost Origin Legends of Edinburgh – Tracing the Brythonic roots of a set of ancient legends recounting the origins of Edinburgh and the towns of the Pentland region.
The “Wild Heart Way” – a New Long-distance Trekking Route for South Scotland? – Route map and guide to a new hiking route I have proposed, connecting the city of Edinburgh with some of the wildest and most beautiful stretches of the Southern Upland hills.
The Way, the Woods & the Wells – Traquair – A journey along the Southern Upland Way to some enigmatic ancient remains. There is a riddle to be answered in the Tweeddale Hills; can traces of the cult of a lost goddess be recovered from a string of holy wells bearing a distinct and unusual name?
The Lost Valley of South Scotland – A hiking route from an old Southern Upland spa town to one of the region’s most evocative summits, taking in some extraordinary scenery and traces of legend along the way
Summer’s End: Manor Valley & the Thief’s Road – A hiking route through the Iron Age & Dark Age ruins in the hill country south of Peebles
The Ghosts of Ettrick Forest – A beautiful trekking route through the central Southern Uplands, exploring hillforts, stone circles, a Tibetan monastery and the remains of the ancient Ettrick Forest.
The Endless Knot- Edinburgh’s Forgotten Celtic Art – A showcase of a little-known repository of art from the Celtic Revival, hidden in the heart of Edinburgh
The Isles of Life & Death – An account of a journey by packraft to some islands in Loch Awe, that proved to intersect in some surprising ways with the inheritance of the Old North
Arthur’s Mountain – Echoes of Mythology in the Arrochar Alps – A photographic journey through the mountains on the northwestern edge of the Old North, examining some of the theories that might explain the presence there of an unusually high density of placenames referring to Arthurian legend