The word is a very exciting place

One of the most recognisable and well known place in Scotland, is Loch Ness. It's surface shines in the sun, its banks dotted with trees and vegetation, it's flanks topped with small curvy roads, and of course, it has a very well known resident (apparently) We didn't get to see Nessie (which was a shame) but we did get some amazing views of the Loch, before heading to the castle on the loch, Urquhart castle.                                                 James desperately hunting for Nessie!                                         You can see just how clean and serene the Loch is. The castle is almost entirely ruined. There's not a great amount of information there, the information centre was crowded, and you are herded like sheep into a projector ...

I don't think there is any more scenery in the United Kingdom more beautiful than the Cairngorns. Rugged, impassive, wild and ripped, the mountains demand your attention as you drive past them. Thor himself couldn't' move them.  Beautiful arn't they. Now this was April, it wasn't the depths of winter, yet the place was freezing. It's hard to imagine how our ancestors would have coped in such adverse weather conditions. We only stood outside for a little while before we had to dive back into the car to warm up again, before heading to Inverness. We only had the afternoon in Inverness, and theres wasn't a great lot of things to do there. we had a wander round the centre, saw a bit of the town, and i discivered what i think to be one of my all time favouite pieces of art. I aw it, and was blown away by its beauty. Such a simple but effective piece of work. Leaves on the floor are something we always see here, living in England. But here they ar...

St Andrews is a coastal and university town in Scotland. Its got a long history, and also a lot to do. Beaches, castles, cathedrals and ice cream, you'll find something for everyone here. Me and James were stood at the top of the castle, looking down over the beach and out to see, which was beautiful. One of the guys on the beach was holding a bottle of prosecco, and waved to me, so I waved back. The guy then walked off round the beach, and I stayed at the top, looking out over the sea. James then came over a minute later, slightly mortified,and said that the young guy with the prosecco had literally gone behind the castle wall, unzipped his trousers flashed his ding don and had a long pee against the castle wall, perhaps unaware that there was half a dozen people above him and seeing everything. As he came back round, he waved again to me, and without thinking, I shouted down to him "No wonder you needed a pee, drinking all that prosecco" He shouted "F**k o...

We had spent most of the day in Edinburgh, but couldn't miss up a chance to visit Dunfermline. We didn't get to see the town itself much, we did get to see the incredible ruined abbey and cathedral. The place is amazing, there's so much to see, don't try to fit it all in two hours like we had to. The ruins are beautiful, so light and airy, and the cathedral itself is very nicely done.  We paid something silly like £5 for entrance to the complex, and there was so much more, we wouldn't have minded paying double, like in many other places, which have only half as much. There's also a great little park behind as well, where squirrels run riot around the place, and there's also a very unusual double bridge, which you can just about make out in the bottom picture.

Okay, so as Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, you'd think it would have tonnes of things to see and do. But actually, not so much. James had already been to the castle, so we didn't bother going, but we did go to the National Museum. There's some really interesting artefact's there, but its such a huge museum, it was quite easy to get lost and then missing bits and pieces out. But the roof terrace has an amazing view, as well as some infamous irn bru advertising!  This is the view from Carton hill. Apparently, when this was to be finished, it would have been an exact recreation of the Acropolis in Athens!                                                            The legendary Forth bridge!                                 ...

Hovedoya is one of the largest islands near Oslo, it's easy to get to by ferry, and is rather special. The island is beautiful. Quiet and calm, it gives you some amazing views over the waters and other islands nearby. It's also got a little ruined monastery which you can explore. Just take care as there can still be ice everywhere!