Photos, videos and docs of JayOh (John Owles), with the keywords: "scotland"

Noss Light, Caithness

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 22:26:40 +0000

Up to NE Scotland for my contribution to this week's wall. A summer picture to offset the current cold and damp weather
HWW to you all. X

HWW Dunnet Head Across to the Pentland Firth Towards Orkney

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 08:01:05 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

Penthland Firth is the name of the treacherous strait between Caithness and the Orkney Islands. It was- and is - a very dangerous area for shipping because it has one of the most powerful tidal currents in the world. This can create tidal swell waves several metres in height. In the eastern part of the strait, currents up to 16 knots have been measured.

Areas where the current and the tidal swell are particularly pronounced have been given names such as The Merry Men of May and The Swilkie. The latter also sometimes creates a maelstrom or whirlpool. The name Swilkie has Nordic origins meaning something like “the swallower”. According to a legend, said to date back to Viking times and also known from the Younger Edda, the maelstrom is created by a sea witch rotating the quern that grinds salt for the sea – hence the word maelstrom (mael = grind; strom = current). The Swilkie originates from a point on the small island of Stroma, whose name also has Nordic origins: “Strøm Ø” (Current Island). The place names clearly speak of the dangers of the strait!

From the Viking Museum, Denmark
www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/education/the-viking-age-geography/the-vikings-in-the-west/scotland/pentland-firth

The name, Pentland Firth, is presumed to be a corruption of the Old Norse "Petlandsfjörð", meaning "the fjord of Pictland"

Prior to the Norse occupation of Orkney the strait was known as the "Sea of Orcs" – a reference to the Pictish tribe who inhabited Orkney. Such was their marine prowess that there are also instances of this name referring to the sea lanes of the entire west coast of Scotland down to Kintyre. One version of the 9th-century Historia Brittonum states that "the Britons originally filled the whole island with their peoples from the English Channel to the Sea of Orcs.

From Wikipedia

The impressive Dunrobin Castle

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 23:45:46 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

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Loch of the Lowes

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 20:20:44 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

A beautiful loch but but very restrictive. While understanding the need for osprey security, the regeme does not make for a somewhat 'open prison' atmosphere so it does not feel particularly welcoming for the friendly visitor.

Loch of the Lowes

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 20:21:40 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

Loch of the Lowes

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 20:22:12 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

Loch of the Lowes

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 20:22:46 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

Golden Burn - Baile an Or, Kildonan

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 23:09:23 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

The site of Scotlands brief gold rush of 1868. There is still gold to be found in the burns of the surrounding area and people can still be found panning the stream beds.

What Is All This Gold Nonsence? I'm After The Rabbits

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 23:09:58 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

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Gold

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 23:10:29 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

If you look closely, the bright specs are indeed minute flecks of genuine gold in the fine silt covering the rocks. We did not have a gold pan when we visited so we filtered some of the silt into my handkerchief and placed the bundle in a polythene bag which was later put into a plastic containner and frozen for the journey. As soon as we have the time we will have a go at extracting the "treasure", such as it is. Where is that microscope.

Golden Burn - Kildonan

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 23:10:57 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

The site of Scotlands brief gold rush of 1868. There is still gold to be found in the burns of the surrounding area and people can still be found panning the stream beds.

Golden Burn - Kildonan

nobody@ipernity.com (JayOh (John Owles)) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 23:11:37 +0000

JayOh (John Owles) has posted:

The site of Scotlands brief gold rush of 1868. There is still gold to be found in the burns of the surrounding area and people can still be found panning the stream beds.