Nothing marks the passage of time like going back somewhere you haven't been for a while. You might think the hills would be an exception: they've barely changed in thousands of years. "We can see thirty miles," said my companion, looking northwest from Meall na Teanga, "and not a sign of human activity."But though the hills haven't changed, wait long enough, and you will! I've written ..read more

The people you know form a large part of who you are. I used to believe your personality was in-built and unique to each of us. As I got older of course, the massive importance of nurture - the genetic and social influence of your parents - became ever more obvious. And now, I know for sure the people you surround yourself with are also crucial.The reason I know this is rooted in an event over ..read more

Scotland is home to many races and events, from The Cape Wrath Ultra, a largely pathless 250-mile ultramarathon fom Fort William Cape Wrath, to the Subcrawl, a largely pissed circuit of Glasgow pubs. But what races should exist that don't? Here's a few that come to mind:The Royal Mile. A mile race uphill from Holyrood Palace to Edinburgh Castle. The winner gets to activate a plunger in the ..read more

How long does it take to write a book?It depends who you ask.Barbara Cartland could churn one out every few weeks.George RR Martin has taken over a decade to write his next book, with no sign of it appearing.But for me the answer is clear: three years.Three years ago I released Scotland's Story, Book One, a history of Scotland from the Ice Age to the Battle of Flodden in 1513.Book Two is finally ..read more

 In Part 1, we visited the first two tops of Holyrood Park: Haggis Knowe and Salisbury Crags. It's time to take a wander over the rest!From Salisbury Crags, a memorable vista of central Edinburgh opens up. Yet above you is a higher top, Arthur's Seat - the summit of Holyrood Park.  It's twice as high above the city, so surely the views from up there are twice as good? They aren't ..read more

My colleague and I were cooking up a plan. Leave work in Edinburgh - run over Arthur's Seat - a couple of pints in the Sheep's Heid Inn in Duddingston - taxi home. Yes! And have you noticed there are seven tops in Holyrood Park - let's do them all! Yes! And make sure we do it on a fine evening! Yes! And let's invite a few friends to make it even more fun!Yes! And let's hold off until everyone's ..read more

It's mind-blowing that someone like you or me can walk in off the street and consult original 17th century source material at the national library! Yet that is what membership of the National Library of Scotland gets you. Membership is free and open to all, and so long as you can get to George IV Bridge in Edinburgh during opening hours, it is yours to enjoy. The library has a legal right to ..read more

I always thought Caithness was a flat county, beyond the hills. Morven, Scaraben, and Maiden Pap beg to differ.Approaching Braemore:Maiden Pap must be one of the most distinctive small hills in the country, yet it is virtually unknown.From some angles it looks like the Roseberry Topping of Caithness (which itself is the 'Matterhorn of Yorkshire'). From other angles it lives up to its name, an ..read more

We have a king, and his name is Charles - Prince Charles, if you must know, which I can't stop calling him. I know it's wrong, but whenever "King Charles" gets mentioned I pause, just for a second, to figure out who they are talking about. Remember as a child forgetting the new year had come, and by sheer force of habit, writing the old year in your jotter on your first day back at school after ..read more

Kilantringan Bay has haunted my dreams for the best part of two decades. We'd driven to the lighthouse for sunset after the Stranraer half marathon. Ireland lay clear across the water, velvet on gold as the sun sank. The breeze whipped up a wee bit colder, sea air in our lungs, as the lighthouse above us began its revolutions. Away in Ireland, other headlands winked back.  Leaving Kilantringan ..read more