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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Saint Conan's Church, Lochawe Village, Argyll. The area around Loch Awe offers the visitor many attractions.  I focus this week on St Conan's Kirk, a real gem, located in the village of Lochawe.  The church is a truly unique, one off example, of an amateur architects vision of a church.  It's free to visit and never busy. Almost every period of architectural design is included in the building. I can't recommend a visit highly enough. The whole area around Loch Awe from the fishing, the...

The Clyde steamers mark a remarkable period in Scottish history where people from the central belt, from the poor to the rich, enjoyed the dramatic scenery and landscapes of the The Firth of Clyde.  For over a hundred years until the 1950's over 300 steamers transported passengers throughout the area.  I also talk about the The Kelpies, the dramatic new horse head sculptures on the Forth Canal near Falkirk. I also rejoice in the fact I'm finally back in my van. I make what turns out to be...

The Rob Roy Way & Camping in the Loch Lomond National Park Out and about in The Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park in search of Rob Roy MacGregor, a Scottish Robin Hood romanticised in Scottish history and a half baked notion to walk The Rob Roy Way, a lovely long distance footpath from Drymen to Pitlochry.  I also drop into the newly completed visitor amenities located on Loch Lubnaig just north of Callander. The national park have a development plan for the five lochs in...

A Happy New Year from Scotland to everybody who listens to Passing Places. In this weeks episode of the podcast I make a few New Year resolutions and a couple of predictions for 2014.  This year is the most significant year in the  history of Scotland. As a nation we face the momentous decision on regaining our independence for our country.  I'm confident that Scotland will vote positively for such a change. I also feel certain that 2014 will redefine our place in the cosmos. The knowledge...