Category Archives: Women Writers

To Ullapool, Almost

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Our little sunrise excursion to the cliffs of Duncansby left us a bit chilled; we returned to Bencorragh House for a warm shower and a good breakfast and then headed south along the coast of Caithness. The A99 runs from … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Dornach Castle Hotel, Eco-travel, Hill O'Many Stanes, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Scottish Dialect, Sutherland, Travel, Uncategorized, Whisky, Whisky tasting, Women Writers | Leave a comment

Sunrise

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Sunrise was a 6:47 AM. At 6:00, we quickly dressed and quietly left the Bencorragh House, heading in to the pre-dawn mists and driving the narrow country roads out past John O’Groats to the single track road that crosses the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Duncansby Head, Duncansby Stacks, Eco-travel, John O'Groats, Orkneyinga Saga, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Leave a comment

Circles, Rings & Stones

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Sunday morning was bright and sunny; after we left Lana & Billy’s Orcadian Crafts shop in Kirkwall, we drove around the Mainland to continue our tour. The objective for the day was to avoid the tour buses which were out … Continue reading →

Posted in Maeshowe, Orkney, Ring of Brodgar, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Skara Brae, Stromness, Travel, Uncategorized, Winter Solstice, Women Writers | Leave a comment

Knitting Yarns & Weaving Tales

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

And so the long awaited evening at Lana’s arrived. After a little bit of confusion in finding her house, we were welcomed warmly by her husband, Billy. I immediately recognized him from my visit to their shop in Kirkwall nearly … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Kirwall Ba', Orkney, Orkneyinga Saga, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Leave a comment

The Mainland, Orkney

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Orkney is a special place filled with ancient sites and the peacefulness that island life creates. Orkney gets its name from the Old Norse name Orkneyjar (Orc-nee-yahr), “Seal Islands”. When they arrived in the ninth century, the Norsemen heard the … Continue reading →

Posted in Eco-travel, Maes Howe, Orkney, Orkneyinga Saga, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Winter Solstice, Women Writers | Leave a comment

At Bencorragh House

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

We arrived at the front door of Bencorragh House in Upper Gills, near John O’Groats, and it was opened by Sandy Barton with a cheerful welcome that was quickly followed by the news that our luggage had not been delivered … Continue reading →

Posted in Eco-travel, Orkney, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Hamish

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Kate Cowie Riley

As Kyle and Liisa and I drove up through the Trossachs from Stirling, we took the A84 with a planned stop at the The Trossachs Woolen Mill at Kilmahog, near Callander. We all made good use of the woolen mill shop, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Tagged | Leave a comment

No Horsing Around By the Water

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Kate Cowie Riley

The mythical kelpie is a supernatural water horse that was said to haunt Scotland’s lochs and lonely rivers. One is recorded as being banished by St Columba from the River Ness. The river Conon (Conan) in Perthshire, which can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Fraser & Cowie

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Kate Cowie Riley

Scottish clans, from the Gàidhlig clann, “progeny” or clanna, “children” was historically a symbol of the unity and strength of the different groups, families, tribes (if you will) of the Highland areas. Families pledged loyalty to a certain chief, and in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Plaids, Tartans & Tweeds

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Kate Cowie Riley

My son, Kyle, is getting married in a few weeks. As a member of the Cowie family, he will be wearing a Fraser Ancient Hunting “Great Kilt”. “But aren’t all kilts great?” one might ask. Well, yes they are! The … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Scottish Dialect, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment