The day a Scotsman told the king to f*ck off - Another true royal story
A number of years ago, Jenny and Adam Watson’s phone rang. Adam answered it and was met by a very plummy voice asking to speak to ‘Mrs Watson’.

‘Certainly, may I ask who’s calling?’

‘Yes, it’s Charles, Prince of Wales.’

Holding the phone to his chest with some scepticism, Adam whispered to his wife, ‘I think Prince Charles is on the phone for you.’

And, sure enough, it was. HRH was vexed about some local issue and wished to discuss it with Jenny, a councilor at that time. After a brief conversation the prince invited Jenny and Adam to tea on the Balmoral estate so they could continue the discussion in a bit more detail.

Some days later Jenny and Adam duly arrived at Birkhall, on the Balmoral Estate, and met with Charles to discuss the issue that was weighing on his mind. After a period of time, when he was satisfied he’d got up to speed with the relevant information from Jenny, he changed tack to discuss something else that was on his mind.

'I've got a problem', said Charles.

1/3 ‘Do you know Gordon of Abergeldie?’ continued the prince.

Those unfamiliar with the machinations of Deeside aristocracy would be forgiven for not knowing that there has apparently been bad blood between the Gordons of Abergeldie and the royal family right from the time of Queen Victoria. Why this should be I’ve no idea, but seemingly the rift did — does? — run deep. The Gordons have held Abergeldie for centuries, and it borders the Balmoral estate.

‘Yes,’ said Adam. ‘I know him well enough.’

‘I’ve simply tried everything to welcome him; to be a friendly neighbour. But he just won’t have it,’ said Charles. ‘I’ve invited him to tea, even, but nothing.’

Adam and Jenny were unable to proffer any advice to the prince on the specific subject of how he might ingratiate himself to his Abergeldie neighbour. With a shrug of the shoulders Charles then recounted an astonishing recent episode where he’d had an altercation with Gordon.

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1. Eas Fors Waterfall on the Isle of Mull, Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and Bredon Hill in Worcestershire all have something very unusual in common: they are all tautological place names.

To put it another way, their names are triply redundant.

Still unsure?

1.

It is when a name means the same thing in multiple languages.

Eas Fors Waterfall

1. Eas = waterfall (Gaelic)
2. Fors = waterfall (Norse, as in ‘force’ in northern England)
3. Waterfall (English)

One of the very few names in Scotland with three names for the same feature.

2.

The well-known town of Kirkintilloch (Kirky to locals) lies just north of Glasgow. Its name, like Stenhousemuir's, can trace its origins back 2,000 years, well before Gaelic came to Scotland.

Spoiler alert: it has nothing whatsoever to do with a 'kirk' (church).

1. The name is in three sections Kir-kin-tilloch. The first part, 'Kir', is from an ancient Brythonic word for 'fort': caer. The fort in question is the old Roman fort of the Antonine wall, situated in what is now Peel Park in the middle of the town.

2.

To most people, the town of Stenhousemuir is little more than a funny-sounding name they'll have heard on the Saturday classified football results. Few will give it a second thought. However, its origin makes for one of the most intriguing place-names in Scotland.

1/n The third part of the name, muir, is straightforward enough. It simply means "moor": an area of uncultivated land, usually of questionable agricultural quality. However, it's the first two parts of the name that are so interesting, and whose geneses go back 2,000 years.

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What happens when an immovable object meets an irresistible force? Well, when faced with one of the world's oldest rivers, the irresistible force loses. Such is the case in the Appalachian Mountains, where not even moving tectonic plates could subdue an ancient watercourse.

1/n Starting off in North Carolina, the oddly-titled New River runs north into Virginia then onward until it meets the Ohio River and then to the sea via the Mississippi. In southern Virginia, though, it passes through part of the Appalachians.

I say 'pass' rather than 'cuts'.

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In the state of Wyoming in the USA lies a real hydrological oddity. It's a small stream (creek) that is thought to be the only one of very few examples in the world. It is placed so precariously and perfectly that it's hard to believe it is able to exist.

1/n The stream in question is called North Two Ocean Creek, and for a short duration it runs right on top of the Continental divide for North America. What makes this creek so unusual is that as it spills out onto Two Ocean Pass it bifurcates.

"So what?", you might say.
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The small Norwegian village of Skjolden (pop: 238) looks absolutely unremarkable on a map. Little more than a small settlement in inland Norway, surrounded by pretty mountains. However, and remarkably, Skjolden is actually a seaside village.

1/n Skjolden is at the farthest extremity of the mighty Sognefjord, a seawater fjord that extends deeply into the Norwegian west coast.

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I love the old counties of Britain before they were monkeyed around with. The way that there's no 'London' or 'Glasgow'. No 'Liverpool' or 'West Midlands' (urgh). Glasgow is Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire (two ancient towns in their own right). Yorkshire is absolutely huge.

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To see proud old counties like 'Huntingdonshire' and 'Westmorland' consumed by larger neighbours is a travesty. Look also how the new Cumbria has annexed the Barrow-in-Furness peninsula of Lancashire. Absolutely criminal.

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The name London is so ubiquitous that few people stop to think about where it originates. Like so many names in England, pre-dates the Roman conquest of that part of the world. And it is almost certainly nothing to do with King Lud, as popularised by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

1/n The Roman name for what is now London was Londinium. But this is merely a Latin rendition of an existing name.

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Image link: londontopia.net/site-news/feat…

Loch Lomond is arguably Scotland’s best-known stretch of water, no doubt due to its proximity to Glasgow and the large population centres of Central Scotland. It is dissected by the Highland boundary fault line, and has some unique characteristics.

1/n The loch is divided into two distinctive parts: the broad and shallow Lowland section with many islands, and the narrow and deep Highland section.

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A stellar day above Glen Lyon today, with sublime views. However, the North Chesthill estate does everything it can to dissuade/scare walkers from even leaving the car park.

Here’s what I found today.

1/6 Directly below the rip-off car park (£8.20, thank you. KERCHING) signage, the first misrepresentation/bastardisation of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code is displayed prominently, telling people to walk elsewhere. A clear breach of the code.

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Today I fulfilled a long-held ambition. I visited the wilds of upper Glen Lyon to see the pagan shrine which houses stones used in the only Celtic ritual in Europe that survives in its original form, possibly since the Bronze Age (1200 B.C.).

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Tigh nam Bodach is a rare surviving pagan relic. A small stone structure shelters a set of smooth, human-like stones, thought to represent an ancient family: the Bodach (old man), the Cailleach (old woman), and their children.

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On this day in 1692, one of Scotland's most infamous episodes took place at Glen Coe. Government troops, under the leadership of a Scottish captain, Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, attacked and killed the hosts of the houses they were guests in.

1/n After the 1688 Glorious Revolution, William III required Scottish clans to swear allegiance by 1 January 1692. Alasdair MacDonald of Glen Coe attempted to take the oath but was delayed by bad weather. Despite swearing fealty on 6 January, his clan was marked for punishment.

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Aberdeen is Scotland's third largest city. Its name is ancient, and taken from the river that drains into the sea close to where the city stands. However, despite what many people think, it's not the River Dee that it takes its name from.
1/n Slightly farther to the north from where the Dee spills into the sea, the much less grand River Don quietly drains into the North Sea. It does so near the area now marked on maps as 'Old Aberdeen'.
2/n

In deepest, darkest Essex —a county not normally noted for being deep or dark— on the isolated Dengie peninsula, lies a hidden gem.

1/n A Northumbrian monk called St Cedd was sent from Lindisfarne to evangelise the barbarian East Anglians in around 654 AD. He quickly built a church. But it was no ordinary church.

2/n

The town of Falkirk has had many different names over the centuries. From ancient Celtic, through Latin, to modern English. However, all of these names have a fascinating, identical meaning, all related to a small, stone-built church that was constructed ~1,300 years ago.

1/n The first recorded name of the town is ‘Egglesbreth’, which appears in 1120AD, as recorded by Symeon of Durham.

Egglesbreth is made up of two parts: Eggles and breth. These two words are of Brittonic (i.e. old Welsh) origin. The first part means ‘church’, and is a

2/n

To most people, the town of Stenhousemuir is little more than a funny-sounding name they'll have heard on the Saturday classified football results. Few will give it a second thought. However, its origin makes for one of the most intriguing place-names in Scotland.

1/n The third part of the name, muir, is straightforward enough. It simply means "moor": an area of uncultivated land, usually of questionable agricultural quality. However, it's the first two parts of the name that are so interesting, and whose geneses go back 2,000 years.

2/n

Though the name Glasgow is largely agreed on, the story is not the same for Scotland's capital, Edinburgh. Local folklore will tell you it's named after the 7th century king of Northumbria, Edwin, but this is probably nonsense. Edinburgh's name is way older than that.

1/n The second part of the name burgh, is not controversial. It's simply a modern rendering of an Old English word burh, meaning "fortification", doubtless referring to an old fort where the castle now sits. The hard part is Edin. A personal name? A landscape feature?

2/n

The name Glasgow, that of Scotland's largest city, is so old that it predates the era when Gaelic was spoken there. It is, rather, a derivation from Brittonic, a language related to Welsh. It was spoken for over 1,000 years in the Glasgow area. The name Glasgow means:

1/n Grey green hollow, from glas, meaning "grey-green or grey-blue" and cöü "hollow". The greeny hollow in question is likely to be centred around the cathedral, which was the earliest settled area to bear the city's name. Intriguingly, though, Glasgow may have an earlier name.

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Across the Central Belt of Scotland lie the remains, often in plain sight, of a 1,900-year-old Roman boundary - the Antonine Wall. Building commenced in 142AD, and here are the best sections of it (IMHO) that are visible from the roadside.

1/n Blinkbonny Road, Falkirk. The little depression in the grass is the silted up remains of the old ditch that ran the full length of the wall, from Old Kilpatrick to Bo'ness. The wall itself ran along the grassy bank in front of the houses.

2/n

google.com/maps/@55.99961…

This is Beinn nam Fuaran (hill of the wells), near where I was walking today. On first inspection, a hill like any other. Green, boggy, 806 metres high, with streams running off it. So what? Well, for geography lovers it has a great deal of interest.
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Look closely at its north slope. A stream juts off to the left, and another to the right. In the middle there’s a fence. But why go to such much bother to erect a fence all the way up a steep, grassy hill?
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