Posted in Trips, War Memorials at 20:00 on 23 July 2019
Left Hand Battle Honours Pillar. 1914,1915, Somme 1916-1918:-

Left Hand Battle Honours Pillar. Naval Actions, 1914 Land Actions:-

Right Hand Battle Honours Pillar. 1917, 1918:-

Right Hand Battle Honours Pillar. France 1918, Gallipoli, Egypt, Romania, Macedonia:-

Right Hand Battle Honours Pillar. Mesopotamia, Palestine, Italy, Russia (Archangel and Murman, ie Murmansk):-

Great War Names (i):-

Great War Names (ii):-

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Posted in Trips, War Memorials at 20:00 on 22 July 2019
Original Dedication. “To the glorious memory of the men of the burgh and parish of Inverness who laid down their lives in the Great War 1914-1919.”

First Internal Dedication. “An Codagh Mor,” and “We honour them for what we owe them.”

Second Internal Dedication. “An Codagh Mor,” and “They fought for King and country, faith and freedom, nor did they fight in vain.”

Dedication on rear of memorial. “In three continents and in the deep they lie, but in our hearts their deeds forever are enshrined.”
More than 5,000 men of Inverness parish served in the Great War. 117 did not return.

Second World War dedication. “To the glorious memory of the men and women of the burgh and parish who made the supreme sacrifice in defence of their country in the Second World War.”

Post 1945 dedication. Borneo, Canada, Gulf War, Afghanistan, Belize, Cyprus, Air Accident. “We will remember them, today, tomorrow, for ever.”

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Posted in Trips, War Memorials at 20:00 on 21 July 2019
Inverness’s memorial to the dead of the two World Wars of the twentieth century is an impressive sandstone construction surmounted by a Celtic cross, situated by the side of the River Ness.
Approach:-

Below, seen from River Ness.
Burma Campaign Memorial to foreground, inscribed, “To the memory of those who served in the Burma campaign 1941-1945.
Highland Counties Branch Burma Star Association.
When you go home tell them of us and say for your tomorrow we gave our today.
The Kohima Epitaph.
This memorial was dedicated on the 11th November 2006.”

War Memorial side view:-

Rear view. River Ness in background:-

Field of Remembrance, Inverness War Memorial. Dedicated 7th November 2011, dedication includes the Kohima Epitaph. The cross is in remembrance of Passchendaele, the slab behind commemorates Nurse Edith Cavell. River Ness behind:-

Gardens in front of Inverness War Memorial, dedicated to Nurse Edith Cavell:-

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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco at 20:00 on 2 July 2019
While up in Inverness last year I spotted this Art Deco house, complete with Critall windows, blue banding and flat roof:-

Its gates also had the quintessentially deco sunburst motif:-

Not far away was this moderne style house, possibly 1930s, more likely a bit later. The windows are certainly later but will be replacements. Strong horizontals and verticals though. And note canopy – all implying deco:-

Another view. Strong horizontals and verticals. Flat roof. Corner windows:-

Also its chimney is typically deco:-

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Posted in Dumbarton FC, Scottish Football Grounds at 12:00 on 29 June 2019
Home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC.
This sits just off the A 9 immediately south of the Kessock Bridge. It has three stands. The western side is open, without seating or standing area. I visited it for the first time in April last year when the Sons were up there for a league match.
Stadium from Kessock Bridge:-

North Stand from access road. (Emblazoned with the legend “Tulloch Caledonian Stadium”, as was the South Stand. This may be a sponsorship which has now lapsed):-

Main Stand. (The Jock MacDonald Stand):-

Main Stand from south:-

South Stand:-

Main Stand seating:-

North Stand from Main Stand:-

South Stand from Main Stand:-

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Posted in Bridges, Trips at 20:00 on 24 June 2019
The Kessock Bridge carries the A9 over the Beauly Firth at Inverness.
I took the photos when we were up north in April last year. They were maybe taken from too close as the cable stay towers, if not the cables themselves, show up better on the photo in the link.
From east:-

From west. Slight distortion to photo as it’s a stitch of two:-

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Posted in Dumbarton FC at 12:00 on 11 April 2018
SPFL Tier 2, Cappielow Park, 10/4/18.
Well if the play-offs hadn’t been nailed on before last night they are now. There’s no way we’re making up eight points in four games.
Mind you, I make it that’s five points we’ve lost to late goals against us. Those would have made it tighter. But they came during weeks where we had three games to play.
At least we seem to be able to score goals again. I hope that continues on Saturday up at Inverness.
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Posted in Art Deco, Bridges, Trips at 12:00 on 31 January 2018
Kyle of Lochalsh is a village situated at the mouth of Loch Alsh, ten or so miles from Dornie and Eilean Donan Castle.
It is perhaps most famous for being the terminus of the Kyle of Lochalsh Railway line, which nominally runs from Dingwall but the trains go on to Inverness.
Kyle of Lochalsh Railway Station:-

The Station is effectively on the pier. Handy for goods traffic:-

Part of railway line:-

Signal Box, Kyle of Lochalsh, taken from same bridge as above:-

The village is quite small but as I recall represented the big bad wider world of fleshpots and the like for the inhabitants of the Applecross peninsula in His Bloody Project
The most impressive building in Lochalsh is the Lochalsh Hotel which has minor Art Deco leanings:-

Only a mile (or less) away is the Skye Bridge. (No need now to take a boat – bonny or otherwise – over the sea to Skye.) Skye hills in background:-

In the village there is a memorial in the form of a defused mine:-

Mine memorial inscription:-

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Posted in Dumbarton FC at 19:50 on 26 May 2016
I see from the club website that Sons have been included in the north area for the purposes of the new format of the League Cup (or Betfred Cup as it is officially known.)
Given that one of the major reasons for change was to have ties between sides more or less local to each other this decision seems utterly bizarre.
It is however a consequence of Sons relative success in that we have been included in the second layer of seeds due to finishing 8th in the second tier of the SPFL last season.
There is a possible nightmare scenario of trips to Dingwall or Inverness, Peterhead or Cove Rangers.
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Posted in Architecture, Art Deco, Trips at 12:00 on 20 October 2015
This one’s in Church Street. New Start Highland:-

As I recall all these are in Academy Street.
Nickel and Dime, street frontage:-

Nickel and Dime, corner. Note the eyes have been poked out:-

Part of Farmfoods. Again poked out eyes:-

Craigdon Mountain Sports, corner. The upper windows on this don’t look bad. Could they still be original?:-

Craigdon Mountain Sports, Academy Street frontage. Built 1936. Good detailing:-

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