Simon Varwell's Blog, page 14

Ghost town

For all that Aberdeen is widely and unfairly maligned for being grey, there’s an element of truth to the comment. I do love the city – probably more than any other Scottish city except Inverness – but the endless grey granite across the city centre can get a bit monotonous even for a fan like me.

But look around – and look up – and there is a considerable beauty to it. The medieval heart, Old Aberdeen, is perhaps the best example of its era in the country. The harbourside is a spectacular mix...

A few photos from Glasgow

I look back fondly on my eighteen months of living in Glasgow (2006-07). It was long enough to get to know and like the city, with all its idiosyncrasies, but not long enough to get fed up with it (the horrible tap water aside).

One of my favourite general areas, I think, is the area immediately to the east of the city centre. From the glam shops and eateries of the spruced up Merchant City to the tacky, crumbling buildings along Argyle Street or around Glasgow Cross, or from the haunting hist...

We said No

So, No won the day.

Believe it or not, despite the empty feeling in my stomach, I don’t see a No vote as all that much of a disappointment. We were living in the days of a No vote anyway, given that the Kingdom has been United for the entirety of my life. The consequences of a No were never something untested and hypothetical – they were something we wereexperiencinganyway.

Yes there’ll be new powers – though to a degree and at a timescale of which nobody can be certain (and that’s a whole othe...

It’s not about you… but it could be

I’ve long wanted to write a post about how independence for Scotland would be to the benefit of the remnant UK. For various reasons, I’ve not done. For a start, it’s such a big, wide-ranging issue that touches on so many aspects of politics throughout these islands that it’s been hard to know where to start.

I’ve been spurred on, however, firstly by some conversations on the topic on Twitter, and secondly by the emergence of a few voices from south of the border who have written aboutthe oppor...

A horrible time to be in Scotland

I saw a tweet about the independence referendum the other day. It said simply:

“Oh, it’s a horrible time to be in Scotland.”

I’m not linking to the tweet, or saying who it’s by, except to say that they’re a No voter. If you know who they are, don’t name them in the comments. It’s someone I greatly respect and who has made a phenomenal contribution to public life in Scotland -butI don’t want to draw them into a discussion, create a platform for criticism of them, or make them feel they have to j...

Cruises and murals

I had occasion to spend twenty-four hours in Invergordon recently. It gave much cause for reflection on what makes an attractive, visit-worthy, marketable town in the Highlands.

In some senses, Invergordon has a lot going for it. Yes, itisindustrial – it is a busy port town and a major centre for oil rig fabrication. But don’t let that put you off.Nestled on the east coast of the Highlands overlooking the Cromarty Firth, it’s one of the largest towns in the area, it boasts a distillery and a f...

The road to Skye

Earlier this week I went to Skye for the day. I drove; never my favourite mode of transport, not least when the scenery is so distractingly good.

The road from Inverness to Skye is a dramaticone, taking you along the deathtrap that is the A82 along Loch Ness (right) and then across barren wilderness and into the most stunning mountains around Kintail as you approach the west coast.

It’s a challenging drive at times – the A82 is never pleasant due to its winding, twisting amble and the seemingly...

Courier article on The Next Stop

I was approached recently by the Inverness Courier to do a piece about The Next Stop.

I’d been interviewed by them not so long ago,mainly about The Return of the Mullet Hunter. So for a different tack they suggested I give a taster of some of the stations I visited on my journey for The Next Stop, majoring on the Highland ones.

Here is the article from last Friday in print (right) and online on the Courier’s website. I consciously didn’t pull punches in what I wrote, because I had no desire tob...

Foreigners 2

For some time, I’ve been tempted to write a follow-up to my 2012 post “Foreigners“, in which I query why certain key figures on the Left, including Labour leader Ed Miliband, are entering into the independence debate in a spirit of not a little xenophobia.

I’ve wanted to do a “sequel” largely because of the continued xenophobia emanating from certain elements of the No camp. But I was particularly motivated today due to a tweet I saw of an article in the Sun, in which Milibandyet againsaidsome...

Nairn

I don’t really know Nairn very well. I’ve been through the town along the Moray Firth from Invernessseveral times by both train and car, and have been to its huge and beautifulbeach a handful of times. But I’ve never stopped in the town itself nor explored it to any depth. Which is a poor show given it is so close to Inverness and, from the little I discovered last night, is a charming little place.

I was through (on the train, naturally) to do a bookevent, hosted by Nairn Bookshop at Nairn Co...