Landscape, Leault, Leonard, and Lochs

Landscape – Scotland is a land of contrasts, from the austere majesty of the mountains to the subtle undulations of the Lowland valleys, and from dramatic coastal cliffs to dense forests. Every scene offers breathtaking beauty. Scotland has a great number of diverse and beautiful gardens as well. Many gardens have a striking backdrop of lakes or mountains, while others form the grounds of a stately home. I could swear blooms grow larger and more vibrant in this country. Rhododendrons particularly flourish in Scotland’s acidic, peaty soil.

Leault – we visited the Leault farm in Kincraig near Aviemore and watched a sheepdog demonstration. Eight dogs worked as a team maneuvering sheep. Every dog has its own set of commands enabling visitors to see just how each of them responds to their individual whistles and each move by the dogs is explained by their handler, Neil Ross. This truly is an experience not to be missed, giving people of all ages the chance to enjoy and participate in the traditional working day of a Highland Shepherd and his dogs. We also got to handle a new litter of pups who were just opening their eyes, and several members of the group were given the chance to shear the sheep. His wife has written and illustrated a childrens book about life on a sheep farm. I HIGHLY recommend this location as a stop for anyone who enjoys animals.  https://www.leaultworkingsheepdogs.co.uk/

Leonard - Tom Leonard is a Scottish poet, writer and critic. He is best known for his poems written in the Glaswegian dialect of Scots, particularly his Six Glasgow Poems and The Six O'Clock News. http://www.tomleonard.co.uk/

Loch – the Scottish name for lake. There are more than 31,400 freshwater lochs in Scotland. We spent time at quite a few of them, two of the most popular being Loch Ness (which I’ll talk more about on the letter “N” day) and Loch Lomond. We enjoyed a leisurely cruise around Loch Lomond on our third day there. While many people may not recognize the name at first, they will probably recognize a very famous song about it: 

As a thank-you to the blogging community, and to celebrate one year since its publication, I am offering FREE e-pub copies of my western short story “Broken Angel” from now through April 30. If you would like to receive a copy, simply email me at writinginwonderland(at)gmail(dot)com