The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland



Looking up with envy 51

Posted on November 21, 2013 by

Visiting Scotland by train has always been an uplifting experience for me. There’s something very special about crossing the border into Dumfries and taking in those spectacular vistas as the train rumbles northwards. I’ve always considered this wonderful and spirit-enhancing landscape to be a metaphor for Scotland itself, full of glorious potential just waiting to be realized.

dumfries

This journey also takes us through the lands of “Yr Hen Ogledd” (the old north), the heartland of the old Brythonic language, the prototype of modern Welsh and the seven kingdoms which established themselves in the intervallum of several centuries after the Romans left these shores in 400 AD.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,964 Posts, 1,248,484 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • James on The Party Of The Dead: “Means ‘not you’.Aug 11, 15:20
    • James on The Party Of The Dead: “£20 towards your moving expenses, no problem. Just say the word. Good riddance.Aug 11, 15:18
    • Aidan on The Party Of The Dead: “Some of this “analysis” borders on being absurd and is clearly written from the standpoint of another agenda. – Nobody…Aug 11, 15:04
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “Somebody would have had to count the pies and sandwiches, etc, before and after. If it’s the same employee that…Aug 11, 14:29
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “I guess the imperial nationalist Scots aren’t “True Scots”, what with being brainwashed and all. If they might be concerned…Aug 11, 14:20
    • Captain Caveman on The Party Of The Dead: “I daresay even an airport catering truck is preferable to, say, a luxury campervan paid for with embezzled funds. 🙂Aug 11, 14:14
    • Young Lochinvar on The Party Of The Dead: “Batman had the Batmobile, the Pope has the Pope Mobile, JFK an open top saloon, the King a carriage and…Aug 11, 13:50
    • Alf Baird on The Party Of The Dead: ““definition of “Scot”” An interesting point, Hatey. We may say there are different forms of nationalist ideology at play, and…Aug 11, 13:49
    • Young Lochinvar on The Party Of The Dead: “HMcH Those artisans hung At Lauder Bridge.Aug 11, 13:40
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: ““Scotland would vote to leave the Union if a second referendum were held tomorrow” Selfish basturt cants care nothing for…Aug 11, 13:10
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: ““terrorist” Gaddafi built huge tunnels No shit, Sherlock! Who knew terrorists could build tunnels, funded either by oil revenues or…Aug 11, 12:45
    • agentx on The Party Of The Dead: “SCOTTISH voters will not accept there is an “‘off limits’ when it comes to democracy”, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has…Aug 11, 12:42
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: ““He pays no tax on his Scottish estate” It’s always intriguing to consider the mindset of those who believe that…Aug 11, 12:26
    • Willie on The Party Of The Dead: “Ah Hatey, you raise a point. Number 10 North. The relocation of Nr 10 function to Manchester. Its a strange…Aug 11, 10:41
    • Chas on The Party Of The Dead: “‘Case in point in the Carse of Gowrie at the moment. 2000 acres of prime farmland (next to the biggest…Aug 11, 10:31
    • Captain Caveman on The Party Of The Dead: ““According to Andy Wightman” Explains a lot.Aug 11, 10:26
    • sam on The Party Of The Dead: “Large estates in Scotland historically have not been good for the Scottish people on them. According to Andy Wightman “83%…Aug 11, 10:20
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “Now you’re just boasting about the better class of rammie you enjoy in your hoose. We’re traditionalists. “Ach, shite!” delivered…Aug 11, 10:19
    • Captain Caveman on The Party Of The Dead: “Sam seems to be telling us “there are some land owners who aren’t 100% perfect” in 30,000 (cut and pasted)…Aug 11, 10:02
    • Minceheid on The Party Of The Dead: “Hatey McHateface says: 11 August, 2026 at 8:13 am Short and to the point, MH. But couldn’t you have phrased…Aug 11, 10:01
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “Hero to Zero in 3 weeks: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/10/andy-burnham-national-listening-tour Got to hand it to the Guardian. It must have taken a little…Aug 11, 09:53
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “From Robin McAlpine’s latest: “independence is our ‘product’ and the current available specifications of our product are rubbish, filled with…Aug 11, 09:34
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “He and his what?Aug 11, 09:23
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “If everybody competes in a letter box, then what’s the problem? Demographics tells us that’s what will happen eventually. So…Aug 11, 08:54
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “An interesting thread. I await with interest sam linking to a study proving that immigrant ethnic minorities are greatly under-represented…Aug 11, 08:45
    • Dan on The Party Of The Dead: ““Highly lucrative sports”? Is that the old huge economic boost created by shooting line being floated per chance. https://www.commonweal.scot/articles/the-goriest-twelfth https://revive.scot/think-tank-claims-government-report-on-driven-grouse-shooting-shows-the-bloodsport-is-economically-unviable/Aug 11, 08:44
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “Aw, c’moan noo, diabloandco. Wasn’t the CG ruined fir mony by those boys strutting aboot in kilts an tartan an…Aug 11, 08:30
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “If there’s one area of expertise in which Dan is King, it’s the making of soup. Only fair we also…Aug 11, 08:19
    • Hatey McHateface on The Party Of The Dead: “Short and to the point, MH. But couldn’t you have phrased it in Scots? For the True Sovereign Scots reading…Aug 11, 08:13
    • Aidan on The Party Of The Dead: ““Local government is also heavily influenced by large landowners in the area, seen as major sources of income and employment”…Aug 11, 07:53
  • A tall tale



↑ Top