kropfnatalie's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Burghead, Scotland

The Burning of the Clavie

Even after the church tried to wipe the practice out, this pagan festival lives on each year in a small Scottish village.
Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Dun Carloway

A magnificent, iconic stone tower in the Scottish Highlands.
Orkney, Scotland

Maeshowe

Thanks to both terrific preservation and historic vandalism this ancient site is known as the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney."
Orkney, Scotland

Brough of Birsay

This tiny island featuring 9th-century Viking ruins is only accessible at low tide.
Lerwick, Scotland

Up Helly Aa

During this Shetland Islands celebration, hundreds of torch-carrying "guizers" lead a procession to burn a viking longboat.
Orkney, Scotland

Cuween Hill Cairn

Enter the world under the hill at this ancient UK burial chamber.
Orkney, Scotland

Tomb of the Eagles

This Scottish burial tomb once held hundreds of ancient eagle bones.
Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Ecopod

Geodesic dome luxury retreat in the Scottish Highlands.
Pittenweem, Scotland

St. Fillan's Cave

This tiny little cave was said to have been a refuge for a saint with a glowing arm.
Birnam, Scotland

Birnam Oak and Sycamore

Macbeth's infamous "Great Birnam Wood."
Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Burn O'Vat

A glacial pothole was once a hideout for a notorious Scottish outlaw.
Lendalfoot, Scotland

Sawney Bean's Cave

Legend says this cave housed a 16th-century cannibal and his family of 48.
Shetland Islands, Scotland

Broch of Mousa

A remarkably well preserved tower dating all the way back to the Iron Age.
West Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Balloch Park Fairy Trail

A local tree surgeon has created a whimsical walk full of carved tree stumps near Scotland's Loch Lomond.
Orkney, Scotland

The Stones of Stenness

Possibly the oldest of Britain's ancient henges is also one of its most stark.
Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Ascog Hall Victorian Fernery

A fernery hidden by neglect is uncovered, and an ancient specimen along with it.
Fortingall, Scotland

The Fortingall Yew

Possibly the oldest living thing in Europe, more likely a pagan survivor.
Dunino, Scotland

Dunino Den

A site of pagan worship which still attracts people looking for fairies.
East Lothian, Scotland

Yester Castle

Ruined castle with subterranean vaulted Goblin Ha' or "Goblin Hall."
Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Iona Abbey

A small island abbey is the final resting place of many medieval Scottish monarchs, including the real Macbeth.
Orkney, Scotland

Ring of Brodgar

The true age of this ancient stone circle is unknown, but its stunning vista isn't in question.
Scotland

The Old Forge

A pub that is literally in the middle of nowhere, but continues to do business.
Highland, Scotland

Clootie Well

A pagan tradition of draping trees with rags eerily lives on.
Highland, Scotland

Ben Nevis

The highest peak in the United Kingdom has a history of physics, specters, and a pilgrimage of strange objects.