Today’s reader is Graham Martin-Royle, who sent an awesome picture that looks like something out of Tolkien.
Here you go: I moved up to Scotland last year and I’m pictured here in Dunbeath Broch.
Photos of readers
August 26, 2019 • 3:15 pm
Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
Awesome photo! (As the kids would say.)
I’m no kid, and it’s what I say too! 😀
Why, thank you 🙂
That’s a really nice walking stick.
Calls for a Leon Redbone tune.
😉
He feels undressed without his cane.
Thanks. I bought it during a 3 month road trip across Texas, New Mexico and Arizona Last year. The seller told me it was made in China and I bought it at a Chinese market in Texas!
I collect walking sticks and have several from around the world. This one has become my favourite to use while out hiking.
Needs a “NONE SHALL PASS” sign!
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
The small doorway makes Graham look somewhat like a giant. Fee-fi-fo-fum! 🙂
It also makes undesired visitors feel very prone to a shillelagh to the back of the head. Which is it’s intention. Brochs are (generally reckoned to be) defensive structures, and as such are meant to make visitors feel decidedly unwelcome.
Dunbeath Broch is at “58°15’16.26 N 3°26’27.33 W” near the Caithness coast (most brochs are pretty close to the coast) overlooking the Inner Moray Firth between Helmsdale (of the gold panning) and Wick (of the teuchter jokes). Actually quite close to the Lybster drilling site.
Interesting words!
Wikipedia:
“Bodiam Castle was used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail in an establishing shot identifying it as “Swamp Castle” in the “Tale of Sir Lancelot” sequence.”
Thanks for this added interesting tid-bit.
Far out!
I love words like Dunbeath Broch – delightful pic, cool wizard staff!
Looks like a fascinating place. I’ll assume the stonework is rather old – perhaps centuries.
According to the plaque, it’s about 2500 years old. Caithness is littered with stuff like this.
About 100 brochs (or alleged brochs) were examined as part of the Caithness Brochs Project – actually that page has another view of your resting place – though 2500 years may be a bit high for an age. Secure radiocarbon dates for construction are thin on the ground, but point to about the BCE/ CE change of dating. Before about 1000CE, a lot of Scottish history is really poorly dated.
I try to put myself back in time and imagine living in places like this. Probably pretty rough lives were lived among those stone walls. Makes you thankful for modern conveniences (typewriter, flying cars, Foreman Grill, etc.)
Wow, that’s old, even for the (well, for a while) UK!
Try millenia. Though it has been rebuilt several times. http://www.aocarchaeology.com/news/article/dunbeath-broch/
Fascinating. It reminds me of Newgrange in Ireland, which I had the great pleasure of visiting. Nice to see that the place is starting to be developed as a managed site for visitors. I’ve not been to Scotland…yet.
Amazing, such a construction could be in Switzerland or Italy! It looks like plenty of places in the area I come from.
Just in case anyone’s interested, a short aerial video of Dunbeath.
https://youtu.be/xAxvpVg8psA
Damn, sorry PCC(e), that was supposed to be just the link, not embed.
Hey! I drove that road just last October on the way to Orkney. Wonderful geography.
Great views.
Well, I for one am quite, quite fond
of the facial hair. The more the better.
Anywhere … … upon the person. Either gender.
An evolutionary loveliness, as I stated,
that I am happy many of AllWeAll remain exhibiting !
Blue
I’m opposed to facial hair that isn’t found on a face.
You look like a Giant Dwarf guardian. No passing without the key. Awesome.
The personification perhaps of the saying from Theodore Roosevelt “speak softly and carry a big stick.”