I thought today would be a good day for a roundup of interesting places I’ve come across in my wanderings online, that I’d like to visit in my meanderings on-land!

Mother’s Shipton’s Cave & Petrifying Well

This is a tourist site, yes, but so fascinating! Famous both for a woman who lived there in the 16th century (‘Mother Shipton’) who made lots of prophecies that seem to have come true, AND for the well on the site whose water has such a high mineral content that it turns things to stone. According to the gift shop, the average teddy bear takes 3-5 months to turn to stone.  http://www.mothershipton.co.uk/the-park/

Cramond Island

An island that comes and goes! I’ve never been to Mont St. Michel, but it seems fun to visit someplace that is only accessible part of the time. Maybe it’s the risk involved–will I be stuck out here?? Or maybe it’s just a beautifully preserved sanctuary, so close to bustling Edinburgh. Don’t forget the anti-submarine pylons guarding you as you go across the Firth of Forth–adding WWII history to the mix.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cramond_Island

Or if you’ve got an £2,700 to spare for a week’s stay, try here:

…at Achnacloich near Oban. You didn’t know a room could scream Scottish Baronial, did you?

And if you actually ARE in the area, here’s something happening in a couple weeks (Jan 24-25):

Coll & the Cosmos

“Coll & The Cosmos is a stargazing weekend break on the Isle of Coll which makes the most of the island’s incredible dark skies.” It also looks like the places I’ll be profiling for setting in my next novel, which starts out in western Scotland’s Hebridean islands… 😉

http://www.exploreargyll.co.uk/event-details.php?id=418

Or there’s always this dream house…The Lodge on Loch Goil.

*sigh*

Images at respective websites