A High Cross is another type of ancient monument found in Scotland.

A high cross is, as the name implies, is a type of ancient Scottish monument that is shaped like a cross. A high cross, like many monuments, can vary highly in size, but there are many recorded cases of them reaching well above five meters. Typically, the cross arms of a high cross are in the top half of it, and are much shorter than the vertical arms. There is often a “circle” at the point where the horizontal and vertical arms intersect.

The high cross is not centralized to Scotland only, in fact, scientific analysis shows that throughout the early 8th century they were being created in Ireland. Only from the later 8th century onward did the design migrate towards Scotland. There does not seem to be any new examples of the high cross past the 12th century. Although, there has been a revival in interest for the high cross in contemporary times.

The same time period of migration for the high cross, also saw an evolution in its design. Originally, the high cross was constricted to geometric patterns, and a circle at its hinge only for support. Eventually, near the 10th and even 9th century, this had evolved into biblical scenes, inscriptions and the use of the circle as part of the design.

In Scotland, one of the most famous examples of a high cross is the Kildalton Cross, in the Inner Hebrides. It seems to have been carved in the latter half of the 8th century. By design it is similar to those found on Iona. Its current condition is considered by many to be the finest examples of a high cross in Scotland and even Europe.

Loch Maree is the fourth largest freshwater loch in Scotland and the legendary home of Muc-sheilch.

Loch Maree is the largest freshwater loch north of Loch Ness. At its widest it reaches four kilometers in length and its maximum length is 20 kilometers. This combines to a total surface area of 28.6 kilometers, and with an average depth of 38 meters, Loch Maree holds 1.09 cubed kilometers in volume.

Amongst the expanse of Loch Maree lie thirty islands, five of these being considered large and covered in forestation. In fact one island is the only one in the United Kingdom which has an loch within it, with an island on that. In 1994, Loch Maree and its islands were classified as a Ramsar site, effectively making it a wetlands conservation area.

The islands of Loch Maree also hold significance in the fact that they are littered with items of historical significance. Inspection of the various islands will yield a chapel, a holy well and other pieces which are said to be part of the ancient residence of Saint Maol Rubha. Some areas still hold ancient trees which were said to be used in druid rituals, and even waters which are said to cure lunacy.
Loch Maree is also the legendary home to its own version of the Loch Ness Monster, Muc-sheilch. In the 1850s Loch Maree was under attempted attack of a local man, Mr. Banks of Letterewe, who tried to poison and drain the loch in an attempt to find and eradicate Muc-sheilch.

- A circus is looking for a Scot with nerves of steel to take up the vacant post of knife-thrower's assistant...

- The Edinburgh International Festival has reported record box office takings this year, with ticket sales up by 7 per cent.

- Planting Asian elephant grass across the Highlands could provide enough biofuel to drive every vehicle in Scotland and perhaps the whole of the UK, experts will tell a conference in Glasgow this week.

- In Scotland, it is the cheap drink of choice for feral youth, sparking calls to ban it. But the monks of Buckfast want to expand production of their powerful fortified wine.

- Scotland's prison population rose to a new high only 24 hours after breaking the 8000 figure for the first time. The number of prisoners in jail on Tuesday stood at 8013 but the next day it had increased to a record 8018.

St. Andrew’s Day is a celebration and feast day of Scotland’s patron saint.

St. Andrew’s Day is held and celebrated on the 30th of November of every year. Being the patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew’s Day also acts as the national day of Scotland and also it’s Flag Day. Since 2006, St. Andrew’s Day has also been a national bank holiday.

Surprisingly, St. Andrew’s Day is seen and celebrated throughout the world, even though it is predominantly Scottish holiday. In part this is attributed to the fact that it is a celebration of St. Andrew, not an exclusively Scottish saint. Scottish embassies throughout the world have traditionally been responsible for a number of Scottish themed celebrations, which have seen the celebration spread to regions which would otherwise not be celebrating the holiday.

But by far, the biggest celebrations of St. Andrew’s Day is to be seen in Scotland, with most cities, towns and villages holding some sort of organized events. For instance, last year both Edinburgh and Glasgow hosted a ceilidh in honor of St. Andrew.

Although St. Andrew’s Day is a traditional Scottish celebration, it has only recently gained governmental support. St. Andrew’s Day only became a official bank holiday in 2006, after the passing of the St. Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday Act 2007.

Similarly, while St. Andrew’s Day has acted as the Flag Day of Scotland, prior to reform in 2002 government regulations dictated that the flag to be flown would be the Union flag and not the saltier, which is in part what St. Andrew’s Day celebrates. After much appealing and lamenting the irony that Scotland could not fly its own flag on its own Flag Day, the laws were changed to allow the saltier to fly.