Cairnpapple site. West of Edinburgh, Scotland. 4500 year-old burial site, with henge (ditch) and cairn (pile of rocks).

Moggie at Cairnpapple site.

Cairnpapple, again, with the earliest burial sites visible in the foreground. The "cairn" in the middle is actually a recently reconstructed shell of concrete to simulate the earlier cairn. It has been covered with sod. There is an entrance to the shell to see what the inside looks like.

Cairnpapple was chosen, or so we surmise, as a significant site by the prehistoric peoples because from there, on a clear day, it is possible to see far distances. The telecommunications people of the late 20th century are also apparently finding that to be true.

The inside-the-cairn stones and pits.

Jim exploring the cairn's burial pit

The cairn in the background; wild flowers in the foreground

Heather on the Cairnpapple hill

Hillside scene adjacent to Cairnpapple hill

The Peel and Loch at Linlithgow Palace. We had a picnic lunch next to the loch. A "peel" is the land surrounding the palace.

Another view of the peel and loch of Linlithgow. Linlithgow Palace is where Mary Queen of Scots was born many years ago. (We named our rental car "Mary car of scots.")

Queen Margaret's room in Linlithgow Palace. Linlithgow Palace is in the middle of the town of Linlithgow (no surprise) just 16 miles west of Edinburgh.

Scene at Greyfrair's Kirk (Church) in Edinburgh. The gravestone in the foreground is for Greyfrair's Bobby. Greyfrair's Bobby was a Scottish Terrier.

Moggie in the Greyfriar's Kirkyard