The Battle of Pinkie, in 1547, was a turning point in the histories of Scotland and England. The political battleground was the English desire for Mary Queen of Scots, aged four, to marry Edward VI, Henry VIII's heir, aged nine.

The Antonine Wall, built by the Romans, stretched from the River Clyde in west Scotland to the River Forth in east Scotland. This was the final frontier for the Romans in Britain, a huge piece of builidng work which they abandoned within a generation. The Antonine Wall is a World Heritage site.

The Skye Boat Song is a music that stays with you – eminently singable and hummable. It tells the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s journey from the Uist to Skye. The song carries the optimism and hope of the Jacobites – men who believed in an independent Scotland.

Susan Boyle shot to fame with her audition on Britain's Got Talent. Her performance of "I Dreamed A Dream" from Les Misearbles gained worldwide acclaim.

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Stormy Petrel (sometimes called The Stormy Petrel in the US) by Mary Stewart tells of a Cambridge academic visiting Moila, a small Hebridean island off the west coast of Scotland, and the adventures that befall her there.

On the western edge of the Outer Hebrides lies the remotest of Scottish islands, cradled by the Atlantic Ocean, frequented by gannets, seabirds and puffins. Thousands of years ago settlers came to these islands blessed by weather temperate for such northern climes.

St Andrew's Day, celebrated around the world, takes place on 30 November.

Sir Walter Scott was a prolific author who produced poetry, novels, essays, reviews and translations. A few years before his death the life he had built for hiimself turned to dust in a year when his wife died shortly after he was declared bankrupt.

Have you heard of the selkie folk? - seals who can shed their skins on land.