Today is World Heritage Day
Oiginally known as the International Monuments and Sites Da it is a global celebration of this planet’s heritage. It’s all about increasing the awareness of the importance of the diversity of cultural and natural heritage and preserving this heritage for future generations..
In Scotland we’re lucky enough to have no less than six UNESCO World Heritage Sites. they are;
The remote Hebridean island archipelago is one of only two-dozen global locations with World Heritage Status for both natural and cultural significance.
The archipelago shares this honour with natural and cultural wonders such as the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu in Peru and Mount Athos in Greece.
I'd love to visit, but it is a wee bit too expensive for me.
Edinburgh Old and New Towns.
Some people have asked me which part of Edinburgh is covered by this title, well the simple answer is all of it!
The capital is a city of many eras, and its World Heritage Site comprises both the old and new towns. The Auld Toon has preserved much of its medieval street plan and Reformation-era buildings along the wynds of the Royal Mile.
The (relatively) New town contrasts this perfectly with neoclassical and Georgian architecture in regimented order.
I've explored many parts of the wall. Constructed around 142 AD by the Romans, the Antonine Wall marked the north-west frontier of their empire. Stretching from the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde, the Antonine Wall separated the civilised Romans from the wild Caledonians.
The Heart of Neolithic Orkney
I've not visited The Northen Isles as yet, plans were in the early stages to go this year, but my friend ended up in hospita and is still recuprating, hopefully we can get something sorted when she becomes more able.
The Orkney mainland is synonymous with archaeology. It boasts the mysterious standing stones at the Ring of Brodgar and megaliths at Standing Stones of Stenness, as well as the 5,000-year-old settlement of Skara Brae and chambered cairn and passage grave of Maeshowe. Together these four sites form the heart of Neolithic Orkney, which was given World Heritage status in 1999.
I remember as a bairn drawing and painting the bridge with a steam train going over it, but the train going over the "bumps!"
One of our most iconic and beloved bridges, the Forth Bridge was named a World Heritage Site in 2015 just after its 125th anniversary. The bridge was one of the most ambitious projects of its kind ever attempted at the time. When it opened it had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world.
The last mill closed in the 1960s but a restoration programme saved the 18th-century village from falling into dilapidation.
It is an early example of utopian socialism in Scotland as well as a planned settlement – making New Lanark an important milestone in the historical development of urban planning. I have never visited, I must say I much prefer my ruined castles and abbeys.
