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The site of the modern castle was established by King Malcolm III, who built a stronghold here in 1057 after destroying Macbeth’s castle at Crown Hill. The great reforming King David I granted Inverness its status as a royal burgh in the first half of the 12th century. A Dominican friary was founded in the town in 1233 and the first permanent bridge across the Ness was in operation by the middle of the 13th century. All the pieces were in place now to enable the town to flourish, and Inverness quickly consolidated its position as the pre-eminent Highland cultural and trading centre, its harbour bustling with shipbuilding, fishing and exports of fish and cattle, hides and furs, wool and cloth, leaving the port on fast cogs for markets to the south and across the North Sea to Scandinavia or Flanders and the wider Continent.
Inverness’s commercial and strategic importance has always attracted military incursions, and its history is turbulent and drenched in blood. The town and its castle were sacked many times during the Middle Ages, by attackers ranging from marauding Highland clansmen to Scotland’s great patriot-king Robert the Bruce, who destroyed the castle in 1307 to keep it from being used as a bulwark against his authority in the north of the country. Mary, Queen of Scots laid siege to Inverness for three days before it capitulated in 1562. Surveying the environs from atop the castle walls, the pugnacious 20-year-old queen caught sight of a patrol of Royal guards and expressed disappointment that she was "not a man to know what life it was to lie all night in the fields, or to walk upon the causeway with a jack (an armour breastplate) and knapschall (a helmet), a Glasgow buckler (a shield) and a broadsword”. Oliver Cromwell extended and strengthened the castle in 1652, but this structure was taken down again within a decade – only Cromwell’s clock-tower remains today. The garrison fort was reinforced once more in 1725, but was captured by Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite army in March 1746, and then blown up by government forces after the Jacobites were crushed at Culloden just a month later. With the clans subdued, and London law enforced across the Highlands, relative, long-term stability came to the Inverness for the first time. Trade flourished, and the town’s first bank opened in 1775. A court house and prison were built in 1789 and 1791 respectively, and Inverness Academy was established in 1792. The Royal Northern Infirmary opened in 1804, and the town got its first newspaper, The Inverness Journal and Northern Advertiser, in 1807.
Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) live in coniferous forests and deciduous woods in Europe and northern Asia. Their range extends from the UK, Ireland and western Europe to Russia, Mongolia, and northwest China.
Numbers in the UK have fallen dramatically since grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) were introduced as an ornamental species in the 1870s.
Since then, the UK population of reds has dropped from around 3.5 million to between 120,000 to 160,000 individuals (according to different estimates). The population in England is thought to be as low as 15,000.
Population strongholds are Scotland, Northumberland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Lake District as well as on islands such as Brownsea. Photo by Nick Dobbs, Garlic Farm, Isle of Wight 01-02-2025
On the third night from the Magic Kingdom we reached a barren valley surrounded by ominous looking mountains. Below us we could see a settlement which we suspected was the Fogcrest Stronghold. This is where the Sultan told us we would find the Sand Whisperer's compound. Numerous unsavory looking people were wandering the road. I put my head down and Kenzie pressed against my legs as we descended into the valley. The light of Crimson Desert faded behind us. We would come to miss this light over the coming days.
Image imagined in MidJourney AI and finished with Topaz Studio and Lightroom Classic.
I'm waiting to photograph another MOC, so I figured I'd just post this while I'm waiting. More photos: MOCpages
Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. It is near the River Martin. The castle originally dates from before AD 1200. It was destroyed in 1446, but subsequently rebuilt by Cormac MacCarthy, the King of Munster. It is currently a partial ruin with some accessible rooms and the battlements. There are many legends as to the origin of the stone, but some say that it was the Lia Fáil—a magical stone upon which Irish kings were crowned.The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney about 8 km from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the Stone and tour the castle and its gardens.
Blended from two exposures using luminosity masks. Both exposures were taken with a Haida ND filter.
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Vígabjarg in Forvöð by the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, N-Iceland.
“It is said that Grettir made his stand here for a while until he had to retreat and made his way to the west over the river by the rim of Vígabjargsfoss. This rout is considered treacherous, but even Jökulsá was no more of a roadblock for him than so, that he took to rams with him for travelling provisions”
More info on Forvöð here.
As the Bastø Ferry sails away from Moss, the city stretches along the coastline, embraced by the dramatic evening sky. The rippling waters of the Oslofjord reflect the soft hues of the setting sun, while the marina and modern waterfront developments highlight the town’s blend of history and progress.
Once an industrial stronghold, Moss is now a thriving cultural and residential hub, known for its artistic spirit, maritime heritage, and scenic surroundings. Across the fjord lies Horten, the ferry’s destination, continuing a journey that has connected the east and west shores for generations.
Some funfacts:
🔹 The Paper Town – Moss was once home to one of Norway’s largest paper mills, shaping the city's industrial identity for centuries.
🔹 The Moss Convention – In 1814, an important peace agreement was signed here, securing Norway’s union with Sweden after a brief war.
🔹 Moss as an Art Destination – Today, Moss embraces its creative side, hosting Galleri F15 and the Momentum biennale, one of the leading contemporary art exhibitions in Scandinavia.
🔹 Island Getaways – Just offshore lies Jeløya, an idyllic island known for its lush nature, hiking trails, and cultural heritage.
🔹 Fjord Connection – The Bastø Ferry is Norway’s busiest inland ferry route, linking Moss and Horten across the Oslofjord with over 3.8 million passengers annually.
The bridge leading to the Făgăraș Fortress, crossing the moat system surrounding the fortress in the center of Făgăraș.
Troia was probably founded by Greek settlers under the name of Aecae. The current Troia was founded as a fortified town in 1018 the by the Byzantine general Basil Boiannes. For long it was a stronghold against the Normans and got besieged by the emperors Henry II and Frederick II, who destroyed the town in 1229.
He did not touch the "Concattedrale della Beata Vergine Maria Assunta in Cielo", erected in the first quarter of the 12th century where a Byzantine church formerly stood, that was apparently constructed largely from the remains of Roman buildings.
The Concattedrale di Troia is reckoned a masterpiece of Apulian Romanesque architecture and is particularly noted for the rose window and the bronze doors of the west front. Once it was the seat of the Bishops of Troia, it is now a co-cathedral in the diocese of Lucera-Troia.
Scruffy is one of a kind and the best known of the red kites at Harewood. He watches over his self proclaimed domain from his regular perch and will often chase off the other birds.
Between 1999 and 2003 a partnership involving Natural England, RSPB, Harewood Estate and Yorkshire Water released a total of 69 young red kites into the county. They were sourced from The Chilterns, where a similar and extremely successful release programme had begun ten years earlier. In December 1999 they were joined by an untagged red kite of unknown origin, effectively increasing the total to 70.
The birds were released at Harewood Estate to the north of Leeds. Although Harewood remains their breeding stronghold, they are spreading increasingly widely through the Yorkshire countryside. In 2001 a satellite breeding population became established in the Yorkshire Wolds; when two kites from the 1999 release at Harewood bred successfully, they became the first pair in East Yorkshire for 150 years.
Essential to the success of the Yorkshire release programme has been the excellent co-operation received from the ever increasing number of landowners who have red kites breeding on their land. Yorkshire Red Kites look forward to establishing similar good relations in more areas as the birds increase their geographical range.
Since 2009 Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has added its support to Yorkshire Red Kites. As the birds spread further away from the Harewood release site, the monitoring process becomes increasingly dependent on reports of sightings in new areas.
Doune Castle is a late 14th century stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling district of central Scotland. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows into the River Teith, across a bridge from the village. It lies 5 miles (8.0 km) north-west of Stirling, where the River Teith flows into the River Forth.
This fine castle is the product of a single building period, and has survived relatively unchanged and complete. It was begun in the late 14th century by the powerful Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (c.1340–1420), the son of King Robert II of Scotland and Regent of Scotland from 1388 until his death. The castle passed to the crown in 1425, when Albany's son was executed, and was used as a royal hunting lodge and dower house. In the later 16th century, Doune became the property of the Earls of Moray. The castle saw military action during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and Glencairn's rising in the mid-17th century, and during the Jacobite Risings of the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1800 the castle was ruined, but restoration works were carried out in the 1880s, prior to its passing into state care in the 20th century. It is now maintained by Historic Scotland.
Due to the high status of its builder, Doune was planned as a courtyard with ranges of buildings on each side, although only the northern and north-western buildings were completed. These comprise a large tower house over the entrance, containing the rooms of the Lord and his family, and a separate tower containing the kitchen and guest rooms. The two are linked by the great hall. The stonework is almost all from the late 14th century, with only minor repairs carried out in the 1580s. The restoration of the 1880s replaced the timber roofs and internal floors, as well as interior fittings.
The British comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a parody of the legends of King Arthur by the Monty Python team, was filmed on location in Scotland in 1974. Scenes featuring Doune Castle include:[16]
·At the start of the film, King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and Patsy (Terry Gilliam) approach the east wall of Doune Castle and argue with soldiers of the garrison.
·The song and dance routine at "Camelot" was filmed in the Great Hall.
·The servery and kitchen appear as "Castle Anthrax", where Sir Galahad the Chaste (Michael Palin) is chased by seductive girls.
·The wedding disrupted by Sir Lancelot (John Cleese) was filmed in the courtyard and Great Hall.
The Convent of Christ (Portuguese: Convento de Cristo/Mosteiro de Cristo) is a former Roman Catholic convent in Tomar, Portugal. Originally a 12th-century Templar stronghold, when the order was dissolved in the 14th century the Portuguese branch was turned into the Knights of the Order of Christ, that later supported Portugal's maritime discoveries of the 15th century. The convent and castle complex is a historic and cultural monument and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 (Wikipedia).
O Convento de Cristo (século XII – século XVIII) é a denominação atribuída a um conjunto de edificações históricas situado na freguesia de São João Baptista, cidade de Tomar, Portugal. O início da sua construção remonta a 1160 e está intimamente ligado aos primórdios do Reino de Portugal e ao papel então desempenhado pela Ordem dos Templários, onde tinha a sua sede portuguesa, tendo subsequentemente sido reconfigurado e expandido pela herdeira Ordem de Cristo. (Wikipedia)
Once our bodies are honed and oaths are taken, we are ready. Ready to grip the weapons of our forefathers to carve our children's names into the future. We've now chosen our life's path as paladins, brutes, and battlemages. In strength we defend the budding frost and destroy those who dare tread upon it. We live on.
Check out all the photos from the collaborative group here and read the story! www.flickr.com/groups/urtica/
Fortress Treantle, the final stronghold should war come to Bardavve. Currently it is the home to the council of mages who rule Bardavve, but in centuries past it housed thousands of Dwarves and Elves. The spider infested forest and dragon turtle filled sea deters any invading army, and the stalwart defenders of the castle would turn back any that got though the hostile terrain.
This MOC is for the micro-castle contest in Legends of Brickdom. As always, I have more photos at MOCpages if you're interested.
taken from Cochise Stronghold, from the archives. The "Stronghold" as many climbers call it is one of my all time favorite places. Not only does it hold power in beauty but a spiritual power you can't help but feel. A maze of granite towers, canyons and magic. No wonder Cochise and Geronimo chose this place. Plus the climbing is world class and not for the faint of heart, if you are a climber and have never climbed here be prepared, this is NOT a gym.