3 places to visit for International Women’s Day
As International Women’s Day arrives this month, Lucy Ribchester picks three locations which pay tribute to notable figures in Scottish history
Tigh Na Cailleach
Deep in a Perthshire glen lies a testament to Scotland’s goddess-worshipping past. The Tigh Na Cailleach (‘house of the old woman’) is a shieling where stones representing the Cailleach goddess, her husband and children reside during the winter. No one knows the stones’ history, but the tradition of housing them at Samhain and bringing them outside at Beltane ensures their legacy continues.
Visit Aberfeldy’s official tourist site.
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle’s 14th-century chatelaine is one of the lesser-known heroines of the wars of independence. ‘Black Agnes’ Randolph (so called, contemporaneously, for her complexion) was entrusted with guarding the castle in her husband’s absence, a task she took to with panache. It’s said that when English forces catapulted stones at it, she breezily took a ‘towell’ and ‘wypit the wall’ to goad them.
Visit the Undiscovered Scotland site.
Glasgow Necropolis
Glasgow’s hilltop necropolis is a labyrinth of stonemasonry masterpieces, as well as the resting place for many of the city’s influential Victorian women. The brilliant Glasgow Women’s Library has produced a downloadable self-guided walk for the cemetery, highlighting women’s memorials. Look out for Corlinda Lee aka Queen Of The Gypsies and Isabella Ure Elder, a pioneer in women’s higher education.
Visit the official Glasgow Necropolis site.