StJohn Amelith

Scotland, with its sweeping landscapes and turbulent history, is famed for its numerous and magnificent castles. These grand fortresses dot the rugged terrain, each telling a unique story of Scotland’s past. Here’s a look at some of the most famous castles in Scotland that not only draw visitors from around the globe but also serve as custodians of Scottish heritage.

1. Edinburgh Castle

Perched dramatically on an extinct volcanic crag, Edinburgh Castle is not just Scotland’s most famous castle but also one of its most besieged. This historic fortress dominates the skyline of Scotland’s capital city from its position on Castle Rock. It has been a royal residence, military garrison, prison, and fortress. Highlights include the Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny, and St. Margaret’s Chapel, one of the oldest surviving Landmarks Edinburgh. The castle’s complex history encapsulates key events from the Wars of Scottish Independence to the Jacobite uprisings, making it a focal point for understanding Scottish history.

2. Stirling Castle

Located at the strategic point where the lowlands meet the highlands, Stirling Castle is another icon of Scottish national identity. It was the preferred residence of many of the kings and queens of Scotland, including Mary, Queen of Scots. Stirling Castle played a pivotal role in Scotland’s history due to its position atop Castle Hill, surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs. Its well-preserved architecture offers a glimpse into the opulent lives of Scotland’s Renaissance monarchs, and it’s famed for the Great Hall, the Chapel Royal, and the beautifully restored Royal Palace.

3. Eilean Donan Castle

Perhaps one of the most picturesque castles in Scotland, Eilean Donan Castle lies on a small tidal island where three sea lochs meet, surrounded by the Kintail mountains. The castle frequently appears in photographs, films, and television shows, making it a cultural and visual gem of the Scottish Highlands. Originally built in the mid-13th century as a defence against the Vikings, today’s castle is largely a 20th-century reconstruction, though it retains much of its original charm and appeal.

4. Balmoral Castle

Balmoral Castle, located in Aberdeenshire, is a private residence of the British royal family. Purchased by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852, the castle is a fine example of Scots Baronial architecture. Although it is still used by the royals, parts of the estate, including the gardens and the ballroom, are open to the public at certain times of the year. The castle’s setting in the heart of the Highlands provides stunning views and a peaceful retreat from public life.

5. Urquhart Castle

Overlooking the mysterious waters of Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle boasts one of the most scenic locales in Scotland. Though largely in ruins, the castle’s remaining towers and fortifications offer a haunting reminder of Scotland’s past skirmishes. The castle’s history stretches back to the 6th century, though most of the surviving structures are from the later medieval period. It was an important stronghold during the Scottish struggle for independence and saw considerable action during the Wars of Independence.

Cockroaches are disgusting and dangerous insects that are far more common in the UK than many people realise and will do a significant amount of harm if allowed to thrive.

You might think that because it is winter at the moment and temperatures are low, that cockroaches, like wasps or similar insects, will be less of a threat to humans. In reality, however, the opposite may actually be true.

Many insects are actually more common during the winter as they seek shelter from the brutal cold outside and enjoy the warmth and comfort of heated buildings.

It is for this reason that you will often first see the signs of a cockroach infestation near a boiler or in another hot and humid location.

If there is a water source nearby for cockroaches to utilise then even better. Cockroaches are notorious for being difficult to kill, but they also require very little to keep alive, and will eat pretty much anything including waste or food packaging.

It is their diet and the places they are willing to go in order to feed that makes these insects so much of a health hazard as they will often spread all sorts of germs using both their mouths and feet.

What are the signs that you may have a cockroach infestation?

Cockroaches, especially young cockroaches, can be very difficult to spot and to deal with.

Even worse, they are nocturnal so will often only come out to play whilst you are sleeping. What a lovely thought.

Some of the most common signs of cockroach infestations include:

Droppings

Tiny droppings might not be exactly easy to spot either, but at least they don’t disappear during the night.

The exact colour of the dropping will depend on the food source that the cockroaches are living off and you may well require a professional pest controller to identify the species using faeces alone.

At least you will know that you are indeed facing issues, however, and that you need assistance.

Weird Smells

A musty unpleasant odour coming from somewhere within your property could be another sign that there is a cockroach infestation not too far away.

Unfortunately, if you can smell an infestation there is a good chance that the population of insects has already reached a substantial number.

Egg shells

When cockroaches grow they shed their skins to make room for their larger bosies and will discard their old ones in the form of egg sacs.

Physical Sightings

As we have already mentioned, cockroaches are not exactly easy to spot during the day but it is not unheard of, especially if you take a look behind your boilers, under the sink, and in other dark and damp corners of the property.

If you have spotted any of the signs of a cockroach issue in your home, call Harvey Pest Controllers and we will be delighted to help resolve your issues. This can often be achieved after just a couple of visits.

It is inevitable that your business will be at least slightly understaffed at Christmas, if not completely closed for a few days until the new year.

A skeleton staff or a vacant property can leave you vulnerable to theft and trespassing during the festive period and it is no coincidence that there is a rise in criminal activity on commercial sites at this time of the year.

Don’t panic just yet! By taking just a few precautionary steps you can dramatically reduce the festive threat and make it incredibly unlikely that any criminal will target your site, never mind succeed in their efforts.

Here are some top Christmas security tips for your business.

Install Deterrents

Install deterrents in the right place and most trespassers will avoid targeting your site entirely, making Christmas security remarkably simple.

Some of the security measures that are feared most by criminals and are, therefore, the most effective deterrents include CCTV, alarm systems, and perimeter fencing.

If you are unsure which security measures are the most effective at putting off criminals, get in touch with a professional security firm now and they will help you plan properly for the Christmas season ahead.

Remove valuables or lock them away

If they aren’t in use over the Christmas and New Year period, leaving valuable items or equipment laying around on your premises for all to see is just asking for trouble.

Instead, lock as many of them away in secure locations as possible or, if this isn’t an option, remove them from the site completely for a few days.

No break-in is ever exactly welcome, but at least with your most valuable assets secured off site the potential losses are kept to an absolute minimum.

Furthermore, if there is nothing of value within the eye-sight of someone passing-by the outside of your property they are much less likely to be tempted into committing a crime.

Test your alarms before leaving the property

Do not assume that your alarm system is working before leaving your site for Christmas. Test it thoroughly or arrange for a security company to test them on your behalf instead.

This is something that you should be doing on a regular basis anyway, regardless of the time of year. If your alarm system is not working, or even worse, you don’t already have one installed at all, this is an absolute must before leaving your premises unoccupied for any period of time.

Alarm systems are one of our specialities at Select security services and we would be delighted to install a system that will keep you and your staff perfectly safe all year long.

Even better when you opt for a monitored alarm system this Christmas you are guaranteed a rapid response to intrusions at all times even if your site is closed for a few days. Our team will visit your premises if we are notified that your alarm has been activated and conduct a full sweep before securing the site once again.

Owning a property is a privilege in the modern world, but it is also a pretty major responsibility and when a problem occurs you are the one who must find a way to put things right.

Property problems can be pretty expensive to resolve, but avoiding fixing issues and hoping that they will simply go away if much more expensive, we can promise you that.

Unfortunately, most people don’t think about the following scenarios, and how they would deal with them, until disaster strikes, leaving them to pay through the nose for emergency services unnecessarily.

You know what they say, fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

In this article we will help you prepare to succeed looking at 5 of the most common issues that occur in and around the home and giving you some helpful tips on how to resolve them and ensure that they never happen again.

Boiler leaks

Boiler leaks are incredibly serious at the best of times no matter if it is water or gas that is leaking from your system.

If it is water, call in an emergency plumber immediately, but if you smell gas or suspect a gas leak you should immediately shut down the system and evacuate the premises. You should then call the emergency gas hotline and await assistance.

A single spark could produce a deadly explosion in the event of a gas leak and pose a serious threat to life. When dealing with any sort of gas related issue such as boiler replacement, boiler repair, central heating repairs, or anything else, only ever use the services of a fully trained and qualified gas safe engineer.

Roof damage

As a homeowner the words roof damage are enough to fill you with dread.

Whether your roof is leaking due to old age and gradual deterioration or there has been an incident such as a storm where the roof ha suddenly been damaged, and leaks or structural issues should be dealt with as quickly as possible. Damaged roofs leak heat like nobody’s business, not to mention exposing your insulation and belongings to the elements.

Pest Problems

Pest problems come in all different shapes and sizes from a wasp’s nest in the attic to bed bugs in the bedroom or rats in the basement.

Whatever pests you are dealing with call a BPCA approved pest control professional and they will create a bespoke treatment plan to eradicate the infestation.

Pest problems are stressful, upsetting and incredibly unhygienic.

Poor energy efficiency

If you are spending more on your heating than your should be for a property of your size you have an energy efficiency issue. The root cause of this could be a number of different things, from your windows to a lack of insulation. Identifying the problem and taking remedial action will save you a lot this winter.

Condensation

If you are getting a lot of condensation on your windows, mould won’t be far behind and it is probably time to begin looking for a new set, or talk to a professional window installation expert.

From solar panels to steam rooms the number of different home improvements you can make in the world of modern technology really are limitless.

Whether you are simply looking to add a touch of luxury to your home, making an investment for the future, or you’re looking to change your lifestyle completely, there is a home improvement to suit your needs.

Some of the things on this list will make your life easier, some will make it more enjoyable, and some will save you money. All are great choices and will give your home a real wow factor.

Here are 5 of the best additions that any modern homeowner can make to upgrade their property:

CCTV doorbell

We’ll start off with one of the most practical and useful technologies to hit the home market in recent years. CCTV doorbells made by companies such as ring have boomed in popularity over the past decade and it isn’t too difficult to see why.

These doorbells allow you to see exactly who is at your front door before you open it, a highly effective security feature that has already saved many people across the nation from potentially very nasty confrontations.

The footage can be used by the police to catch burglars or criminals if the worst happens, but more often the doorbell is useful for everyday tasks such as talking to delivery drivers when you aren’t at home and monitoring everyday activity.

Saunas

When you think luxury, you think of saunas and home saunas are the ultimate luxury home upgrade. There’s more to these health and well being hall-of-famers than looks alone however with a huge range of practical health benefits available to those who use their sauna on a regular basis including clearer skin, improve blood circulation faster injury healing.

The best home saunas 2023 come equipped with all sorts of special features such as Bluetooth speakers and aromatherapy.

Underfloor Heating

Ok, we might have found something that challenges saunas in terms of luxury. Underfloor heating is a god send in the cold winter months and makes a massive difference to your living space.

It can help to spread heat more evenly throughout your home and is actually even more efficient than more traditional heating systems in many cases.

Remote controlled appliances

What could be better than holding the power of your home in one hand. Nowadays, pretty much any appliance or electrical device in your home can be powered remotely from your mobile phone from the lights in your living room to your TV and speaker system.

You can even set the heating to come on remotely if you forget ensuring you don’t have to return to a freezing cold property.

Hot Tubs

Ok maybe these don’t go in your home as much as outside it but we’ll count it anyway. Hot tubs are a fantastic tool for relaxation and socialisation and you can be sure that you will swiftly become the most popular person in your friend group when you install one in your garden.