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14 Aug 2018

History retweets itself

A small white dog stands on a wooden bench, with a Gaelic inscription running along the side. The bench is on Culloden Moor.
Culloden
We chat to travel bloggers Samantha Grant of The Wee White Dug and Erin Doogan of Beauty Creep about their love of history, creating content and using their membership to explore more of Scotland.

Samantha Grant

@theweewhitedug

A small white dog lies on the grass in front of the pink-walled Craigievar Castle.
Casper poses in front of Craigievar Castle
Quote
“Craigievar Castle in Aberdeenshire always goes down well with my followers. What’s not to love about a pink, fairytale castle?”
Samantha Grant

Why did you become a member?

I became a National Trust for Scotland member because I’m passionate about Scottish history and protecting and preserving Scotland’s historic buildings, gardens and landscape for generations to come. I always get a real thrill when I visit a new historic site. I’m a history geek and proud!

A small white dog stands in front of a tall stone memorial cairn, by the main plaque.
Casper stands solemnly at the memorial cairn on Culloden Battlefield

Does your membership help you decide where you go?

As history is such a huge part of my life, it’s always factored in when I’m making travel plans. The Trust website and member handbook are trusted tools in my travel planning toolkit.

A small white dog wearing a navy coat stands on a red gravel path, with Culzean Castle in the background.
Casper braves the wet weather at Culzean Castle & Country Park

How often do you use your membership?

Frequently! I’m on the road, travelling around Scotland, 12 months of the year and make full use of my membership.

A small white dog sits on the grass, with a pineapple-shaped building rising out of a tall stone wall behind him.
Casper enjoying a relaxing day at the Pineapple

What property makes for the coolest content for your channels?

Craigievar Castle in Aberdeenshire always goes down well with my followers. What’s not to love about a pink, fairytale castle? It looks so incredible that I’ve even been asked if it’s real!

A view of the pink-walled Craigievar Castle from across a neat lawn, with a narrow gravel path running across it.
Craigievar Castle always goes down well with Samantha’s followers

Where are you planning to visit next?

This month I’ll be crossing the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct on the Jacobite steam train. I’m really excited about that trip as I’ve visited the Glenfinnan Visitor Centre frequently over the years so it’ll be nice to see it from a new perspective.

A small white dog wearing a tartan bandana stands on some dry grass on a hillside. Behind him is the looming stone arches of Glenfinnan Viaduct.
Casper waiting for the train to pass over Glenfinnan

Erin Doogan

@beautycreep

A close-up of a hiker wearing a green beanie and a backpack, peering into the frame of the shot.
Erin Doogan (@beautycreep)
Quote
“I became a member a couple of years ago because I was interested in seeing more of Scotland and learning about the history.”
Erin Doogan

Why did you become a member?

I became a member a couple of years ago because I was interested in seeing more of Scotland and learning about the history. We don’t explore our own country enough!

The exterior of Falkland Palace seen from the garden and framed by orange-leaved trees.
Falkland Palace

Does your membership help you decide where you go?

For sure. The website is very handy for that. You can search by place/postcode, see exactly where the locations are on the map and how far away they are from other locations. As someone with no sense of direction, it makes it much easier to plan a day trip.

How often do you use your membership?

Not as often as I’d like. I've been so busy so far this summer, but I try and use it when I can. Recently, a friend and I visited Falkland Palace and Alloa Tower for a vlog, which was a lot of fun. Shoutout to Dave who gave us a tour of the palace! I have plans to visit Culross soon too – exciting.

Looking down the grand spiral staircase in Alloa Tower.
Alloa Tower staircase

What property makes for the coolest content for your channels?

Any of the creepy, haunted ones (which there are a fair few of!). Culzean Castle is one I’ve visited before – but didn’t vlog the creepy side of things. So I’ll have to go back there.

The exterior of Culzean on a bright day, with its walls in stark relief to the deep blue sky.
Culzean Castle

Where are you planning to visit next?

Culross, definitely. I also quite fancy Fyvie Castle. There are so many options!

A view of the garden at Culross Palace from the high terrace, looking down across the tops of the shrubs and rooftops in the village. A tall doocot stands at the left of the image.
The Royal Burgh of Culross

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