Carfin Grotto is Scotland’s national Catholic shrine to the Virgin Mary, and the brainchild of Father Thomas Taylor, local priest in the 1920s. The site is constructed in the image of Lourdes, a major Catholic pilgrimage site in southern France, and over the last 80 years has become a significant destination in its own right. Dozens of shrines and chapels spread over an extensive site make for a thought-provoking experience, whatever your religion or none.
Douglas, South Lanarkshire★★ Site closed for masonry work (checked April 2024) St Bride's Church is the partially ruined, former parish church of Douglas, set just off the Main Street of this quiet Lanarkshire village. The intact choir is now a mausoleum for the powerful, local "Black" Douglas family…
Motherwell, North Lanarkshire★★★ Motherwell isn't the most architecturally handsome place in Scotland, and you mightn't associate the town with beautiful buildings. But there's at least one. Motherwell Cathedral, or Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral, opened in 1900 as a large parish church but was elevated to cathedral status…
Cammo, City of Edinburgh★★ Cammo is an old country estate on the west side of Edinburgh, not quite consumed by the city's expanding suburbs. A few overgrown ruins and an elegant water tower are the sum of its manmade parts, and there are some good views of Edinburgh from…