Pattern in Scotland: from concrete murals to ferry furnishings

 

Man-made patterns became a theme of interest to me in Scotland and provided a counterpoint to the stunning natural beauty of the landscapes we travelled though. I saw these three huge carved concrete panels on the side of a University of Edinburgh building on the way to Holyrood Park.

At Glasgow Queen Street station I found a glorious technicolour ceramic mural hidden away in the stairwell corridor outside the women's toilets - an unlikely location for this elaborate artwork.

The final set of patterns pictured here are variously from carpets on the ferry to Mull; seating at Edinburgh Waverley railway station; plastic floor tiles in Oban; concrete paving stones in Holyrood; and the front of The Clyde Bar in Helensburgh.

Postcard from the Isle of Mull

The summer holidays began with a family trip to Mull, an island in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. This lush, verdant place exudes a magnetic attraction and it was a return visit for me. We stayed in Tobermory, a picturesque, quaint town famous for its harbour view of brightly coloured buildings (and known as the location for BBC's popular children's television series Balamory). As our pace of life slowed down we passed the time going for coastal walks, taking boat trips to see wildfowl and seal pups, and joined the friendly welcoming locals at Tobermory's excellent arts centre An Tobar for their joyous family ceilidh.