Scalan seminary, Braes of Glenlivet, Ballindalloch, Moray, Aberdeenshire

Out of the area this week, to Braes of Glenlivet. Here is a place worth visiting if you are tiring of distilleries. Scalan seminary is deep in the Braes of Glenlivet. When Catholics were being persecuted in 18th century, Scalan continued to train priests between the years 1719-1799 ensuring the survival of the faith. This was despite Hanoverian soldiers trying to destroy the seminary in 1746 in the aftermath of Culloden. It is a beautiful spot and hidden from view. It is now a museum and undergoing conservation. It is just peaceful. There were plenty of Stewarts in this area. Not of the Balquhidder kind most likely but others. Indeed Banffshire is a little Stewart hotspot, in and around parishes like Kirkmichael and Mortlach, and into Strathdon in Aberdeenshire.