landscape – Scottish Adventures

Made from over 800 hand-cut pieces of marine grade mirrored stainless steel, STILL was created by artist, Rob Mulholland. This solitary figure of the ‘mirror man’ as he is also known, stands partially submerged at the St Fillans end of the Loch. At 2.75m / 9ft tall, STILL is witness to the ever changing environment of this area, reflecting the surrounding landscape, sky and water.

Eight years since its removal in 2017, this enigmatic statue has returned to Loch Earn. The community here initiated a fundraising campaign to purchase, restore and reinstate this now beloved artwork. It certainly attracts lots of sightseers. I used to stop by with visitors to see this glimmering man of the Loch and he’s once again back on my list of points of interest.

The artist has said – “The figure is purposefully passive, reflecting the awe and power of nature, and yet can be interpreted as standing stoically – symbolising the human struggle to interact with nature”

Built about 2,000 years ago, and despite its name, it was not a dwelling, but a 15m stone-lined, underground passage. This Iron Age larder is one of the most complete examples of its kind.

Culsh earth house survives as it was over 2,000 years ago and is one of only a few souterrains in Scotland that can safely be accessed. We don’t know what it was used for – perhaps a storage space, potentially a hiding place, or as two cup-marked stones inside may indicate it may have had some ritual significance. From the outside this souterrain appears to be just a bump in the ground therefore it would not have attracted any attention, It could, however, be entered both from within the round-house built above it and from the concealed outside entrance.

Check out other examples of Scottish souterrains such as those at – Tealing, Ardestie and Carlungie.

Tag: landscape

STILL – Loch Earn, Perthshire

Culsh Earth House, Tarland – Aberdeenshire