The heather is flowering at the moment, turning green hillsides purple. While we have lots of heather on Darwen Moor, I haven’t seen it looking as pretty as in these two pictures, both taken in Scotland during a recent trip. The first shows the view looking outwards from Little Sparta, home of the late poet Ian Hamilton Finlay and his wife, Sue. I highly recommend a visit.
Taking a long, but scenic detour on our way home, we happened upon these wooden beehives next to a stream in a Scottish valley. If it is true that the highest quality of honey comes from bees able to forage in unspoiled, natural surroundings, I would love to sample a jar from these hives.
This bucolic sight helped ground our visit to Little Sparta by echoing its elements. Ian Hamilton Finlay’s beehives may have been white rather than patchwork colours, and poetic rather than functional, but it’s easy to see the commercial hives and the artwork are rooted in one beautiful place. And, believe me, one or two of the bees on the hillside, in protecting their territory, were as bold as anything commemorated or foreshadowed by the complex works of Little Sparta.
Susan Rushton 
You have a lovely, inviting title and the article more than matches its promise. It was a lovely read.
Thank you – we were very lucky to find the beehives.
So very, very lovely, and your pictures do indeed invoke a strong sense of place.
If I was a bee, I’d be very happy in this natural hollow with everything I could desire close to hand.
I sampled wild heather honey in Ireland one year and it really is delicious. Can you not find the owner of the hives and perhaps buy some? Lovely pictures and nice text to go with it.
In retrospect we should have retraced our steps back to the nearest village and asked around.
Truly beautiful. I wish I could visit Scotland someday.
I’m sure you’d love it there.
I’ve often read descriptions of the heather in Scotland but your two photos are definitely worth a thousand words or more. The first is really a very nice landscape.
It’s lovely how the garden blends in with the wider world around it.
Interesting photos, and lovely too!
I can imagine Kit Marlowe and his love living here, can’t you?
Awww…..
Thank you for bees and their honey. I admire what you see.
It was a treat to see them and a pleasure to share!
Beautiful colors in the heather. And do the bees then produce heather honey? that used to be my father’s favourite honey. It was dark and tasted too strong for me.
I imagine so – their food must overwhelmingly be heather when it is in flower.
Beautiful hills. I wonder what heather honey tastes like?
I found a poetic description here.
Thanks for the link: that is some description!
That shot of bee hives at the streamside is just lovely. I bet the heather honey from those hives is exceptional.
I imagine so too – it would be hard to beat the location.
Lovely pictures x
Heather honey usually sells at a premium, it is totally different in flavour and texture to normal honey. The heather does look beautiful.
I usually buy English set honey because I like its creaminess, but I might rethink now I’ve seen how the Scottish heather honey is produced.