For a land so rich in history and superstition, it's perhaps unsurprising that Scotland is home to more than a few enduring mysteries.
From the now-famous monster that haunts Loch Ness to the Grey Man that stalks the slopes of Ben Macdui, some of these have been puzzled over for centuries.
However, there are other not so well known stories that have left those involved bemused as to what the true story may have been.
From the tiny lilliputian coffins found on Edinburgh's Arthur Seat to the reported monster hidden away in Glamis Castle, here are some of the most enduring and bizarre Scottish mysteries.
The monster of Glamis Castle
Glamis Castle was once the talk of the courts around Europe due to its supposed dark and terrible secret.
The childhood home of the Queen Mother was also once said to be home to a 'monster'.
At the turn of the 20th century, the rumours of a secret chamber and a monstrous heir were so strong that many accounts were written of the Monster of Glamis.
Said to be the deformed son and heir of the 12th Earl of Strathmore, the unnamed Bowes-Lyon child is was recorded as having died on the day of his birth but many believed he actually survived to become a "barrel-chested" monster with "toy-like" arms and legs.
The mystery left a dark and terrible stain on not only the reputation of the family but also put an immense strain on them.
The grandfather of the Queen Mother, Claude Bowes-Lyon and the 13th Earl of Strathmore once reportedly said: “If you could even guess the nature of this castle’s secret, you would get down on your knees and thank God it was not yours.”
The lilliputian coffins on Arthur Seat
In June 1836, five young schoolboys were out hunting for rabbits on the slopes of Edinburgh’s Arthur's Seat and found something macabre instead.
Hidden away in a small opening on a rock on the north-east side, hidden behind three slabs of stone, were 17 tiny coffins, arranged in three rows.
Each measuring around 95mm (just under 4 inches) long, they were carved from pine and contained a wooden figure.
Debate raged at the time over them and even now, nearly two centuries on we are no closer to discovering the truth.
Theories range from the 17 coffins being connected to famous serial killers Burke and Hare, who murdered 17 people in the capital, and some form of witchcraft ritual.
The Flannan Isles Lighthouse
On 26th December 1900, a ship's captain made the grim discovery of an enduring mystery that has gone on to capture the imagination of generations of Scots.
Captain James Harvey arrived at the tiny uninhabited Flannan islands in the Outer Hebrides with the intent of relieving one of the Lighthouse keepers there and delivering supplies.
However, when his crew arrived, they made the horrifying discovery of finding the lighthouse unlocked and the three keepers having seemingly vanished into thin air.
The three were never heard of again, with everything from aliens to Nessie blamed for their disappearance.
Loch Morar
Loch Morar is thought to be the deepest freshwater lake in the UK but this stretch of water has its own mystery that dates back almost as far as Nessie.
Said to be home to a humped beast, the residents here have their own name for their monster - Morag.
Sightings of Morag date all the way back to the 1880s, with more modern ones being recorded from the 1960s onwards.
Local men Willie Simpson and Duncan McDonell were returning from a fishing trip in August 1969 when something struck their boat nearly capsizing them and giving them one hell of a fright, Duncan managed to strike it with his oar which snapped in two, while Willie grabbed a rifle and attempted to shoot it.
But the creature simply sank out of sight before he could hit it.
The Calvine Incident
One of the most incredible, if little known, UFO sightings on Scottish soil is that of the Calvine Incident.
While walking in the Perthshire area in 1990, two walkers took a photograph of what appeared to be a 100ft spacecraft hovering over them.
Incredibly, the image reportedly showed an RAF fighter following the craft.
They then sent the pictures to our picture desk at the Daily Record, who shared them and the negatives with the Ministry of Defence.
The MOD then took the images from the newspaper and never returned them, they've never been released into the public domain and the identity of the walkers never revealed.
Recently, former MoD official and Ufologist Nick Pope described one of the photos, the "most compelling" pieces of UFO evidence he has ever seen.
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