Polphail panorama
I had never heard of Polphail before visiting last weekend, but I can honestly say it's one of the coolest places I've seen in Scotland. Polphail was a village built in the 1970s to house 500 oil workers, who would be creating oil rigs nearby. But the rig contracts never came, and neither did the villagers. Polphail has never been lived in, and remains empty and deserted (with the exception of some bats and sheep) to this day.
More recently, though, in October 2009, the Agents Of Change introduced a number of inhabitants through the medium of spray paint, and Polphail has become an art gallery of sorts. Here's a little film on the project. If you like ruins, 1970s housing, graffiti, or a combination of any of them, this place is utterly fascinating.
Sadly, I only had my telephoto lens with me at the time. I'm planning to go back with all my kit as soon as possible, though. Anyone want to come too?