It was another cold and clear day today, so I stopped off at Blackness castle on the way home from work.

This fifteenth-century fortress, on the southern bank of the River Forth, has featured in several films including Franco Zeffirelli’s 1990 production of Hamlet.

No film crews around today, just a lone seagull casting an eye over the saltire flag – appropriate given that this was the week when the Scottish independence referendum white paper was published.