EVERY day in The National we publish one of the striking and interesting photographs our readers have sent in to pictures@thenational.scot, as well as shots from events and stories happening all over the country and beyond.

Here are some of the best picks from last week’s papers:

The National:

Amateur photographer Thomas Lamont captured the stunning moment that a lightning strike hit above the Wallace Monument.

The IT worker from Falkirk said it was “just luck I was there at the right time”.

The National:

Ann Leitch sent in this shot she captured of the view of Ben Nevis from the Gaelic School in Fort William.

The National:

Sarah Bateman from Langholm Farm sent this photo into our sister paper the Scottish Farmer. She said: “Luna the chocolate lab trying to be friends with the lamb or just jealous she’s getting all the heat!"

The National:

Ian Archibald of Edinburgh sent in this shot of a sunny view over a harvested field at East Linton which he had passed on his Saturday walk.

The National:

Laura Moore snapped this wonderful action shot of an adorable red squirrel during a recent visit to Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms.

The National:

A Royal Bank of Scotland note dating from 1777 – which is thought to be first tri-coloured note to be issued in Scotland and possibly in Europe – will be sold by Mayfair-based auctioneers Noonans later this week. It is expected to go for at least £1500.

The National:

A Minke whale has made its way back out to sea after washing up on a beach in Shetland thanks to the efforts of the community in Levenwick. Early last week, marine mammal advisor for NatureScot Karen Hall gathered reinforcements to help return the washed up animal to the water.

The National:

Jim Finnie took this shot of Ben y Vrackie from the golf course at Pitlochry – during some of the recent glorious sunshine.

The National:

John MacAdam took this dramatic shot of three bridges, each built in a different century: the Queensferry Crossing, the Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Rail Bridge.

The National:

This Aston Martin DB5, formerly owned by Sir Sean Connery, was sold for $2.2 million (£1.9m) at an auction in California. The family of the James Bond actor, who died in October 2020 aged 90, sold the 1964 classic car to raise money for a philanthropy fund set up in his name.

The National:

Gordon McCredie took this picture of the Viewpoint Monument on the Heights of Brae near Strathpeffer. It commemorates the influential writer Neil Miller Gunn, who emerged as one of the leading lights of the Scottish Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. His writings included The Silver Darlings, The Drinking Well, and The Green Isle Of The Great Deep.

To contribute your own photographs, which may be published in our newspaper and featured online, email pictures@thenational.scot along with your name and a short caption explaining where it was taken​