Why
Travel to Scotland?
For
its magnificent scenery of soaring rocky mountains, rolling green hills, romantic lakes and rugged coastlines, often scattered with picturesque cottages or dramatic castles.
This is a spectacular walking country if you are either weatherproof or lucky in your timing.
Scotland offers wild urban cultures in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, especially
the world's most intensive arts experience, the Edinburgh Festival
- and particularly its delightfully bonkers 'Fringe' element.
And finally Scotland is a place to meet fine, interesting and mostly hospitable people, though tread warily around a Scot after he's had a few drinks.
Ben Wyvis, Scottish Highlands in winter.
Downsides:
- Unpredictable weather, often wet or cold or both.
- Limited local cuisine.
- Voracious midge [like small mosquitoes] attacks in the summer
in the countryside, especially near fresh water.
- Scotland has very short daylight hours in the winter.
- The Scottish accent can be tricky to understand.
Edinburgh, a migrating dragon passes through Holyrood park.
Scotland climate guide:
Best:
May-Sept. August for the Festival.
Worst:
Jan-March [wet, cold, grey, and very short of daylight]. Many small
museums close Nov-March.
Edinburgh has an accommodation problem around Hogmany [Dec 29-Jan
2] and during the Festival [August], so, book rooms well in advance.
Edinburgh, capital of Scotland
Scotland's main attractions:
***Edinburgh, a dramatic city with
the world reputation for its cutting-edge arts scene. See Edinburgh
City Guide or Edinburgh
Pictures
***The Highlands, another splendid
landscape, wilder and more dramatic than the Lake District, covering
two-thirds of Scotland, with mountains, glens [valleys] and lochs
[lakes]. Ideal for hiking and driving.
The highlights are the Great Glen, across from *Inverness
to Fort William [both are obvious bases for the Highlands],
Nessie-spotting? at *Loch Ness, climbing
**Ben Nevis, Britain's highest peak, and walking around ***Glen
Coe - it's astonishing beautiful with a tragic history [Picture
top right].
**Glasgow, a big industry city with
a bad reputation, but actually one of the most cultured and lively
urban spaces in the UK. There's some remarkable architecture by C. R.
Mackintosh and brilliant museums and galleries - especially the
Burrell Collection of art and antiquities including Rodin's The
Thinker.
**St Andrews, a university town with
the famous old golf course - the Royal & Ancient Golf Club -
that is a mecca for golfers.
***The Borders, a tranquil pastoral
area with delightful towns such as **Melrose, Kelso and Peebles.
The highlights are Abbotsford House [Sir Walter Scott's house],
Floors Castle [the Scotland's biggest inhabited castle], Traquair
House [the oldest inhabited house]. Ideal for walking, cycling,
and driving.
**Stirling, a compact and historic
town with an imposing castle, is a perfect base for outdoor travel
activities in the Trossachs lowland countryside - ' Rob Roy country'.
**Famous Castles: Eilean Donan near
Kyle of Lochalsh, Floors in Kelso -The Borders [picture below], Urquhart
by Loch Ness, Cawdor [Macbeth] near Inverness.
Try to stay in a castle-become-hotel if you can afford it. e.g.
Leslie Castle, Insch, Aberdeenshire or Borthwick Castle, North Middleton,
Midlothian.
*The Orkneys and Shetlands, good for
viewing seabirds such as gannets and puffins and prehistoric sites.
If lucky you could see the Northern Lights from there.
A crazed Edinburgh Festival busker.
Main
festivals:
Dec 31-Jan 2, Hogmanay, a truly wild New Year's celebration.
Last Tuesday of Jan, Up-Helly-Aa [Viking fire festival] in Lerwick,
Shetland.
End of Jan, Burns Night [celebration for Scotland's greatest poet
with special dinner]
May, Mayfest, the UK's 2nd largest arts festival in Glasgow.
May- August, Highland Games, traditional sport, folk music and dance,
nationwide.
Most of August, Edinburgh International Festival, and the more wacky
Fringe Festival, certainly the UK's and maybe the world's best arts
festival. See Edinburgh
Festival Pictures.
Early Sept. Braemar Royal Highland Gathering/Games.
Scotland, a hiker's paradise, spacious and fresh but not short of midges.
Scottish Activities:
Walking and Hiking: Especially try to travel the Duke's Pass
between Callander and Aberfoyle in the Trossachs, The West Highland
Way [95 miles from Glasgow to Fort Williams via loch Lomond and
Glen Coe] and the Great Glen Way.
Climbing: Mt. Ben Nevis [1344m], Britain's
highest peak, and mountains more peaks and cliffs.
Bird-watching: Orkney Isles, Shetland
Isles.
Fishing: The Borders, Deeside and masses
of private rivers or public seas.
Biking: Heaps of spectacular small,
quiet roads in the Highlands, the Borders, the Trossachs [esp. from
Callander to Balquhidder], and so on...
Skiing: Aviemore, UK's biggest skiing
centre has some good runs if global warming doesn't kill off the
snow.
Golfing: From the wonderful, mad old
Edinburgh city centre Brunswick Links to St Andrews, there are more
than 400 golf courses in Scotland
Nightlife & Entertainment: Edinburgh
or Glasgow are very lively, otherwise forget it.
Floors Castle, The Borders, Scotland
Scottish Note:
There are plenty of themed tours and trails [both
guided and non guided] such as 'Castle Trail' and 'Whisky trail'.
Information and maps are available at the regional tourist information
or travel centres.
Guides to other
UK places: England | Ireland | London | UK | Walking
Tours
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