Why Not Take A Vacation In Scotland
July 18, 2008
Great Britain is a most popular tourist destination. The “United Kingdoms” are England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and each country has it’s own distinctive identity making each considerably different. The population of each country are, in the main, fiercely proud of their roots and happily declare their relevant nationalities while also calling themselves to be British. While most people in the UK are happy to remain part of the Union there are a large number, especially in Scotland, who would wish to become independent.
Throughout the world the typical images of Scotland include a Scottish piper dressed in a tartan kilt and most probably situated in front of a famous castle or in a Scottish glen with a stag clearly visible in the distance. While some of this is obviously Scottish most of what we class as “typically Scottish” is but a recent creation, or recreation, by the likes of Sir Walter Scott. Scott was a famous, and incredibly popular, poet and novelist in Victorian times and he worked extremely hard to promote Scotland to the English gentry, including the Royal Family, as a recreational playground and vacation destination. In actual fact the country of Scotland has a number of different and distinctive cultures and there can be incredible differences as you move from one region to the next and from one city to another.
Much of what Sir Walter Scott recreated as traditional Scottish was taken from the region of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The traditional dress of the region was, and still is, the tartan plaid/kilt and the bagpipes were played extensively since first promoted by the MacLeods. When visiting the Highlands one can not fail to be in awe of the most amazing scenery of mountain and glen and, as you travel from one place to another, you will be enthralled by the lovely little villages found dotted around. If you prefer larger towns and cities then you could always base a vacation in Fort William or in Inverness. If you enjoy the remote then a visit to the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides or the islands of the Outer Hebrides should not be missed, especially if you wish to experience the culture of the Gaelic Heartland.
One of the most famous Scottish landmarks is Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital city and the home of the Scottish Government. While Edinburgh is a thoroughly modern city it’s facade is ancient, with truly awesome architecture to be found along the Royal Mile and in the New Town. One of the reasons why the city is one of the top tourist destinations in Europe is the shear number of important multi-national festival which seem to take place continually through the year ranging from the International Book Festival to the Hogmanay celebrations
Glasgow is vastly different to Edinburgh, it is certainly larger (Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland), but the architecture is more Victorian with little any older. This is due to the fact that the city developed extremely quickly from a small village to a large town and then a city, during the industrial revolution. The Act of Union in 1707 opened up markets which had previously been closed to Scotland and the tradesmen of Glasgow took full advantage, especially the tobacco merchants who made massive fortunes in a very short space of time. Many of the merchants invested in the building of wonderful civic buildings which are still used today and can be seen throughout the city.
Besides the two cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow there are plenty of other towns and cities, such as Sterling, Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen, that are worth visiting as each are very different from one another. Each has it’s own tourist attractions such as St Andrews and it’s famous golf courses. One of the most popular tourist attractions is actually a modern work of engineering, the Falkirk Wheel but, in the main, most tourist attractions in Scotland are historical buildings or sites such as Stirling Castle.
Of course Scotland has much too much to offer than can be included in this short article. Amongst the most popular attractions are specially designed tours such as whisky tours and ghost tours of Edinburgh and the likes. The truth is that there is something in Scotland to please anybody and the country’s diversity provides some of the most incredibly opportunities for a vacation of a lifetime.
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