Scotland travel guide

• Glasgow,
• Edinburgh,
• New Elgin

• Orkney Islands,
• Hebrides,
• Central Belt

Scotland

The Wild, Untamed Youngest Step-Child of Britain.

When it comes to geography, Scotland is just spectacular. If England is the prim, buttoned-up older sister and Ireland the charming, self-assured middle sister, then Scotland is surely the wild-eyed youngest step-sister tumbling carefree into the woods. While you can see the similarities to its southerly and westerly neighbors, there is something fiercer and more untamed about Scotland’s lochs and mountains. Stunning coasts and dramatic landscapes in the remote Orkney Islands and Inner Hebrides, glassy lakes where you can seek out the Loch Ness Monster, and weather that will truly put hair on your chest--all of these combine for a scenery that would swallow you whole, if only it could. This intensity extends beyond terrain to the Scots themselves; centuries of rivalry with the English have cultivated a pride, independence, and loyalty that are among the fiercest in Europe. Whether you are in a pub or at a rugby match, the message is the same: Go hard, or go home. Despite all the wildness and intensity--possibly because of it--Scotland has become a major hub for arts and culture. The Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe transform an already-cosmopolitan city into a theater mecca for all of August, while Glasgow boasts a lively urban arts scene year-round. All of which begs the question, whilst you sit and sip a wee dram of firewater, “England . . .who? Ireland . . .where?”

Scotland travel guide by cristina

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