The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
Scotland
With over 130 windswept islands surrounding a mainland where even the lowlands are covered with hills, Scotland is a country that defies easy definition. The one thing that Scots can agree on, however, is that Scotland is nothing like England. The two were completely separate countries until 1603, when James VI of Scotland, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, succeeded the childless Elizabeth I of England and became King James I of England and Scotland. The tenuous bonds between the two countries broke down during the Civil War, and Scotland was conquered by Oliver Cromwell. When the monarchy was restored, the two countries were once again ruled by the same king but remained separate kingdoms. During England's Glorious Revolution of 1688, William of Orange took the crown with the understanding that he would allow the parliament to take more control of affairs than his absolutist predecessor. This increased the friction between the two countries, each of which maintained its own parliament, until the controversial Act of Union in 1707, in which the two parliaments were merged into one and the United Kingdom of Great Britain was born.
The Scots are proud of their heritage, and not all are happy to be lumped under the generic heading of Great Britain or the United Kingdom. While tourist boards may try to exploit the image of the tartan-clad bagpiper for every pence it's worth, to the Scots the image is a reminder of a once-outlawed way of life. Ironically, many of the things considered typically Scottish--tartan dress, misty glens, bagpipes, shady lochs, tightly knit clans--are remnants of a northern Highland way of life, which suffered a devastating blow after the British troops defeated the clan armies at Culloden in 1746. The English government outlawed tartans, bagpipes, and clan armies, stripping clan chiefs of their power, and in many cases, land. Yet these images fashionably resurfaced in the 19th century, after the threat of Scottish rebellion was long dead, when several royals, notably George IV and Queen Victoria, fell in love with the country. They have proliferated and charmed tourists ever since, in the form of woolen shops, kilted bagpipers busking alongside touristed lochs, and tartan-covered shortbread tins.
Geographically, Scotland is divided into three primary regions. The Uplands along the southern border are much like northern England, with rolling moors interrupted by rivers; the fertile Lowlands are spread around the Firths of Forth and Clyde; and the rugged Highlands, covering much of the west and north of the country, are punctuated with mountains and deep lochs--a drop-dead panorama that in itself justifies a trip to Scotland. But whether you spend a few days in the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, only an hour apart and home to one third of the population, or several months exploring the diverse landscape of the north coast and islands, Scotland will not disappoint. Though the often harsh weather and sparse public transportation in some parts of Scotland can be challenging, the breathtaking scenery, rare landscapes and wildlife, and helpful locals reward every effort.
|
