About Scotland
The View
Scotland is one of the four "home nations" that make up the United Kingdom. Sharing a 60 mile (96 km) long land border with England to the south, and separated from Northern Ireland by the North Channel of the Irish Sea, Scotland is surrounded by the bracing waters of the North Sea to the east, and the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and north. The capital is Edinburgh, the largest city is Glasgow. Apart from these and several other cities, the popular image of Scotland for most travelers, of course, centers on the "Highlands and Islands" - a wonderfully diverse land, Scotland has much to offer virtually any traveler. Scotland has a rich and strong culture, one of which its people are fiercely proud. Scotland has a great tradition of festivals, art and literature. It has produced some of the greatest literary personalities, actors and writers of the world. Irvine Welsh has made a heavy impact on the international literary scene and the prestigious Edinburgh Festival is a hotspot on international arts calendars.
The Country
Scotland is not part of England. This is a common mistake among tourists, and one which can be almost guaranteed to grossly offend any native Scot you may be talking to. The island comprising Scotland, England and Wales is called Great Britain, which, with Northern Ireland, makes up the United Kingdom. A person from Scotland is called a Scot, or you would say that they are Scottish. The word "Scotch" applies to things - for example, whisky, Scotch eggs, Scotch beef and Scotch Corner (a road junction leading to Scotland).
English and Scots Gaelic are the official languages of Scotland. English (sometimes spoken with a varying degree of Scottish dialect) is the everyday language spoken by everyone. Dialects vary enormously from region to region, and even between towns! Don’t let this frighten you, however, as all Scots can speak standard English.
As in the rest of the United Kingdom, Scottish currency is Pounds Sterling (£). Scotland’s three national clearing banks continue to issue their own sterling banknotes (including £1 notes, not produced south of the border). These are The Bank of Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland and The Clydesdale Bank. These notes are very common in Scotland, but are sometimes not accepted in shops in England (English banks, however, will exchange them for Bank of England notes). ATMs commonly dispense the Scottish notes, but bank tellers will cash travelers cheques into Bank of England notes on request. Scottish banknotes may be difficult to exchange outside the UK, where foreign banks are generally unfamiliar with the notes. If in doubt, exchange your Scottish notes for Bank of England notes before you leave the country.
The classic tourist souvenir is a kilt and everything else involving the tartan. Note that a real kilt costs about £300-400 and is made of heavy wool (so it won’t reveal what you are wearing underneath even in strong winds), but most souvenir stores only offer unauthentic thin ones. If you really want a genuine kilt or full traditional outfit (Kilt,sporran,jacket, shirt and shoes) the best place to look is a clothing hire shop. These specialise in hiring suits and kilts for weddings and often sell stock at reduced prices. The traditional highland kilt is a section of cloth about 6 feet wide and 14 feet long. This is wrapped about the body then then brought up over the shoulder and pinned in place, a little like a toga. The modern short kilt was introduced during the industrial revolution to give more freedom of movement.
Whisky is also a common buy. There are huge differences in price and taste.
The People
If you are a first-time visitor to Scotland and you expect everyone to be like Wallace’s army in Braveheart, where people wear blue face paint and kilts and flash their bottoms at the first person they don’t like the look of, then be prepared for disappointment. The fact is that the people of this country look and behave no differently than any others. As is mentioned in an earlier section, the Scots and English enjoy a good relationship today, so assuming that all Scots hate their neighbours is also wrong and could even cause offence. This isn’t to say that the Scots are in fact English, as the two countries are undoubtedly different in many ways.
You will also find that most decent Scots do not wish to be associated with Braveheart, as this film is fictional and inaccurate and does not reflect Scottish history as it was, so referring to the people as "Bravehearts" is also not advised. In other words, don’t believe anything you read in the comments section of any article on the much debated topic of Scottish independence in popular newspaper websites such as The Scotsman,The Independent or The Daily Record, where everything is just one big anti-English rant. The people who post in there should not be confused with the friendly welcoming people that make up the vast majority of Scots. It is also a common myth that the Tartan Army are in fact Scottish ambassadors, so just like you don’t expect all French to stink of onions or all Americans to be overweight, the same applies with regards to the Scots being ginger, kilt-wearing yobs who hate the English
Another issue which can cause bother is sectarianism, enforced by the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers football clubs. DO NOT walk through the streets wearing the colours of either of these clubs, this might not only cause offence, but could also lead to you being a victim of assault or murder, especially in Glasgow where these clubs are based. It would probably be best to avoid the issue of football during conversation when in Glasgow.
Main Cities
- Edinburgh (Gaelic: Dùn Èideann) - the capital of Scotland, home to the World’s largest Arts Festival every August and the First European City of Literature. Most of the city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Aberdeen (Gaelic: Obar Dheathain) - Scotland’s third largest city, the Oil & Gas Capital of Europe, home to two universities
- Dumfries (Gaelic: Dùn Phris) - main town in the southern Scotland/Borders area
- Dundee (Gaelic: Dùn Dè) - vibrant city with high population of students and one of the most distinct (incomprehensible) accents you’ll hear
- Glasgow (Gaelic: Glaschu) - Scotland’s largest city and at one time the largest ship building industry in the world.
- Inverness (Gaelic: Inbhir Nis) - fast growing capital of the Highlands
- Lanark (Gaelic: Lannraig) - home to the New Lanark model village, a World Heritage Site
- Perth (Gaelic: Peairt) - the heart of Scotland and gateway to the Highlands
- Stirling (Gaelic: Sruighlea) - a royal fortress city with a vibrant modern outlook. It was granted city status in 2002
Other Attractions
- The Cairngorms - a mountain range near Aviemore and the largest National Park in Scotland
- Loch Lomond & the Trossachs - Scotland’s first national park
- Loch Ness - Scotland’s most famous loch.
Source: Wikitravel