Today was the first of two full-day tours I booked out of Edinburgh. It took me north, via Glencoe, to Fort William, Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. The Highlands are the home of the stereotype of Scots. There were many great views, green rolling hills, huge Lochs, and beautiful scenery. And a bunch of sheep, which outnumber people 3:1.
During Days 11 and 12, I learned a little about Scotland and its people, some of which I want to share. Apparently, the stereotype of kilts, bagpipes, etc. is accurate and inaccurate at once. Walter Scott, the Scottish author, wrote about his people in a romanticized manner. When King Edward IV read these works, he was enchanted by the idea and decided to visit. In order to give the king what he wanted, Edinburgh was staged to demonstrate this fictionalized version. Since then, it has been used as a tourist draw.
The reasons the Highlands make such a focal point of culture are twofold, and highly emphasized during the tours: fierce independence and love of the land. England and Scotland's relationship has historically been difficult to say the least. The thirteenth and fourteenth century Wars of Independence were brutal. As with a lot of medieval conflicts, it's the outcome of heirs and political machinations. Alexander III of Scotland died without an heir, and the next in line was three year old Margaret in Norway. Scottish lords turned to King Edward I of England for help. He aided with setting up a temporary rule. Then, when Margaret was right and was deemed ready to make the voyage to her fiefdom, she set forth. But didn't make it, dying of illness on the way. Edward I was again shortish for help and he agreed to help pick a king. All the Scots would need to do would be to fight for the English crown and to pay taxes. That got annoying quickly, so they rebelled and were invaded. Queue William Wallace and a lot of blood.
Glossing over a lot of complex history, eventually the rule of both nations was in the hands of a single monarch (1603). Scotland still had its own Parliament though, until 1707 when financial issues forced it to unify with Britain. There is still much resentment. Actually, in 1997, Scotland once again formed a separate Parliament, but it is subservient to the main, British, one. Being part of the larger kingdom has not beaten down the individualist pride, and Gaelic is still the official language of Scotland, even though only about one percent of the population is fluent in it.
Nature, which is absolutely stunning here, is rightfully a source of pride. And they are working to continue to preserve it. To reduce carbon emissions, 95% of energy comes from renewable sources. Ultimately, the goal is to reach net zero carbon emissions while becoming an energy exporter by 2050. Furthering this goal is the 19% tree cover, most for any nation in the UK, which is targeted to rise to 21% by 2030.
Not only do the Scottish folk value nature, they also enjoy it. Hiking is extremely popular here and there is a ski resort on the only mountain. Furthermore, Right to Wander laws make it legal to walk the countryside without trespassing laws. Since today was a day of studying Scottish culture and customs, I needed to include some traditional food. So I got some haggis as a last minute addition to lunch, ordered as a side, and consequently called "a bit lonely" by my father. I suppose I can understand:
But it was delicious. A bit less spiced than the last time I had it, but richer. The texture of haggis is fairly unique, soft crumbs that hold together. Unfortunately, although "crumbs" is not the best word, I can't think of another that would describe the soft individual bits that make it up. The other traditional food was a shortcake biscuit, which I had for dessert. Here, the term biscuit is used when Americans would say cookie, and does not refer to the southern buttermilk bun. Shortbread is not particularly sweet, but it is incredibly buttery. It brings the richness of milk fat but isn't greasy or too oily, just rich and crumbly. And in this case crumbly is the right term, because biting into the biscuit releases an avalanche of golden bits.
And one last note for today- I got a photo of the Loch Ness Monster.
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