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there’s not too much here but if you’re interested in fun stuff Scotland there’s plenty of it. The Scot’s have a great sense of humor, love to talk with visitors and have very interesting stories to tell. So when you’re in Scotland just go around, relax, talk with people and take lots of photos of interesting stuff.
WithThe outer Hebrides of Scotland like the Shetland and Orkney Islands you can be amazed at the remnants of ancient people’s activities in thisvery cold and windy environment. Another interesting thing I found is that the driving is in very rural areas and sometimes very isolated. This seems a little unusual for such a small series of islands. One problem they have here is the decreasing population. It’s a difficult place to live and to make a life. But for visiting I highly recommend it. It’s just so different from the Scottish mainland. So enjoy the photos by Bill Smale Adventures.
Sailing to the outer Hebrides in Scotland you’re going to find some very interesting things besides just sheep. The roads are narrow, the wind is strong, the weather can be tough but you can find a lot of tranquility as well. Located here is the famous Harris Tweed and some other things you would not expect. The towns are small but you can enjoy the big hearted hospitality of the people here.
A lot of what you find in the Shetlands is Picts, Vikings and horses. Well, that’s not exactly true because most of what you see are sheep and quite a few cows but not many horses. But the Shetlands is well known for the Shetland ponies which are nasty little horses actually, speaking from experience. The Picts were Celtic people who were called “Picts”” because they tattooed themselves and the Roman people who came across them named them for the “pictures” they had on their bodies. In these islands you will find a lot of nice people but mostly sheep and beautiful countryside which has such an ancient geology, igneous and metamorphic structures with a lot of limestone as well. There are many standing stone configurations where you might want to time warp into the past. But you will also find many Viking structures and references to horses.Anyway here are some Pictures with Bill Smale Adventures.
The Sutherlands’ Dunrobin Castle is representative of the wealth, status and power of that family. It was these people who took over alot of the Highland areas for sheep farming and displaced the population to either working for them or moving outside of the sheep herding areas often to the seasides where they had no skills and where the farming was often impossible. Many of those people got on boats and left for the US, Australia and Canada and never looked back. It was a very sad time in the history for Scotland but it was a great time for the countries they went to since they brought their traditions and especially their music which became an important and integral part of what we now call “American music”. This castle is one of the nicest ones I’ve ever seen and it is extremely well-maintained. If you are in this area it’s one of the places you really must visit.
When you travel to Scotland try to make time to visit the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands. When you’re out and about in the Orkneys you will find some really beautiful landscapes and you will also I think be surprised by how many ancient people travel to this windy and cold series of Islands. The weather is very difficult but it is a very fertile, geologically ancient with bountiful seas. But when you visit you should have a car since local transport is not really adequate for short intensive visits.
one of the beautiful drives I’ve ever had is this area in mid October with a beautiful fall colors, the cool climate and the warm friendship of the people of Scotland. I highly recommend coming to this place in the fall and enjoying Loch Ness with Bill Smale Adventures.
people come here from all over the world hoping to see the “monster”. But the last credible “sighting” was the early part of the 20th century and that one is dubious. On looking at the loch from the outlet to the ocean to the interior it is easy to see how a large fish or other ocean going animal could get into the loch, grow and become large enough to be very visible at different times of the day. But it’s quite a tourist attraction and it’s a beautiful area so if you stay away from the crowds and enjoy the beautiful scenery you will have a good time.
Inverness in the fall is so beautiful you won’t want to go back into a city. The country people are welcoming, the beer is delicious and even though it’s cold the warmth of the people keep you in comfort as you travel through the countryside searching for the next beautiful view. You will especially enjoy a morning hike in Scotland’s Golspie Burn waterfall and gorge.
Remembering Edinburgh
As I do my edinburgh scotland walking tour i find Edinburgh is now becoming a very crowded city even during the off-season but I can understand that because it is such a beautiful place and the people in Scotland are really wonderful and friendly. Something strange though, once I got off the train and looked at the Sir Walter Scott memorial and the castle on the hill all of the memories from my 1971 visit after I graduated from high school came back again and the memories were so fresh I felt like it was only a month ago that I walked around the city and saw the famous sites so I felt I didn’t need to do it again. I’ve never had that feeling any other place I’ve been. It just felt so familiar. Edinburgh is definitely the first city you want to visit before going to the Highlands.
I didn’t spend much time in the city, just about five hours in the shopping area by the station so I don’t really know the more interesting places to go so I would recommend doing a little study of the city before entering to find what you might enjoy.
