The attractions of the Scottish Highlands aren’t necessarily those you would expect, and certainly aren’t limited to castle ruins, pipe bands, tartan and haggis. That’s the impression you’ll get visiting Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, but there’s a lot more to the Highlands, both attractions for tourists and attractions for immigrants, like us.
But where exactly is the Scottish Highlands? The Romans nominated the area north of Perth as Caledonia, a country they didn’t dare go to, because of the ferocity of the tribes living there and the tough terrain. The Scottish Government seems to have followed the Romans lead, organising the Cairngorm national park and everything north and west as Highlands and Islands.
My preference is for restricting the Highlands designation to the area north of Inverness – Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland and Caithness. And I can make a case for the Highlands to be known as the area north of the Dornoch Firth – Sutherland and Caithness. This was the area pillaged by the Campbells following the victory over the Jacobite rebellion at Culloden, and then devastated during the infamous Highland Clearances, when English land owners cleared people off their land to make room for sheep.
The Scottish Governments designation of Highlands and Islands applies to an area equivalent to the size of Belgium with a population of 1.1 million whereas my description is an area approximately 100 miles north to south and 60 miles east to west, with a population of less than 10,000. In 1900 the population was thought to be less than 1,000 and even today the area is described as Europe’s last wilderness.
That’s one of the attractions, but only one. There are many more. Here’s my admittedly biased list of the attractions in the Highlands.
Space and Time
With a population of less than 10,000 in an area of 6,000 square miles getting away from it all is pretty simple. The majority of that population resides in small towns ranging up the east coast – Dornoch, Golspie, Brora, Helmsdale, Wick and Thurso. More than half live in the last two.
Beaches
Miles and miles of empty beaches for walking, playing, combing and even just sitting. There’s something very special about 5 miles of clean, empty golden sand with the sea on one side, the spectacular hills on the other, all under that enormous sky.
Activities
Shooting, fishing, walking, golfing, windsurfing, cycling, canoeing, shopping, drinking are all popular pursuits in this part of the world. That’s why the richest English people keep Scottish estates for their holidays. The Castle of Mey was Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother‘s favourite home.
There are places where the eating is the match of anywhere and even sunbathing will work, sometimes. There are creative arts everywhere you look, and naturalists, biologists, geologists, historians, will all find plenty of material to explore. And then there’s just looking. Everywhere you’ll see the most stunning scenery – the result of geological shifts millions of years ago, sunshine, rain and the enormous sky. Some of the railway journeys offer unexpected and memorable views.
And of course there’s whisky. In this part of the world single malt whisky is more religion than entertainment. The hotel bars offer a bewildering range of choices. Any single malt fan will perfectly entertained discovering the idiosynchracies of the different brands and bottlings but perhaps the best entertainment comes from visiting the distilleries, learning the history of the each particular brand and understanding quite how the flavours vary and how they are made. Anybody with a nose for single malt will enjoy the experience and impress friends with their in depth knowledge.
Exclusivity
If exclusivity is what you’re after look no further. Some of the world’s most private and luxurious resorts are right here. Madonna chose Skibo Castle for her wedding to Guy Ritchie, as do business leaders and professional golfers for their private breaks. Mohammed Al Fayed lives at Balnagown Castle and Sunderland Chairman (billionaire hedge fund manager) Ellis Short owns Skibo. Ackerill Tower offers similar escapes. For the merely well off the Albannach provides comfortable accommodation, the best in food and mesmerising views of Suilvan.
Tranquility
The A9 travels up the east coast and can be quite busy at times, but the other roads are invariably empty. In the west you can drive for hours and never see another car. Five cars at a traffic light is a jam, three customers in a shop is a queue, and a friendly Hello from residents is usual. People in the Highlands always have that bit more time, because they don’t waste it fighting their way through crowds.
Weather
A visitor once told me how much he loved the area but couldn’t stand the climate. He was from New York, and he was mistaken. Here a temperature below freezing all day is a rarity, unlike New York of course. At the same time anything above 70 F decrees is unusual, again unlike New York. On the east coast, at least, there’s below average rainfall. In summer there’s 20 hours of daylight. In fact the weather is just perfect for all those activities.
Safety
No traffic and virtually no crime is a great combination for making people feel safe. In the Highlands you won’t get run over or mugged. You won’t drown (because its too cold to swim). Your car or phone won’t be stolen. Your biggest dangers might be losing a golf ball or a hangover from sampling the local brews. Except for hill walkers of course. If you take on some of these hills without the right gear, in the wrong shape or during the wrong weather the dangers are real.
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Do you have Highlands experiences you can share with our readers? Please add your comments, suggestions and memories in the Comments box. The more news and views the better!
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