Loch Leven © Scottish Tourist Board
Scotland is a wild and untamed country, stretching from rolling
farmlands in the south and east to the dramatic highlands and
islands in the west, where the craggy coastline is pocked with
beautiful beaches and rises up to rugged, empty mountains divided
only by shimmering lochs and deep rivers. This ancient land has a
brutal history and is studded with ancient castles and
strongholds.
Although still part of the United Kingdom, the Scots are a
fiercely independent and proud nation. They are, at the moment,
agitating to gain political independence from the UK by 2014. They
have their own legal system and more recently have their own
parliament, and are developing into an economic force in their own
right - Aberdeen is the hub of the North Sea oil industry, and
Edinburgh is now home to Europe's largest bank.
Scotland is the home of golf and whiskey, and has a cultural
heritage stretching from the festivities of the clans, to the
poetry of Robert Burns. Scotland's rich traditions can be best seen
over the summer months at the cutting-edge Edinburgh Arts Festival
or at one of the many, more low-key Highland Games events.
A land of unparalleled raw natural beauty, outdoor and
wilderness enthusiasts will delight in Scotland's open spaces and
its excellently-managed national parks.
