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Views Of Scotland
Views Of Scotland
Scotland Travel Blog – 3rd March 2021
It is said, and has it has also been officially recognised in some travel publications, that Scotland, is the most beautiful country in the world. Well, we would agree! We do love travel and touring the lands of Scotland. We also know that the world itself is an amazing place, and that there are just too many stunningly beautiful places on our planet. But Scotland deserves its place among the elite of travel destinations. Not only is the landscape achingly beautiful, it is also totally unique with stunning and vibrant greens set against sandstone and granite mountains. As if this wasn’t enough, Scotland’s history, heritage and culture is the perfect accompaniment to this dramatic landscape. We are an instantly recognisable nation with that most famous of attire – The Kilt!
Touring to see natural beauty surprisingly throws up quite a difference of opinion, and what is stunning to one person, may just be a ‘nice’ sight to another. Personally, I have grown to love the vast flat (ish) landscape of Caithness. It is not the dramatic mountainous landscape of the Western Highlands, but there is immense beauty in the openness, space and big skies you see and feel in Caithness.
The rolling agricultural lands of the kingdom of Fife in Scotland is another example of a 'different' Scottish landscape. When we are touring around this area whilst on our way to the fishing villages or St Andrews, we are surrounded by rolling agricultural land. Some of our guests think this is such a stunning sight, and it is, and they are genuinely amazed at how green our land can be. Our guests also love how beautiful, brown dirt is! “Anything will grow in that dirt”, is a common quote I hear as we travel by. Can agricultural land be stunning? Well, yes! On a spring or early summers day, the agricultural farming land of Scotland, or indeed the UK, is beautiful. The earth, our planet, is in total bloom, thanks to the efforts of all the farmers and farm workers across the country. Their hard graft will take the form of produce in our kitchen cupboards and on our tables, how lucky we are. Can a field of wheat, flowing from side to side in a gentle breeze be a stunning sight? Absolutely! It is also relaxing, serene and poetic.
To be honest, I find it difficult to wax lyrical in the writing of agricultural and farming landscapes. I may have done a fairly good job in the paragraph above, but I find it much easier to write about the dramatic landscapes of mountains and lochs, which are abundant across Scotland. When it comes to putting photographs on the website, or on social media, I shy away from putting up a picture of a lovely, ploughed field. I do love those lines in the earth though, they take your eye into the distance like no other. It’s difficult to get the ‘likes’ though.
In saying this, we must remember that Scotland is not a flat country, not even in the Lowlands or the Borders. Indeed, it is very hilly in these parts and to eek out a farming or agricultural life in this landscape, is quite remarkable. There is a route, the A912 Cupar to Newburgh road in rural Fife, where in the summer, is one of the most beautiful drives in all of Scotland, due to the fertile agricultural lands. Rows and rows of green leaves suggest the finest produce is just below, or just above the perfect soil.
Scotland gains its reputation of the most beautiful country in the world from its famous Highlands landscape. The first thing to note here is, the mountains of Scotland are nowhere near the highest in the world. They don’t come close in height to ranges such as, The Alps, The Rockies, The Andes and so on. However, they are much older, and we are talking millions of years older! But maybe the beauty lies in the fact they are so close to us? They are reachable, attainable, they can be climbed, they can be reached, and very easily actually. There is no expedition to get to the mountains of Scotland, although there is a lot of wilderness in the highlands and in the Cairngorms, and care must be taken when going on Scotland’s mountains. Strict safety procedures must be adhered to when attempting Scotland’s mountains and mountain ranges. The Scottish author, broadcaster hill walker and all-round outdoor enthusiast, Cameron McNeish is well worth a follow, on Social Media.
Scotland’s mountains and stunning landscapes are in touching distance, and when we are out on tour, we can experience this unique landscape very easily. Although they are not the highest mountains, they are strikingly beautiful. They are an extension of the Scottish people or, are we an extension of them? The mountains and landscape of Scotland are embedded in our culture and I think this is because they are so close to us. They are not huge, they don’t tower over us, they are part of us, and we don’t fear them. Every Scot loves the highlands, and to us city folk, they start almost on our doorstep! The Scottish landscape has been immortalised in writing, songs, poetry and art for centuries and it certainly captures the imagination. Scottish people, or we should say, Celtic people, are dreamers, fantasists and the one thing Celtic peoples have in common, is we live in dramatic and haunting landscapes.
When we are touring through Scotland, we know so many amazing places to grab that all important photograph. And that photo that will forever place you in this amazing landscape. Custom Private Tours | Scotland – James Campbell Tours
Here are some of our favourites – Loch Creran just north of Benderloch. Loch Na Keal on the Isle of Mull. Sanna Bay on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Loch Na Dal, Isle of Skye for outstanding views to Knoydart. The A896 as you climb out of Torridon for amazing views of The Torridon Mountains. The walk from Lower Diabeg to Craig has outstanding views over the sea to Skye. If you are fit, a moderate hike will see you at the top of Bennachie in Aberdeenshire where the views go on forever. And for rolling countryside? You just can’t beat a drive around the East Neuk of Fife. Pick up some local strawberries for a snack, then finish it all off with locally caught Haddock & Chips. Ahhhh….
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