Most of the travelers who visit the British Isles, visit only England and are less familiar with Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. And yet, these neighbour territories around England offer a distinguished travel experience regarding history, culture, and people. A road trip through the countryside, as well as the big cities of each of these countries, could amaze curious travelers.
SCOTLAND
Visiting Scotland and meeting Scots in their country is a valuable and memorable experience. One notices immediately that they are extremely passionate and proud people while being friendly and social as well. They have a frank and expressive talking style with direct eye contact. This gives you the feeling that you are more than welcome.
Scotland is located in the Northern part of the British Islands. Lowlands in the South are the rural plains with pastoral sceneries where most of the population is concentrated around the main cities. Northern Highlands are mainly mountainous areas surrounded by hundreds of isles. In contrast to Lowlands, the Highland region is sparsely populated.
Scottish people are descendants of the Celtic Clans who inhabited the territory from 4000 BC on, as well as the of the Scots who came from Ireland to invade and colonize the region after the withdrawal of the Romans. Scotland has emerged as an independent sovereign kingdom as early as the beginning of the Medieval Ages. After 1603, King of Scots became the king of England as well. In 1707 with the Acts of Union, two kingdoms merged into a new state: “Kingdom of Great Britain”.
At the beginning of the 18th century, Scotland was a poor rural, agricultural society with a population of 1.3 million. Although Scotland lost its sovereignty through it, the Union of 1707 contributed to the Scottish enlightenment. There was a great expansion of trade and an increase in wealth. With the Industrial Revolution, Scotland became one of the most important commercial, intellectual and industrial centers of Europe. In recent decades, Scotland has enjoyed a cultural and economic renaissance all over again due to the developments in the financial services sector and increasing income from the North Sea oil and gas.
Throughout centuries, Scotland has endured its own legal, educational, and religious individuality, preserving the Scottish culture and identity within the UK. Since the 1950’s leaving British Union for Scottish independence has been a serious debate in Scotland.
EDINBURGH
Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland since the 15th century, is the second-largest financial center and the most popular tourist destination in the UK after London. The city is divided into old and new towns, with the old city located on the skirts of the rock hills and the new town stretching towards the surrounding plains. Both towns are accepted as Unesco World Heritage.
The Historic Centre next to the broad area of green gardens is the main tourist area. The view is dominated by the Edinburgh Castle built on the Castle Rock in the 12th century. The Edinburgh Castle, had been residence for Scottish kings for centuries and is converted into a military fortress in the 17th century. In the neighbourhood, one can find other places of interest like St Giles Cathedral, the City Chambers, the Law Courts, Greyfriars Kirkyard and the Grassmarket. The medieval architecture with its high stone buildings, the narrow whirling roads, and the small quarters makes walking around the old town a unique experience.
Edinburgh, as a result of cultural improvements in previous centuries, has many museums, historical libraries and National Galleries of Art. As a tourist, one needs to plan at least a few day’s stay in order to visit all the places of interest. Edinburgh also houses many festivals and celebrations related to film, theater, jazz, and classical music during summer months.
Edinburgh is a University city, with 3 well-established universities dating from the 16th century. The city has been an important center of education, particularly for medicine, law, literature, philosophy, natural sciences, and engineering.
ROSSLYN CHAPEL
Towards the end of the 1500s, Scotland’s stonemason associations started to get organized in Lodges. The stonemasons usually worked at the construction of massive churches and castles, among which the most important ones are Edinburgh Castle and Rosslyn Chapel.
The Rosslyn Chapel belonging to the noble Sinclair family was constructed in the mid 15th century under the Roman Catholic Church. Although catholic worship was terminated in Scotland through the protestant reformation, Sinclair family continued to use the chapel for their catholic practices. Rosslyn Chapel was closed to public worship at the beginning of the 18th century and was reopened in 1861 as a place of worship for the Anglican Communion.
Recently the chapel has interestingly been subject to speculative stories related to Templar Knights and the Holy Grail. The bestselling novel “Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown, and its movie version have increased the touristic popularity of the chapel dramatically.
Although photography is not allowed in the church, one has to visit to see the magnificent carvings and decorations of this unique medieval building.
GLASGOW
Glasgow, located at the ocean opening of the River Clyde, is the largest city of Scotland by population. Today’s Glasgow has emerged from a religious center which was founded by Christian missioners in the 6th century. The earliest settlements already started thousands of years ago in the form of a fishing village. Glasgow, situated between high and low lands, prospered as a marketing center with the trade fairs starting as early as 1190. The city elevated its religious and educational status through wealth from agriculture, brewing and fishing. In the 18th century, Glasgow became the main harbour of overseas trade with northern America and the Caribbean Colonies. During the industrial revolution, Glasgow region became one of the world’s most outstanding center for textile, engineering and chemical industries while shipbuilding advanced particularly.
Glasgow is an outstanding center of education with its 4 universities including schools of art, music, and design. The city is home for prestigious national theatres, Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Opera and Ballet. On the other side, Glasgow is also a city of popular entertainment and nightlife as it offers a rich spectrum of restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs for every taste and income level.
For museum lovers, Glasgow offers more than 20 world-class museums and art galleries. One of the most significant museums is The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) which is housed in a historical neo-Classical townhouse in the heart of the shopping district. It is Scotland’s most visited exhibition space for modern and contemporary art.
Another must-see art center is the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum which displays extensive, wide-ranging collections of 8000 objects in 22 galleries. They include, one of Europe’s great art collections from many art movements and periods as well as natural history and military objects.
The transport and travel museum Riverside Museum is interesting and informative for the visitors of every age. With over 3000 objects on display from the rich past of Glasgow, one can find here all sorts of vehicles from vintage cars to locomotives and ships.
In short, Scotland is a beautiful country with so much to offer. It’s definitely worth a long and thoroughly planned visit.