There are landscapes that cinema gives us marvelously well. Who has not fallen in love with Paris, Rome or New York film after film, much more than seeing photographs? For me another example is the Highlands, Scotland.
Untamed land, green and rocky land, land of men with kilt and land of William Wallace in that legendary film starring and directed by Mel Gibson a long time ago. If you are visiting Great Britain and decide to visit Scotland, an excursion to the Highlands or Highlands cannot be missing from your route.
Highlands
It is a historic region within Scotland, which is located in the north and west, without well-defined borders and with few people living there. There are many mountains, are the dominant landscape, being the highest of all the Ben Nevis. with 1345 meters.
More people used to live in these beautiful and traditional landscapes, but during the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries many people emigrated, either to other British cities or to Australia, Canada and the United States. Its administrative center is the city of Inverness.
Historically this area of Scotland had its own language, Gaelic, although today more is spoken scotch english, influenced anyway by that traditional language. The Highlands are Scottish clan lands that at some point in history they competed with the king, so there were many tensions until finally, around the XNUMXth century, the integration of the clan leaders into Scottish society could take place with some success.
Thus, many of them went from being clan chiefs to landowners engaged in trade and the social structure changed as the centuries passed. Trade and changes in traditional activities meant that English was slowly adopted as the 'language of work', so eventually, along with other measures taken by the British government, the clan system collapsed.
Of course, it was not without its twists and turns, and thus Highland culture never quite disappeared. The result was that the tartan and the kilt became distinctive of the Scottish social elite and from the pen of Walter Scott, poet and writer, a certain romanticism was woven around the Scottish Highlands, forming a very strong identity of its own.
Nowadays, It is one of the producing regions of the best whiskey in the world. In total there are more than 30 distilleries that produce a sweet, fruity and spicy drink. Of course, no one leaves Scotland without trying their whiskey so don't forget.
What climate do the Highlands have? We might think that because of where they are located they would have the same climate as the Labrador region of Canada, but it is not a little warmer due to the Gulf Stream. It's studded with lakes, castles and medieval landscapes that seem taken from any fantasy novel. A dream.
What to do in the Highlands
There's a lot to do around here explore its lakes (among them the famous Lake Ness), Walk the Cairngorms National Park, visit the Isle of Skye castles, climb Ben Nevis or explore the wild coast of caithness, just to give some examples.
Getting to the Highlands is not difficult: you can go by car, by train, by bus or by plane. Buses and trains connect the area via Edinburgh, Glasgow and other major Scottish cities. Buses run from the towns of Crianlarich and Glencoe to Fort William and beyond, while trains connect Inverness as far north as Wick and Duirinish. On the other hand, ferries reach the larger islands and Inverness is easily reached from London by train or air.
The truth is that beyond the cities the natural scenery of the Highlands is wonderful and the outdoor tourism It's the best you can do. At the heart of the region is the Cairngorms National Park with walking trails exceptional, the possibility of ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding and much more.
To the west is the Isle of Skye, a magical place, with its fairy ponds, the Cuillin Range and its famous Old Mand of Storr. It's a great place to hike, kayak, camp... The Fairy Pools They are ponds of crystalline blue water formed in the river Brittle. You can do the corresponding 24-mile walk in about 40 minutes or so, if you never stop. Between the ponds there are beautiful waterfalls.
And of course, we cannot stop mentioning the Loch Ness, famous for its monster. There are always boat trips available and an interpretation center to learn more about the history of the mythological creature. Are there castles in the Highlands? Of course.
The history of the Scottish Highlands is long and very complex so there are castles and fortresses everywhere. It is impossible to know the history of all, but there are at least 10 castles that are very famous: the dunrobin, XNUMXth century, the fort george, XNUMXth century, the brodie castle, Urquhart, on the coast of Loch Ness with more than a thousand years, the inverness castle,Dunvegan, Loch an Eilein, Cawdor Castle, Eilean Donan and Leod Castle, seat of the McKenzie clan, just outside Inverness.
Through the Highlands you can walk or you can also riding a bicycle. It's a great way to explore these lands because you can practice some turismo rural. A good cycling route is the Achiltibuie Circular Cycle Route, challenging but very beautiful because you go through beaches, lochs and some of the most famous Scottish mountains. It travels in seven hours, but you can always take shorter routes.
So here in the Highlands of Scotland you can hike, climb, kayak on lakes and rivers, go sailing by the magnificent coast of the country or by its no less beautiful inland lakes, get to know beaches, bays and coves hidden places that can never be reached by car, fish salmon, trout and many more fish, from the river or the sea, or simply take cruises panoramic that allow you to appreciate the profile of Scotland from the water.
Highland wildlife is a beauty. These lands are a great destination to see many species, including wolves, birds of all kinds and more. A paradise for lovers of flora and fauna. Aim: within the The Cairngorms Nature Reserve there are two fabulous protected areas: the Inner Marshes Reserve and the Abernethy Reserve. there is also the Highland Wildlife Park which, on the west coast, has many small islands and open spaces to see whales, sharks and seals.
For its part, the north coast offers travelers the North Coast 500, an incredible route that allows us to visit various wildlife areas along a coast that with its breath-taking landscapes. We do not forget the islands. There are many islands off the north coast of Scotland, Skye, Orkney, Shetland, For example.
There are some that are very far away, if you don't have time, but the Isle of Skye and the Hebrides External ones are closer and are easily accessible. The first, part of the Highlands, is reached by car by crossing a bridge that connects it to the mainland. The usual route is to go from Edinburgh to Glasgow and from there to the Isle of Skye to get to know its wildlife, its landscapes and its wonderful beaches that, they say, have nothing to envy to those of the Mediterranean.
Discover the Scottish Highlands on your next adventure.