Before we go .... a wee bit of history, aye?

Scotland can evoke stirring images of stunning landscapes, haunted castles,  misty moors  and gallant warriors which have long attracted visitors to its shores.  These romantic visions have been kept alive by novels, poets and balladeers telling of shipwrecks, ancient kings, heroic battles, and the tales of Bonnie Prince Charlie - the great Pretender to the Throne.  The striking physical beauty of the land can touch the heart every bit as much as a sad lament mourning the loss of kilted heroes in battle.

But who are these people, the Scots?  What makes them so different from their neighbors to the south?  And why do people all over the world cling avidly to their Scottish ancestry?  Scotland is actually a country of many peoples.  The Lowland Scots are of Anglo-Saxon stock, while the Gaelic Highlanders to the north and west, as well as the inhabitants of the northern Shetland and Orkney Islands, are of Norse origin.  Over the years and after a series of conflicts and bloody battles these varied peoples began to recognize themselves as one nation.  And how do the Picts and Gaels fit in to all of this?  I dinnae ken exactly.  It is all clishmaclaver to me, but I can tell you that the Irish speak the Gaelic and the Scots speak the Gaelic but they are not necessarily the same vernacular.  Irish Gaelic was the primary language of the Irish people for most of their recorded history and they carried it with them to other countries, notably Scotland and the Isle of Man, where it gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx.  Although Irish Gaelic continues to be spoken by much of the population of Ireland, Gaelic among the Scots has fallen off a wee bit over the years, and although it is heard mostly in smaller pockets along the Western Isles, one will see Gaelic names accompanying English names on highway signs, National Trust properties, recreation postings, etc..

The turbulent history of Scotland (I highly recommend watching the BBC series "The History of Scotland" to get an idea of exactly how turbulent) reveals it to be a country of almost persistent conflict, and although never fully conquered, it was nearly constantly under siege.  In the Highlands there were the early feuds between the clans.  In the Lowlands,  people had to deal with the Romans in the first half of the of the 1st millennium, while towards the end of the millennium, the Northern and Western Isles were invaded by Norsemen - the Vikings.  The beginning of the second millennium saw the Norman's attempts to conquer the land and later, of course, came the bloody and seemingly endless conflicts with the English.  For more than 1,500 years Scotland hardly knew a decade of peace.  Today, Scotland and England are both part of the United Kingdom and like jealous brothers they vacillate between fits of boiling resentment and amicable nationalism.

From the Atlantic storm-lashed Western Isles, through the purple heather-clad Highlands, to the miles of golden sandy beaches of the northeast coast, one can see why Scotland is a country worth fighting for.  Scotland covers an area of 30,000 square miles (7.2 million hectares) and with its nearly 800 islands, constitutes more than 1/3 of the area of the United Kingdom (which is slightly smaller than Oregon). The country can roughly be divided into 4 geographical areas - the Northern Isles, the Western Isles, the Highlands and the central Lowlands and Borders.

When planning and talking about our trip, some people asked "Why Scotland?"  The short answer is because Scotland has everything we look for in a family vacation destination.  Traveling overseas with children can sometimes be dicey - there are so many factors to consider and prepare for that sometimes it is overwhelming.  Scotland is safe, English speaking (and after being the victims of violent crime in a non-English speaking country, this is HUGE), loaded with history, geographically diverse, full of wildlife, and exceedingly beautiful.  Pretty much a no-brainer!  We have fondly taken to calling our trip a "Scottish Sampler" as we will be traveling through and sampling a little bit of everything during our 25 days in this beautiful country.  We hope to discover (and share with you along the way) how the terrain and geographical features shaped the history and the lives of its peoples.

Below is a wee map detailing our journey beginning in Edinburgh and ending in Dublin (yeah, Dublin is in Ireland - long story), so ... wir ain leed and come wi's!

(EDIT:  There are 10 posts in this blog, not one continuous flow.  You'll need to click on each one from the menu on the right -- Edinburgh, The Highlands, Highlands II, Orkney, Skye, Fort William, Loch Lomond, Toto ..., and Haste Ye Back.  Thank you)