Rough Guides - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands & Islands (Travel Guide eBook)

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Introduction to

Scottish Highlands & Islands

Wild and weather-beaten, the Scottish Highlands and Islands feel like another world compared to the pastoral character of much of Great Britain. With the Covid-19 pandemic shining a bigger light on domestic travel, this area is an instant winner. This is a land where the elements govern much of everyday life and the shipping forecast is more than just an aural sleeping pill. The scenery is raw and magnificent, shaped over thousands of years by geological forces, glaciers and the weather systems of the North Atlantic. Yet, experience a glorious sunset that turns the sea lochs gold or find yet another empty white-powder beach, and youll discover the romance of the place, too. Sure, the roads can be tortuous and the weather can be grim. And lets not even start on the midges in high summer. But when the mood takes it, the Highlands and Islands have a unique glory to make the soul sing.

Although escapism accounts for much of the areas appeal, its impossible to travel in the Highlands and Islands without being touched by the fragility of life here. The Jacobite defeat at Culloden in 1746 was a blow to Scottish pride generally, but it was an unmitigated disaster for the Highlands and Islands, signalling the destruction of the Highland clan system and ultimately the entire Highland way of life. The Clearances that followed in the nineteenth century more than halved the population, and today the Highland landscape is littered with the shells of pre-Clearance crofting communities. The economy struggles, too, despite government support and decades of European Union subsidies, which, following the Brexit vote, will soon be no more. And while recent census figures reveal a rise in population , some of the larger islands such as Bute, Arran and Islay have suffered depopulation as the traditional Highland industries of farming, crofting and fishing no longer provide enough jobs for the younger generation. Forestry, fish-farming and the oil industry are now the bigger employers, alongside the regions other main industry tourism . Since the former depends on development, and the latter on conservation, its a fine balancing act between tapping new opportunities and maintaining traditional values: a dilemma that was voiced repeatedly in debates before the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014, which saw Scots vote to remain part of Great Britain.

For all that, the region is no time warp. Although tradition remains part of the weft and weave of Highlands life, you dont have to travel far to see a renewal of Highlands culture. Nowadays, shortbread and twee tearooms are out, superb super-fresh local ingredients are in, showcased at outstanding gastropubs and gourmet restaurants in some of the most remote locations. Similarly, artists have reinvigorated traditional crafts as more people seek a life in the slow lane and set up shop in former crofts. Even the visitor profile is changing: the tourists still come to clamber over castles and wrap themselves in tartan nostalgia, but just as many people now visit specifically to see whales and dolphins, to summit a Munro or wild camp their way along the West Highland Way. Nor is walking the only activity on the agenda. In recent years, the potential of the wilderness in Britains backyard has been realized too, as adventure-junkies explore the frontiers of Scotlands mountains and coastline ; the opportunities for mountain biking, scuba diving, surfing, kitesurfing and sea-kayaking here are truly world-class, and theres also the best ice-climbing and skiing in Britain.