10 Reasons to Go Wild in the Scottish Highlands
Plaid kilts, haggis, and that heather on the hill they sang about in “Brigadoon” are all very well, but in Scotland these days, what they’re thinking about is independence. On Sept. 18, the Scots will go to the polls to decide if they want to leave the United Kingdom, which they’ve been formally part of since around 1700. This is a really big deal, as big as if Texas really did leave the USA. Scotland comprises one-third of Great Britain’s land area, with only five million people.
Still, either way, the Scottish Highlands, wild, empty, seemingly light years away from Edinburgh and Glasgow, will always be gorgeous; the landscape, mountains, rivers, and lakes elicit a passion for scenery only equal to the American West. People simply call it the Highlands; it is the Scotland of your dreams — castles, lochs, and tiny villages, lost in the mists that really do seem like the magical Brigadoon of the musical. The Highlands are so sparsely populated — we’re talking Montana, or Siberia — you can travel forever and never see anyone at all. Fall is the best time to go. It’s often warm, the colors are fantastic, and you won’t be bothered by the horrible, biting midges, nasty little creatures that can infest the Highlands in high summer.
