To wonder why Scotland isn’t more popular as a holiday destination

[N0rdicStar]

Just been watching that hidden Scotland programme. I promise you I don’t work for the tourist board.

I lived there as a forces child for a few years and was born there previously. Loved it but my mother hated it and refused to ever go back so we never did. Know nobody else who has ever holidayed there but oh my goodness it’s beautiful and seems to have everything- history, beaches, mountains, wildlife.....

Why do we all flock to Cornwall and the Lake District?

Is it the weather? Can’t just be the distance as the above are long distances for many.

On the back of that can you give me the best bits.

@azulmariposa

Your Grandmother didn't and doesn't represent every single Scottish person! She certainly doesn't represent me! Because your Grandmother hated English people that shouldn't allow you to spout that we all hate English ppl, can't you see how wrong that it is for you to say that?

"Just look at any sporting events, they'd rather anyone else to win!"
This collective "they" again NOT the entire population, Scotland are rubbish at football, every sane Scot accepts that but we also support our national team with pride and if we are put out of the competition then we are free to align our support elsewhere, personally I always root for any British team at that point, some may, some may not. But we don't have public service announcements ordering us not to root for England.

Your views astonish me when you seem to have never visited the offending nation and experienced it yourself!

The Island of Arran has palm trees as does Largs in the West. Very tropical.

This thread is fucking embarassing.

"Oh, I would NEVER go there, it's such a horrible, wet, cold, unwelcoming, midge-infested, backwards, grey, cloudy, shit hole full of drunk, violent neanderthals and despite the fact that NO ONE can understand a word they say, my great uncle's cousin's step daughter's hairdresser's bridesmaid's hairdresser is CERTAIN she heard someone tell her to fuck off because she was ENGLISH!!!!111"

Christ almighty. I remember being in Blackpool as a ten year old and having a couple of grown men give me dog's abuse because I was wearing a Scotland tshirt. Has it stopped me going back to England? Do I think all English people must HATE me because I'm Scottish. No. They were idiots. They exist everywhere.

We don't hate the English. You're not that important.

God some of these comments are embarrassing

I've been called a "sweaty" in London, had lots of jibes about independence. All "they" "you" "us". Real othering language.

I've seen it on here too

For the record, I've never been bitten by a midgie. I have been eaten alive by mozzies in several countries

I'm off to Tesco this afternoon and I can guarantee that there will be no tartan on display (although the shop is open24 hours, god how backward)

I've no idea about post offices as I rarely have the need to use one and I certainly wouldn't on holiday

As for Edinburgh being a concrete jungle. How embarrassing for the PP that said that. To be so ignorant yet so happy to share that ignorance

Here's a thought for all those claiming that Scots hate the English. Maybe, just maybe, your behaviour is the reason, not your nationality

I'm rarely troubled by midges on Arran, probably because I'm usually at sea level or there outside peak season. Can be an issue on boggy ground in the warmer months, but we were plagued by mosquitoes in Florence on a short break there in October, so it's not a uniquely Scottish problem.

The reason Highland scenery looks very like North America is that geologically they used to be on the same continent. When it broke up millions of years ago as the tectonic plates moved around, some of the fragments ended up fusing with bits of another continent to make the British Isles. Arran is a geologist's paradise largely because the north of the island is like the Highlands and the south is like the Borders and the rest of southern Britain, and there are any number of other interesting geological features to be seen as you move around the island. Hence the large number of field trips from schools and universities. You get a lot of geology for your money on Arran.

[That paragraph is a confused rehash of what I vaguely recall from the Isle of Arran Museum in Brodick, our default rainy day visit for many a year now, along with the pool at Auchrannie and Brodick Castle.]

The majority of Scots will have family and friends in England. After all we've been joined at the hip for hundreds of years. The 'Scots hate the English' stuff is an embarrassingly unsophisticated argument. Listen to yourselves. The majority of Scots didn't want Brexit and are annoyed about being dragged into it, and many don't think much of the Westminster government, and never have done, but that is NOT the same as hating individuals based on their nationality. My sister was told when she started her teaching job in London to 'f off back up to where she came from'. My accent has been mocked on several occasions when I've visited England. It doesn't stop me travelling there and enjoying holidays there. There are a few rude idiots everywhere. As for Edinburgh being a concrete jungle, oh dear god.

@azulmariposa

In what way was your nan a foreigner in London?

Last time I checked London was the capital of the UK.

I've been once liked it and would go back but the distance is a deterrent - there are many English and Welsh resorts and historical places that are so much nearer.

LJdorothy ...so very true. I think the less people travel the more narrow minded one can get - travel in distance and travel in mind I mean.
The majority of people wherever you go are fantastic, welcoming and interested in meeting others but there are a small number of eejits everywhere too and a smaller amount who travel. Great if you don't meet up with them and greater still to rise above their obnoxiousness.

Well after saying earlier in this thread I need to get to Scotland I have now booked 4 days near Edinburgh in May with ds.

Hope you have a fantastic time, Sirzy! If you're in the city the National Museum of Scotland is a must-see. Free entry and it's amazing.

i would recommend the Borders.
Dead easy to get to (train from Edinburgh 50mins)
Beautiful too.

I will give a balancing anecdote to the “they hate the English” nonsense. First conversation with my husbands English grandmother.

Me: Hello
Her: I don’t like Scottish people.

Literally the first thing she said to me. She wasn’t very nice, I did not interpret that as meaning the English hate the Scots. Anecdote not data.

Just about to pop into Tesco to stock up on porridge oats and a tartan skirt. Hopefully will be greeted by a piper at the front door. After that it’s off to the hills to shoot a couple of haggis for dinner.

I’m in Central Scotland, there isn’t a breath of air, the temperature is around 14, and I’ve a T-shirt and light cardi on. It’s just a glorious Scottish February day.

Sunday shopping laws. Now there’s a reason to visit!

The most beautiful part of Scotland in my opinion is the North cost. The beaches are stunningly beautiful with amazingly clean and clear water and are also deserted. I love Durness but not been for years because even for a Scot is is an awful lot of driving.

I love Highland Perthshire, very similar to the Lake District in terms of scenery but far less people.

Further North, the area around Kingussie is amazing, lots of scenery, Landmark forest park and the Highland Wildlife park for the kids.

When I visited London, I was treated as a foreigner. I found it really unfriendly, people didn't seem to understand my accent and handing over paper money you would get "the look"

There's never been any problems in the North of England.

Anti English sentiments were common when I grew up, kids at school were mocked for being English but I've not seen any behaviour like that for years.

I am a proud Scottish Nationalist, and it's not about hating the English people but not wanting to be ruled by a bunch of ex Eton posh boys in London who don't care about our interests.

I do holiday in Scotland. Also live here, so am well aware of the cold/midgies/4 seasons in 1 day/rain

Does someone really believe that because they know someone who went to Scotland 40+ years ago and didn't like it, that that reflects on the whole country today?

And had to hot foot it out of a bar in an English town (when we lived there) when DH wore a Scotland rugby top during the 6 nations (Scotland weren't playing England, he's not that stupid). I've been in Scottish pubs where both sides have worn both tops, with no hassle, but that's just anecdotal evidence. We may have entered the English pub the next day and been fine.
I don't think Scots hate the English or the English hate the Scots. Just that there are arse holes everywhere who hate everyone!
I've been called a miserable jock, haggis muncher, told to fuck off back to Scotland...but these are remarks from ignorant individuals. Not the English as a whole.

No piper! No tartan skirts! But there was wine.

We've just also booked, a cottage on a country estate that sleeps 8 (there will be four of us) near Stirling, in July for £1200. Plus dogs! Love Scotland. Dd is taking part in an archeological dig near the castle.

Are people in England not aware that there are internal flights in the UK if they don’t wish to drive 6+ hours?

I think we'd have trouble fitting our motorhome on the plane though.

We were saying the other day that it's a shame they don't do that rail-drive thing any more, where you put your car on the train. We could get an overnight train and wake up in Scotland, complete with motorhome for touring around in.

When I moved to the southern part of England I took to stopping off overnight on the way to Scotland if I chose to drive - taking a one night stop somewhere nice like The Lakes or Northumberland depending which part of Scotland I was going to. Likewise when we drove to Aberdeen for boat to Orkney - made a gorgeous highland stopover.

I'd have though a motor home would make that even easier.

Its too cold.

Well I hope the Scots don't all hate the English because I'm English and very happily married to a Scot!

The only time I've heard any 'anti England' words was when DH and I were not long married (about 15 years ago) and even those weren't so much anti England as a throw away comment. We went to visit family in Edinburgh and went into an attraction there. The young man operating the ticket stand asked where we were all from. Before I could pipe up, my SIL said she was local, DH was from Scotland but lived in London. To which the young man said 'You're living in London? Why would you want to live in that dump when you're Scottish?' 'Ah, says DH 'I married a Londoner' to which I waved with a big smile from the back of the group. DH and DSiL were pissing themselves with laughter. Fair play to the ticket seller, he was mortified and couldn't apologise enough.

Other than that I've had no remarks of any sort about my or DS English accent.

And I can't understand why Scotland isn't seen as more of a holiday destination. Yes the weather can be bad (as one hotelier in Aviemore said to me when I got back from a walk soaked to the skin having started out in full sunshine 'you get a week's weather in a day here sometimes') but if you allow for that people don't know whaat they are missing.

Edinburgh is a beautiful city - yes it has its crappy bits but so does any capital city if you go off the main track. Most of the squares are gorgeous, Holyrood Palace is a great place to visit along with the gallery next door, the Castle is lovely and Dynamic Earth is one of our DS's favourite places.

Although I said the weather is unpredictable, the last time I went to Loch Ness and then the Cairngorms (staying in Aviemore) I got sunburned. There is nothing like a boat on Loch Ness sailing past Urqhuart Castle when the bagpiper plays. There's a house opposite that I always say will be mine one day (in my dreams). Stunning place. And talking of the Cairngorms, if you've never fed the reindeer on the lower slopes of the mountain, you've missed a treat. That and the sheep dogs owned by Neil Ross - bottle feeding a lamb with a puppy sheep dog at your feet is magical.

And the coastal area between Inverness and Aberdeen needs to be seen to be believed. So beautiful.

Before we were married we did a week in the Highlands (DH is a Highlander by birth). A night in a different town or village. We stayed in rooms in someone's family home, on a farm and in a town house. Never had anything other than a warm welcome.

Yes, sometimes people do support any team but England - but that's up to them. I'm sure the same happens to Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish supporters teams too, it's just more subtle.

I think we live in a great country on the whole. We've been to Wales and Northern Ireland and, again, had no rudeness. Then again I'm not rude to them and I'm not looking to analyse every word or look given to me.