Things those in England and beyond believe Scotland (light hearted).

[Cryofthecurlew]

Ive moved from England to Scotland and love it here it never ceases to amaze me how little others know or understand about Scotland here are some examples.

1. I think many think Scotland isn't much bigger than the Isle of Wight . E.G. A coupe of friends have come to stay: "I love the programme Shetland can we go to Shetland for the day?" "err no because it 450+ miles away" (I live in Dumfries and Galloway). Friends looks totally stunned. Another can we "pop" into Edinburgh to see the Castle? Again "not really its a 2 3/4 hour drive" Again friends looked totally stunned. One said does the Edinburgh Festival affect your parking? See previous comment.
2. On the other hand we may be the size of the Isle of Wight in many peoples eyes but our distance from the rest of England is huge. One friend happily drove to right down into Cornwall approx 300 miles but said she said as she didn't like "long distance driving' I live just over 300 miles from her she would come to see me on the train which involved 4 changes and someone driving her to a station and me picking her up and took well over 8 hours (we are just over 5 hours by car).

When I drive back to England many say how many stops do you take? Reply 'usually only 1" "Gosh you drive ALL that way and only stop once?" Same friend drove to London 157 miles does stoop at all fair enough but it only double the distance.

1. A very common heard comment: "Of course the Scots hate the English dont you find that difficult?" I have never met such a friendly bunch as the Scots in fact when I go back to England I now wonder what the hell is wrong with everyone because where I live you would always stop and talk to someone you meet. Even in a big city like Glasgow `I find many people smile and acknowledge you when you walk by them.
2. "Nicola Sturgeon is so awful I regularly hear this. I have no views either way and I don't constantly hear my Scottish friends say this even if they dont support independence so I always ask why they don't like her. Nobody seems to be able to explain why they say she's awful.
3. Finally why didn't you move to the Lake District or the Yorkshire Dales its sooo beautiful there? I have lived in many places and know both the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District I agree the scenery is beautiful but I think many Scotland is as beautiful if not more beautiful including where I live and its not heaving in tourists!!

God you make me want to move to Scotland. Two things put me off - midges (I know they're not everywhere) and the short days in winter.
All those things about distances, yes, people can be ludicrously ignorant! Day trip to Shetland lol.

No midges here. Lovely longer days in the summer.
Another classic "so If I fly to Birmingham and I could them hire a car and drive to your house? how long would the drive take? Me; "4 - 4 1/2 hours maybe" "What?! I don't realise Birmingham was so far away!"

I'm just south of the border OP, so thankfully don't hear many of these where I live though so many from round the country who think Carlisle is Scotland..

Been considering hopping over the border and moving there myself. Gorgeous part of the world

"You don't celebrate Christmas in Scotland, do you? You celebrate New Year instead."

It makes me laugh the midges comment, lived here all my life (40+ years) and never even seen one!!

I'm Scottish. DH is English. Lived for 10 years+ just outside London.

So many times I would make a comment about it being chilly and people would snort that I must be used to it - there was a serious impression that Scotland was under a blanket of snow from September to April.

Scottish accents were incomprehensible. Apart from the fact they could understand me just fine.

Glasgow is the most dangerous place on earth, similar to Kabul or downtown Mogadishu.

The Scottish do hate the English. Not on a one to one level but on a nation to nation.
The most confusing Scottish to English thing I find is how posh Scottish sound English and my OH can tell they they're Scottish!
(OH is Scottish)

Oh yes - and midgies are everywhere.

They're really not. They are an issue on warm still nights in summer, in the west.

March in Edinburgh? Not an issue.

I'm in a similar position to you; English now living in Scotland. I agree with all of your observations!

An additional thing that has struck me is how so many people (particularly those in the south east of England) seem to think of Scotland like it's a county, just tacked onto the top of Cumbria. So people talk about moving to Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland... and 'Scotland'. Seemingly not realising or appreciating that Scotland is a country, and has its own council areas (admittedly they're not called counties here, but it's the same principle).

I'm Scottish but work in England a lot. I find my English colleagues all think we ALL love Sturgeon (we don't) and we ALL want independence (we don't) and we ALL hate the English (we don't).

Yes, the Highlands alone are the size of Belgium. You can blame the BBC for that one as they show Scotland as being much smaller during the weather.

When I moved from Kent to Edinburgh, my colleagues, many of whom lived on or near the Isle of Sheppey, where property (at the time anyway) was, relatively speaking DIRT CHEAP, were keen to tell me how much more property I'd get for my money in Scotland. In Edinburgh.

We sold a 3 bed house with 100' garden, within commuting distance of London, and bought a 2 bed flat in Edinburgh.

‘You don’t sound Glaswegian’ with accompanying accusatory stare.

No, I’m not from castlemilk (not that’s anything wrong with castlemilk). Not all of us Glaswegians we’re brought up in poverty. I went to private school and have the associated accent.

This seems to make me less Scottish in English eyes.

Yeah, it's awful isn't it when people generalise about a whole nation!

There are many reasons why NS is awful. Stirred up division, authoritarian, the only groups she listens to are those funded by the government, any other opinions are nor allowed, the fiasco of the named person scheme!

@NightmareSlashDelightful they are still called counties here too. But I agree they’re not focussed on as much as in England.

My islander husband had quite limited views of the mainland (Scotland) too to be honest. He thought there would be bars across all the shops and more crime etc.

I’ve definitely had English people assume we all know each other here in Scotland- “oh my great aunt is from Aberdeen (100 plus miles away) Joan Campbell- do you know her?”
Hubby has had people think the island he came from didn’t have electricity… or more recently, the internet. Though they don’t have a McDonalds!!

I grew up in Edinburgh and now live in South East England. My eldest child is at St Andrews University and I've been astounded to discover how many of my friends down here have absolutely no idea where St Andrews is. Or even that it's a town, not some sort of suburb of Edinburgh .

Conversely ... since you mentioned Shetland ... it did make me laugh when we visited Unst and the chap who ran the guest house told us we'd find that Lerwick was "a lot more like London". Because it had a supermarket and far too many people for his liking. Perspective is everything!

My Londoner ex SIL once asked me if we had street lights and department stores in Scotland.

Mind you, she also asked if my then 4 year old child was able to eat fish fingers as she wasn't sure if all small children had to have baby food.

Probably not representative of all English people thankfully

Tbf, north of Aberdeen IS a small world. I have a very unusual surname and it’s not unknown for me to meet someone who says “oh I knew a George xxx in the late 70s in Elgin” and I’m like “yep, that’s my uncle”.

And my dad was in halls with my old headmaster… and played football with the dentist at uni etc etc.

My ex-mil thought she’d pop up to Shetland for the day. She lived in Glasgow and thought she’d use her free bus pass to get to Aberdeen and the Northlink ferry would be like the Isle of Wight ferry or something.

Although tbf, when the falklands war started she was convinced “they’ll be in Argyll street by lunchtime”.

This has made me laugh. I'm English, brought up in England, but my mother is from Scotland and I spent a lit of time visiting family there.

Despite that, I was shocked how tiring the drive from North Yorkshire to Glasgow was. I always went by train from London as a child, and despite knowing the map Edinburgh is just north of Newcastle and then Glasgow just a bit further across to the West. Doesn't help that Hadrians wall is just north of Newcastle!

I've been as far North as Inverness as that is like being in a different country to Glasgow/Edinburgh especially in June with the long long days (and the midges!)

And a nice Lorne sausage.

"Storm Dudley batters Scotland"

"My goodness, they'll deep fry anything!"

That Hadrian's Wall is the boundary between Scotland and England, it's not and it never has been.

Everyone who lives north of Inverness is thick, racist, uneducated and never been south of Inverness.

Many people don’t seem to realise that though we have shorter daylight hours in the winter we have beautiful long days in summer.