The Highlands

Britain may have its neat urban gardens, but Scotland has a much bigger and better backyard.

Edinburgh is a very hilly city.  Over 300 million years ago, rifts in the Earth’s crust formed a volcano in southern Scotland, and the Ice Ages carved hills into the landscape as the glaciers melted.  Now, there is a jagged peak called Arthur’s Seat that leans toward Edinburgh and offers great views of the city as well as the sea toward the east.  A rocky trail meanders around the extinct volcano like grooves in a self-serve ice cream.  Beds of yellow flowers hug the embankments.  You can climb all the way to the top mostly by walking up a steady incline.  Once you reach the pinnacle, you can clamber up the crevices and then perch atop a rock to share the view with the birds.    

Once you venture north of Edinburgh, you can soon find yourself out in the remote wilderness among bigger mountains.  Way back when Scotland was near Canada, the landmass headed toward England, which had detached itself from Europe.  They gravitated toward each other.  When they collided, tectonic plates smashed together, and the Highlands were born.  The Highlands is a sparsely populated area that used to be considered a lawless hideaway.  The Jacobite Rising of 1745 motivated the British to more tightly control the wilderness of the Highlands.  Nowadays, not many people live there, but many come to visit to take in the views.     

On a clear day, which is rarity, you can see the birch and spruce trees reflected on the placid lochs.  Upon seeing the Highlands for the first time, the scenery was breath-taking.  It’s very easy to grow sentimental over nature and to employ melodramatic adjectives to the views, like:  stunning, mesmerizing, awe-inspiring.  However, exploring the Highlands is no trivial matter.  One does not see the lovely mountains, the serene lochs, and the assortment of greenish hues and think, “These are just big rocks...I’ve seen enough.”  No, this coincidental continental drift has created a phenomenon to be cherished.

I saw a retired couple lounging in fold-up chairs next to their RV.  They were savoring the view.  If that is where I’ll be in my old age, I’ll consider my retirement a great success because, despite the cold, unpredictable weather, this beats moving to Florida.  You can hike anywhere you want in Scotland because of their “Free to Roam” law, which states that you can’t technically trespass on private property.  There are rules, however.  You must camp fifty meters away from someone’s house, and you must pick up after your dog.  Only one mountain requires professional gear to summit.  You can simply walk up the rest of Scotland’s two hundred odd peaks.   

In addition to the greenery, you can find sheep grazing on hill sides.  Highland cattle feed there as well.  This breed sports the same hairstyle as emo teenagers.  Their long, brown bangs dangle over their eyes.  Apparently, their beef is delicious. 

In some areas, the roads have two lanes——or dual carriageways as the Scots say——but often a driver finds himself sharing a narrow road with traffic that flows in opposite directions.  These conditions are not ideal for eighteen-wheelers driving through a windy countryside.  

The Highlands may not offer the best highways, but it is undoubtedly a hiker’s paradise.  There is abundant freshwater bursting from streams that unload into the lochs.  There is even a walking trail you can follow all the way from England.  If you’re a Harry Potter fan, your scenery will resemble Hagrid’s grounds.  His hut used to be out in the mountains, but somebody removed the half-giant’s abode due to safety hazards.  

The only downside to this speck on the globe is that the temperature fluctuates drastically even within a single day.  The higher you climb, the colder it gets, obviously.  On the ground, the temperature could be in the seventy degrees Fahrenheit, but up on the peaks it’s cold enough for snow.  Also, the winds by the lochs can be bitter, but the shelter of the forest is often humid.  If you ever go to Scotland, don’t waste your time at Loch Ness.  You will find outrageous prices, but no monsters.  Forget Nessie and visit the Highlands.