Sights of Scotland

Scotland is not the most popular country for Russian tourists, but there really is something to see. Scotland is not only whiskey, kilts and castles. There are many other tourist sites that deserve close attention. About them today will be discussed.
Scotland is a harsh country in the north of the UK. Covered with hills, with a cold climate and a warlike population, in the Middle Ages Scotland posed many problems for the English kings. Numerous attempts to conquer the country of the highlanders constantly failed, and it was not until 1707 that the wild Scottish pearl adorned the British crown.
Even in the empire, the proud Scott were able to achieve a special position. Until now, Scotland is the most independent and autonomous country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Scots’ warlike spirit has not gone anywhere either – the thorny thistle flower is a symbol of them, and even the national motto says: “No one will touch me with impunity.”
Nevertheless, tourism in Scotland is quite well developed, being a fairly good help for the national budget, bringing annually up to two billion pounds to the treasury. Yes, and look in Scotland is what.
Entrepreneurial Scots can serve as an example for many countries that want to develop tourism, but do not know how. In Scotland, a large percentage of enterprises and industries that are active or have already ceased their work, which concurrently are popular tourist sites.
Whiskey Heritage Center Every year, huge crowds of tourists visit the distillery, where the most correct true Scotch whiskey is made. Those who wish to go on a whiskey tour in Scotland begin their journey from Edinburgh Castle, next to which is the Whiskey Heritage Center. Here, tourists are told about the methods of making whiskey in antiquity and today, they are introduced to various types of this drink – malt, grain and blended, and, of course, they carry out tastings of whiskey made in four main regions of its production (Highlands, Speyside, Islands, Lowland).
A mandatory part of these tours is a visit to factories engaged in the manufacture of whiskey. Here you can see with your own eyes all the stages of production, ranging from the selection of raw materials to bottling whiskey in barrels for later aging.
kilt with tartan Another symbol of Scotland and a common souvenir is the famous checkered fabric – tartan, from which Scottish kilts are made. In fact, tartan is the name of a checkered pattern, not a fabric, but these days both of these concepts have merged into one.
In the same Edinburgh, you can get on a tour of the factory producing tartan, where you will be told about the old and modern methods of producing Scottish fabric. The factory has a souvenir shop where you can purchase samples of tartan products, including the famous kilts.
Note to those who wish to flaunt the streets of Scotland in kilt, it is worth saying that the Scots are still very sensitive to their traditions, so you should choose a kilt with a tartan that does not belong to any of the clans. This should be asked in advance from the seller, who will tell you which cell will save you from an unpleasant conversation with a representative of the Scottish clan, who rushed out of the door of the pub to you. Scots are pretty cocky and love to scratch their fists, remember that.
Scotland, many who fought in the Middle Ages, can rightly be called the “country of castles”. There are really a lot of them here. Each of them could be a topic for a separate article, so we’ll dwell only on the most remarkable of them.
Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh Castle is another symbol of Scotland, though not as popular as bagpipes, kilts and whiskey. However, in the hearts of the Scots themselves, it occupies a special place, since during the struggle for independence, this particular castle was the center of resistance. In memory of those events, a volley from a cannon is made daily at 13:00, which was used during the defense of the castle against British troops.
Located on top of a long extinct volcano, the castle gives the impression of a completely inaccessible stronghold. True, to get there, tourists, unlike the British soldiers, do not have to wade along a narrow trail under a hail of musket bullets and cannon balls. It will be enough to sign up for a tour.
Castle InverariThe castle Inveraray is considered to be one of the most beautiful castles in Scotland. Still, because it looks like it came down from one of the medieval engravings. The thick, impregnable walls of gray stone and pointed turrets instantly make you remember the knightly stories and legends of wizards.
In the XVIII century, the castle was restored and now inside are not the harsh chambers of the Scottish knights, but rather a cozy atmosphere with antique carved furniture and exquisite paintings on the walls.