Traditions And Nature Of The Scottish Highlands

Located in the north of Scotland is this prodigious enclave full of mountains and little inhabited. The Highlands are full of valleys and ravines and are bathed in legends and stories of popular wisdom. They have castles and towns where you can enjoy the greenest and most beautiful places never seen that will make us believe that we are in another world, in an uncertain dimension and with a medieval aspect populated by fairies, goblins and ghosts.

Highlands, land of differences

It seems that between the inhabitants of the Highlands and those who lived in the vicinity of Edinburgh there were countless differences. So much so that they were considered different and independent regions. In fact, they spoke different languages.

The disagreements between one people and the other were further highlighted by the fact that some were of Irish origin while the others came from other territories. However, one of its most important inequalities is that the former were Catholic while the latter belonged to the Protestant creed.

During the time of greatest rivalry, the villagers of the Highlands ended up being vetoed from the right to play bagpipes, as well as weapons. Moreover, they were not even allowed to use the representative fabric of their clan thanks to which they distinguished themselves, the tartan. Luckily, little by little these cultural pieces were recovered in the Scottish daily life until they reached the importance that they still retain today.

Possible Highland itineraries

The Great Gren Trail

Known as the Great Valley, this journey begins at Fort William and ends at Inverness. From here we will go to the small town of Fort Augustus, which owes its popularity to the connection it makes between nearby towns through the Caledonian Canal.

Once there, it is possible to take a boat and take a pleasant walk through one of the most famous and mysterious bodies of water on the planet, Loch Ness. According to the fantastic narratives that have been echoed everywhere, the monster called Nessi lives in its depths. This is the reason why thousands of people visit them annually.

This gigantic lagoon is made up of fresh water and is home to only one small island, Cherry Island. In it you can see a curious building called crannóg. It is a typical Scottish construction that used to be used as a sanctuary. At the highest part of the swamp is Urquhart Castle, one of the best known in the nation.

The Inverness Trail

Right at the mouth of Loch Ness is the town of Inverness. It is so small that its renowned fortress can be seen on top of the nearby mountain from any point. The views from up there are really incredible. Unfortunately the farm is not open to the public.

Following the riverbed, not far away, you can reach the islets Ness Islands, whose vegetation will surprise us greatly. The hiker who has enough time cannot miss the opportunity to make a stop to fish for delicious salmon on its shores.

Following the itinerary, we will face the Caledonian Canal, which is characterized by the transparency and clarity of its beautiful waters. Later, the tourist will reach the Beauly Fjord. Between this point of Inverness, the sea and the estuary come together producing with their clash an indescribable spectacle of colors.

Popular traditions: the games

This festival is one of the most anticipated among the inhabitants of the Highlands. We are talking about an ancient tradition, so old that it has almost become a dogma for the vast majority of the population.

Already in archaic times young and old met to carry out this type of fight. Its origin is attributed to King Malcom III, who organized them in order to reward his strongest and most manly subject.

As a curiosity, it should be added that Baron de Coubertin, founder of the Olympic Games as we know them today, once attended this classic Scottish celebration. Apparently he was so amazed by what he saw that he decided to include in the list of sports practiced during international competitions the hammer throw and the stone put or shot put.

In addition to these two modalities, in Scotland we will also be able to participate in such strange events as the throwing of straw bales. If we are in very good shape we can launch into Scottish Backhold, a folk fighting style or perhaps we prefer to throw logs into the distance.