All About Tartan

Holidays in Scotland, Scottish Clans and Scottish History

Tommy — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:35:52 +0000

Holidays in Scotland offer something for everyone, from walking in fantastic scenery to the culture of the Edinburgh and it’s world famous Festival and lots more. Tartan Heart is written by Scots, designed to let visitors in of some of the insider tips to getting the most out of your holiday in Scotland. We’ve learnt from experience that when we go somewhere new it’s great to have some idea of what to do and where to go to make the most of every visit. It saves us from making bad choices when we arrive. Being born here makes us biased when it comes to the delights of this small country but we think with the right information we can make you a fan of Scotland for life. We’ll also give you some information on Scottish History so you can get sense of why the country looks and acts the way it does. Plus for those of you with a Scottish surname (and there are lots of us) there is information on Scottish Clans. So go on find out more about holidays in Scotland and you’ll leave with a tartan heart.

Holidays in Scotland

Scottish Clans

Scottish History

Holidays in Scotland, Scottish Clans and Scottish History is a post from: All About Tartan

Holidays in Scotland

Tommy — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:23:53 +0000

There are a few things to consider about holidays in Scotland. Firstly what time of year should you come? Around Christmas and New Year Scotland’s Capital city, Edinburgh has a programme of activities to make the most of it’s wonderful setting. They include a huge wheel on Princess Street that gives visitors a unique perspective of this beautiful historic city, a German market and other Christmas stalls selling hot food and drink (very nice on a cold day). Plus lots of fair ground rides and an outdoor ice rink. If you fail to feel Christmasy after a trip to Edinburgh’s celebrations, I give up on you – bah humgbug. Although Princess Street and George Street are the central shopping areas we’d suggest you go just that little bit further to find more individual shops. Areas like Stockbridge, Bruntsfield and Morningside and Victoria Street (off the Royal Mile) have small independent shops with less generic stock. Plus there are lots of good cafes including Loopy Linda’s in Morningside or Hula on Victoria Street where you can put the shopping bags down for a minute and consider the next item on your shopping list. At New Year (called Hogmanay in Scotland) there is a street party with bands and ceilidhs (a scottish dance). We promise this is an event you are unlikely to forget. Scots love hogmanay – it’s our time of year. We even get an extra public holiday to get over any excesses. Couple of tips here – be prepared to be kissed by complete strangers on the strike of midnight and to wishing people happy new year well into January.

Holidays in Scotland is a post from: All About Tartan

Scottish History

Tommy — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:23:24 +0000

One thing we aren’t short of is Scottish History. I could begin anywhere but as the granddaughter of a crofter the highland clearances which began in the 1800s are of particular interest not least because the highlands are my favourite part of Scotland and the clearances still affect the people and landscape of the area today. We can chart the beginning of the clearances to the introduction to a breed of sheep called The Great Cheviot brought to Ross and Caithness in around the 1790s. The crofting system worked by crofters paying rent to landlords for which they got a small amount of land. These were kept quite deliberately small so that the crofters would need to take on second jobs that benefited the landlord. But landlords soon worked out that despite the hard work of the locals they didn’t generate much income for the landlords and looked to find other ways to make more money. Sheep farming with the new breeds of sheep looked to them like the way to go and the evictions began. Crofters were moved from the land to coast so that the sheep could meet the demand for wool and mutton coming from further south leaving the crofters all but surplus to requirements. Evictions weren’t gentle affairs, houses were burnt and if you were too slow or old to get out in time the fires were started while you were still inside. The population of the highlands fell dramatically at this time and to avoid having to support the evictees landlords actively encouraged them to emigrate.

There are still crofters in the highlands today and but tourism is a bigger generator of income for the local economy now and given the landscape it is not difficult to see why. I recommend you got to highlands to find a part of the world like nowhere else on the planet. As big fan of beaches there are some of the best you will ever see, if you are a walker you’ll find a lifetimes worth of challenging climbs and walks. There are watersports, cookery courses, and enough Scottish history for anyone with a passion for the past.

Scottish History is a post from: All About Tartan

Scottish Clans

Tommy — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:22:55 +0000

Being part of Scottish Clans is like having a very large family. It can help to give you a sense of identity and a greater understanding of your roots. If you visit Scotland and have a Scottish surname it can be very interesting (and a little strange) to find the area where your ancestors came from. You may find that many of the people who still live there share your name or at the very least the local graveyard is populated with your namesakes. Each clan has a clan chief who is the head of that clan, historically everyone who lived on the chief’s land was part of the clan. Each clan has tartans, often more that one and heraldry which includes a motto. What better souvenir can there be to take back some clan related items such as a scarf, tie or broach for your relatives who share Scottish Clans.

Scottish Clans is a post from: All About Tartan