Of kilts and golf
Talk about Scotland and widely varied images spring to mind — kilts, whiskey, golf, the Highland jig, haggis, the Loch Ness monster, as well as historical figures, such as Mary, Queen of Scots or the poet, Robert Burns. For many North Americans, it also is the land of their ancestors.

Effectively, Scotland has a split personality. The largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, are in the lowlands closest to England; farther north, the highlands — with considerably fewer people — display fierce peaks and nurture unique wildlife, Celtic myth and independent personalities. Smaller than South Carolina, Scotland has something for everyone.

About Scotland
All travelers agree the Scots are among the world’s nicest people and that Scotland possesses breathtaking scenery, from Hadrian’s Wall at the English border to the Orkney and Shetland islands. The lowlands and border country are the world found in novels by Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson and the poetry of Robert Burns. William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Rob Roy (think of the films “Braveheart” and “Rob Roy”) fought the English here when they weren’t building solid, haunting castles or sipping Scotch whiskey, the “water of life.”

Also, by the 14th century, golf had arrived on British shores. Today, avid players make special trips to swing their clubs in Scotland although courses don’t have the same carefully manicured greens found in the U.S.

As for cities, Glasgow is a thriving big metropolis, but a bit too commercial for most tourists. Edinburgh, on the other hand, is almost too picturesque — but no one is complaining. The old town’s narrow streets meander inside the ancient Flodden wall, and all is dominated by Edinburgh Castle. Newer development, dating from the 18th century, offers squares, wide boulevards and public gardens.

As to the highlands, the past reveals itself in Stone Age caves, Iron Age forts and ruined castles, but man has never spoiled this magnificent mountain wilderness accented by sea lochs and rushing rivers; it’s still perfect for fishing and hiking. You’re invited to admire golden eagles, red deer, pine marten and other species found nowhere else. Also, look hard in dark Loch Ness for the strangest creature of all, “Nessie” the monster.

To experience more traditional Scottish culture, take the ferry to the Hebrides Islands or to the Orkneys and Shetlands. Residents speak Gaelic, make their living fishing and tending small farms called crofts and get together for ceilidhs, sessions devoted to Scottish dancing with some poetry or storytelling.

The highlands and the northern islands are no doubt the reason venturers and near-venturers like Scotland so much. Centrics applaud the variety of sightseeing and activities. Authentics are awed by the scenery, and they are most impressed by the friendly people.

• Make Jedburgh your base for horseback riding and mountain biking in the area’s hills and moors. As a bonus, Jedburgh, once the favorite residence of Scottish kings, is a fine example of an ancient border town, and it has a marvelous ruined abbey.

• Climbers note: Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland, has a granite mass more than 500 million years old. It dominates the landscape above Fort William, where the climbing path begins, and it will take longer to climb than you might think.

• Try your hand at falconry and archery; hunt pheasants and grouse.

• For an unusual sport, take up weaseling, which involves squeezing into and through small rocky spaces. Or choose rock climbing, for which a definition is not required.

• Try land yachting, also known as Blokarting or x-sailing. As the first name suggests, you will travel over land, and with new lightweight machines, you can move at nearly 100 mph or, on ice, your speed can approach 150 mph. Take instruction before setting out. Land yachting can be dangerous, especially as the equipment has no brakes.

• Do you prefer to pursue your adventure while sitting down? Order haggis for lunch. (Haggis is a meat dish boiled in a bag made from a sheep’s stomach.)

• Take lessons in power kiting, which involves taking a wind-powered ride on a vehicle or board pulled by a high-flying and fast-moving kite. Two of Scotland’s most popular power kiting sites are St Andrews in Fife and Stevenston in North Ayrshire. Caution: This can be a dangerous pastime, so take the recommended lessons, and wear a helmet and full set of pads.

• See Scotland on foot by walking one of its long-distance footpaths (ranging from 60 to more than 200 miles) and spending the night in camping barns (converted farm buildings). Choices include the 95-mile West Highland Way between Glasgow and Fort William via Loch Lomond. Or, take the marked coastal route called the Moray Firth Coastal Trail, and look for dolphins.

• Buy a kilt and wear it when you get home. You can have a kilt made using your family’s tartan, but, if you don’t like the family plaid or don’t have one, Black Watch will do very nicely.

• Attend the Highland Games, which are staged in various locations throughout the highlands all summer. So-called “heavy athletic events” involve things like tossing stones and logs. Competitive events are interspersed with music, dancing (and possibly some whiskey drinking) as the clans gather for fun. Are you up for competing? That will take some planning (check www.highlandgames-sga.com/home/) and you’ll have to wear a kilt and hose.

• Visit a working distillery; more than 40 active distilleries welcome visitors.
In Edinburgh, tour the Scotch Whiskey Heritage Centre to see the process that turns malted barley and spring water into this very important Scottish export.

• Sample game foods indigenous to Scotland: goose, hare, partridge, pheasant or venison.
Or, plan a trip that follows any of several suggested food or drink trails (http://eatscotland.visitscotland.com/sitewide/misc/itineraries/). They include cheese and whiskey trails; also, foodie journeys on the island of Arran and in the Outer Hebrides.

• In the Orkneys and Shetlands, you’ll certainly shop for authentic knits and jewelry based on Norse designs that come down from the sailors who first settled here. And, see small, shaggy Shetland ponies in their natural habitat, bred to be tough workers, now sold as pets throughout the world.

• Get thee to Loch Ness and find out if you are the person who can see the Loch Ness monster and prove it is real. For a reality check, visit the Official Loch Ness 2000 Exhibition Centre or the Original Loch Ness Monster Exhibition Centre, both in Drumnadrochit.

• Visit Stirling Castle, which is associated with Scotland’s 13th century freedom fighter, William Wallace (“Braveheart”), who defeated the English king here in 1297. Also, see the Church of the Holy Rood in town, where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned when she was nine months old.

• If you have a curiosity about traditional Scottish music and dance, several hotels and clubs in the cities put on ceilidhs. Or, find a ceilidh in a traditional pub where you can join the singing.

• Attend the World Haggis Hurling Championships, in which contestants, from atop whiskey barrels, toss animal innards great distances.

• Research your Scottish ancestry; plan your itinerary after looking at www.ancestralscotland.com. Or consider suggested itineraries built around these clans or families: Buchanan, Cameron, Campbell, Cumming, Douglas, Gordon, Lennox, Lindsay, MacDonald, MacGregor, Mackay, Mackenzie, Montgomery, Morrison, Munro, Napier, Robertson, Scott, Sinclair, Sempill and Wallace. Look for itineraries at www.ancestralscotland.com/clans/clan-touring-ideas/

• Get married or register your civil partnership in a Scottish castle, on a Highland glen or at any of a number of other romantic settings.

• Go canoeing on the River Spey. Or, kayak in the Lochaber and Perthshire area.
Or, in winter, consider skiing. The highlands offer the sport from December to May. The skiing is quite good, but made unpredictable by bitter winds and mists. It’s Scotland!

• Golf at St. Andrews or any of Scotland’s legendary courses. Get your tee times well in advance so you won’t be disappointed.

• Visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The palace, the official Scottish residence of the queen, is open to the public when the royal family is not in residence.

• Join an Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour, an evening event that, through the scripted performances of two professional actors, provides new insights into the greats of Scottish literature, along with some beer (in “two spectacular pubs”) and plenty of laughs. The Scottish Literary Tour Trust produces this and other similar events.

• Visit the Burns Cottage, the poet Robert Burns’ birthplace, which is the centerpiece of the Burns National Heritage Park in historic Alloway. Better yet, attend the annual Burns an’ a’ That festival in the park.

• Try foods for which Scotland is famous, such as the Aberdeen Angus beef, salmon, Shetland lamb, porridge and summer berries.

• Get a sense of a distant past on the tiny island of Iona, where St. Columba founded a monastery in 563. Today, you’ll see a restored medieval abbey and carved stone crosses that date back more than 1,000 years. Or, discover Scotland’s religious history in other places such as at the four ruined abbeys of Dryburgh, Jedburgh and Kelso and Melrose in the Scottish Borders. Their story is told at Jedburgh Abbey.

• Go bird watching. See the ospreys in the Cairngorms National Park. Participate in a guided walk led by the local ranger service.

• Go dolphin watching in the Moray Firth, departing from Inverness, the capital of the highlands.

• Attend any of a number of food and drink events — such as wine and cheese tastings, cooking classes, gourmet seafood trail, festivals — slated to occur throughout Scotland during the two September weeks of the annual Scottish Food Fortnight. The events promote fresh seasonal Scottish foods.

• Attend the annual Blas Festival which highlights Gaelic and traditional music in events staged across the highlands for a week in early September. See www.blas-festival.com. (The dates overlap with the Food Fortnight.)