Coverage of the country's two major cities is lengthy, although visitors to Edinburgh may prefer to take Edinburgh: The Mini Rough Guide with them for a more pocket-sized read. Where the Scotland guide is especially useful is in its travel and accommodation listings for the highlands and islands--areas geographically not far from Glasgow and Edinburgh yet in holiday terms a world apart. From the lochs to the glens, and from the Isle of Iona to the Shetland Isles, the authors suggest places to stay off the beaten tourist track.

What the guide lacks in photographs it makes up for with its quirky contexts section containing fascinating information on Scotland's history, architecture, music and literature. The book has plenty to keep you amused during the north of the country's seemingly endless nights. Plus if you've ever wanted to know how to order a beer in Gaelic, here's your chance to learn. Mine's a leann if anyone's buying. --Anna Hornsey --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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INTRODUCTION
Scotland not only defies description, it gets positively irritated by it. Clichéd images of the place abound – postcards of hairy Highland cows, tartan tins of shortbread, ranks of diamond-patterned golf jerseys… and they drive many Scots to apoplexy. And yet Scotland has a habit of delivering on its classic images: ruined castles really do perch on just about every hilltop, in summer the glens inevitably turn purple with heather and, if you’re lucky, you just might bump into a formation of bagpipers marching down the village street on gala day.

Scotland is a difficult country, where Celtic hedonism intertwines, somehow, with stern Calvinism, where the losers of battles (and football games) are more romanticized than the winners. It’s often defined by its scenery – known to make poets weep, but half the time hidden under a pall of drizzly mist. The country’s major contribution to medieval warfare was the chaotic, blood-curdling charge of the half-naked Highlander, yet it’s civilized enough to have given the world steam power, the television and penicillin. Chefs from Paris to Prague rhapsodize over Scottish wild salmon and Aberdeen Angus steaks, even while the locals are tucking happily into another deep-fried supper of haggis and chips.

Naturally, the tourist industry tends to play up the heritage and play down the contemporary, but beyond the tartan lies a modern, dynamic nation. Oil and microprocessors now matter more to the Scottish economy than Harris tweed. Edinburgh still has its genteel Royal Mile, but just as many folk are drawn by its clubs and cappuccino culture, while out in the Hebrides, the locals are more likely to be teleworking via the internet than shearing sheep. The Highland huntin’ shootin’ fishin’ set are these days outnumbered by mountain bikers and wide-eyed whale-watchers. Much as folk bands are knocking out old tunes on electronic fiddles, reinvention of tradition has become a Scottish artform.

Stuck in the far northwest corner of Europe, Scotland is remote, but it’s not isolated. The inspiring emptiness of the wild northwest coast lies barely a couple of hours from Edinburgh and Glasgow, two of Britain’s most dense and intriguing urban centres. Ancient ties to Ireland, Scandinavia, France and the Netherlands mean that – compared with the English at least – Scots are pretty enthusiastic about the European Union. EU money has been poured into the infrastructure, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, funding numerous arts projects and sustaining the national identity. By contrast, Scotland’s relationship with the 'auld enemy', England, remains as problematic as ever. Despite the new Scottish parliament established in Edinburgh in 1999, with its new-found power to shape Scottish life, many Scots still tend to view matters south of the border with a mixture of exaggerated disdain and well-hidden envy. Ask for a 'full English breakfast' and you’ll quickly find yourself put right. Old prejudices die hard. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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