Scotland

Scotland is only a small country in the United Kingdom of Great Britain. For much of it’s history the nation and it’s people have been incredibly poor but from this impoverished society some of the most influential people came forth to make their mark upon our world. There are few countries in the world that have not been directly influenced by the hands of the Scottish but few consider this when asked to think of Scotland and most of us would rather bring to mind the likes of Tartan and Harris Tweed.

It can be said that most people think that Harris Tweed and tartan are very ancient but the sad truth is that they are fairly recent developments which only date back to Victorian times. Sir Walter Scott, the famous author, and others helped to create a wonderful image of a romantic Scotland which Queen Victoria fell in love with. Though tartan patterns date from this period the “traditional Scottish” created by Scott was heavily influenced by Highland culture.

It could be said that Sir Walter Scott and Queen Victoria created the Scottish tourism industry. Although there had been earlier visitors to Scotland they were few and far between as the country was remote and communication links were poor. Throughout the Victorian period interest in Scotland grew and, with the advent of railway systems, Scotland became the playground of the upper classes who indulged in hunting, fishing and golf.

To this day the railways have not reached the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides and few in the Victorian era visited this remote island. However, in 1844, the Earl of Dunmore asked the weavers of the island to create a cloth for him. His wife encouraged the weavers to create other patterns and did much to promote the product. Due to the incredible properties of the cloth, Harris Tweed, it was the perfect material for the sporting clothes of the new visitors and very quickly it became the choice cloth of the upper classes.

Harris Tweed is heavily protected, it can only be produced in the Outer Hebrides and the methods used to make it have changed little over the centuries. The cloth is hand made and was used local wool, colored using dyes made from locally occurring plants. The cloth was incredibly tough and it was a long time before other products from abroad encroached into it’s markets however the industry eventually decreased.

In many ways Harris Tweed has remained a popular material with many and the typical Harris Tweed jacket still sells extremely well. In recent years use of the material has diversified greatly and has been used in high fashion on a number of occasions. It is now possible to find a wide selection of product made from it and companies, such as Nike, have recognized it’s qualities and used it in their products.

In recent decades the Isle of Harris has seem a massive increase in the number of people visiting the island and tourism is now a major element of the local economy. Traditionally there have been summer and winter industries in the Hebrides and the production of Harris Tweed has always had a vital role. Unfortunately in the last few years the tweed industry has been in crisis and, at this moment, it is in something of a state of flux with the main mill closing. There is little doubt it will still be produced but the future is uncertain.

There is plenty to attract the visitor to the Isle of Harris, the rich Gaelic culture, the incredible number of archaeological sites, the unique flora and fauna and, last but not least, some of the most astounding landscapes to be seen in Scotland and the United Kingdom. Getting there is now easier than ever and while there are airports most travel by road across to the Isle of Skye and then by ferry to the village of Tarbert or Lochmaddy in Uist.