Scotland

I write for a number of sites and I was recently writing for Virtual Scotland about Tony Blair when I just totally lost it. The article started of reasonably well with a basic rundown of his life but by the time I got to his days as British PM I found that all the good I had to say was negated by the war in Iraq and the likes. I had decided that I was going to write her about the wonderful Scottish city of Aberdeen and why it was such a cool place to take a weekend city break but I can not help but think about all the choas that seems to be going on there at the moment so I will add a quick bit about that first.

Of late Aberdeen appears to have been in the Scottish news on an almost daily basis. Apparently the local Council is forever in need of saving money and the drastic cutbacks are hitting hard. It seems strange that the third largest city in Scotland seems to be in a dire financial situation and I find myself wondering where all the cash went in the first place. The other reason Aberdeen is in the press every week or so is the planned golf development by Donald Trump.

Like many I was thrilled to hear that Mr Trump was planning a large scale development for Aberdeen. Golf plays an incredibly important role in the tourism of Scotland and a world class golfing resort is exactly what is needed for the region but my initial pleasure is slowly turning to disgust. I keep hearing that Mr Trump is pulling out of the deal and each time I hear it, it is in response to him not getting his own way about expanding his original plans. I get the distinct feeling that this will eventually be a fantastic thing but we will lose a great deal in the process!

Oh, there I go again. No sooner do I get started on a topic and I find myself up on my high horse again… With wind farms planned for so much of the beautiful Scottish countryside I can not help myself wondering what the country will look like in a few years. Why on earth don’t they put these farms offshore? Yes it costs a fair but more but the visual impact is negligable. I also wonder how the beautiful countryside around Aberdeen will look during and after the development of Mr Trump’s huge enterprise. It puts me in mind of visiting the area to grab a few photographs before it has gone forever under the evergreen carpet of corporate golfing.

There are several places in England which feature strongly in Scottish history, especially along the borders and in the very north of England. While places such as Berwick-upon-Tweed (South Berwick to the Scots) changed hands frequently other places were simply a tasty target for attack and plunder. The important city of York frequently appears in Scottish history and it is York that I shall introduce you to here.

The historic city of York has a rich cultural heritage dating back to the Roman Conquest of Britain and has been influenced by many different and diverse races such as the Angles, Normans and Vikings. It is from the Viking name for the city, Jorvik, that the current name of York was derived and you can learn much of this period of the city’s history at the superb Jorvik Viking Centre.

One of the most striking features of the city is the medieval architecture of the town centre dominated by the Gothic York Minster. If you are planning a city break in York then you really must make time to visit the Minster. Inside you will find the largest medieval stained glass window in the world along with other superb examples of this spectacular form of art.

Other historic buildings include the unmissable Clifford’s Tower. Like many ancient castles Clifford’s Tower (the last remnant of York Castle) has been the scene of much bloodshed. Besides the gory display of the bodies of nobles, including Sir Roger Clifford, hanging from the tower in chains (1322), the most horrible story associated with the Tower relates to the year 1190. In 1190 an angry mob grew up in the city and set upon Jewish residents killing several of them. With no other option open to them they sought refuge in York Castle keep (a wooden structure on the site of Clifford’s Tower) which was subsequently set alight. Some of those inside died as a result of the fire while others chose suicide but many surrendered to the mob who set upon and killed them all. Estimates of the dead range from the conservative estimate of 150 to an alarming 500.

While many visitors to York choose to stay to enjoy the historic aspects of the city many others flock to the city to enjoy it’s vibrant nightlife. Boosted by a healthy number of tourists and a mass of students and you will find that there are many lively pubs, bars and cafes in the city centre (Bettys Tea Rooms should be mentioned here I think – look out for the two of them if you stay there).

One of the best pubs in York is the Black Swan which serves locally brewed beers in a wonderful environment which often features live music. As well as night clubs such as Ziggy’s and the Gallery there is also Fibbers which is where you should head for if you like live rock/pop/indie music.

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I have actually lost count of the amount of times I have been asked (in personal or via email) what is the best time of the year to visit the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles) and I really do have to admit that though many assume it to be the height of the tourist season many choose to visit the islands at various other times instead. Let me explain a couple of the reasons why I would consider this to be a very wise decision.

When I first visited the Isle of Harris in 1981 (or 82) I had little choice over the dates as I was helping somebody to relocate there during the school summer holidays (it was a teacher moving up). I had had an interest in the islands, especially St Kilda, for many years but had not had the means to get there before then. Of course I did a few tourist type things, visited a couple of the spectacular Harris beaches, saw the standing stones at Callanish, the broch down the road etc. etc. and enjoyed myself thoroughly.

The next summer I visited again but this time I chose the summer months as I was studying and I could not really get to the islands at any other time. While many people have the same problem it was not until a couple of years later that I visited during the winter and all I can say is WOW. Now I am always willing to accept that most folk enjoy lovely hot sunny days but the islands take on a wholly different atmosphere during the winter months. Yes it can get windy but I was not blown away by the wind, I was blown away by the spectacular sight of snow covered mountains, a deep blue sea and a most wonderful light, the type of light that inspired artists of the Scottish Colourists and the Glasgow Boys, all I can say is it is unique and most wonderful.

I have several photographs of an Isle of Harris self catering cottage nicely decorated with a fresh dusting of light snow. I could have stayed there all day taking shots of this timeless place but it was getting late and very, very cold. Here’s another aspect of winter that is wonderful, getting in after a nice long walk, and sitting down opposite a lovely peat fire is something which can only really be fully appreaciated in the Hebrides.

Now here’s a strange thing, visiting once during the Christmas holidays I was surprised at how mild it was. In fact snow does not appear on the ground very often (though it remains on the tops of the mountains throughout winter) and the temperature rarely falls below zero. I feel the cold badly so I appreciate a mild climate but in the first few weeks in January I found that it was actually warm enough to walk about wearing only a light t-shirt (and trousers of course!). Not only was it rather warm but the sun really does cut through in the winter and sometimes the sun seems far more powerful in the winter than in the summer.

There are many other reasons to visit the Hebrides out of season. One of the most important to me is that you get to see the islands without the masses of tourists driving about holding up traffic as they slow to take in the view (they should pull over!). At times it feels as though you have stepped back in time, especially if you can smell the sweet smoke of a peat fire and there are no power cables in sight.

So if you are thinking of taking a vacation in the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles and plan to stay in a self catering house on the Isle of Harris, why not investigate visiting at a different time of year than you usually do?