5. Visiting Edinburgh is not the same as visiting Scotland.
When I speak to people from the United Kingdom, I commonly hear the same phrase, over and over again: "Oh, I've been to America loads of times! I've been to New York City and Disney World." I always think the same thing, though I rarely say it out loud: "Go to Wyoming, and then we'll talk." Can someone really claim that they've experienced what a country has to offer when they've only visited one city and a theme park?
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll acknowledge that from the first time I visited Edinburgh, it has never done much for me. I eventually treated it as a hub for travel to places I wanted to visit. I acknowledge that I'm in a minority in this regard, but my point stands: if your visit confines you to Edinburgh, you've been to Edinburgh, and missed the best parts of Scotland. Yes, you can get a taste for Scotland by visiting Edinburgh, but Scotland's political capital is a fairly cosmopolitan, upscale locale. Other cities - notably the working class environs of Glasgow - are more representative of Scottish society.
If you're landing in Edinburgh, enjoy its attractions for a day - two at the absolute most - and then, go somewhere else. Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Inverness are relatively short train rides away. Flights from Edinburgh can take you to Kirkwall or Lerwick in the north, or to Stornaway in the west. Choose a few things to enjoy, most of which you're likely to find within easy walking distance of one another, and then enjoy what the rest of Scotland has to offer.
4. In Scotland, the journey can be as memorable as the destination.
In September of 2004, I flew into Inverness, and marveled at the subsequent train ride to Aberdeen. Several days later, I found myself equally stunned by the beauty of the Highlands and Central Belt on my way from Thurso to Edinburgh. Two days later, I witnessed an eyeful of Scottish culture on a train from Glasgow to Stranraer. Years later, in November of 2012, my ferry voyage from Aberdeen to Kirkwall introduced me to a kind gentleman who educated me about the recently deceased folk singer Michael Marra, and the aromatic sperm whale byproduct known as ambergris, while making sure that more lager was available to me than I should have ever consumed on a winter voyage.
Moreso than anywhere else that I've traveled, I've enjoyed the process of moving between various Scottish locales nearly as much as I've enjoyed actually staying in those locales. While Scotland's cities offer a wealth of historic and cultural treasures, Scotland's landscape offers its own unique beauty. Focusing on quick transit from one city to another forfeits the opportunity to witness a great deal of Scotland's cultural and natural attractions.
Whether by ferry or by train, recognize a public transit journey of a few hours as an opportunity, rather than an obstacle. Even if you hire your own car, take a few breaks between your start and your finish. You'll be glad that you did.
3. Don't let Hollywood lead you astray.
American films and television programs occasionally focus on Scotland, with mixed results. The Highlander franchise developed a cult following around the world, the 1995 classic Braveheart is credited with reigniting the modern wave of Scottish nationalism, and every Harry Potter fan wants to ride the "Hogwarts Express" steam train across the Glenfinnan Viaduct.
Of course, Highlander is a fantasy series starring a Frenchman, Braveheart is scarcely more historically accurate than Highlander, and the Glenfinnan Viaduct is a single exterior shot in a film series that relied primarily upon footage shot in England. Even the 1995 Liam Neeson film, Rob Roy, took liberties with the history of Rob Roy MacGregor, though it was at least filmed in Scotland!
Scotland's landscapes are incomparable, and the nation's history - both political and cultural - tends to defy the sort of simple, tidy binaries of good and evil that make for attractive Hollywood narratives. If the opportunity to visit Scotland presents itself, treat any Hollywood depiction as motivation to experience the real Scotland, rather than focusing on Hollywood renditions that tend to fall short of the real thing. (Of course, if you find yourself driving through Glen Etive and recognize the location from the 2012 Bond film Skyfall, allowances must be made!)
2. Scotland's culture resides in the local pub.
Many of the world's cultures conceive of pubs as the equivalent of bars or taverns: places where people go to drink. While some Scots still attend religious services, observance - and the traditional role of churches as centers of the community - continues to wane. To some degree, pubs have assumed a greater share of that role in the intervening years.
Of course, Scotland's pubs are about more than just alcohol. Pubs serve food, ranging from "pub food" - fries, savory pies, chicken strips - to more varied fare, like full haggis dinners or Indian dishes. Scots visit the pub to celebrate family and cultural events, or to cheer their favorite football teams, or just for an evening out. While some pubs may cater to specific clientele - pensioners, students, farmers - all are welcome, and they're often the best places to really experience what makes Scotland unique.
Visiting a few pubs - even if you're not there to drink - should be considered a requirement for any visit to Scotland. Take something to read, find a pub that's running a sporting event of local interest, or maybe find an establishment that specializes in the wide variety of Scotch whiskies, but don't deprive yourself of this experience. A trip to Scotland without time spent in a few pubs is a trip wasted.
1. Get off of the beaten path.
When most people travel, they visit cities. In Scotland, that means places like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, and Stirling. These destinations are well worth seeing, but they're the exceptions. Moreso than in the big cities, Scotland's spirit is most apparent in villages of a few dozen people, where the local accommodation may be a guest house or bed and breakfast, and a single pub provides the only food that doesn't require you to cook it yourself.
It's crofters and fishermen, and North Sea oil technicians working in far-flung facilities like Flotta and Sullom Voe. During the Victorian era, London recruited its fiercest troops from communities of Scots whose lives as soldiers were easy compared to the rural hardships that forged them. That spirit lives on throughout Scotland, but save for the working class neighborhoods of Glasgow, it's most apparent in Scotland's version of flyover country.
When a Canadian friend and I were shanghaied into a pub crawl by a busload of enthusiastic locals, it wasn't in Edinburgh or Glasgow; rather, it was in Stromness, an Orcadian village of only 2,500 souls. Some of my most serene memories of a year in Scotland took place at the Richmond Arms pub in Peterculter, an hour's bus ride away from my flat in Aberdeen. I'll never forget the locals in Thurso who sent a few text messages to arrange a room for me at the local inn when my plan to take the late ferry was disrupted by poor sea conditions. This is the Scotland that's so easy to miss, but so amazing to experience - if one has the presence of mind to seek it out.
