A VISIT TO SCOTLAND

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 75, 16 October 1939, Page 7

A VISIT TO SCOTLAND

LAND OF PARADOXES There is a tonic property in a visit to Scotland, and a kindliness about Scots hospitality which make arrival a delight and departure something to be postponed, says a writer in "Overseas." A visitor making a en refill study of Scotland, can hardly Tail to discover that things are not always what they seem. It is, for instance, a small country: yet its wHe valleys, immense moors, great esiiiaiies and lofty mountains give ib an appearance of vastness j and in no country is it possible to Find solitude so easily or so quickly as in Scotland Again, these lofty mountains are found, if measured, to be not lolty at all! The highest of them barely tops 4500 feet, It is, in fact, anothei' paradox, and the apparent height of the mountains is due to the tact that they all rise from sea level, ot' very near it so that their &'li majesty is visible to the eye.

Climatically also, Scotland produces the unexpected. Though one of tlic northern countries of Kurope, the Gulf Stream makes the summers cool and the winters mild. Many sub-tropical plants flourish on the West Coast of Scotland. where snow and frost ale rarely experienced. Tt

is ( moreover, a country o| grcat_ almost violent, contrasts. A golfer, knowing only the East Coast or A\ rshire, would describe Scotland as a low-lying with flat grassy plains and sandy shores: hut a yachts man. accustomed to the grandeur of the West Coast fjords (known as sea lochs) would tell of a rocky coast, and high mountains coming down to the sea. The pedestrian tourist would ref.br to the rolling uplands of Galloway or the rounded ranges of Cairngorms, while his mountaineering fr.iend would be full of the wonderful rock climbing in Skye, the intricate climbs in Argyllshire, or the thousand-foot precipice of Ben Nevis. To the grouse shooter Scotland is all heather-clad moor purple to the horizon: to the angler it is a land of rushing streams and moun-tain-cradled lochs. Each has Iris own ' supremely satisfying mental picture •of Scotland the stern and wild, -h"

and winninu

The licnenil

/ihlst'or will wnnt to vc something o! nil of tins, lie will

visit the capital city, lv.'inburgh, which Scott called "mine own romantic town. '' Romantic it certainlv is_ and beautiful, Avorthy to be the capital of a race Avhich has le.f't its mark on the historA* and deA'dopment of the Avcrld. He Avill Avant to see also the contrasting city of Glasgow almost entirely modern, but

with a mediacA"al cathedral Avhich Is Ihe finest in Scotland. Xor Avill be neglect the granite-built city of Aber ileen. or Dundee where twery thing possible is made of jute—ansl a good ;leal that is apparently impossible.

The country lying south of Edinburgh merits attention, It is called "the Borders,'" lying as it does along the English border, and in the Middle Ages Avas the most civilised part of the eountvv. Hence it is in thiarea that the beautiful remains of Melrose, Jedburgh and Dryburgh Abbeys are found. A more modern note is struck by Abbotsford House, the manor built by Sir Walter Scott, which is annually visited by thousands of admirers of the great Avriter.

"Westward, ay hat is known as "The Burns Country' 7 Avill also attract the tourist, AA'ho Avill see the birthplace. of Scotland's great poet ncav Ayr, and folloAA T his life story to the humble death bed at Dummies.

Northwards, the Highlands and Islands beckon. In this beautiful part of the country originated many tilings that, in the outside Avorld, are regarded as typical of Scotland tartans, Highland dancing and sports, the. music of ihe bagpipes, and much, that is entirely Scottish in the way of eating and drinking.

It is a land of great scenic mountainous, with many lochs, and, along the western and northern coasts, a chain of lovely islands, set like gems in the sparkling "waters aft the Atlantic,

It is a]l Avorth visiting, worth exploring. There is a. tonic property in a. visit to Scotland, and a. kindliness about Scots hospitality, "which together make arrival a delight and departure something to be postponed to the utmost limit; and even departure cannot steal memories of a delightful and refreshing experience.