Impressions of Scotland [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION Scodand sells itself to the world as a land of misty mountains and big scenery, romantic and tragic history, tartan McHaggisry with a beating Celtic heart. Anybody who comes to these shores looking for this image is unlikely to leave disappointed - the mountains are undoubtedly majestic, the history rich and well told, and yes, some Scotsmen wear kilts. But of course, Scotland has a great deal to offer beyond the clichés, as anyone who scratches the surface of this intriguing and contradictory land will soon discover. And it is the litde personal discoveries - a glimpse of a hidden fairytale castle between the trees, the heady scent of a heather moor on a hot day, the unexpected sight of an otter nosing along the shore, a cheery conversadon with the only other walkers on a bare mountainside, a fresh-washed beach of pure shell sand in a turquoise bay, a superb meal of fresh seafood in a pub you've chanced upon in a place where you can't begin to pronounce the Gaelic name - which make any visit here memorable. !wprcsshns of Scothiid reflects in superb photography the very best of the known and the less familiar in this remarkable north British land. The Scotrish determinadon to retain an idendty separate from England remains strong, despite being polirically joined since 1603. It's an idendty reinforced by its own pariiament, held in the historic capital of Edinburgh, a city built on hills and dominated by its famous casde. Edinburgh is the heart ofScodand's central belt - a land ofbatdes and medieval splendour, of intellectual sophisdcadon, of ancient trade routes, and of fishing and farming, with rugged castles and picturesque fishing villages contrasdng with the 19th-century industrial tenements of Dundee. To the west. Glasgow - Scodand's confident second city - has become known for its first-class shopping and superb museums and galleries, as shipbuilding and other heavy engineering have given way to a vibrant arts and entertainments scene. Part of the city's charm is that the hills, forests and beautiful countryside around Loch Lomond and the Trossachs are so accessible, with the scenic peninsulas of Argyll spilling west and south. To the south the border country is a haven of peace and tranquillity, with quiet roads and lush pastures. Medieval abbeys, stately homes and small, stone-built tovims are tucked into the folds ofthe rolling hills. Galloway and the Solway Coast are Scodand's best-kept secret, with endless miles of deserted sandy beaches, rocky coves and clifftop paths. From Space, Scodand north of the Forth and Clyde looks like a loosely woven cloth - an ancient tartan perhaps - ragged at its western edge and crumpled in a series of irregular folds with loose scraps and threads around its fringes. These are the Highlands and Islands, characterised by high mountains and deep glens, tumbling rivers and shimmering lochs, open moors and spreading forests. The far northern islands of Orkney are a handflil of emeralds cast on the waters, their gendc green, undulating landscape in sharp contrast to the rocky islands of Shedand, slashed by the sea into thousands of inlets. T/jc G/rti(jo»' Science Centre - a gleaming three-storey lilaiiiuni imiderland beside the Rirer Clyde.