Scotland History And Background
Scotland's written history (as opposed to oral history) commenced with the arrival of the Romans circa 500 A.D. They were the first to record it's history, so anything prior to this is almost lost, except for that which arises from the supposition of archeologists.
Despite this, Scotland's post oral history is rich, and offers visitors a cornucopia of myths, and heroes, as well as the biggest myth of The Loch Ness Monster. All of this adds up to rewarding experience to the visitor who enjoys an interesting and cultural element within their holiday.
Scotland has a reputation for toughness and ruggedness, probably well deserved, and brought about not just by the harshness of the elements, but also relating to the fact that for many years Scotland was pretty much under siege from the outside world.
As well as the Romans, they had Viking invaders to contend with on a regular basis as did much of the east coast of northern Britain. Much of Scotland was under foreign rule for hundreds of years, subsumed into a small Norwegian empire, and certain areas not gaining their own rule until the 1300s.
Obviously 'squabbles' with the English ensued later, and it is from here that many of Scotland's legendary heroes were borne. A visit to Scotland should definitely be preceded with at least a viewing the film 'Braveheart' - Mel Gibson may be Australian, but he certainly captures what being Scottish is all about for many of it's residents.
This rich history means that apart from the areas of outstanding natural beauty, there are also many places of historical importance, interest, and again beauty to visit. Luckily, despite Scotland being quite vast, places of interest are dotted all over the place so you will never be far from a few.
A more recent Scottish icon is Robbie Burns whose poetry is celebrated annually the world over, and as such he has a whole museum dedicated to him.
Scotland's history is still in action, and a greta place to visit is Edinburgh which mixes the old - the castle, with the new as it is now one of Europe's cultural capitals, so even though the wars have gone battles are fought in the war of art and culture, which is a lot less bloody, but just as much fun for the visitor.
