5 Things You Should Not Do In Scotland

 


Scotland is a brilliant country to visit and we are extremely welcome to tourists, however, there are just some things you should not do if you come to live here or simply visit as a tourist. Unfortunately, Scotland has fallen victim to some negative stereotypes which creates misconceptions about us and in some ways Scotland is misunderstood. In reality, Scotland is a country with very warm people, but there are some things that you shouldn't do if you don't want to get on the wrong side of them. 

1. Don't Call Scotland A Part Of England And Don't Get Us Mixed Up With Ireland

Scotland and England are both in the UK and that leads people to think Scotland is just a part of England and somehow, people seem to confuse Scotland and Ireland. I've got nothing against the Irish, but since when does "awrite mate" sound anything like "top of the morning to ya." Scotland and England are separate countries despite the UK is counted as a single country. We have separate cultures, different football leagues and even our own devolved government. Some Scottish people even have a little animosity towards the English, so it's best to understand that if you call Scotland England, you will make people really angry really quickly.

2. Don't Litter

When I visited the Isle of Skye a couple of weeks ago, we stopped at a car park to take some pictures, I noticed that some litter had been left on the ground and I was so disgusted that I put it in the bin myself. If you plan to climb a mountain or visit a loch, please take your rubbish with you. One of the most disrespectful things you can do as a tourist would be to desecrate our national treasures by not bothering to put your rubbish where it should be. 


3. Avoid Talking About These Subjects With People You've Just Met

Just like anywhere else, talking about religion or politics is a bit of a sore subject. When it comes to politics in Scotland, avoid talking about Scottish independence, Brexit or the SNP. Furthermore, be careful about talking about football. If you end up bringing up the SPL team you support, it could descend into a heated argument about why your team is crap and theirs is the best thing to ever exist. 

4. Don't Forget To Bring A Good Jacket For The Rain

If you've heard anything about Scottish weather, it rains a lot and it can change very quickly. If you come to Scotland, no matter if your trip would be in July or January, it will rain and you must be prepared. You will need to bring a jacket sufficient enough to protect yourself from rain and umbrellas are not widely used in Scotland. This is because the rain is often accompanied with strong winds which will destroy an umbrella, I once got an umbrella from Sports Direct. When I used it for the first time, it got dragged by the wind and broke. 



5. Don't Go Hiking Unprepared

Scotland is a hiker's paradise, however, if you don't know what you're doing, you can get yourself in serious trouble. If you're going to climb a mountain, know the proper route and make sure you are hiking in the right conditions. During the summer, it could be too hot and in the winter it could be too icy and snowy. Make sure you wear the right gear, I see too many people wearing jeans while out hiking and wearing trainers on a hike may destroy them, if possible I suggest getting some proper boots. It's also important to bring a decent supply of water, as there's nothing more unpleasant than hiking without it.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japan A Dream Come True

Image
If you were to ask a twelve year old version of myself of where I'd want to travel to most he would instantly say Japan because I watched countless hours of anime and thought Akira was superior to Shakespeare. As I have grown up I've become less and less interested in anime and manga. Yet my fascination with Japanese culture still stands and it definitely felt good stepping out of the airport after having my bag searched by aggressive customs officers. My first stop was Osaka, this city is definitely worth stopping by to take a look at the Dotonbori district and Osaka castle. Wherever you go in Japan the food is incredible but I must warn you it is not cheap. Going to visit Japan is like landing on your friend's blue space with three hotels four hours into a Monopoly game. After an introductory day of Japan in Osaka, I headed over to Kyoto, it's good to know for if you're visiting Japan the the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Nara etc are inter-connected with a rai...
Read more

Why You Should Visit North Berwick, East Lothian

Image
This place has always been a special place for me as it is where my grandparents reside, during my school holidays, I'd come here and it would feel like I've gone on holiday despite being a 2 hour drive from my house.  One of my favourite things about visiting my grandparents was getting to see their dogs and going on walks with them as I never had a family dog as a kid. Now that I have a dog myself, they love it when my dog comes to visit. So, what is this North Berwick place anyway? It is a coastal town which is a 40 minute drive or train journey from Edinburgh. The good thing about this place is that unlike Edinburgh, it isn't packed with tourists and is more lowkey, however during weekends there tends to be a number of people visiting from all over Scotland and even the UK.  North Berwick is known for its nice beaches, the two closest beaches to the town are the West Bay Beach and East Bay Beach. West Bay Beach is a two minute walk from the station and right next to the...
Read more

From Clarkston To Copacabana - How I Went From Being A Lazy High Schooler To Volunteering in Rio's Comunidades

Image
Before you start, just know that this is a very long read, I wanted to put all of my memorable stories from Rio de Janeiro and how I ended up there in one post and it turned out to take a whole week for me to finish.  Just 2 months after I graduated from high school, I went to Rio de Janeiro to volunteer with Edumais, an NGO which focused on teaching English to children from underpriveliged backgrounds. It was an incredible experience and I can safely say it was some of the best two months of my life. It all started when I was in my sixth year of high school, I felt that my school put way too much pressure on its students to get accepted into university and go off to uni straight away. I thought that aged 17, I'd be way too young to go to university, I wanted to challenge myself and see the world a bit before going to university. I had decided to take a gap year so I could have the time to travel the world, I wanted to do volunteering in Latin America because I woul...
Read more