Blue Guide Scotland Book

	Introduction	9
	Highlights of Scotland	10
	How to use the Guide	12
	Abbreviations used in the Guide	13
	Acknowledgements	13
	Practical information
	Planning your visit
	Climate and when to visit	15
	Passports and formalities	15
	Health and insurance	15
	Currency	15
	Electricity	16
	Tourist information	16
	Other sources of information on Scotland	16
	Useful websites	17
	Getting there
	By air	18
	By sea	18
	By rail	18
	By coach	19
	By car	19
	Facilities for disabled visitors	19
	General information
	Banking	19
	Tipping	20
	Telecommunications	20
	Post	20
	Medical services	20
	Security	21
	In an emergency	21
	Opening times and public holidays	22
	Public toilets	22
	Churches	22
	Tourist Information Centre network	22
	Deciding what to visit	22
	The media	23
	Finding out what's on	24
	Getting around
	By rail	24
	By bus	25
	By taxi	25
	By car	26
	By sea	27
	By air	27
	Cycling	27
	Where to stay
	Types of accommodation	28
	Booking ahead	29
	Grading schemes	29
	Accommodation guides	29
	Food and drink
	Eating out	29
	Meal times	30
	Pubs and bars	31
	Traditional Scottish food	31
	Scottish drinks	33
	Shopping
	Opening hours	36
	Souvenirs and gifts	36
	Scottish crafts	36
	Scottish food and whisky	37
	Wool, tweed and tartan	37
	Shopping 'villages'	37
	Sports and the outdoors
	Walking	40
	Pony trekking	41
	Golf	41
	Fishing	41
	Water sports	42
	Football	42
	Skiing	42
	Highland games	43
	Curling	43
	Shinty	43
	Scotland: the place and the people
	Climate, geology and scenery	45
	Wildlife	46
	Scotland's history
	Scottish timeline	48
	Early settlers	50
	Roman period	50
	The emerging Scottish kingdom	51
	The establishment of the Scottish Crown	52
	The Wars of Independence	53
	The Stewart Kings	55
	Mary Queen of Scots and the Reformation	57
	The Covenanters and Civil War	59
	Jacobite rebellions and the Scottish Enlightenment	61
	Nineteenth-century Scotland and the Clearances	62
	Modern Scotland--towards Devolution	63
	People, language and culture
	Who are the Scots?	64
	Language	64
	Family and clans	65
	Searching for roots	65
	Culture	66
	Scotland's art and architecture
	Art	67
	Architecture	68
	Government and economy	70
	Further reading	72
	The Guide
	Edinburgh	75
1	The Royal Mile - the Castle to Holyrood	83
2	Parliament, the University and the Grassmarket	99
3	The National Gallery and Calton Hill	109
4	The New Town west of the Mound	113
5	Along the Water of Leith	117
	Lothian	124
	Three Country Estates	128
	Linlithgow	130
	The Bathgate Hills	132
	Haddington	139
	Dunbar	142
	The Borders	149
	Melrose	152
	Jedburgh	156
	Peebles	166
	Dumfries and Galloway	171
	Dumfries	174
	Kirkcudbright	187
	Ayrshire and the Clyde Coast	195
	Ayr and Burns country	198
	Arran	209
	Bute	212
	The Cumbraes	216
	Glasgow	217
1	The city centre and Charles Rennie Mackintosh	223
2	The Merchant City and the Cathedral	230
3	The Kelvin and the West End	235
	Pollok Country Park	241
	The Clyde Valley, Lomond and Cowal	245
	Paisley	255
	The Kelvin and the Campsies	260
	Dumbarton	261
	Loch Lomond	264
	The Cowal Peninsula	266
	Argyll	270
	Oban and offshore islands	273
	North Argyll-Etive, Appin and Awe	276
	Inveraray	280
	Islay	288
	Jura	293
	Mull	294
	Iona	298
	Staffa and the Treshnish Islands	302
	Coll and Tiree	302
	Colonsay and Oronsay	304
	Stirling and the Trossachs	305
	Stirling	307
	Dunblane	314
	Falkirk and the Antonine Wall	318
	Perth and the Tay Valley	325
	Perth	328
	The Ochils and Strathearn	337
	Highland Perthshire	341
	By Loch Tummel and Loch Rannoch	347
	The Kingdom of Fife and St Andrews	352
	Dunfermline	355
	Culross	358
	The East Neuk	363
	Isle of May	366
	St Andrews	367
	North Fife	373
	Dundee and Angus	379
	Dundee	381
	Arbroath	389
	Montrose	391
	Aberdeen and Deeside	399
	Aberdeen	402
1	City centre	402
2	Old Aberdeen	408
	The Mearns	413
	Royal Deeside	416
	Strathdon	421
	The North East	424
	The Buchan coast	433
	Banff	436
	Elgin	439
	Speyside and the distilleries	445
	The Cairngorms	449
	Fort William and the West	454
	The Great Glen	460
	The Small Isles: Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna	467
	Inverness, Loch Ness and the Black Isle	469
	Inverness	472
	The Beauly Firth	480
	The Black Isle	482
	Tain	487
	The Far North	490
	Dornoch	493
	John o'Groats to Cape Wrath	499
	Cape Wrath to Ullapool	503
	The West Highlands and Skye	507
	Skye	515
	The Western Isles	526
	Lewis	530
	Harris	534
	St Kilda and North Uist	536
	Berneray	537
	Benbecula	538
	South Uist	539
	Barra	540
	Orkney and Shetland	542
	Orkney	543
	Hoy and Flotta	549
	Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre	553
	Shapinsay	555
	Stronsay and Eday	556
	Sanday, Westray and Papa Westray	557
	North Ronaldsay	558
	Shetland	559
	Bressay and Noss	564
	Fair Isle	567
	Papa Stour	568
	Foula	569
	Whalsay and Out Skerries	570
	Yell, Fetlar and Unst	571
	Glossaries
	Glossary of buildings and landscape	574
	A Scots-English dictionary	576
	Index	579
	Maps and plans
	City plans
	Aberdeen Central	405
	Old Aberdeen	409
	Ayr and Alloway	199
	Dumfries	175
	Dundee	386
	Dundee Central	382
	Edinburgh Central	106
	Edinburgh Northwest	115
	Glasgow Central	224
	Glasgow West End	236
	Inverness	473
	Oban	274
	Perth	330
	St Andrews	368
	Stirling	311