Scotland, in the north-west of Europe, and almost surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, is part of the United Kingdom, which is also referred to as the British Isles. The only land border is with England, which runs for 96 kilometres (60 miles) between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The overall coastline of Scotland, including the islands, is 10,000 km, which is 69% of the total UK coastline. Scotland is surrounded by almost 790 islands, of which 130 are inhabited. Scotland has been inhabited since the last ice age, proof of which can be found by the numerous archaeological sites and monolithic monuments, such as stone-circles, standing stones and burial chambers dating back as far as 2000 years BC. The history of Scotland is turbulent and everywhere present.

Around 1000 BC the first Celts, who originated from Spain and the Mediterranean, arrived in England and Scotland. During the 1st century AD, Romans invaded the British Isles as far as the stretch of land between the Rivers Forth and Clyde. The Romans referred to the natives beyond that point as "Picti", or painted ones, during excursions beyond their northern border. Then, late in the 5th century, the kingdom of Dalriada was formed by the "Scotti", or invaders, as the Romans referred to this group. After the Romans left Scotland and England, the northern part of the country was inhabited by Angles, Britons, Picts and Scots. The latter two groups joined under their king, Kenneth Mac Alpin, in the tenth century and this larger kingdom expanded in the eleventh to become what is now known as Scotland. Later, parts of Scotland were ruled by the English until they were beaten at Bannockburn by Robert the Bruce in 1314.

Until 1603 Scotland and England had its own king or queen. However, when Elizabeth I of England died without an heir, James VI of Scotland became James I of England as well. This Union of Crowns resulted with the kings and queens of England and Scotland being in one as James chose to reign from the south and left Edinburgh for London. However, Scotland still remained a separate nation with its own parliament until the Act of Union of 1707 created the kingdom of Great Britain with one parliament, again based in London.

Scotland however was still divided in a way. The low lying land to the south mainly swore allegiance to the king, but in the Scottish Highlands it was a different matter. Many clans had formed, with each clan swearing allegiance to their own chief and not the king. Numerous battles took place between neighbouring clans and it was not uncommon for people from the Highlands to raid lands in the south of Scotland. However the terrain of the Highlands did not make enforcing the laws of the country easy and the answer was for the king to place clans loyal to himself within the boundary of the Highlands. The most powerful of these clans was the Campbellīs and they played the role of enforcing the laws more so after the king of Scotland had moved to England.

A number of events took place in Scotland from the late 17th century that changed life in the Highlands forever. The first of these was the Glorious Revolution, when James VII, a direct descendant of James VI, was forced to abdicate and the crown was given to William of Orange, a Dutch prince, and his wife Mary, the daughter of James. This led to a series of Risings, where supporters of James, known as Jacobites from the Latin for James, Jacobus, fought against the supporters of the new royal line in various attempts to restore James VII and his descendants. While the clans perhaps didnīt swear loyalty to the king as such, they did at least recognise the Scottish line of the kings up to James and supported the Jacobites against the foreigners that had replaced that line. In fact most of the Jacobite armies were made up of Highland clans. The final Rising took place when Bonnie Prince Charlie, the grandson of James VII, came to Scotland and raised his fatherīs standard at Glenfinnan declaring him the rightful king. This Rising ended at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746 where most of the Jacobite army was wiped out and many Highlanders, whether they took part in the Rising or not, were killed or their homes destroyed.

This was the start of a period known as the Highlands Clearances, which started as an attempt to remove the further threat of Jacobite Risings. It continued through the late 18th century with changes to farming methods in Scotland and the people in the Highlands were cleared to make way for sheep. This was seen as a more profitable use of the land so the people either migrated by choice or were forcibly removed, sometimes even killed, which left the Highlands almost as empty as they are today. One of the many reasons why Scotland is so popular with vistors.

Scotland has everything to offer its visitors; the scenery is stunning and varies much from east to west and south to north. There are three distinct areas in Scotland. In the north of Scotland is the mountainous area of the Highlands and in the south another high area known as the Southern Uplands. These are split by the relatively low-lying area of central Scotland. The Southern Upland area consists of the Scottish Borders in the east and Dumfries & Galloway in the west of Scotland. It is well known for its rolling hills, beautiful villages and its many castles and abbeys, especially in the Borders. While not as high an area as the Highlands it is also sparsely populated and is mainly made up of farmland.

The central part of Scotland is where most of the people live and work. Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland in the east, is famous for its Castle sitting on top of Castle Rock and the Royal Mile that stretches down the slope to the Palace of Holyroodhouse where the queen stays when she visits the city. Edinburgh is also home to the new Scottish Parliament as well as a number of internationally renowned festivals that take place during the summer. Glasgow in the west is the largest city of Scotland and has its own distinct culture to offer the visitor as well as being one of the main shopping areas.

About 30 miles from Glasgow is the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, the first to be created in Scotland. This sits on the border of the low ground to the south and the high ground to the north and is known as Scotland in Miniature due to the mixture of mountains and valleys as well as lochs and rivers. Scotlandīs largest National Park can be found in the Cairngorms, a huge mountain range in the north-east which includes some of the tallest mountains in Scotland. The tallest mountain of Scotland is Ben Nevis, at the southern end of the Great Glen that almost splits Scotland in two. It is possible to follow the Caledonian Canal, which joins Lochs Linnhe, Lochy, Oich and Ness to the Beauly Firth near Inverness, the capital of the Highlands.

To the east of the Great Glen, the Speyside whisky region can be found. This area is literally filled with dozens of distilleries along the shores of the River Spey. Further east is Aberdeen that has thrived due to Scotlandīs oil industry. North of Inverness and west of the Great Glen are probably the remotest parts of Scotland. There are few villages, which are mostly connected by single-track roads, and many more mountain ranges. In the extreme north of Scotland is the small village of John OīGroats, the ferry point for the northern islands of the Orkneys and Shetlands.

The west of Scotland is, for many, the most beautiful and versatile part of Scotland. This is an area of mountains and wilderness, a variety of wildlife, many lochs, the sea and islands just to name a few highlights. The far north-west of Scotland, Sutherland, is also the most remote part of the Scottish mainland; mountains like Suilven and Stack Pollaidh dominate the wild landscape. Ullapool is the biggest town in this part of Scotland and from there the ferry leaves for Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides. South of Ullapool, Wester Ross starts, according to many the most beautiful area in Scotland. Lonely roads, beautiful lochs like Loch Maree, stunning scenery and numerous mountains make Wester Ross a very attractive but remote area. Wester Ross is one of the last remaining wildernesses in Scotland, especially the Letterewe forest in the area north of Loch Maree. Loch Maree is also home to some of the last remains of the Caledonian Pine forest which covered Scotland hundreds of years ago.

The mid west of Scotland is dominated by the Isle of Skye, the Torridon Mountains and the Applecross Peninsula, which is a favourite place for motorists due to the high mountain pass they have to cross. The south-west of Scotlandīs Highland area, Argyll & Bute, is friendlier, with wonderful little towns, beautiful lochs and an ever changing landscape. Oban is the centre of the south-west of Scotland and an important ferry terminal for most of the routes to the Western Isles and Inner Hebrides. Other places of interest in the south-west are Mull, Islay, Jura, the Kintyre peninsula, and Morar with the famous Camusdarach beach, overlooking the Isle of Rum, which plays a major part in the movie Local Hero.

With so much stunning landscape and scenery it is no wonder that mountaineering, walking, fishing, cycling and golf are favourite activities for tourists. But Scotland is also home to other interesting sites/visitor attractions such as the Falkirk Wheel, Fort George, the Whisky Heritage Centre, Inveraray Jail, some of the most beautiful botanical gardens in Great Britain and of course Scotlandīs trademark: Castles, with Eilean Donan as the most photographed castle in Scotland close to the Isle of Skye, the famous Edinburgh Castle and Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness. There are hundreds of castles spread all over Scotland, some in ruins, some inhabited and some on the most beautiful locations in or close to Scotlandīs most beautiful lochs or islands, such as Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull.

Whisky is another of the many reasons people choose to visit Scotland. There are currently almost a hundred working whisky distilleries divided into 5 regions, Speyside, Highlands, Lowlands and Campbeltown, Islay and the islands. They all have their specific taste, depending on the water, the environment, the method of distilling, the stills and the casks used. Furthermore the maturation is important for the whiskies taste. Single Malt whiskies have to mature at least 3 years but most whiskies have matured 8 to 12 years. A lot of distilleries offer guided tours and a few require an appointment, so itīs good to check in advance. Famous names like Glenfiddich, the Macallan and Bruichladdich are famous all over the world. Some come to Scotland to drive the Malt Whisky Trail in the Speyside and visit all the distilleries.

The climate of Scotland tends to be very changeable. It is warmed by the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic; however, temperatures are generally lower in Scotland than in the rest of the UK. Winter maximums average 6°C (42.8°F) in the lowlands of Scotland, with summer maximums averaging 18°C (64.4°F). In general, the west of Scotland is usually warmer than the east, due to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean currents, and the colder surface temperatures of the North Sea. Tiree, in the Inner Hebrides, is the sunniest place in Scotland. Rainfall varies widely across Scotland. The western highlands of Scotland are the wettest place, with annual rainfall exceeding 3,000 mm (120 inches). In comparison, much of lowland Scotland receives less than 800 mm (31 inches) annually.

The Scotlandview website offers one-click information and lots of pictures. The menu on the left will take you to area specific pages whilst the menu on the top gives an overview of everything Scotland has to offer, including a comprehensive Scotland travel section, information about Scottish weddings, extensive Scottish Scotland wallpaper section, an overview of the best webcams available in Scotland and a maps section with a Scotland Roadmap, Clanmap of Scotland and a Satellite map.

New on the Scotlandview Website: Buy your Scotland Books, Maps, DVD's and Music in the Scotland Bookshop or in the new and easy to navigate Amazon Bookshop

A complete redesign of the Isle of Jura Page has been added.

A new page with information from the Outer Hebrides is available.

Three new pages about Scotland Island Hopping, the beautiful Isle of Arran, Scotland in miniature, and the Orkney Islands.

The Comprehensive History of Scotland in 33 Chapters in The Scotland History Index Page

New Wallpaper Section with High Res pictures from the Scottish borders. Further the Islay, Jura and Scotland Sunsets Wallpaper pages are updated.

I hope that the website lives up to your expectations. If not or if any other info is needed please use the Feedback Form. In the meanwhile please enjoy the website and feel free to use the pictures as a background image. If the pictures are used for commercial purposes please let me know.