Elisa's Daily Scoop The Scottish HighlandsGood day!! A lovely Saturday here on Long Island!! The sun is shining, although I'm not sure what the temps are like and how much humidity there is, since I haven't as yet ventured outside. Can you believe it's the last week of August!!! Back to school right around the corner BUT, we still have another week to go! Next week, is going to be a very busy one! The girls will be riding Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They have some make up days to do, so Mom will be on the road quite a bit! Next Friday, we have a special day - going to the Hampton Classic. My girls are super stoked since they have a number of friends who will be showing in this world-famous equestrian event! Well, it's obvious that Tanya is having her share of internet woes throughout Europe. Today she is in the Scottish Highlands. How familiar are you with this location? From initial research and pictures, I was truly taken and wanted to tell you a bit about it... The Scottish Highlands are a mountainous region encompassing northwest Scotland with Loch Ness in the center. The term Highlands has its basis in history. There is also a Lowlands as well. The Highlands are a historic region of Scotland, which was dominated by the Gaels and their Gaelic language and culture while the lowlands were Scottish. In Scottish Gaelic, the region is known as the Gàidhealtachd, which literally means "the place of th Gaels" because it was traditionally the Gaelic-speaking part of Scotland. Today, the language is now largely confined to the Outer Hebrides. The Scottish Highlands is very sparsely populated, with many mountain ranges dominating the region, and includes the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. The dividing line between the Highlands and the Lowlands was everything west from the Great Glen (Inverness to Loch Lynnhe and the islands) and roughly 50 miles of land east of the Great Glen. Now, ironically, August is one of the best times to visit Scotland - particularly, Edinburgh (where Tanya was earlier this week) and the Highlands. In fact, according to Nic McCormack of Bloomberg Pursuits, "Highland Games throughout the region showcase Scottish culture with feats of brawn and might, from strongmen sports such as hammer throwing (seen here), tossing the caber, backhold wrestling, and tug-o-war, to field and track events such as hill running as well as Highland dancing and Scottish piping competitions. It’s thought the games are rooted in the 11th century, when King Malcolm III organized a hill race to find a speedy personal messenger. The Cowal Gathering in Argyll (cowalgathering.com) is the largest Highland Games in the world." This is one of the best articles I've read about the Scottish Highlands from all of my research, particularly if you are planning to go in the summer! But, that's not all - there is so much to do for the outdoor lover and places to see! Here are the Top 5 Things to Do and Visit in the Scottish Highlands: 1. Cairngorms National Park Britain's largest national park has more mountains, forest paths, rivers, lochs, wildlife hotspots, friendly villages and distilleries than you can possibly imagine. In fact, five of the UK's six highest mountains lie inside the park, and there are 55 Munros - mountains over 3,000 ft., as well as huge forests of ancient native trees, cascading waterfalls, and tons of wildlife. More people come to ski in the Cairngorms than at any other resort in the UK. 2. Loch Ness I'll be talking more about this very famous place tomorrow, but, this lake lies right in the middle of the Scottish Highlands and has become famed for the famous monster, "Nessie." 3. City of Inverness Inverness is the largest city and the cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands. Its Old Town features 19th-century Inverness Cathedral, the mostly 18th-century Old High Church and an indoor Victorian Market selling food, clothing and crafts. It is situated where the River Ness meets the Moray Firth. 4. Ben Nevis Ben Nevis (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis) is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of Scotland, close to the town of Fort William and is affectionately known as 'The Ben.' Interestingly, the town of Fort William is known as the "outdoor capital of the U.K." And it's no wonder with more than an estimated 225,000 visitors per year, many of which are bikers and hikers. The summit, at 4,411ft above sea level, unusually for a mountain in Scotland, features the ruins of a building, an observatory, which was permanently staffed from 1883 until its closure in 1904. 5. Moray Firth The Moray Firth has been named in the top twelve of the world’s most beautiful and unspoiled coastlines Best known for its population of more than 130 bottlenose dolphins, the Moray Firth is one of the best places in Europe to see these lovable creatures in the wild. What a gorgeous country!! Such natural beauty to behold - cannot wait to see Tanya's photos once she has more dependable wifi!! On that note, friends, I'm going to get my day going. I'm in need some beautifying and will be getting my hair colored and cut today! Back atcha tomorrow to talk all about Loch Ness!!! -E xoxo | Tanya's Daily Scoop |