Scotland — a dream travel destination

Scotland is a country on the island of Great Britain. It was an independent kingdom until 1 May 1707, when the parliaments of both England and Scotland passed the Act of Union and created the United Kingdom of Great Britain. By then the same kings had ruled Scotland, England and Ireland for over a century — James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish crowns in 1603 as James I and moved his court to London — but the political union under Queen Anne (1702–1714) was deeply unpopular in Scotland. Daniel Defoe, who was hired to lobby for it, reckoned there were 99 Scottish opponents for every supporter.

Although the union has held, Scotland retains its own legal system, education system, church, banknotes and a great deal of cultural independence. In 1999 a devolved Scottish Parliament reopened in Edinburgh after almost three centuries.

Geography: Scotland is divided into the Lowlands and the Highlands by a fault line that runs from south-west to north-east. The Highlands contain the highest peak in the British Isles, Ben Nevis (1345 m), and most of Scotland's mountain scenery. The country has more than 800 islands, of which roughly a hundred are inhabited.

What to see: Edinburgh, the capital, with its Old Town, Royal Mile and Castle. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in August. Glasgow, the larger of the two cities, with its Victorian architecture and music scene. The Highlands and Loch Ness. The Isle of Skye. The whisky distilleries of Speyside and Islay. The Cairngorms National Park. Stirling, with its castle and Wallace Monument.

Cultural highlights: Hogmanay (New Year's Eve), Burns Night (25 January — see the Burns Supper article), the Highland Games season in summer, and a ceilidh almost everywhere you go.

ScottEst can help with Scotland-themed events in Estonia, traditional dress, and gifts — see the shop and the Scottish Party section of the site.