Scotland’s 7 wonders
4:28 pm on the 17th of February, 2006The Scotsman is running a competition thing where you can vote for your favourite things about Scotland from a shortlist of 30. Here’s my take on them:
The prehistoric treasures of Orkney
Quite a find, I’ve never been though.
The Borders abbeys
I’ve not spent much time in the Borders, wish I had though. 7s rugby, that’s something I’m more familiar with.
The Scottish sense of humour
Don’t make me laugh! How can that be a wonder of the world? Ruled out just because it doesn’t fit on the list, at least not in my head.
The Cuillin of Skye
Never been, but blimey, what a place. I intend spending the long Easter weekend on Skye so I’ll tell more later in the year.
Single malt whisky
Still learning this one, but again, how is this a wonder?
The Caledonian Canal
Engineering, now we getting talking, a little dull though, more interesting is the Falkirk Wheel.
Iona
Never been, seems nice though.
The ancient Caledonian Forest
Yes, but what are we celebrating? Our natural surroundings or our treatment of them, how much of the forest is left?
The architecture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh
I hate MacKintosh’s stuff, I think it’s vile.
Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags
Fantastic, I love Edinburgh (although I’ve never lived there so that may make my perception of it a little rose tinted) and Arthur’s Seat is one of my favourite places to go.
Ben Nevis
Not climbed it yet, I will do in time, it would make a nice place for observing society. Why are you climbig this hill in trainers, shorts and nothing else except a can of Tennent’s?
Dolly the Sheep & Scots inventiveness
Dolly the sheep? No, not interested, inventiveness though, that’s a bit more interesting, but not a wonder.
The Edinburgh Festivals
Not a wonder, not much fun either - far too busy. But great at the same time, such a huge congregation of different arts and cultures is brilliant to witness and be part of.
Edinburgh Old and New Towns
Hmm, I would group Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh all together - Arthur’s Seat wouldn’t be half as good without the city surrounding it. Scotland’s a big country lets not restrict ourselves to one little place where a newspaper is based.
Fingal’s Cave and Staffa
Pretty impressive, although I’ve never been I want to, it has something about it that draws me.
The Forth Bridge
Ah, I wondered when this woud come up, brilliant thing this, love it. Ridiculously big and strong. And red. Definitely on my shortlist.
Glasgow’s shipyards
Not something that draws people to the country is it? Nope. Nice that Glasgow get’s a little mention though, what about the Burrel Collection, or Kelbingrove Art Gallery, they’re not wonders but neither are shipyards or a lot of other things on this list.
Glencoe
Beautiful place, there is a feeling you get as you approach Glen Coe, it just has this amazing foreboding look. Never looks the same, always makes you want to stay a little longer.
Golf
Yeah, whatever, not a wonder. Lots of good courses, so I suppose it maybe warrants a place. On that logic I suppose whisky could get a look in because of the distilleries.
The kilt
Not really a wonder is it.
The light and sky of Scotland
This one is a bit of a cop out, it could cover anywhere in the country. There are so many places in Scotland that look beautiful, and most look at their best during one of those sunsets you only get around April/May time and late August/September.
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
Yes, I agree, although I’m undecided about National Parks, my gut feeling is that I don’t want them.
New Lanark
Pretty cool place, nice ideas behind it.
Rosslyn Chapel
Never really been, don’t know much about it, it’s only on the list because of a book isn’t it, and I’ve a suspicion that the book’s rubbish, isn’t it?
Scotland’s literature
Not a wonder in my book. People don’t hanker after it and long to visit, it doesn’t draw people to a place and make them go ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’.
Scotland’s wildlife
Yep, I’ll go with that one, there’s not much better to do in late Autumn than going out to catch a haggis.
The Scots tongue
Come on, how can you have that in there? Too much variation throughout the country to lump in into one basket. Not a wonder either.
The Scottish Enlightenment
Yes, okay, I agree (and this links in with the tongue/literature idea because of Burns) that there is a very real and definable set of characteristics that Scots have and these came to the fore durning this time, but not a wonder.
The Scottish Parliament
That’s the building, not the system by the way. I’ve not been there yer, I really want to. I think it’s a fantastic building. But it’s just one building, there are lots of buildings in Scotland so this one doesn’t get on the list just because it’s has a bit of controversy surrounding it.
St Kilda
If you like, I know little enough about it to argue one way or another.
So there you go, my (somewhat tongue in mouth) take on the shortlist. What would I have?
Sutherland and the Inverpolly reserve, Sandwood Bay etc, beautiful places, so remote and it fills you with good feeling, connects you to the place. I’m going back in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait.
Lots more beaches, I love Belhaven Bay around to Tyninghame. I love the beached around Dunbar, but they are much more presonal as they are the places I grew up. The rocky beach around the bottom of Winterfield Park and teh walk back along the Clifftop Trail is possibly my favourite place to be anywhere, I never tire of it. Such a nice place to be. Infuriatingly difficult to capture those colours on camera though.
Glasgow’s West End. It’s a great place to be, Edinburgh’s nice but so is Glasgow in parts and there are few better ways to spend an early summer day than walking aroung Kelvingrove park, around the Uni buildings, up and down Byres Road and in the Botanics, maybe sitting outisde the Aragon or similar with a nice pint of real Scottish ale.
That’ll do. My scottish wonder - somewhere that you have good memories of. Mine is Dunbar, but I suppopse any little fishing town could have the same hold on people, Fife has a lot. Morven would no doubt prefer somewhere with rolling hills and lots of animals floating about.
Not a very conclusive conlusion that was it. I suppose it was more of a question, what’s your favourite part of Scotland? For the purposes of finding a ‘wonder’ I suppose I’d have to go with Glen Coe.
February 18th, 2006 at 10:07 am on the 18th of February, 2006
Too many to deal with in one post. Agree theres a few non-wonders there
Replying to your comments
The Caledonian Canal: way, way way above the Falkirk Wheel. The wheel is impressive and pretty, but the Caledonian Canal was an engineering feat that pretty much re-defined what was possible. What Telford, and to a lesser extent, the various Macdams did then was ground-breaking, about a century ahead ofheir time. There was that programme last year where you got to vote for ‘great’ Brits, and the English banged on about Brunel. Telford paved his way, wrote his textbooks, etc. I’m not sure who engineered the Canal, but at the time, Scottish engineering and architecture led theway.
Iona/Staffa: Go, for a weekend. Its nice. Don’t do a day trip, stay over. The Iona hotel was good, tho maybe outwith a student budget. Do the trop to Staffa from there, and it the weather is good, it’ll be the highlight of your trip. Amazing place. Theres a wee notch in the rock on the walk to Fingals cave, and the boat skipper told us that legend had it if you made three wishes while sitting there, at least would come true within a year. I did it, and all three cane true. (one took about 13 months).
The Cuillens: yep
National Parks: erm its a bit sweeping for one. The Cairngorms on their own is a World Nature Heritage sight (which is why we build railways up it).
Ben Nevis: because its big, presumably?
Orkney: oh yes (but see below)
Whisky. But of course. Its our biggest and greatest export. It can be copied but never bettered, because it (partly) relies on the water for flavour, and our peaty water is pretty much unique.
The Scottish Parliament: definitely on the list beacuse of current controversy. A few years back it would have ben the Scottish museum and a few years time, something else. Interesting building. Plug ugly when you drive past it two or three times a week, but I’ve a feeling that it keeps its beauty hidden, turned in upon itself, so that only those that go inside get to see. Democracy in action.
Missing:
Torridon’s hills. Huge big lumps of sandstone, hurled down from above into flat peaty wasteland. Impregnable looking cliffs, stunning hills. Unique. My favourite part of Scotland.
The standing stones of Callanish on Lewis. I’ve never been. Only seen photos. But more intact that the ring of Brodgar, with a more obvious purpose. Brodgar may have been a burial groud, Callanish, definitely for sun worship. The stones running back to form the base of the cross, each aligned for a part of the lunar cycle so you can see the moon rise perfectly. One of my must sees.
I’m sure theres more, but my daughter needs to get up now.
February 18th, 2006 at 10:13 am on the 18th of February, 2006
One final comment - I mentoined the various MacAdams above. I was thinking, in part of the Adam’s. Robert Adam designed most of Edinburgh’s new town (the Carlton monument is his, as started unfinished building, partly because he dies, and partly because the guy paying ofr it ran out of dosh), and he stands aboev CRM , in my opnion. But I’m partly judging CRM on the bastardised (sorry mum) imitations of his style we sell to tourist and that teen to 20 girls wear as jewelry.
March 7th, 2006 at 9:24 pm on the 7th of March, 2006
I saw they were doing it - I thought it was a bit stupid. I also see they were doing a 7 wonders of the technical world, among it, the ipod and broadband. I always thought they were wonders because nobody knew how they managed it.
But I’ll play ball, a little. Glencoe is a truly remarkable place, I’m with you on that. The Cuillins are also remarkable. Edinburgh’s Old Town is quite a place I think, and it’s hard to ignore the ingenuity of some of the inventions of Scots in the past.
The Scottish tongue. What a nonsense. This is the one I saw them summarising.
Melrose Abbey is allright, but there ain’t a lot there and they charge too much, so it’s hard to enjoy. St Andrew’s is nice, in a historical way, as is Dunfermline abbey.
I’m finding this a bit depressing actually. I thought I liked it here. Maybe I’m tired.
March 16th, 2006 at 1:18 pm on the 16th of March, 2006
I just re-read this, and realised that they hadn’t lumped the National Parks together, but excluded the Cairngorms altogether. ri-ight. I forget its exact title, but has some official designation of world nature heritage site, or something. The plateau, which is a huge space sitting at over 3000ft, has plants there that haven’t been found anywhere else. Maybe the fat lazy journalists don’t climb that high.
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