Enjoy exciting activities in
Scotland on land, in the water and in the air. With a beautiful landscape
filled with mountains, hills, lochs and rivers, Scotland is the perfect
destination for a range of activities. From white water rafting to kayaking,
archery to 4x4 driving, fishing to golf, there are a range of activities to suit
everyone, whatever your skill or taste.
Scotland is a beautiful country with a lot of variety, which gives the
average visitor plenty of activities to choose from. For one thing it is known
as a bicycler’s paradise with many quiet country roads and cycling paths that
are perfect for this activity. Those traveling light can choose to cycle from
town to town and city to city as they discover many beautiful parts of Scotland
that would otherwise not be noticed. Hiking is another activity that is
certainly very popular – especially in the more rugged parts of the country
where cycling is somewhat more difficult. Hiking enables a person to get closer
to the natural surrounds without startling creatures nearby and requires only a
bit of fitness and a good pair of shoes. Of course, if you are planning to hike
for longer than a day, you will also have to invest in a good backpack, but
some walking trails even make use of hospitable farmers who gladly provide
overnight accommodation and lighten your load considerably. But, what are the most relevant
activities and sports in Scotland?
The most important sport in this country
is golf. Golf in
Scotland was first recorded in the 15th century, and the modern game of golf was first developed and
established in the country. The game plays a key role in the national sporting consciousness. Although
golf is often seen as an elitist sport elsewhere in the world,
in the land of its birth it enjoys widespread appeal throughout the spectrum of society, in line with the
country's egalitarian tradition. For example, the Old Course at St Andrew's
and Musselburgh Links are public courses. Council-owned courses,
with low fees and easy access, are common throughout the country wherever demography and geography allow. Therefore golf courses, whether public or
private, are far more common in the Lowlands than in the Highlands and
Islands, where shinty is often the traditional sport.
The second one archery which
has been a part of the United Kingdom since the earliest times and today it is
a much-loved sport. Even if you have never given it a try before, you can
certainly attempt some archery in Scotland when you are on your next holiday.
Local instructors will provide you with the equipment and instruction necessary
to get you started and you may well discover that shooting with a bow and arrow
is a whole lot of fun. For those who are a little more adventurous, there are
the options of kart racing, off-road driving, paintball and skiing. Kart racing
will make you feel like a child all over again as you wind your way around the
karting track and do your best to overtake your friends. Paintball will give
you a whole new adrenaline rush as you stalk through the bushes and try to
outwit and outplay the opposing team, while off-road driving provides a mental
and physical challenge that simply cannot be topped.
In other hand, Association football is the national sport in Scotland and
popular throughout the country. There is a long tradition of
"football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Scottish Borders, although many of these include carrying the ball and passing by hand, and despite bearing the name
"football" bear little resemblance to association football. Scotland
has the second
oldest national Football Association in the
world (behind England's FA), and the trophy for the national cup, the Scottish Cup, is the oldest national sporting trophy in the world. Scotland and
Scottish football clubs hold many records for football attendances.
The fourth one is the watersports. Scotland is a great setting for sailing and
watersports of all kinds and has well-developed watersports facilities with centers
in many parts of the country from sea kayaking around Barra in the Outer Hebrides to wind-surfing
on Loch Ken in Galloway. Instruction and equipment hire are generally
available at watersports centers such as The Scottish National Sports
Centre.
Sea kayaking is another popular
watersports discipline, where local knowledge is important. Barra, Skye,
Applecross, Rhiconich are some of the hotspots.
Windsurfing can be enjoyed both on salt
water and on inland waters, with several operators offering tuition.
The fifth one is mountain biking. Scotland is the
perfect choice for all levels of mountain biking with miles of trails, tracks
and technical trick parks. Scotland is
home to a series of world-class mountain bike trails. The 7 stanes - seven mountain biking centers across
the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway - are legendary and cater for
everyone from beginners to experienced mountain bikers.
The last
one is fishing in Scotland. Scotland is one of
the world’s top destinations for freshwater and sea angling, with world-class
fishing available across the country throughout the year. So if you’re chasing
the ‘king of fish’, the Atlantic salmon, or you prefer the hard fighting
monster pike or giant common skate, Scotland has you covered.
There are a tremendous variety of species when fishing in the
hundreds of rivers and lochs around Scotland. From beautiful Highland rivers to
secluded island lochs, there are excellent salmon,
trout and coarse fishing opportunities in some of the most picturesque
areas of the country. You might even have entire water coarse to yourself.
So we can conclude that Scotland, including the Gaelic-speaking areas, has a very rich tradition
of games and pastimes which were a crucial part of life, both in urban and
rural environments. They were important elements of young people’s lives and
preceded the introduction of more formalized and regulated sports in the late 19th century. These games and pastimes were
often linked to the seasons or to specific times such as New Year, Christmas
and other special occasions. They were games of chance and skill, of contest
and forfeit; they involved ghosts and witches, courtship and marriage divination
and well worship; gambling, feats of skill and strength, ball games and dance
games. Many of them involved singing, chanting or clapping, and their musical
content very likely forms a basis for many traditional songs and tunes.