Hi from Rick: A Scottish Highland Yhoop!
Our Rick Steves tour bus pulled up a long, rutted driveway to a remote farm, and a dozen eager border collies scampered up to greet us. Then came the shepherd, whom the dogs followed like a messiah. He sat us down in a natural amphitheater of turf for a little intro chat…then the dogs got to work: With shouts and whistles, each followed individual commands and showed an impressive mastery over the sheep. The demonstration made two things very clear: Sheepdogs are smart — and sheep are idiots. Afterwards, our group got to cuddle several tiny puppies, only a few days old and just starting to open their eyes. The shepherd said it's good for baby sheepdogs to have contact with humans like our group right from the start. I seriously considered a "puppy-napping."
This was just one of several magic moments I enjoyed when I took our Scotland tour a few years back. Another came in the village of Kenmore — which we happened to be in, mixing it up with the locals, on the one day a year that they were hosting their Highland Games. The open field was filled with families (and, now, a few American travelers) having a delightful day out watching tug-of-wars, little kids' sprints, gunnysack races, bands of marching pipers, and Highland dancing. While the girls impatiently and anxiously awaited their time with the bagpiper on stage, the big boys took turns tossing big things: stones, hammers, and the caber (a log the size of a small telephone pole, sent end-over-end) to the delight of those gathered.
And then there was the time we dropped into a music pub in Inverness for their Sunday traditional jam. I love how they say in Scotland's pubs, "There are no strangers…just friends you've yet to meet." Sure enough, the locals gave us a very warm welcome. My Scottish guide — getting caught up in the music — shared a Highlander yhoop! It occurred to me that most cultures have a similar kind of whoop that shows joy or excitement: "Opa!" in Greece…the tongue-warble in Eastern Turkey…"Olé!" in Spain…and yhoop! in Scotland.
From whip-smart sheepdogs to kilt-clad strongmen to the churning beat of a traditional music session, Scotland is a place that creates big memories. Travelers who join us on our Best of Scotland in 13 Days tour or our Heart of Scotland in 8 Days tour experience a land where brooding countryside castles and misty glens create an edge-of-the-world aura… where monster-hunters and golf lovers alike nurse goosebumps…and where traditional tartan pride merges with an eager modernity in great cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow. Anytime I travel here, I'm impressed by the variety of sights — and by how close together things are. Over that entire 13-day tour, I can't remember a long, boring drive. (In fact, I came back with my TV crew and made not two — as I had originally planned — but three TV episodes to capture the fun…which, by the way, offer a great peek at what you'll experience if you decide to hop on our Scotland bus tour. Check out Scotland's Highlands, Scotland's Islands, and Edinburgh.)
This month's Tour News brings you more of the best of Scotland: a peek at the wild and wonderful Highlands, a colorful day-by-day slideshow of our Best of Scotland tour, raves from recent tour members about the variety of experiences on both our Scotland itineraries, and an interview with longtime Scotland guide James Macletchie.
Our Scotland tour itineraries — whether short or long — impress our travelers with this land's persistent optimism, rich Celtic heritage, affinity for music-filled pubs, timeless stone walls, inviting rolling hills…and so much more. It's enough to make any traveler say yhoop!
Happy travels,
Rick