Films about Scotland

The ten films listed below are among the best and most popular made about Scotland and its people.

• Braveheart (1995): This movie — hardly historically accurate but moving nonetheless — probably did more to stir overseas interest in Scotland than any promotional campaign ever cooked up by the tourist board. Mel Gibson stars as the 13th-century patriot William Wallace in this sweeping Academy Award–winning epic.
• Gregory’s Girl (1981): A simple comedy about an awkward high school student (played by gawky John Gordon-Sinclair) in a modern (and mostly hideous) 20th-century New Town near Glasgow. Quirky but loveable.
• I Know Where I’m Going! (1945): This is a charming, funny WWII–era black and white film from the great British team of Powell and Pressburger. It takes a young English fiancée on a suspenseful, romantic adventure to the Isle of Mull.
• Local Hero (1983): In this sweetly eclectic comedy, villagers on a gorgeous stretch of Scottish coastline (filmed near Mallaig) expect to cash in big time because of Texan oil-industry interest. But events conspire against greed.
• My Name is Joe (1998): Although not entirely lacking humor and romance, this film paints a rather grim, if accurate, picture of Glaswegians struggling with their addictions and inner demons.
• Orphans (1997): Actor Peter Mullan (star of My Name is Joe) wrote and directed this outlandish and very, very dark comedy with lots of foul language about the day the Flynn family in Glasgow tried to bury their recently deceased mother.
• The 39 Steps (1935): Director Alfred Hitchcock and scriptwriter Charles Bennett almost completely reset John Buchan’s tale of spies and intrigue. Instead of sticking to the Borders, the film transports the hero to the Highlands. Good idea.
• Trainspotting (1996): Based one of the most popular contemporary books by Scottish author Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting is the gritty and often hilarious account of a group of unrepentant drugaddled characters in Edinburgh in the 1980s.
• Whisky Galore! (1949): Retitled Tight Little Island in America, this classic movie is based on a true story. The residents of a small Scottish isle get an intoxicating windfall when a ship carrying 50,000 cases of whisky crashes off their coast during WWII.
• The Wicker Man (1973): A cult classic of cinema about a strange New Age community on a picturesque Scottish island — and the secrets they keep from a mainland constable.

Exploring Scotland’s Great Outdoors

Scotland has long had world-class fishing, while its sailing, hill-walking and hiking are first rate, too. If you’re an angler, Scotland doesn’t require a national license to fish. Instead, you buy permits locally at bait and tackle shops or request permission from landowners. Local tourism offices can provide you with more information.
The hiking in Scotland can take you through wooded glens, beach dunes, or windswept mountains.
If you’re walking in the Highlands, you must take all the precautions that you would if you were climbing in much higher Alpine conditions. The weather can change dramatically in a short period of time. As for the wildlife, in the right seasons, the marshes of Scotland teem with migratory birds, the seas offer whale-watching, and the Highlands boast eagle-nesting sights. This side of the tourism business is just beginning to catch on, as is “Green Tourism.”

Visiting Golf’s Hallowed Ground

Golf may have originated in mainland Europe (or China, according to some accounts), but Scotland at least gets the full credit for developing the sport and codifying its rules. Golf has been played here for more than 500 years. In places such as eastern Fife or North Ayrshire, you’re as likely to see someone golfing around a park as you are to see kids playing basketball in a Los Angeles playground. If you need a caddy, don’t be surprised if he isn’t young — the average age of a golf caddy here is about 50. Don’t expect courses to provide motorized carts (although they’re popping up more and more). Finally, please do not play a championship course if you’re a beginner or even an intermediate.
Visitors (men and women) can play on all public and most private members course. But at the exclusive clubs, members receive priority for tee times. Many courses have dress codes, so play it safe and wear a shirt with a collar as well as proper golf shoes if you’re heading to the links.

Tuning Your Ear to Scottish Music

Scottish music is considerably more than “Scotland the Brave” played on bagpipes, although you may well hear that during your stay as well. The Gaelic-influenced songs and sounds of the Hebridean Islands and the Highlands have been around for centuries. The fiddle, accordion, flute, and Celtic drum are all part of the musical tradition. The best chance to hear the real deal is at a jam session in a pub or at a more formal (but still fun) social dance called a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee). Bagpipes and the rousing, indeed ear-shattering, sounds they can create are entrenched in the national identity and culture of Scotland. Every summer, Glasgow hosts an international piping competition that draws thousands of pipers (many of whom also perform as part of Edinburgh’s Military Tattoo, a show featuring music, marching, and military exercises). But a lone piper may pop up anytime, anywhere. Once on a misty late-summer’s day at the Highland Monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie in Glenfinnan, one suddenly popped up on a nearby hillside and began playing. No kidding.

Whisky galore in Scotland

If you’re in Scotland (or almost anywhere in Europe), you don’t need to identify it as Scotch whisky. Most connoisseurs prefer varieties of single malt Scotch, the taste of which depends largely on where it’s distilled: sweet Lowland, peaty Island, or smooth and balanced Highland. Single malts are seen as sipping whiskies and should never be served with ice or diluted with any thing other than a few drops of tap water. If you want a cocktail made with whisky, expect it to be a well-known blend, such as Famous Grouse or Bell’s, and not single malt, such as Glemorangie or Laphroaig. If you want a North American bourbon, rye, or sour-mash whiskey, you need to name the brand: for example, Jack Daniels or Makers Mark.
If you’re ordering whisky, simply ask for a “wee dram” and the bartender may think you’ve been drinking in Scotland your whole life. Again, the established way to drink the spirit is neat — that is, nothing added. But some say a few drops of tap water bring out the aroma and flavor. If you order a mixed drink (such as a gin and tonic), don’t be surprised if the barkeep hands you a glass with a little ice and the alcohol, and, to the side, a small bottle of mixer. That’s just how it’s done. Also, the expression “fresh orange” usually means bottled orange juice. Don’t ask me why.