Classics Calling: Highland Extravaganza

Puppy Love

Usually when you think of Scotland you think of Lochs, wide expansive landscapes, and sheep. Lots of sheep. I didn't get to experience that until I went on my 3 day Highland Tour with my abroad program, IFSA Butler. We all packed into three enormous buses, complete with kilted guides, and left the big city. The guides had microphones so I knew it was the real deal.

We drove for hours and hours, finally arriving at our first stop: The Castle of the Duke of Sutherland. Don't quote me on any of these facts, but I believe he had something to do with the Highland Clearances, which occurred when the land owning Dukes decided they would make more money if they had wool-producing sheep on their land instead of rent-paying tenants. So they kicked the people living on their land out, forcing them to move to the rocky coasts, to fish for herring. This wasn't a very nice thing to do. This castle didn't have much to offer, nor did it allow photography, so I don't have much to show. There were a lot of antlers on the walls, a lot of big cat rugs on the floors and a lot of rooms, many which were staged with possessions from long ago, including nightmare-inducing dolls. The current Duke of Sutherland and his family still stay at the castle from time to time, or so the grumpy guide told us when we entered the castle.

We clamored onto the bus again, and after a brief but hearty nap, we arrived next at Dunrobin castle. It's said that this castle inspired Disney to create the castle in Sleeping Beauty.

I can see it a bit. This was my favorite castle by far. There was a garden behind it, and hundreds of rooms inside. We only got to see a fraction of them. But my favorite part was the falconry exhibit we got to watch in the garden after touring the caste. A man clad almost entirely in tweed appeared, followed by a swooping hawk. The man told us that it takes about a week to form a bond with a bird such as those he had trained, but once it was made, that bond was for life. And you could tell. The birds responded to commands that I couldn't even tell their master was making. After an imperceivable swish of one finger, the owl, or hawk, or falcon, would come swooping down over the crowd, so close that I felt a feather. The trust between the bird and his master was amazing. He explained how he trained the birds with "chicken nuggets" over time, giving them the treat after they performed a task that mimicked hunting, until they could actually hunt live rabbits on their own. Only later did he reveal a "chicken nugget." It was a fluffy baby chick. Upon gasps from the crowd he said, "Oh, come on! This is what a chicken nugget is! What do you think you're eating when you order chicken nuggets?" I couldn't argue with him.

The next and last stop was the much anticipated sheep dog farm. We drove up and immediately, black and white blurs were on all sides of the busses. They swarmed us when we got out, as did a few sheep. We were lucky enough to visit during a time when there were half a dozen or so puppies roaming about. It started raining, so people tucked them in their jackets to "keep them dry" but I think they just wanted to have the cuddly fur ball to themselves. Eventually, we were all herded to a tiny cliff-ledge overlooking the majority of the property. Sheep milled about in the field. A man appeared with a shepherd's hook and a dozen dogs, followed by his wife, who narrated his actions as he demonstrated his trade. He commanded the dogs using a combination of shouts and whistles. Each dog had their own set of commands, and each command was different. There were whistles for left, right, to me, out and around, lie down, and many others. And each dog's set of whistles and shots was different. Fido's whistle and shot for "right" was different than Spot's which was different from Lassie's, etc. The most amazing part was that each dog would lie inert until their specific command was given. The shepherd would be screaming and whistling a one dog, who would run all over the field, and the others would lie around or weave through our legs. But once a dog heard his whistle, he was off. He would run at top speed after the sheep, and at a single noise from the shepherd, he would halt and lie down. I've never seen a dog with that kind of obedience. Apparently they love it. It isn't hard to believe if you see them in action. They're trained from a few months old. First, they're allowed to be around the other dogs as they work. Weeks later, the shepherd takes them aside and trains the dog with their individual commands. Eventually they're put into the work force with the other dogs. When the dogs get too old, they just go out and mingle. The benefit of sheepdogs mainly comes into play in the summer, when the sheep graze for miles around. The sheepdog can hear his master's whistle for just as far, and can round the animals up much faster than the shepherd could. However, the price of wool is down, and the shepherd industry isn't very profitable. The farm we visited makes most of their money from giving demonstrations like the one we saw.

Over the next two days, we visited a whiskey distillery, Loch Ness, Glen Coe, and Culloden, to name the highlights. I learned more than I cared to know at the whiskey distillery, so I won't go over it again now. If you want to know, look it up. Loch Ness was a little underwhelming. The drive to get there was stunning, but since no boat tours were running that late into the fall, we just stood at one end of the Loch and looked out over the length of it. It was still beautiful. The legend of Loch Ness is interesting as well. A priest, or religious figure of some sort (Wikipedia says it was an Irish monk in the 6th century), was walking near the Loch, when suddenly, he was clamped in the jaws of a great beast. Seeing himself in mortal peril, he cried out, "The power of God compels you!" or something to that effect. And by the grace of God, it unhinged its monstrous jaws and the monk went free, unharmed, to tell the tale. The story converted quite a few Scottish folk.

Glen Coe was just as beautiful. Hagrid's cottage and the new Bond movie, Skyfall were both filmed there. The mountains were awe-inspiring and featured the grey and dark orange I've come to associate with the Scottish Highlands. Scotland used to be filled with forests and majestic animals, but the forests were cut down for lumber, some 90% of them, and the animals went with them. The peaceful quality of the expanses took an an ghostly feel.

This feeling carried over the the fields we visited where the historic Battle of Culloden took place. Prince Charlie had come over from England to take Scotland back for his father. He took Edinburgh easily by surprise. Having done that, he decided it wasn't enough. He wanted England, too. That way, he and his father would both have a throne. So he gathered up support, forming the Jacobites and painstakingly made his way toward the border, pillaging as he went. Eventually, England caught on, and waited for them at Culloden. At this point, Bonnie Prince Charlie decided it was time for him to take charge. He had never led a battle before, and for some reason decided this was the time. His army was made up of men from different Scottish clans, united in the rebellion against England. The typical mode of attack was a Highland charge, in which they ran down a hill, taking full advantage of the momentum it provided. But the field at Culloden was completely flat, and the clans were at a severe disadvantage. After over a thousand were killed, almost all clansman, the Jocobite forces lost the battle. This wouldn't have been so bad, if it weren't for what came after. The English forbade the women and children of the fallen to come onto the field to identify and bury their loved ones, bashing in the fallen's faces and stripping them of their clan tartans to make sure they couldn't be recognized. This gruesome act is what made the battle of Culloden so terrible. That, and the brutality with which the English responded. They made the Gaelic language illegal and punishable by death, as well as the wearing of kilts and the clan system all together. This battle defined Scottish culture.

The trip was one of my favorite experiences abroad. Between the history, absolutely magical scenery, and the informative and funny tour guide wearing a Bill Murray T-shirt to go with his kilt, this trip was memorable. The Highlands are how I will remember Scotland.