Ten reasons I am so happy to be back in Scotland

We are having a week’s holiday in a cottage in Linlithgow this week. The cottage is sadly quite run down, which is disappointing, but despite that we are having a really wonderful time. Here are ten reasons I am so happy to be back in Scotland.

1. It feels like home. As soon as we crossed the border there was an intangible feeling of relaxation. And as we got closer to where we used to live in West Lothian, we kept seeing memories that reminded us what a great place this is.
2. The countryside is stunning. Our bricks and mortar house is on the Fylde and these are many pretty areas, including the beach and the Trough of Bowland. But Scotland is simply more dramatic, with hills and lochs. We love it.
3. We like the Scots. While many of them may have incorrectly supported Argentina in the recent football game, we find Scottish people friendly and helpful. I am not surprised the Americans loved them so much in that same football competition.
4. Our son and family live here. The main reason to spend a week here this time, was to spend time with Martin, Cheryl, Leah and Nathan. We have the challenge that one of our sons lives near Brighton, and the other in Scotland. We live half way between them, but the trouble is that means we are too far from both of them. It has been lovely to share time with M, C, L, N this week, and we hope to have proper time with Robbie and Alessa in a few week’s time.
5. Leah and Nathan are the closest thing to grandchildren we are likely to find. Unfortunately Robbie and Tin (Martin) are unlikely to have their own children, but Cheryl’s kids are wonderful to send time with. Leah (16) is turning into a proper artist, with every type of craft, from yarn to paint. Nathan (12) is passionate about football. We have loved spending time with them.
6. We lived in Uphall for nearly ten years, and made some good friends. This week we also went up to the farm in Fife, to have fish and chips with our niece Rachel, her husband Rob and children Fred and Thomas. We always love their company.
7. It is cooler than England. The UK is in the middle of yet another heat wave, but Scotland is further north and has been pleasant rather than oppressive. Still warm enough for shorts and t shirts but not so hot we have to seek out shops with air con.
8. It has the infrastructure of a large country, but the population of a small one. That means you can find anything here that you want to see or do, but the roads are quiet, the footpaths are quiet and no-one seems to be in a hurry.
9. I love the history. Whether it is remembering the English defeat in the interactive museum at Banockburn. Or trying to visualise what it would have been like in a mining village in Lothian. Or admiring the fine streets of Edinburgh or Glasgow. There is always something to engage the brain cells.
10. It is a nation of many identities. Every town or area of Scotland seems to have its own accent and own culture. Edinburgh is quite different from Glasgow, despite being a few miles apart. The islands are different from the mainland. The Hebrides are different from the Northern Isles. The Outer Hebrides are different than the Inner Hebrides. Lewis & Harris are quite different from Uist and Eriksay. Round every corner there are new people to meet and new things to learn.

I am not saying the Scotland is perfect. The diet for instance is not the most healthy, but once in a while a battered mac ‘n’ cheese pie roll is just what you want. And why not?

We are back down to England next week, but will return to Scotland in the Autumn for a month near Pitlochry. I think one day, when we no longer use Narrowboat Thuis, we may move back for good. What a lovely place.