Two conflicting views of Scotland?

Question

For a while now I've had two conflicting views of Scotland. On one hand, we have the nasty, gray soaring council estates with tracksuit-wearing, sportscap donning neds starting fights and drinking buckfast until their blood is made of the stuff (and the whole industrial nastiness that goes with that kind of backdrop).

However, there is also the wild mountainous, beatiful countryside with medieval villages and old pubs and/or folk music being prominent, ocupled with wild camping in vast forests et cetera.

So, although I am positive that neither of these is particularly well founded, which one is closer to the truth, judging by where you live?

Answer 1

The first view is pretty accurate. Although this behaviour exists in England, the English middle-class dominate and seem to keep the unemployed industrial working class

in some sort of obeyance. In Scotland the middleclass are

far more reserved, quiet, private and the yobs dominate.

In quiet rural areas, beautiful islands and highland villages

there will be just five or six problem families but they just take over and make the places h**l for the occupants. Time and again educated English people move to these areas but

decide to move away after one or two winters.

Answer 2

As an American from a small town and being raised in more of a "country" setting here is my view based upon a few dozen visits.

Scotland has 3 or perhaps 4 distinct "cultures".

1. The estates you mention

2. The rugged countryside

3. The large cities

4. The very commercialized tourist areas.

In America we spend a lot of time driving ourselves around compared to Europeans in general. When you do that you realize there is far more "rugged" than anything else.

For what its worth, that's a foreigners observation. I've covered the UK from Manchester north on the western side pretty well, most of the time north of the Clyde and on up to Inverness, a little north of there, but not much.

Answer 3

Both of those views are true, not just of Scotland but of the UK in general. Certain cities and towns, especially those whose local economies aren't very successful at the moment, are dire places to be, full of disillusioned chavs and council estates. But if you know where those areas are and steer clear of them, you find some wonderful scenery, and lovely people.

Answer 4

thankfully where i stay is more the mountainous countryside kind of place but the council estates exist in every British city, not just Scotland.I would say that both are exaggerated by media/advertising.

Answer 5

Scotland has the most beautiful beaches, scenery, castles, lochs etc. It is a lovely place to visit.

There will be undesirable places in certain main cities like any other place.

Answer 6

Scotland has fantastic scenery but the big cities can be a bit grim (as anywhere)

Answer 7

The second view is true of about 99% of Scotland's geographical area, the first view is true of probably 0.01% (although if you get your view of Scotland purely from reading Irvine Welsh novels and watching Rab C. Nesbitt, you'd probably think it was far higher).

By the way, you find some lovely people on council estates too. A minority of people on these estates are bad, and the scenery and architecture may not be pretty, but don't tar everyone with the same brush.