European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Not cold and in my experience always helpful and courteous to strangers. Their attachment to the land Borders on the spiritual. A Fisherman on the River Clyde spoke of his favorite fishing water with reverence and unabashed emotion Quot i love this Damn  especially for Active vacationers Scotland s greatest attraction is its natural Beauty and the sports associated with it a fishing hiking Hunting Golf boating windsurfing. Perhaps the most striking visual feature of this Quot Bonnie Quot land is the sky and its incredible play of Light. Brilliant sunbeams Stream through the overcast Cloud shadows racing Over the mountains and moors. An eve present wind sweeping in from the Atlantic and the Irish sea gives the air a clean Sharpness and clarity Seldom found in overpopulated Mainland Europe. A in general Scotland can be divided into two regions the Southern lowlands and the Northern Highlands. The lowlands is a Region of rolling Hills and verdant valleys dotted with farms villages and an occasional town. The two biggest cities a Glasgow and Edinburgh a Are in this Region and it is Here that the bulk of the population is concentrated. In Many ways the lowlands resemble Large sections of the English Countryside. North of the Tay River Valley the landscape is transformed from pastoral to primordial. Gentle Hills grow to craggy peaks valleys turn to rugged Gorges. Grassy Meadows and waving Fields of Grain give Way to Heather and gorse and a few lonely Trees. This is the Highlands a wild and unspoiled landscape of rugged mountains and Rocky valleys of peat bogs and windblown Lochs and lonely moors. For Many this is the real Scotland. The rough Hen isolated existence of its Farmers sheepherder and fishermen is a world away from the genteel Urban eness of Edinburgh the Industrial hum and working class crush of Glasgow. The Central fact about the Highlands is that As the writer Gertrude Stein once said of America there Are More places where there Are not people than where there Are people. Hundreds of Square Miles of the Highlands Are virtually unt racked wilderness a feast for the eyes of nature lovers and a Paradise for outdoors men. The countless Rivers streams and lakes teem with game fish. In the fall the hillsides Echo with the Roar of bulging red Stags. Grouse whirr up out of the Heather ahead of pointers and setters. But though the Highlands Are wild and unspoiled they Are not untouched by the hand of Man. The absence of Trees that creates the Region s spectacular wide open panoramas is partly a result of climate and geology but also of destructive forestry practices in the past a a Clear cutting for Timber and slash and Burn to create sheep pasture. In recent decades the scottish forestry commission has carried out an extensive reforestation program but most of the individual plantings Are comparatively Small monoculture Wood lots. These scattered rectangular patches Dot hillsides and valleys throughout Scotland. The few Large forests a around Loch Lomond near new Galloway in the Tay River Valley a Are the exception. Scotland offers a surprising variety of vacation options. Travellers who enjoy roughing it can stretch their budgets while communing with nature at one of the countless campgrounds. They Are located in every Region and landscape from Seaside Meadows to Highland canyons. Those who prefer wining and dining in Royal splendor can spend their holidays at a converted aristocratic Manor. Many have their own Hunting and fishing reserves and the closest guests May come to roughing it is forgetting to turn on the heated Towel rack before their Bath. And for travellers who prefer the cultural scene and an Urban experience the Edinburgh festival a held in August every hear a features some of the Best music drama and artwork in the world. The City itself is among continued on Page b i a. I Quot a.  a a a a ii a it .726 Sass. Edinburgh s bustling princes Street offers a Sharp contrast to the quiet Hills of the Highlands. F pm a camper sets up a temporary Home along the dunes and a Lake near Gairloch in Western Scotland. A amps photos by Gus Schuettler a Row of elegant buildings line one of Edinburgh s main streets. July 18, 1991 stripes Magazine 5