I often get asked why I decided to travel to Scotland. I think people expect to hear a whimsical story about exploring my Scottish heritage, but I actually have no familial ties to Scotland. I have been unable to come up with a succinct answer to the question of why I decided on Scotland, as there were a number of factors at play.
When I first started entertaining the idea of going travelling, I knew that I wanted my trip to include hiking because I wished to see the natural beauty of remote areas and not just the tourist attractions in the major urban centres. In search of inspiration, I found a blog called Local Adventurer and read the post "25 Best Hikes in the World to Put on Your Bucket List". Here is the link to the blog post if you would like to have a read: https://localadventurer.com/25-best-hikes-in-the-world-bucket-list/
I started narrowing that list down based on the length of time that I had available and the time of year when I would be going, which was July and August. I also checked the Government of Canada website for official travel advisories and was saddened to see that there were very few places on the map of the world that had been deemed as having no increased safety risk. The Scottish National Trail seemed to check all the boxes, so I began searching for further information.
After becoming absolutely set on the idea of doing the Scottish National Trail, I gradually started having second thoughts. I had 6 weeks available to travel and the Scottish National Trail would take at least 5 weeks, which would leave me little time on my trip to do anything else. I came across the Scotland's Great Trails website and realized that there were abundant options for long-distance trails in Scotland, with the West Highland Way being by far the most popular. I also saw that the West Highland Way ends where the Great Glen Way begins, so I could join them for a longer hike. This became my new plan.
When I told my parents that I was considering going to Scotland for the summer, my dad asked, "Why would you want to go someplace where it rains all the time?" He went on to tell me that what I would be better off doing is going to Spain or Portugal where the summers are hot and spending my time laying on the beach. That might sound like a dream vacation to a lot of people, but it was lacking the adventure that I was seeking, so I was not persuaded to change my plans.
The criticism of my choice did not end with my parents. When I was hiking the West Highland Way, I met a pair of middle-aged Scottish men who questioned why I had come to Scotland to hike, asking me, "Don't you have some of the best hiking in the world back in Canada?", which I took to be more of a rhetorical question. If I had simply wanted to spend my summer hiking, I certainly could have stayed home and made use of what Canada has to offer, but I also wanted to travel. When I was going through customs in the Vancouver International Airport on my way home, the agent asked me in a judgemental tone, "You went all that way just to go hiking?" It irritated me that this stranger felt he had the right to disapprove of what I did with my time and money. I replied assertively, "Yes, I did go all the way to Scotland to go hiking and I very much enjoyed my trip".