Scotland Tourist Trap Tips by JessH Top 5 Page for this destination

Hungry in the Highlands - no late lunches

This isn't really a "Tourist Trap", just a piece of advice for travellers to know what to expect and avoid any inconvenience.

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We've done a lot of driving and hiking around the Scottish Highlands and plan to do more in the future. It's a fantastic area to explore, even if you don't have a clear destination in mind… in fact, these are the days when you often "stumble upon" a special sight or place that's off the beaten path and not to be found in every guide book.

On our first trip to Scotland we noticed within 2-3 days that - unlike the cities - the little villages of the Highlands run at a different pace of life and have a different time table. This becomes very evident when looking for a place to eat and in the initial days of our road trip we found ourselves "stranded" without lunch a few times.

The people you see on the photo are travellers we met one afternoon at a small corner shop / convenience store in Invermoriston (near Fort Augustus) who were as hungry as we were, so they ended-up buying a few packets of crisps (i.e. potato chips) and some chocolate.
On another day were stopped at 4 different restaurants on our way back from Oban to Inverness and all told us the same: no food until dinner time! Eventually we came across a McDonald's drive-through and had to admit defeat by ordering a veggie burger.

Unique Suggestions: --> Most Bed & Breakfasts, Guest Houses and Restaurants in the rural parts of Scotland will serve lunch from 12midday to approx. 2:30pm... and then the kitchen is closed until dinner time around 6:00pm.

So if you're looking for a late lunch or a snack it's best to visit a supermarket before you set-off and stock up on sandwiches, fruits, yoghurts, cereal bars and anything else that's easy to eat on the go.
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Fun Alternatives: Once in a while you may come across a small family-run establishment that will be glad to switch-on their stove and cook you a late lunch, but mostly between the hours of 2:30pm and 6:00pm the most you find is maybe a slice of cake or a scone.

So from now on, whenever we drive up into the great unknown, we do so with a bag full of snacks and munchies ;-)

Haggis Hunting Season in the Scottish Highlands

According to a BBC survey of the year 2005, a third of US tourists who were asked about their upcoming trip to Scotland said they believed the haggis was a creature. The survey also revealed that almost a quarter of those questioned thought that they could go on a hunt & catch the country's most famous dish... OK then!

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Traditionally, Haggis hunting season opens in January, 2 weeks prior to Burn's Night Supper (Jan. 25th), the day where the demand for freshly caught Haggis reaches its peak amongst the people of Scotland!

Haggi (plural of Haggis) live in the mountains of Scotland and have 2 legs on the right shorter than the 2 legs on the left. This makes them run around the mountains in a clockwise direction. The only way to catch them (shooting is not an option, as they'll burst!) is by chasing them into a Glen (=valley) where they can do nothing but run around in a circle.

Here's the method of cooking:
1) Make sure that Haggis is fresh... and dead. This is best done by giving it an overdose of cheap, American "whiskey" or any Scottish single malt that is younger than 6 yrs old.
2) Wash the Haggis in cold & then warm water, soak overnight.
3) Wash, pluck, shave and then boil the animal for 2 hours, with its windpipe hanging over the side of the pot to drain excess liquid.
4) Cut off excess gristle, remove the windpipe and the legs, then mince the creature's heart, lungs and liver.
5) Mix all together with the oats, salt, pepper and stuff back into the Haggis.
5) Boil for another 3 hours. Then serve with mashed turnips and creamed potatoes!

Unique Suggestions: *
Get smart, educate yourself and have some fun on these websites:

The History of Haggis:
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/Haggis.htm

Humerous Facts about the Haggis:
http://www.wilsonjo.demon.co.uk/haggis.htm

The "official" Haggis Hunt website:
http://haggishunt.scotsman.com/

Fun Alternatives: *
Attend a Haggis & Whisky tasting tour instead.

Or attend a Scottish Cooking class instead!

Or go to an annual Haggis Hurling/Tossing Championship!
http://www.haggishurling.org/hweb/
The present World Record for Haggis Hurling has been held by Alan Pettigrew for over 18 years. He threw a 1lb 8oz haggis an astonishing 180 feet 10 inches on the island of Inchmurrin, Loch Lomond in August 1984.

Try your hand at Haggis Hurling online:
http://www.holistech.co.uk/haggis.php

And here are the official rules of Haggis Hurling:
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/haggis/haggishurling.html