Canny Scots See The Potential
... of tourism and the arts. I've just been looking at ferry prices in Scotland and came across a page on the Caledonian MacBrayne website: "CalMac and Jolomo". (That page has gone. Try this one and this for John Lowrie Morrison.)
My interest in "CalMac" prices is for a walking expedition to Scotland in August. Just the sort of holiday Tollers and Jack would have liked! I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised by the reasonable rates for accommodation at Scottish Youth Hostels. Nevertheless, we have done well to book in advance and we couldn't always get the rooms we wanted. I would suggest that there is considerable demand for accommodation for walkers in the UK. Lyme Regis, with its hinterland of beautiful countryside and prime location on the South West Coastal Footpath, might do well to promote this sector of the hotel industry. A building such as The Three Cups Hotel with its many cultural connections would be in demand for visitors and walkers passing through Lyme, if it were open for business.
Some may say that I should be camping. Well, I am prepared to camp in Scotland at certain times of year but I am more afraid of midges than orcs. From this perspective, Dorset is more salubrious and attractive than the Highlands. But for Misty Mountains, it has to be Scotland ... or Wales.
My interest in "CalMac" prices is for a walking expedition to Scotland in August. Just the sort of holiday Tollers and Jack would have liked! I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised by the reasonable rates for accommodation at Scottish Youth Hostels. Nevertheless, we have done well to book in advance and we couldn't always get the rooms we wanted. I would suggest that there is considerable demand for accommodation for walkers in the UK. Lyme Regis, with its hinterland of beautiful countryside and prime location on the South West Coastal Footpath, might do well to promote this sector of the hotel industry. A building such as The Three Cups Hotel with its many cultural connections would be in demand for visitors and walkers passing through Lyme, if it were open for business.
Some may say that I should be camping. Well, I am prepared to camp in Scotland at certain times of year but I am more afraid of midges than orcs. From this perspective, Dorset is more salubrious and attractive than the Highlands. But for Misty Mountains, it has to be Scotland ... or Wales.
2 Comments:
My favourite Scottish artist is James McIntosh Patrick. His paintings of Tayside remind me of holidays spent in the magical and ancient Kingdom of Fife. His work is sometimes described as showing the effect of man's hand upon the landscape. I find pleasure in visiting countryside where Tolkien enjoyed walking and considering the effects of the beauty and any strangeness in the surroundings on the imagined landscapes of his writings.
McIntosh Patrick also expressed an intimacy with nature on a level with Tolkiens. See http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/picture-of-month/displaypicture.asp?venue=2&id=29
The City of Liverpool is also seeking to fulfil the potential of their cultural heritage as European Capital of Culture 2008. And, dare I say, they have shown intiative in enhancing the appearance of their city and encouraging investment and expansion of tourism related businesses.
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