Sell Scotland to me.....

Stevo_666

Garry H wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

I've been trying to sell it for ages but nobody wants to pay for it.

I can pay you in 'kindness'

(Would I qualify for tax relief?)

Islay Malt would be acceptable currency

Garry H

Will Orkney do? I have one in the kitchen right now.

Pross

meanredspider wrote:

Crescent wrote:

FishFish wrote:

Deep fried mars bars is a plus .......

I've lived in Scotland all my life, almost 50 years, and I have yet to come across a deep fried Mars bar, or anyone else who has eaten one or seen one for that matter.
As for the weather? If you don't like it just wait for twenty minutes, regularly get four seasons in a day.

You've clearly not tried hard enough. One local Highland chippy in Dingwall does both Mars and Bounty. I've tried the Mars (have to really) - never again. Other places locally do deep-fried pizza.

There's a chippy in the centre of Cardiff that does deep fried Orios, does that qualify as fusion cuisine? My only experience of a deep fried Mars bar was from a mobile chippy that used to come to my village near Newport. I had it on the way to rugby training and it was like running with a brick in my stomach, never again - I'll just settle for dunking a Mars in my coffee from now on!

I love the Western Highlands but can't help thinking that even though I'm an outdoors person it would soon get tedious with the amount of driving around just to do fairly basic things. Add to that you regularly hear on traffic reports that there's a road closure resulting in up to 100 mile detours. There's also the lack of work opportunities, I could probably work remotely but it would mean going freelance and hoping that people were prepared to have video conferencing.

Stevo_666

Garry H wrote:

Will Orkney do? I have one in the kitchen right now.

As long as there some oil and a few sheep, you got a deal...

pinno

For every Stoke there's a Wishaw.

bompington

Well, I'm sitting here in my new caravan (as in static, basically a proper comfortable holiday cottage if you can live with the image problem) on the west coast of Scotland, half way down the Mull of Kintyre, accessible by a 15 mile single track road to the north and another 15 mile single track road to the south. A place so other-worldly and beautiful, it literally makes your heart ache, and I do literally mean literally. I can afford a shiny new caravan because my nice 4 bedroom house in beautiful countryside just outside Dundee cost less than a disused postbox in London. From where I live, an hour's drive can get you to world class culture in Edinburgh or a real ski centre at Glenshee (which is also the highest road in the UK, and easily reachable in a great day's ride). I can hobnob with Perthshire landed gentry or Dundonian binmen, as I can speak both languages - yes of course class rears its ugly head in Scotland, but it doesn't have quite the same force. Here on holiday, I can get on my bike and go for a ride where I sometimes don't see a car for an hour or more at a time, but I do see an astonishing view pretty much the whole time.
But best of all, I can go anywhere in the world and guarantee a warm welcome by saying "no, actually I'm from Scotland"

pinno

^ This.

An hour not seeing a car - pffft. That's far too much traffic for me.

I get the feeling those south of the border are clinging on to some mythical notion of dear old England implanted by William Blake*.

*Most people miss the fact that Blake wrote it tongue in cheek.

RideOnTime

Pinno wrote:

^ This.

An hour not seeing a car - pffft. That's far too much traffic for me.

I get the feeling those south of the border are clinging on to some mythical notion of dear old England implanted by William Blake*.

*Most people miss the fact that Blake wrote it tongue in cheek.

Garry H

Stevo 666 wrote:

Garry H wrote:

Will Orkney do? I have one in the kitchen right now.

As long as there some oil and a few sheep, you got a deal...

I'm Welsh, I need the sheep.

Garry H

bompington wrote:

Well, I'm sitting here in my new caravan (as in static, basically a proper comfortable holiday cottage if you can live with the image problem) on the west coast of Scotland, half way down the Mull of Kintyre, accessible by a 15 mile single track road to the north and another 15 mile single track road to the south. A place so other-worldly and beautiful, it literally makes your heart ache, and I do literally mean literally. I can afford a shiny new caravan because my nice 4 bedroom house in beautiful countryside just outside Dundee cost less than a disused postbox in London. From where I live, an hour's drive can get you to world class culture in Edinburgh or a real ski centre at Glenshee (which is also the highest road in the UK, and easily reachable in a great day's ride). I can hobnob with Perthshire landed gentry or Dundonian binmen, as I can speak both languages - yes of course class rears its ugly head in Scotland, but it doesn't have quite the same force. Here on holiday, I can get on my bike and go for a ride where I sometimes don't see a car for an hour or more at a time, but I do see an astonishing view pretty much the whole time.
But best of all, I can go anywhere in the world and guarantee a warm welcome by saying "no, actually I'm from Scotland"

Just back from a week on the Cowall Peninsula myself. Jeez!! They don't like flat roads over there do they!

ugo.santalucia

Assuming in the not so distant future Scotland becomes independent... as a British, you have Scottish passport if you are born in Scotland or if you live in Scotland, or both?
What if you are not born in Britain, but you get British citizenship... can you convert it to a Scottish one or it defaults to an English one?

I'd probably pay 1235 pounds + ceremony fees to become Scottish, but not to become English...

haydenm

If you live there at the time of the vote you'll get citizenship, at least I hope that's the case or it might affect how I vote...

pinno

I ran a voluntary organisation for 11 years in Scotland, for the local community. If they don't give me citizenship, I will be arrested for something.

pblakeney

Pinno wrote:

I ran a voluntary organisation for 11 years in Scotland, for the local community. If they don't give me citizenship, I will be arrested for something.

That's one way to get to stay.

veronese68

Pinno wrote:

I will be arrested for something.

I'm surprised you haven't been already.

pinno

Veronese68 wrote:

Pinno wrote:

I will be arrested for something.

I'm surprised you haven't been already.

I am surprised too.

thegreatdivide

bompington wrote:

Well, I'm sitting here in my new caravan (as in static, basically a proper comfortable holiday cottage if you can live with the image problem) on the west coast of Scotland, half way down the Mull of Kintyre, accessible by a 15 mile single track road to the north and another 15 mile single track road to the south. A place so other-worldly and beautiful, it literally makes your heart ache, and I do literally mean literally. I can afford a shiny new caravan because my nice 4 bedroom house in beautiful countryside just outside Dundee cost less than a disused postbox in London. From where I live, an hour's drive can get you to world class culture in Edinburgh or a real ski centre at Glenshee (which is also the highest road in the UK, and easily reachable in a great day's ride). I can hobnob with Perthshire landed gentry or Dundonian binmen, as I can speak both languages - yes of course class rears its ugly head in Scotland, but it doesn't have quite the same force. Here on holiday, I can get on my bike and go for a ride where I sometimes don't see a car for an hour or more at a time, but I do see an astonishing view pretty much the whole time.
But best of all, I can go anywhere in the world and guarantee a warm welcome by saying "no, actually I'm from Scotland"

What he said (apart from the caravan although we're looking for a wee holiday place ourselves now). We own a fantastic mid Victorian house in the West End of Dundee with 4 bedrooms, 2 receptions, 2 bathrooms, beautiful period features, nice gardens and I even have my own bike room/man cave. When my friends from the South visit so they can use the aforementioned quiet roads and great climbs they can't believe how much it cost. It takes me approx. 1.65 miles to get to the really quiet stuff and the nearest city by bike is Perth via some cracking routes. I've lived in a few nice places around the world but I just can't see myself moving anywhere else now.

bobmcstuff

thegreatdivide wrote:

the nearest city by bike is Perth via some cracking routes.

I could live in Perth. Dundee though...

ukiboy

Scotland is beautiful, I've travelled there many times since my first visit in the early '90s.
My only problem with it is the overt racism I've encountered there.
I'm a born and bred Londoner and as soon as I open my big gob north of the border I have got major attitude from all and sundry.
I always come away from Scotland with an impression that they really hate the English.

orraloon

ukiboy wrote:

Scotland is beautiful, I've travelled there many times since my first visit in the early '90s.
My only problem with it is the overt racism I've encountered there.
I'm a born and bred Londoner and as soon as I open my big gob north of the border I have got major attitude from all and sundry.
I always come away from Scotland with an impression that they really hate the English.

Nope, no idea why that should be.

ukiboy

Me either. I never give anyone cause to hate me but I have got comments from folk north of the border that, if spoken in London, would get you arrested!
I always come away from Scotland with an impression that Scots hate us English.

crumbschief

ukiboy wrote:

Me either. I never give anyone cause to hate me but I have got comments from folk north of the border that, if spoken in London, would get you arrested!
I always come away from Scotland with an impression that Scots hate us English.

It's probably just you

ukiboy

Yeah, probably just me.
:-0

crumbschief

Haha i have not heard of such a thing either,always got a warm welcome and a lot of laughs,great humour.

Garry H

ukiboy wrote:

Yeah, probably just me.
:-0

Probably nothing to do with your "ethnic origin"

bobmcstuff

I think it depends where you go - I got a bit of abuse for being English when I was in Glasgow once (out of many visits). But in Aberdeen, where I lived for 3 years, it seems like half the population is English anyway...

Highlands and islands etc I never got anything other than a warm welcome. Bit of light ribbing sometimes but nothing serious.

crescent

ukiboy wrote:

Scotland is beautiful, I've travelled there many times since my first visit in the early '90s.
My only problem with it is the overt racism I've encountered there.
I'm a born and bred Londoner and as soon as I open my big gob north of the border I have got major attitude from all and sundry.
I always come away from Scotland with an impression that they really hate the English.

For what it's worth, I spent many years working in England and experienced plenty of anti-Scottish feeling, particularly around the Essex area. Not from "all and sundry" by any means, but a few certainly. It's disapointing but it didn't leave me thinking everyone south of the border hates us. Is that what you meant or was it absolutely everyone north of the border? I only ask because it doesn't sound like something I would do, and I don't remember meeting you.

orraloon

Come with the Fat Les, oi oi attitude, yip, gonnae get some grief. Be considerate of others, no worries.

Let's face it, a lot of English hate the English, let alone 'others'.

Example, outside of big cites, big cities are different, is normal in Scotland, and to be fair to a degree in N England, when meet someone walking the other way to acknowledge their presence, e.g. morning, hi there, whatever.

I live in a S English village, when in the mood for a bit of devilment, I'll do that to people. Many don't know how to react, not used to it, maybe even scares them, bless 'em. Xxxx, someone's talking to me.

Different worlds, different world views.

briantrumpet

I think the weather would do it for me. My brother tried to persuade me to go to Thurso for a summer holiday, so I looked up the sunshine hours: 1085 on average for Thurso, 2350 for my normal French haunt, with roughly the same distance to travel. Those sunshine hours are even despite Thurso having days that are over 18 hours long for a chunk if their 'summer'. And I doubt if you'd find locally-grown peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots, olives and melons in Thurso either...

ukiboy

Crescent wrote:

ukiboy wrote:

Scotland is beautiful, I've travelled there many times since my first visit in the early '90s.
My only problem with it is the overt racism I've encountered there.
I'm a born and bred Londoner and as soon as I open my big gob north of the border I have got major attitude from all and sundry.
I always come away from Scotland with an impression that they really hate the English.

For what it's worth, I spent many years working in England and experienced plenty of anti-Scottish feeling, particularly around the Essex area. Not from "all and sundry" by any means, but a few certainly. It's disapointing but it didn't leave me thinking everyone south of the border hates us. Is that what you meant or was it absolutely everyone north of the border? I only ask because it doesn't sound like something I would do, and I don't remember meeting you.

Fair enough, sorry for my generalisation. I'm sure loads of Scottish folk like the English and don't have an axe to grind.
Fwiw I popped my cherry with a Scottish girl and she was lovely! Gillian, where are you these days? :-)