‘Loch’ Kiya Jaaye

The breathtaking land of Scotland with its lochs and glens mesmerises Kishore Iyengar as he travels its windswept terrain...

Picture by Kishore Iyengar

Through the windows of my flight from London Heathrow to Edinburgh, Scotland resembled a gigantic golf course - a vast green expanse studded with deep viridian hills, glistening lakes and rivers, bordered by a serrated, deep cobalt coastal rim. The on-ground reality was even more awesome, as I was to soon discover. The land of Bagpipes, Tartan Checks and Scotch Whisky turned out to be as fascinating as its singularly celebrated icons, with surprises at every turn.

Edinburgh (pronounced Edinborough by the patriotic Scots!) is a charming city, coloured by history, ruled by nobility and graced by some of the world's most venerated personalities. Beginning my sojourn from the historic Balmoral Hotel on Princess Street, I found driving around the city easy and enjoyable, its sights and sounds distinct and endearing. I had a quick run of the The Royal Mile with the Balmoral Palace at one end, The Woollen Mill (Tartan Weaving Factory), the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre (where a conducted tour educates visitors on the fascinating world of Scotland and its amazing, internationally famed drink) and some pretty high-end shopping outlets down the line. With neat lanes and graceful manors and town villas dotting the surrounds and the city layout, Edinburgh is inviting as a fine gourmet, shopping and leisure destination. The scene is diversely different as you head for the highways and country roads and the coast….

Just a couple of minutes on the fifth gear of my Toyota SUV brought me cruising through miles of lavender fields, silky-smooth and wavy barley acres, brilliant yellow rapeseed patches set against dark olive-green hillocks and sturdy stone farm villas and barns. You are never too far from water in Scotland…. streams, rivers, Lochs (lakes) with swans and fowl amidst a shock of trees run along your course as the sea accompanies you just on the horizon. I drove down to the picturesque riverside village of Queensferry with brightly painted pubs and across the Firth of Forth up north to the Kingdom of Fife, a handsome territory holding on to its valiant medieval past. My visit to this country of the ancient Celts was to experience the earthy Scottish essence, so selectively boasted about. So the trail led me driving close to the coast, past the town of Kirkcaldy, further to Buckhaven and Methil. The wind accompanies you here making the weather even more salubrious. Turning in to Lundin Links, a pretty petite village, I stopped at the Lundin Links Hotel, birthplace of the legendary 'Robinson Crusoe' Alexander Selkirk, for a pint of some typical Scottish Ale. Steep tiled roofs capped the lovely red-brick and white manor standing at the village fork roads, typically Scottish architecture at that. I headed due east to St. Monance and to the delightful seaside village of Pittenween. At a fish and chips restaurant on the only main street there, a winding 80-strong queue of seafood lovers waited patiently for the restaurant to open. I pulled up by a narrow lane leading down to rugged stone and limestone cottages by the wind-worn rocks and walked down to the bay. On the deep blue horizon, a few fishing boats moored in the distance presented a picture of quiet, stilling peace.

Scotland's amazing coastline is always full of surprises. Not too far from the highlands up north where some of the finest Scotch Whisky Distilleries are located, the little towns and cities offer their own unique attractions. The jagged sea cliffs and sheer inclines add drama to their geographical character. From Anstruther, known for the Scottish Fisheries Museum to Crail you move on inland to Kingsbarns, another quaint village with the bright red, leitmotif Queen Victoria postbox and post office, the only bus stop and bench opposite and a little abbey…unbelievably charming! On a vast sweeping azure bay, punctuated with rolling meadows and tended green landscape almost vanishing into the waters, is the medieval town of St Andrews, situated in the East Neuk of Fife. The ancient 12th century Cathedral overlooking a turfed graveyard and low stone walls announced the beginning of my drive into the historic town.

Known worldwide as the "Home of Golf", St Andrews is a university destination with high education standards. Named after Scotland's patron saint, St Andrews attracts visitors with its St.Rule's Tower on the sea, the Old Golf Course, the British Golf Museum, Queen Mary's House (Mary Queen of Scots), Byre Theatre, the Botanical Garden and some real swank boutiques. Stately old well preserved heritage architecture is a fascinating hallmark of this lively town. It is also home to a sea-gracing destination which is a haven for unlimited golfing action round the year…the St Andrews Bay Golf Resort and Spa with its stunning on-the-bay's edge clubhouse and fine dining bar. Golfing enthusiasts come here in the lengthening hours of dusk to enjoy some delectable Scottish Malts or ales and drink in the stupendously breathtaking views of the North Sea and its changing colors. With 43 golf courses, the Kingdom of Fife offers great cultural, scenic and fine dining attractions. Well known for its pretty fishing villages nestled all along the coastline you can cycle your way round marked ways to view and enjoy some spectacular scenery.

My Scottish adventure took me into the highlands from Dundee on the Firth of Tay upward through verdant glens (valleys) to Perth and west to the cheerful village of Crieff with lots of bars, cafes, shops and old stately mansions. Country forest roads lined with fir and birch brought me to the Hosh, home to Scotland's oldest distillery, Glenturret of The Famous Grouse legend. My conducted tour of Britain's best loved whisky trails ended up on the nosing and tasting tables in their bar, where, finally settled on a Scottish oakstool, I raised a hearty toast of their Famous Grouse Whisky, to the endearing and enlivening spirit of Scotland.