Useful Contacts
Holidays and Festivals
Books and Films
FOR KIDS
Conversions and Climate
NUMBERS AND STUMBLERS
METRIC CONVERSIONS
IMPERIAL WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
CLOTHING SIZES
SCOTLAND’S CLIMATE
Packing Checklist
BRITISH-YANKEE VOCABULARY
Emergency Needs
Police, Fire, and Ambulance: 112 (Europe-wide in English)
Police and Ambulance: Tel. 999
US Consulate in Edinburgh: Tel. 020/7499-9000, no walk-in passport services; Mon-Fri 8:30-17:00, closed Sat-Sun; 3 Regent Terrace; https://uk.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/edinburgh
Canadian Consulate in Edinburgh: Mobile 0770-235-9916 (business hours); after hours call the High Commission of Canada in London at tel. 020/7004-6000, www.unitedkingdom.gc.ca
This list includes selected Scottish festivals plus national holidays observed throughout Scotland (and Great Britain). Many sights and banks close on national holidays—keep this in mind when planning your itinerary. Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the dates with the festival website, the Visit Scotland website (www.visitscotland.com), or my “Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in Scotland” webpage (www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland/festivals).
During July and August, book as far ahead as possible; Edinburgh is particularly jammed up in August during its festival season. Hotels also get booked up during Easter week; over the early May, spring, and summer Bank Holidays; and during Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. On Christmas, virtually everything shuts down. Museums also generally close December 24 and 26.
Throughout the summer, communities small and large across Scotland host their annual Highland Games (like a combination track meet/county fair). These are a wonderful way to get in touch with local culture and traditions. For more on this phenomenon, see here.
Some Scottish towns have holiday festivals in late November and early December, with markets, music, and entertainment in the Christmas spirit (for instance, Stirling’s Hogmanay party).
| Jan 1 |
New Year’s Day (closures) |
| Jan 2 |
New Year’s Holiday (closures) |
| Jan 25 |
Burns Night (poetry readings, haggis) |
| April |
Easter Sunday-Monday: April 1-2, 2018; April 21-22, 2019 |
| May |
Early May Bank Holiday: May 7, 2018; May 6, 2019; Spring Bank Holiday: May 28, 2018; May 27, 2019 |
| June |
Edinburgh International Film Festival (www.edfilmfest.org.uk) |
| Mid-June |
Royal Highland Show, Edinburgh (Scottish-flavored county fair, www.royalhighlandshow.org) |
| July |
Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (www.edinburghjazzfestival.com) |
| Early Aug |
Summer Bank Holiday: August 6, 2018; August 5, 2019 |
| Aug |
Edinburgh Military Tattoo (massing of military bands, www.edintattoo.co.uk) |
| Aug |
Edinburgh Fringe Festival (offbeat theater and comedy, www.edfringe.com) |
| Aug |
Edinburgh International Festival (music, dance, shows, www.eif.co.uk) |
| Late Aug |
Cowal Highland Gathering, west of Glasgow in Dunoon |
| Early Sept |
Braemar Gathering, north of Pitlochry (first Sat) |
| Oct |
Royal National Mòd (Gaelic cultural festival, http://ancomun.co.uk) |
| Nov 5 |
Guy Fawkes Night (fireworks, bonfires, effigy-burning of 1605 traitor Guy Fawkes) |
| Nov 30 |
St. Andrew’s Day (dancing and other cultural events) |
| Dec |
St. Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday: Dec. 2, 2019 only |
| Dec 24-26 |
Christmas holidays |
| Dec 31-Jan 2 |
Hogmanay (music, street theater, carnival, www.hogmanay.net) |
To learn more about Scotland past and present, check out a few of these books or films.
Nonfiction
Crowded with Genius (James Buchan, 2003). This account of Edinburgh’s role in the Scottish Enlightenment details the city’s transformation from squalid backwater to marvelous European capital.
Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1879). One of the city’s most famous residents takes readers on a tour of his hometown.
The Emperor’s New Kilt (Jan-Andrew Henderson, 2000). Henderson deconstructs the myths surrounding the tartan-clad Scots.
The Guynd (Belinda Rathbone, 2005). The marriage of an American woman and a Scottish man endures through cultural gaps and household mishaps.
How the Scots Invented the Modern World (Arthur Herman, 2001). The author explains the disproportionately large influence the Scottish Enlightenment had on the rest of Europe.
The Life of Samuel Johnson (James Boswell, 1790). Scottish laird Boswell’s portrait of his contemporary is so admired that it inspired the use of Boswell’s name to mean a close and companionable observer (Sherlock Holmes, for instance, at times refers to Watson as “my Boswell”).
Scotland: The Autobiography: 2,000 Years of Scottish History by Those Who Saw It Happen (Rosemary Goring, 2007). Extracts from primary sources let a diverse cast of real-life characters, from Tacitus to Muriel Spark, tell the story of the nation.
Sea Room (Adam Nicolson, 2001). The owner of three tiny islands in the Hebrides contemplates their magical appeal and dramatic history.
A Traveller’s History of Scotland (Andrew Fisher, revised 2009). Fisher probes Scotland’s turbulent history, beginning with the Celts.
Fiction
For the classics of Scottish drama and fiction, read the “Big Three”: Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and poet Robert Burns.
44 Scotland Street (Alexander McCall Smith, 2005). The colorful residents of an Edinburgh apartment house bring Scottish society to life.
Complete Poems and Songs of Robert Burns (Robert Burns, 2012, featuring work from 1774–1796). This collection showcases the work of a Scottish icon who wrote in the Scots language, including that New Year’s classic “Auld Lang Syne.”
The Cone Gatherers (Robin Jenkins, 1980). A staple of British secondary-school reading lists, this tragic novel about two brothers is set on a Scottish country estate during World War II.
Consider Phlebas (Iain M. Banks, 1987). In this first book in the popular The Culture science fiction series, Scottish author Banks describes a galactic war.
The Heart of Midlothian (Sir Walter Scott, 1818). This novel from one of Great Britain’s most renowned authors showcases the life-and-death drama of lynchings and criminal justice in 1730s Scotland. Other great reads by Sir Walter include Waverley (1814), Rob Roy (1818), and Ivanhoe (1819).
Knots and Crosses (Ian Rankin, 1987). The Scottish writer’s first Inspector Rebus mystery plumbs Edinburgh’s seamy underbelly.
Lanark (Alasdair Gray, 1981). This eccentric, sprawling four-part novel set in Glasgow (and a fictional alt-Glasgow) tackles huge themes—capitalism, power, love—and earned Gray a reputation as a great Scottish writer.
Macbeth (William Shakespeare, 1606). Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play” depicts a guilt-wracked general who assassinates the king to take the throne.
Outlander (Diana Gabaldon, 1991). This genre-defying series kicks off with the heroine time-traveling from the Scotland of 1945 to 1743. A popular TV adaptation began airing in 2014 (see here).
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Muriel Spark, 1961). The story of an unconventional young teacher who plays favorites with her students is a modern classic of Scottish literature. (The film adaptation from 1969 stars Maggie Smith.)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1886). This famous Gothic yarn by a Scottish author chronicles a fearful case of transformation in London, exploring Victorian ideas about conflict between good and evil.
Sunset Song (Lewis Grassic Gibbon, 1932). Farm girl Chris Guthrie is rudely confronted by adolescence, modernity, and war in this lauded Scottish classic, the first book in the trilogy “A Scots Quair.”
Film and TV
The 39 Steps (1935). This Alfred Hitchcock classic about a London man wrongly accused of murder is set in Edinburgh, Glencoe, and other parts of the Scottish countryside.
The Angels’ Share (2012). In this working-class comedy, a Glaswegian ne’er-do-well discovers he has a great nose for whisky.
Braveheart (1995). Mel Gibson stars in this Academy Award-winning adventure about the Scots overthrowing English rule in the 13th century.
Brigadoon (1954). In this classic musical, an American couple visiting Scotland discover a magical village.
Highlander (1986). An immortal swordsman remembers his life in 16th-century Scotland while preparing for a pivotal battle in the present day.
A History of Scotland (2010). This BBC series presented by Neil Oliver offers a succinct, lightly dramatized retelling of Scottish history.
Local Hero (1983). A businessman questions his decision to build an oil refinery in a small Scottish town once he gets a taste for country life.
Loch Ness (1996). A skeptical American scientist is sent to Scotland to investigate the existence of the Loch Ness monster.
Mary, Queen of Scots (2018). Saoirse Ronan stars in this portrayal of Mary upon her return to Scotland (from France) and her complicated relationship with cousin Elizabeth I. (A 1971 movie of the same name stars Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson.)
Monarch of the Glen (2000). Set on Loch Laggan, this TV series features stunning Highland scenery and the eccentric family of a modern-day laird.
Mrs. Brown (1997). A widowed Queen Victoria (Dame Judy Dench) forges a very close friendship with her Scottish servant, John Brown (Billy Connolly).
One Day (2011). Two University of Edinburgh students meet and fall in love on their graduation day, and their story continues to be told at each anniversary.
The Queen (2006). Helen Mirren expertly channels Elizabeth II at her Scottish Balmoral estate in the days after Princess Diana’s death.
Rob Roy (1995). The Scottish rebel played by Liam Neeson struggles against feudal landlords in 18th-century Scotland.
Skyfall (2012). In this James Bond film, we learn that 007 grew up in the Scottish Highlands, with a climactic scene at his childhood home (filmed near Glencoe).
Trainspotting (1996). Ewan McGregor stars in this award-winning, wild, gritty picture about Edinburgh’s drug scene in the 1980s. In T2 Trainspotting (2017), McGregor’s character returns to Edinburgh 20 years later to reconnect with his buddies.
Always Room for One More (Sorche Nic Leodhas, 1965). This Caldecott Medal-winning picture book presents a Scottish folktale with evocative illustrations.
Bagpipes, Beasties and Bogles (Tim Archbold, 2012). This whimsical story about spooky creatures and bagpipes serves up Scottish culture in a package perfect for young readers.
Brave (2012). This Disney flick follows an independent young Scottish princess as she fights to take control of her own fate.
Greyfriars Bobby (2005). Based on a true story, this family-friendly film is about a terrier in Edinburgh who became a local legend after refusing to leave his master’s gravesite.
An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales (Theresa Breslin, 2012). Kelpies, dragons, brownies, and other inhabitants of the Scottish Isles come to life in this lovely volume of traditional lore.
Kidnapped (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1886). This fantastic adventure story is based on events in 18th-century Scotland.
The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster (A. W. Flaherty, 2007). A picky American girl on a boat to Scotland throws her oatmeal out the porthole every morning, unwittingly feeding the Loch Ness monster that follows her.
Queen’s Own Fool (Jane Yolen and Robert Harris, 2008). A historical novel for 10-and-ups based on the girl who was a jester in the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, the first of the “Stuart Quartet” books.
The Story of Scotland (Richard Brassey and Stewart Ross, 1999). This humorous, comic-book style history book will engage young travelers.
This Is Edinburgh (Miroslav Sasek, 1961, updated 2006). Vivid illustrations bring the Scottish capital to life in this classic picture book.
The Water Horse (2007). In this film based on a book of the same name, a young boy in 1940s Scotland discovers an egg, which later hatches into the fabled Loch Ness monster.
• In Europe, dates appear as day/month/year, so Christmas 2019 is 25/12/19.
• What Americans call the second floor of a building is the first floor in Scotland.
• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Scots keep the left “lane” open for passing. Keep to the right.
• To avoid the Scottish version of giving someone “the finger,” don’t hold up the first two fingers of your hand with your palm facing you. (It looks like a reversed victory sign.)
• And please...don’t call your waist pack a “fanny pack” (see the British-Yankee Vocabulary list at the end of this appendix).
Scotland uses the metric system for nearly everything. Weight and volume are typically calculated in metric: A kilogram is 2.2 pounds, and one liter is about a quart (almost four to a gallon). Temperatures are generally given in Celsius, although some newspapers also list them in Fahrenheit.
| 1 foot = 0.3 meter |
1 square yard = 0.8 square meter |
| 1 yard = 0.9 meter |
1 square mile = 2.6 square kilometers |
| 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers |
1 ounce = 28 grams |
| 1 centimeter = 0.4 inch |
1 quart = 0.95 liter |
| 1 meter = 39.4 inches |
1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds |
| 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile |
32°F = 0°C |
Scotland hasn’t completely gone metric. Driving distances and speed limits are measured in miles. Beer is sold as pints (though milk can be measured in pints or liters), and a person’s weight is measured in stone (a 168-pound person weighs 12 stone).
1 stone = 14 pounds
1 Scottish pint = 1.2 US pints
1 schooner = 2/3 pint
1 imperial gallon = 1.2 US gallons or about 4.5 liters
When shopping for clothing, use these US-to-UK comparisons as general guidelines (but note that no conversion is perfect).
Women: For pants and dresses, add 4 (US 10 = UK 14). For blouses and sweaters, add 2. For shoes, subtract 2½ (US size 8 = UK size 5½)
Men: For clothing, US and UK sizes are the same. For shoes, subtract about ½ (US size 9 = UK size 8½)
First line, average daily high; second line, average daily low; third line, average days without rain. For more detailed weather statistics for destinations in this book (as well as the rest of the world), check www.wunderground.com.
Europe takes its temperature using the Celsius scale, while we opt for Fahrenheit. For a rough conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, double the number and add 30. For weather, remember that 28°C is 82°F—perfect. For health, 37°C is just right. At a launderette, 30°C is cold, 40°C is warm (usually the default setting), 60°C is hot, and 95°C is boiling. Your air-conditioner should be set at about 20°C.
While Scotland has its own unique lexicon (see “The Language Barrier?” on here), most Scottish people also speak “British.” Here are some words that may be unfamiliar. For a longer list, plus a dry-witted primer on British culture, see The Septic’s Companion (Chris Rae). Note that instead of asking, “Can I help you?” many Brits offer a more casual, “You alright?” or “You OK there?”
advert: advertisement
afters: dessert
anticlockwise: counterclockwise
Antipodean: an Australian or New Zealander
aubergine: eggplant
banger: sausage
bangers and mash: sausage and mashed potatoes
Bank Holiday: legal holiday
bap: small roll, roll sandwich
bespoke: custom-made
billion: a thousand of our billions (a million million)
biro: ballpoint pen
biscuit: cookie
black pudding: sausage made with onions, pork fat, oatmeal, and pig blood
bloody: damn
blow off: fart
bobby: policeman (“the Bill” is more common)
Bob’s your uncle: there you go (with a shrug), naturally
boffin: nerd, geek
bollocks: all-purpose expletive (a figurative use of testicles)
bolshy: argumentative
bomb: success or failure
bonnet: car hood
boot: car trunk
braces: suspenders
bridle way: path for walkers, bikers, and horse riders
brilliant: cool
brolly: umbrella
bubble and squeak: cabbage and potatoes fried together
candy floss: cotton candy
caravan: trailer
car-boot sale: temporary flea market, often for charity
car park: parking lot
cashpoint: ATM
casualty: emergency room
cat’s eyes: road reflectors
ceilidh (KAY-lee): informal evening of song and folk fun (Scottish and Irish)
cheap and cheerful: budget but adequate
cheap and nasty: cheap and bad quality
cheers: good-bye or thanks; also a toast
chemist: pharmacist
chicory: endive
Chinese whispers: playing “telephone”
chippy: fish-and-chips shop
chips: French fries
chuffed: pleased
chunter: mutter
cider: alcoholic apple cider
clearway: road where you can’t stop
coach: long-distance bus
concession: discounted admission
concs (pronounced “conks”): short for “concession”
coronation chicken: curried chicken salad
cos: romaine lettuce
cot: baby crib
cotton buds: Q-tips
courgette: zucchini
craic (pronounced “crack”): fun, good conversation (Irish/Scottish and spreading to England)
crisps: potato chips
cuppa: cup of tea
dear: expensive
digestives: round graham cookies
dinner: lunch or dinner
diversion: detour
dogsbody: menial worker
donkey’s years: ages, long time
draughts: checkers
draw: marijuana
dual carriageway: divided highway (four lanes)
dummy: pacifier
elevenses: coffee-and-biscuits break before lunch
elvers: baby eels
face flannel: washcloth
fag: cigarette
fagged: exhausted
faggot: sausage
fancy: to like, to be attracted to (a person)
fanny: vagina
fell: hill or high plain (Lake District)
first floor: second floor
fiver: £5 bill
fizzy drink: pop or soda
flutter: a bet
football: soccer
force: waterfall (Lake District)
fortnight: two weeks (shortened from “fourteen nights”)
fringe: hair bangs
Frogs: French people
fruit machine: slot machine
full Monty: whole shebang, everything
gallery: balcony
gammon: ham
gangway: aisle
gaol: jail (same pronunciation)
gateau (or gateaux): cake
gear lever: stick shift
geezer: “dude”
give way: yield
glen: narrow valley (Scotland)
goods wagon: freight truck
gormless: stupid
goujons: breaded and fried fish or chicken sticks
green fingers: green thumbs
half eight: 8:30 (not 7:30)
hard cheese: bad luck
heath: open treeless land
hen night (or hen do): bachelorette party
holiday: vacation
homely: homey or cozy
hoover: vacuum cleaner
ice lolly: Popsicle
interval: intermission
ironmonger: hardware store
jacket potato: baked potato
jelly: Jell-O
jiggery-pokery: nonsense
Joe Bloggs: John Q. Public
jumble (sale): rummage sale
jumper: sweater
just a tick: just a second
kipper: smoked herring
knackered: exhausted (Cockney: cream crackered)
knickers: ladies’ panties
knocking shop: brothel
knock up: wake up or visit (old-fashioned)
ladybird: ladybug
lady fingers: flat, spongy cookie
lady’s finger: okra
lager: light, fizzy beer
left luggage: baggage check
lemonade: lemon-lime pop like 7-Up, fizzy
lemon squash: lemonade, not fizzy
let: rent
licenced: restaurant authorized to sell alcohol
lift: elevator
listed: protected historic building
loo: toilet or bathroom
lorry: truck
mack: mackintosh raincoat
mangetout: snow peas
marrow: summer squash
mate: buddy (boy or girl)
mean: stingy
mental: wild, memorable
mews: former stables converted to two-story rowhouses
moggie: cat
motorway: freeway
naff: tacky or trashy
nappy: diaper
natter: talk on and on
neep: Scottish for turnip
newsagent: corner store
nought: zero
noughts & crosses: tic-tac-toe
off-licence: liquor store
on offer: for sale
OTT: over the top, excessive
panto, pantomime: fairy-tale play performed at Christmas (silly but fun)
pants: (noun) underwear, briefs; (adj.) terrible, ridiculous
pasty (PASS-tee): crusted savory (usually meat) pie from Cornwall
pavement: sidewalk
pear-shaped: messed up, gone wrong
petrol: gas
piccalilli: mustard-pickle relish
pillar box: mailbox
pissed (rude), paralytic, bevvied, wellied, popped up, merry, trollied, ratted, rat-arsed, pissed as a newt: drunk
pitch: playing field
plaster: Band-Aid
plonk: cheap, bad wine
plonker: one who drinks bad wine (a mild insult)
prat: idiot
publican: pub owner
public school: private “prep” school (e.g., Eton)
pudding: dessert in general
pukka: first-class
pull, to be on the: on the prowl
punter: customer, especially in gambling
put a sock in it: shut up
queue: line
queue up: line up
quid: pound (£1)
randy: horny
rasher: slice of bacon
redundant, made: laid off
Remembrance Day: Veterans’ Day
return ticket: round-trip
revising; doing revisions: studying for exams
ring up: call (telephone)
rubber: eraser
rubbish: bad
satnav: satellite navigation, GPS
sausage roll: sausage wrapped in a flaky pastry
Scotch egg: hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat
Scouser: a person from Liverpool
self-catering: accommodation with kitchen
Sellotape: Scotch tape
services: freeway rest area
serviette: napkin
setee: couch
shag: intercourse (cruder than in the US)
shambolic: chaotic
shandy: lager and 7-Up
silencer: car muffler
single ticket: one-way ticket
skip: Dumpster
sleeping policeman: speed bumps
smalls: underwear
snap: photo (snapshot)
snogging: kissing, making out
sod: mildly offensive insult
sod it, sod off: screw it, screw off
sod’s law: Murphy’s law
soda: soda water (not pop)
soldiers (food): toast sticks for dipping
solicitor: lawyer
spanner: wrench
spend a penny: urinate
spotted dick: raisin cake with custard
stag night (or stag do): bachelor party
starkers: buck naked
starters: appetizers
state school: public school
sticking plaster: Band-Aid
sticky tape: Scotch tape
stone: 14 pounds (weight)
stroppy: bad-tempered
subway: underground walkway
sultanas: golden raisins
surgical spirit: rubbing alcohol
suspenders: garters
suss out: figure out
swede: rutabaga
ta: thank you
take the mickey/take the piss: tease
tatty: worn out or tacky
tattie scone: potato pancake
taxi rank: taxi stand
telly: TV
tenement: stone apartment house (not necessarily a slum)
tenner: £10 bill
tick: a check mark
tight as a fish’s bum: cheapskate (watertight)
tights: panty hose
tin: can
tip: public dump
tipper lorry: dump truck
toad in the hole: sausage dipped in batter and fried
top hole: first rate
top up: refill (a drink, mobile-phone credit, petrol tank, etc.)
torch: flashlight
towel, press-on: panty liner
towpath: path along a river
trainers: sneakers
treacle: golden syrup
Tube: subway
twee: quaint, cutesy
twitcher: bird-watcher
Underground: subway
verge: grassy edge of road
verger: church official
way out: exit
wee (adj.): small (Scottish)
wee (verb): urinate
Wellingtons, wellies: rubber boots
whacked: exhausted
whinge (rhymes with hinge): whine
wind up: tease, irritate
witter on: gab and gab
wonky: weird, askew
yob: hooligan
zebra crossing: crosswalk
zed: the letter Z
5 shirts: long- & short-sleeve