Unique Scotland John Harbour

Scotland the Place will give you an insight into this small but amazing country that you’ve probably never had before. You’ll be told of it’s earliest beginnings, how the land formed millions of years ago and how the land took the shape that we see today. It will tell you about the different parts of Scotland and how the landscape has shaped the lives of the people who live there and also why people live in the places that they do.
Scotland’s beauty comes from the photogenic mountainous west coast with heather glens and deep lochs bordering the fierce Atlantic Ocean. On the east coast there are more rounded hills with salmon laden rivers leading down to the relatively benign North Sea that has kept fishermen busy for thousands of years… and all this in a Podcast – now you have to listen.

Scotland, this small nation of 5 million people is an incredible success story. No invader has ever defeated the Scots and, in more peaceful times, these people have shown to the world what an incredible nation of inventors, mathematicians, designers they are. This Podcast talks about the Scottish People, where they originate from, what are their historic roots and what has shaped their lives over thousands of years and also, what shapes their lives today. The Scots have always been a fierce proud race and this Podcast will give you an insight into where this total self-belief came from and why Scotland makes Britain Great.

This Podcast takes you on a tour from Edinburgh to Inverness. It is the first part of a Tour Trilogy that will see you travel all the way from Edinburgh to Inverness and back, calling into some of the most iconic places in Scotland. This first part takes you from Edinburgh to St Andrews. You will be starting on the outskirts of the city of Edinburgh and on making you way in to the medieval centre, you will hear the story of how Edinburgh formed and what it looks like today. The castle takes centre stage and you will be given an introduction to this enormous fortress sitting on top of an extinct volcano.
You will hear about the New town, an incredibly beautiful Georgian construction of 1770 and on leaving Edinburgh to head north you will hear about the new Queensferry crossing bridge just opened in 2018. You will travel through the Kingdom of Fife arriving at the home of Golf, St Andrews and learn about the amazing St Andrews Cathedral and why this was such an important place in the Middle Ages. Kate and William’s University gets a mention and, obviously, you will learn about the Old Course and the home of golf. A great start to your mini tour of Scotland.

Scotland’s North Coast 500 was opened in 2015 and this 516 mile route has become a very popular travel destination. This, Part 5, of our tour will take us from Durness in North West Sutherland down through an extraordinary Geopark where geologists from all over the world come to visit. We will drive on to Laxford bridge and onto a ‘destitution’ road. We’ll cross the incredible Kylesku bridge before heading to the Assynt and Coigach are.
We will pass through the town of Scourie and hear about General Mackay and his part in the Jacobite uprising. At Kylesku bridge you will hear of the wonderful memorial to the midget submariners who trained in this area during the war. We will drive around the northern part of the Assynt and Coigach area taking in the amazing mountains of Quinag, Suilven and Canisp. The ‘Cnoc and Lochan’ landscape (mountain and small lochs) is breath-taking. From there we will visit the 16th Century Ardrek castle and Calda House that was mysteriously burned down 10 years after its construction.
We will drive on to Ullapool, the gateway to the Outer Hebrides before dropping down to see two superb 19th century tropical gardens and then visit the Corrishalloch Gorge which is an outstanding natural 1 mile gorge with crashing waterfalls.
Come and join me on another Unique Scotland adventure!

John Harbour explains what you can expect from the Unique Scotland podcast series.
An introduction to this small but beautiful country. The people, the places, the customs and a carefully researched tour through this proud nation; with John as your expert, trusted guide.
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This Podcast takes you on a tour from St Andrews to Inverness through some of the most picturesque towns in Scotland. It is the second part of a tour trilogy that will see you travel all the way from Edinburgh to Inverness and back, calling into some of the most iconic places of Scotland. You will be standing on the most famous bridge in the world before leaving St Andrews and, photos taken, you will head north across the Tay Bridge through Dundee up to the beautiful Cathedral town of Dunkeld before heading north again into the Cairngorms National Park. You will arrive in Inverness and, after a evening relaxing, you will visit the famous battlefield of Culloden and also a 4000 year old site that gave Diana Gabaldon her inspiration for the Outlander series.