Culture and Sport
A question of sport
It was a Scotsman, William McGregor, who set up the first English football league (just as it is a Scotsman who today manages England's most successful football team – Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United) and it was in Scotland that the first ever international match was played: in Partick, Glasgow where England and Scotland drew 0-0 in 1872. A great journey through our footballing history can be had at the Scottish Football Museum, which is housed in Scotland's national stadium, HAMPDEN PARK in Glasgow.
When it comes to golf it's very simple. As Jack Nicklaus once put it, 'Scotland is golf'! Anyone flying into PRESTWICK AIRPORT and heading to Glasgow will be in no doubt of this as the train rolls through the AYRSHIRE countryside, passing classic links like ROYAL PRESTWICK, ROYAL TROON, KILMARNOCK BRASSIE and GLASGOW and WESTERN GAILES, as well as a host of wonderful public courses.
A winter wonderland
When the winter rolls around and the golf stops, a host of other sports get going as Scotland becomes a Mecca for an ever increasing number of skiers and snowboarders. Scotland's many mountain ranges – from the Cairngorms to Glenshee and Glencoe – offer some of the most exhilarating winter climbing in the world. If you need some time to get into training there's The Ice Factory near Fort William: the biggest indoor ice climbing facility in the world. Or, for something a little less challenging, remember that serious hill walkers say that you haven't really walked in Scotland until you've experienced the mountains in winter...
Come on in, the water's lovely
With over 6,000 lochs and lakes and 6,200 miles of coastline, it's small wonder that watersports enthusiasts are flocking to Scotland: canoeing, kayaking, surfing, diving and sailing are all catered for and 2006, once again saw the Tiree Wave Classic Windsurfing festival, with hundreds of pro-windsurfers descending on the island to take part in the week-long competition.
Away from the great outdoors you'll find that every city in Scotland has sports centres and gyms catering for every conceivable sporting activity, with great coaching and competition opportunities in a variety of sports. Scotland even has its own Tennis Academy at Gannochy Tennis Centre, based at Stirling University. Small wonder we're producing international sports stars of the calibre of Andy Murray.
There are also the more traditional sporting pursuits. People from all walks of life enjoy our unparalleled shooting and fishing. Today, over a century later, the Highlands are still the world's number one destination for these activities, (www.visitscotland.com/fish) while other Scottish traditions like bagpiping, Highland dancing, caber-throwing and the tug-o-war find their ultimate expression in the Highland Games, which are held at various locations all across Scotland throughout the summer months.
April 2007
Adventure Racing World Championship 2007 In the year of Highland Culture, we look forward to the biggest event in the adventure racing calendar and assess Scotland's impact in the sport.
March 2007
Scottish Music in the US Scottish based artists such as Snow Patrol and KT Tunstall are riding high in the US charts. We look at the success of Scottish bands in the USA.
February 2007
The Firhill Flyer John Archie MacKenzie's speed on the pitch is the stuff of legends. We hear the story of the amazing 1950's Partick Thistle footballer.