With interest in Scotland and Scottish culture still riding high post the Scottish independence referendum, here’s welcome information for anyone wishing to delve into the background and landmarks of one of Scotland’s greatest writers, Sir Walter Scott. Visit Scotland, “Scotland’s National Tourism Organization,” has put together a Sir Walter Scott Itinerary to take visitors around the sites and settings most associated with Scott and his novels, starting with his slightly fantastic creation of Abbotsford, the house which dramatized the historical and Romantic themes in stone and in a huge collection of curios.

Then there’s Sir Walter Scott’s Courtroom, the Sheriff Court at Selkirk where Scott worked as lawyer and Sheriff, and Dryburgh Abbey, where he is buried. In Edinburgh itself, there’s The Scott Monument, to Scott himself, and The Writers’ Museum, at the Edinburgh Castle end of the Royal Mile, with its own collection of Scott memorabilia, plus the Heart of Midlothian, inspiration for the novel of the same name. Nearby in Perth, there’s the The Fair Maid’s House, the old cottage that was the home of The Fair Maid of Perth . And further afield, truly among the mountains, there’s  to Loch Katrine , inspiration for Scott’s epic poem “The Lady of the Lake,” and the Rob Roy Way, leading trekkers through the territory of the real-life protagonist of the great novel. 

There’s a fair argument that Scott created the modern image of Scotland. It’s lucky then that the sites associated with him include some of Scotland’s most beautiful landmarks.

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