10 Biggest Myths About Scotland Americans can’t Seem to Shake

Coming up: Edinburgh, enigmas, a big fictional dinosaur thing, sheep’s lungs, 0.5% of people, lots of surprising stats, why skirts aren’t always skirts, and the 10 biggest Scottish myths that Americans (and many others!) just can’t seem to shake.

Scotland is one of my favorite countries on the planet

… and I’ve spent years exploring the place (including its seaside towns, cycling routes, UNESCO sites, and castles).

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But the nation is actually VERY different from what most people expect.

For starters, it’s bigger, more diverse, less densely-populated, and culturally very unique. And many of the most well-known Scottish clichés (like ideas around kilts and bagpipes and haggis) just aren’t true

So: here are 10 long-standing myths that Americans (and people from around the world!) just can’t seem to shake when it comes to Scotland. On we go!

Myth #1: Everyone wears a kilt every day

Expect to be surprised when: you probably don’t see a single blue-and-white skirt*

(*yes, I know they’re not actually skirts, I’m just joking)

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Anyway, kilts are pretty rare. Yeah, people wear them at weddings and ceremonies, and other events and occasions … but no-one spontaneously picks them out of their wardrobe instead of a pair of jeans.

Fun Fact: kilts originated in 16th-century Scotland as the ‘féileadh mòr,’ a full-length wool garment worn by Highland men. These days, kilts are a lot shorter than they used to be. More about the traditional Scottish dress here.

Myth #2: The midges probably won’t be too bad

Expect to be surprised when: you have the most uncomfortable summer of your life.

Like a smaller, less-harmful, more-irritating cousin of mosquitoes, midges are RELENTLESS.

Because these tiny flies are so small, and because they can’t transmit any diseases, tourists think ‘oh, they can’t be too bad.’

But those tourists are WRONG

Midges will make me wish you had no skin.

… that you were d-ad.

…. that you were anywhere but Scotland.

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When midges are on and around you, you honestly can’t stand to be outside. They turn camping into hell, they transform picnics into unbearable experiences, and make standing still relentlessly annoying (so, on a hike, you don’t get any rest).

To put this into context: I’m fine with mosquitoes. I don’t mind insects. I rarely get bitten by anything. I have a high tolerance for irritation…

… but I can’t tolerate 5 seconds in the company of midges.

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To avoid Scottish midges (and you really really really should make efforts to avoid Scottish midges), don’t travel to Scotland between late June and early August. If you absolutely need to travel during that period, avoid dawn and dusk, try not to head to the west coast and the Highlands, make sure you cover up as much as possible, and embrace wind (whether it’s natural or manmade—cos midges hate wind).

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Repel 100 is also excellent for keeping them at bay—I massively recommend buying some. Even if it was 10x more expensive than it is, I would still buy it.

And for much more info (and some helpful avoidance strategies), here’s my full guide to Scottish midges.

Myth #3: Bagpipes are played on every street corner

Expect to be surprised when: you don’t hear bagpipes once

Yes, you’ll hear bagpipes playing at some Scottish-themed parties.

… and at festivals.

… and at Scottish heritage events.

… and some Edinburgh buskers might play them.

And, yes: bagpipes have strong links to Scottish culture

… but you won’t hear them playing at Tesco. And if you don’t go to touristy places during touristy season, you might not hear bagpipes at all

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Fun Fact: bagpipes aren’t actually originally Scottish. Instead, different versions of the instrument likely popped up in a few different cultures… and were then spread through Europe by the Romans.

Myth #4: You can see everything in a week

Expect to be surprised when: you realise… Scotland is actually quite big.

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Scotland is way bigger than most people expect

Alright, it’s not US size, but it measures in at 30,090 square miles (77,900 km2)—and the mainland alone has around 6,160 miles (9,910 km) of coastline.

… so it’s only slightly smaller than Austria.

I’ve probably spent a cumulative 18 months in Scotland. And I still feel like I’ve basically seen nothing

So: my advice for Scotland is… if you try to see ‘everything,’ you’ll actually see nothing. So choose a specific region you really want to see, and explore JUST that region for your vacation:

… but whatever and wherever it is, choose one region and explore it fully

Myth #5: The Loch Ness Monster is a national obsession

Expect to be surprised when: most people actually don’t care about a probably-fictional un-locatable monster.

Okay, admittedly: you will find some madcap locals who unironically reckon there’s a big weird immortal dinosaur thing living in the depths of the nation’s biggest lake

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… but for the most part, locals don’t actually believe this.

Instead, most people have moved on from this myth—and very few people care about the Loch Ness monster (or talk about it).

That said, if you do want to learn about Nessie, head to the strange and kitsch Nessieland Museum at Loch Ness… with its dubious ‘evidence,’ cardboard monsters, and lots of kid-friendly stuff. It’s half folklore, half fever dream, and all in all pretty terrible—but I suppose that’s part of its charm

Myth #6: Everyone loves watching Braveheart

Expect to be surprised when: people are confused by your references to a 30-year-old movie.

Most Scottish people under the age of 30 probably haven’t even seen Braveheart.

… so if you quote “freeeeeeeeedooom” to Scottish people, loads of them will have no idea what you’re talking about:

At best, they’ll be confused

At worst, they’ll be irritated.

Yes, Scottish people are proud to be Scottish. But they have a lot more going on in their lives than an ancient Mel Gibson movie.

Myth #7: Haggis is disgusting

Expect to be surprised when: you finally get your mouth around this super-tasty treat.

If you’re one of these foreigners who thinks…

“Eeeew, haggis is gross, I’m not eating that, because I literally have the mental capacity of an illogical toddler ”

… then I have some bad news for you:

Haggis is actually delicious.

And if you eat burgers or hot dogs or kebabs or chicken tenders, you’ve probably eaten much worse

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In case you don’t know, haggis is: a savory meal made from sheep’s heart, sheep’s liver, and sheep’s lungs; then mixed with oats, onions, and spices—and cooked inside a sheep’s stomach. It sounds horrendous, but it tastes incredible. Make sure you have some. But wherever you are in Scotland, don’t munch it in a touristy place. Instead, ask locals for the best spot—they’ll always steer you in the right direction.

Myth #8: Edinburgh is EVERYTHING

Expect to be surprised when: the capital doesn’t represent the country

To be very clear, I LOVE Edinburgh:

It’s atmospheric, charming, and magnetic, and everyone falls in love with it (including probably future you).

But no matter where you go in the world, a nation’s capital is usually very different from the rest of the country

… and that’s also the case in Scotland.

Compared to (most of) the rest of Scotland, Edinburgh is very cosmopolitan, very busy, very touristy, and very populated.

But the rest of Scotland is very different:

Much of it is remote and rugged, and beyond a couple of other big cities, it’s really not very urban at all…

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… the nation is home to 30,000 lochs, over 700 islands, and some of the most dramatic landscapes in Europe. As you head further north, you can drive for hours without seeing a single traffic light—just mountains, valleys, cows blocking the road, loads of farmland, and more sheep than people

It’s much more wild and quiet than tourists expect—even most English people are usually surprised by the solitude and sparsity of Scotland.

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And as a sidenote to this: Glasgow is actually around 3x more populated than Edinburgh. So even though Edinburgh is the capital, it’s not the nation’s biggest city. And to be honest, if you want to see a ‘real’ Scottish city, Glasgow is A MUCH BETTER OPTION than Edinburgh.

All that said, I LOVE Edinburgh—and to be clear, I’m not saying you should neglect it. For much more on exploring the place, head over to our guides on:

… and, and for much more on exploring Glasgow, here are:

Myth #9: Scotland is basically England with a different accent

Expect to be surprised when: you realise Scotland and England are VERY different from one another.

Nope

England and Scotland are VERY different.

I’m actually from Newcastle, in far-northern England—and I love many things about England

… but England is different from Scotland.

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Note: culturally, people from Newcastle are actually probably closer to Scottish people than we are to other English people—and don’t tell anyone, but I actually prefer Scotland to England. But that’s a topic for a different time.

Anyway:

• Scottish landscapes are different from English landscapes
• Scottish accents are different from English accents
• Scottish people are different from English people
• … and so on and so on and so on

Most notably, Scotland is MUCH less populated than England. Even though England is only 1.7x bigger than Scotland, England has 10x more people than Scotland. So Scotland is a lot more remote, and a lot more quiet

Myth #10: Everyone still speaks Gaelic

Expect to be surprised when: you realise most people don’t

Only around 1% of the Scottish population can speak Gaelic (source) — and only 0.5% of them actually speak it at home.

A few more can understand Gaelic—or some small slices of it—but the vast majority of Scottish people have basically no understanding of the language at all.

(all that said, you’ll probably STILL be perplexed by the accent. Most Scottish accents are much tougher to understand than most English or American accents)

MUST SEE: Watch this American tourist speak Gaelic in Scotland and Surprises Everyone!

Final Thoughts

So, there you go—Scottish people don’t always wear kilts, there’s a relatively slim chance you’ll hear bagpipes, and no-one actually cares about the Loch Ness monster.

For some similar Scottish insights, here are:

Thanks for reading, thanks for choosing Travelness, and we’ll see you again soon!

(oh, and sorry for ruining your Scottish expectations)

Bye for now! (but click on the links above, you’ll be surprised by some of the facts there!)