Talk:Scottish Lowlands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

	Scottish Lowlands is within the scope of WikiProject Scotland, which aims to improve Wikipedia's coverage of Scotland and Scotland-related topics. If you would like to participate, visit the project page.
Start	This article has been rated as Start-Class on the quality scale.
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the importance scale.
Article Grading: The article has been rated for quality and/or importance but has no comments yet. If appropriate, please review the article and then leave comments here to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the article and what work it will need.
WikiProject Scotland To-do: edit  Template:Scotland opentask

In the Scottish Highlands article, note the sentence:

Culturally the area is quite different from the Scottish Lowlands.

This is absolutely correct and one of the main reasons why the Northeast plain around Aberdeen should not be considered part of the Highlands. It is culturally and geographically part of the Lowlands. The Highlands start west of it on a line which roughly follows the foothills of the mountains. Ie Stonehaven, Aboyne, Alford, Dufftown, Nairn, approximately. The Battle of Harlaw was only one example of the area fighting off the predations of the "wild Highlandmen". The article needs to be altered to show this. -- Derek Ross 01:11, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Thanks. Point taken, Derek. You have more knowledge of the area than I! I'll try to rewrite in away that makes it clear that the NE plain is 'not' the Highlands. However, for the sake of simplicity, I suggest keeping the three-way division of Scotland - as this is written for the layman.

-- Regards, Bruce Agendum 22:14, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I note that in common with Scottish Highlands the article divides Scotland into just two (somewhat overlapping) areas and ignores the more modern concept of Highlands and Islands. In broad terms the latter brings together in one area the Far North (including Orkney and Shetland) and the Highlands. Also the article's structure seems not to cater for discussion of centuries of cultural conflict between Highlander and Lowlander, and how this has created shifting perceptions of what is Highland and what is Lowland. Laurel Bush 09:23, 31 May 2005 (UTC).

I've removed Ayrshire from the list of counties that were traditionally both Highland and Lowland. The tradional county of Ayrshire contained neither Arran nor the Cumbraes (rural islands which may give the county some claim to be Highland).

In fact Arran & the Cumbraes were part of the traditional county of Bute.

I think the confusion has arisen from the fact that nowadays North Ayrshire contains these islands and may be seen as being both Highland & Lowland.